14 The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

You are cursed more than all the cattle,

And more than any animal of the field;

On your belly you shall go,

And dust you shall eat

All the days of your life.

15 “And I will put enmity (open hostility)

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed;

He shall [fatally] bruise your head,

And you shall [only] bruise His heel.”

Genesis 3:14-15 (AMP)

Addressing the source

Yesterday we looked at the “blame game” When the Lord questioned Adam about his sin, Adam blamed Eve who, in turn, blamed the serpent. All are guilty and accountable, as we are today for our sin. The devil (in the form of the serpent) was the source so The Lord addressed him first.

Consequences for sin

All sin has consequences. The serpent, Eve and Adam and all experienced consequences. These consequences, however, were not just for Adan and Eve but they cascade down to all mankind. All mankind are born with a sinful nature, a proclivity to sin. When given the choice to obey God or obey ourselves and our desires, we will naturally choose to disobey God.

The serpent is changed physically, cursed. Some surmise he used to be able to walk but that was stripped away and his seed is forced to be the lowest of all the animals, slithering on the ground. Isaiah 65:25; Micah 7:17 both make reference to this. It’s also interesting that he’s to eat the dust…the same basic element that Adam was made from.

Enmity

Enmity is “positive, active, and typically mutual hatred or ill will” (merriam-webster.com). The Amplified version adds “open hostility. It is not accidental or just a response; it is offensive, proactive, devoid of pretense. We are the seed of Eve (and Adam), their offspring. So the devil is our adversary, our enemy (c.f., 1 Pet 5:8, Our enemy, the devil seeks those he can devour;  Eph 6:11-18, stand against the devil; James 4:7, resist the devil). Check out this article for more on this. 

Hope

But there is hope. One of Eve’s seed, Jesus Christ, would (has) come to fatally bruise (crush) the head of the devil while the devil strikes His heel. The devil did indeed succeed in killing Jesus but, Jesus did not stay dead! When He rose from the dead, He conquered death and hell (Rev 1:18), He crushed the head of the devil. Here’s more on the topic – Jesus conquered death. 

There’s more hope; hope for victory today. As mentioned above, the natural man tends toward sin. However, God gives hope and help. With the Spirit of God residing in believers, we have all the power to overcome the natural tendency with supernatural ability.

RЯeflection

• The ultimate consequence for all sin for all mankind of all time was the death of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Have you accepted His death and  forgiveness?
• Fellow believer, are you trusting in the Lord to empower you to have victory over your sinful nature? You are a saint, a holy one.