The Fall and the Promise

When God first created the world, there was no need for a gospel. Adam and Eve were already in a close relationship with God; they had everything they could ever want in the garden paradise God made for them. But God knew before he ever created that the world would not remain “very good” for long. Satan deceived Eve, and she and her husband rebelled against God (Genesis 3).

It is hard to imagine the terror they must have felt when God came to the garden for the first time after they ate the fruit. They knew their flimsy leaf coverings were not sufficient to clothe them in his presence because their naked bodies were not what was offensive—their sin tainted them to the core. Satan and the angels who fell with him were condemned with no chance of mercy. What on earth would God do to Adam and Eve?

God’s threefold pronouncement of judgment to the serpent, Eve, and Adam was undeniably devastating. They would no longer live in Eden, and they would live lives of hard toil before eventually dying and returning to dust. Eve would suffer pain in childbirth, and the marriage relationship would itself be tainted by the sinfulness of both husband and wife. But within the judgment, there is hope. Women would bear children—and that couldn’t happen if God planned to kill off Eve before she could get pregnant.

More than that, one of these children, borne painfully by a woman, would defeat the serpent and undo this curse. Perhaps Eve remembered this promise and, like her descendant Mary would, “treasured up” the assurance that the curse came with an expiration date (Luke 2:19). When she bore her firstborn, Cain, she made the pronouncement which is translated literally, “I have begotten a man—the Lord” (Genesis 4:1). It could be that her theology was very advanced, though misapplied; she was expecting the serpent-crusher to be God and man. Her second son, Abel, has a name that means “breath” but also has the sense of “empty” or “vain” (Genesis 4:2)—indicating that perhaps by that time, she realized that her children had inherited sinful natures, and they would have to wait longer for deliverance.

But salvation would also require a sacrifice of blood, which God prefigured by sacrificing animals and clothing Adam and Eve with their skins. Just as Adam and Eve were covered by the animals killed in their stead, the promised serpent crusher would himself be wounded as a necessary element of salvation, and we are covered by his blood.

The promised serpent crusher would himself be wounded as a necessary element of salvation, and we are covered by his blood.

It would be around 4,000 years after God’s first promise of a Messiah that Jesus would be born. Many generations of believers would live and die, trusting this promise and waiting for its fulfillment without knowing what form that deliverance would take. Christians have spent about half that time since Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven waiting for his second coming when he will fully manifest his defeat of Satan. We should emulate the faith of the Old Testament saints as we patiently wait for him.

Scripture Reading: John 1:1–4; Genesis 3:1–21

Question for Discussion/Reflection: How do we experience the curse on creation today?

Suggestion for Prayer: Thank God for mercifully providing a sacrifice for sin and pray for the soon return of the Lord Jesus.