Men find themselves in a relentless battle against evil—always trying to get rid of it, always finding that it breaks out in another tragedy, another horror, another dictator, another massacre. Will the man ever break free from his knowledge of evil?
God says there will be an offspring of the woman, someone born into the human line of decent, not an offspring of the man but an offspring of the woman. He will engage in a great struggle against the evil one.
A deadly wound is inflicted
“He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
Imagine standing on the head of a venomous snake. In the same moment, he bites you, inflicting a wound, but then that wounded foot bears down on him, bringing his destruction.
In the fullness of time Christ came into the world. He did not face the enemy in a perfect garden, where all the food was provided. He faced the enemy in a barren wilderness, where he fasted for 40 days and there was no food—only stones.
Then Jesus went to the cross and He suffered and died. All the darkness of evil struck out against him, but on that cross He inflicted a deadly wound to the enemy, shattering the enemy’s power and opening the way for men and women to be delivered from the power of the evil one.
A new way is opened
“He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24)
But if man is ever to get back into the garden, he has not only to get free from the power of evil, but he has to get past the flaming sword, the cherubim who represent the wrath of Almighty God.
Try to imagine yourself standing with Adam and Eve outside Eden, looking back at the angels and the flashing sword of judgment. There’s no way back for you into the presence of God. If you tried, the sword would cut you down.
But as you look, someone comes out form the presence of God and stands beside you. Then He turns and advances toward the flaming sword. You cringe as you think of what will happen to Him when He gets there. But He keeps walking forward, steadily and relentlessly.
The sword strikes Him… and kills Him. It breaks His body, but the sword itself is also broken. The sword that killed Him lies shattered on the ground, and by His death, a new way back into the presence and blessing of God is opened.
This weeks Scripture: God says to the serpent, "I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel." Genesis 3:15
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This LifeKey is based on the message “Curse,” by Pastor Colin S. Smith, delivered on January 9, 2000, from the series “Unlocking the Bible.” Colin currently serves as Senior Pastor of the The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He is committed to preaching the Bible in a way that nourishes the soul by directing attention to Jesus Christ.
