Stepping On Satan's Head Series

TEXT: Genesis 3:1-15 TITLE: Stepping On Satan’s Head

OPEN: David Shepherd is a biology professor at Southeastern Louisiana University. In an experiment he conducted, he put rubber reptiles on or near reads and watched how 22,000 motorists reacted to them. They put fake snakes and turtles in places where the drivers would hit them if they kept driving straight; they also put the rubber reptiles where drivers had to go out of their way to hit them.

His conclusion: "There are apparently very few animals hit accidentally on the highway.”

A couple of examples Shepherd witnessed:

A policeman crushed one of the snakes with his tires, then stopped and pulled his gun.

One woman saw the snake in the road and swerved to kill it, then turned around and ran over it five more times. (Uncle John’s 2nd Bathroom Reader)

APPLY: Snakes are not generally well liked creatures

Both men and women have a healthy respect or fear of them

According to research I’ve read - women are more than 2x’s as likely to fear snakes as men.

Genesis 3 tells us that God put “enmity” or hatred between the serpent and the woman.

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15 NKJV

Now, as much fear as women seem to have of snakes… I’m pretty sure THAT’S NOT what this verse is talking about.

First – the word “enmity” doesn’t mean “fear”.

Enmity mean hatred, a violent anger.

It’s an emotion intended for one’s enemy… not for a creature that you’re afraid of.

The serpent was the enemy and God intended to destroy that old serpent with the offspring of the woman.

Well, what does that mean?

When Eve heard the message I think she only heard what she wanted to hear.

Her sin had robbed her of her the Garden and of God’s intimate presence.

NOW, the promise was that a boy child would undo the damage

She figured that God was promising He would give HER a boy child and that this boy child would beat down the old serpent and she’d get back into the garden.

Who was Eve’s first born son? (Cain)

It was her first boy child.

In Genesis 4:1 we’re told “.. Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have ACQUIRED A MAN from the LORD.” NKJV

She had “acquired” the boy child promised in the prophecy.

She figured Cain was her ticket back into the garden.

Later she gives birth to Abel – and Abel’s name means “emptiness”, “vanity”.

Essentially, she was saying “I’ve got Cain… what do I need Abel for?”

But she was wrong.

Cain wasn’t her salvation… he was her heartache

He killed his younger brother Abel and then went into exile for his sin.

That wasn’t what the prophecy had meant.

So what did this prophecy mean?

What does it mean that the seed/offspring of “the woman” would bruise the serpent’s head?

Well, God used a fairly odd way of saying what He meant in this verse

He says it was the “Seed/offspring” OF THE WOMAN

Generally, that’s not how a child was spoken of in those days.

A descendent was rarely spoken of as being the “seed” of the woman… but rather of the man.

· The nation of Israel was either called the “seed of Abraham” or the “seed of Jacob”

· The priests serving in the Temple were spoken of as being the “seed of Aaron”

· God spoke of punishing some of the “seed of David”

Children were generally spoken of as being the seed of the man.

But this prophecy referred to the child as the “seed of the woman”

It’s almost as if there were no earthly father involved in this child’s birth.

Hmmmm??? I wonder who might have born that had no earthly father?

Do you know?

Ah yes – Jesus, born of a virgin – a woman who had never known a man.

So, if the “seed of the woman” is Jesus, who’s the serpent???

Well, it’s pretty clear from the story… it was Satan.

The seed of the woman (Jesus) was going to bruise the head of Satan.

And in the process, this young man (seed of woman) would Himself be bruised.

That’s what Isaiah 53 tells us. Prophesying about Jesus, Isaiah said:

“… it pleased the LORD to bruise him...” Isaiah 53:10 KJV

“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

Now, Satan is a major player in the Passion.

And he is the primary focus of why Jesus came.