To God be the Glory, great things He has done.

mcmtffr.org wishes to acknowledge and thank Derek Konofalski and Rocket Media for making this page:
Mobile Friendly

 

Genesis Framework

GF 30 Genesis 3.15 (Part 2)
April 3, 2016
Part 30

 

Exposition

NKJ Genesis 3:15
And 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."

There are hints of a future David and Goliath battle in the imagery of this verse.

I will demonstrate at least two big pictures that are implied here by the language of the Hebrew.

The first idea is that of two large opposing armies, enemies standing off against one another, separated by a wide-gap space, spread out between them.

The second idea is that of two opposing champions, each representative determining the destiny of their respective armies.

Since the outcome of the battle belongs to each of them as representatives, the result will be imputed to every single member of the respective armies of each champion.

Today, we will deal with the first idea. Next week, I hope to finish with the second idea.

NKJ Genesis 3:15
And 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."

(Q) Who is God addressing directly in this verse?

(A) Satan.

 

between your seed and her Seed;
He shall … , … His heel.

The word “seed” is masculine-singular in both instances, and can be taken as either singular with reference to an individual seed in mind, or taken as a collective-singular referring to a “collection” or a multitude of seeds, having a particular kind of characteristic in common. So, the wording of this verse allows for the flexibility of referring both to seeds (plural), and to a unique seed (singular), thereby communicating a “dual-meaning” to the reader.

Since the second word seed is presented without the definite article, we are not reading anything into the text by saying that seed refers directly to “the Christ”? This is true because of the use of the pronoun “He” and “His” are masculine singular, which both point to an
individual, a unique seed out from among the same kind of seed collective.

The function of the pronoun is “to point to” a specific individual, so they serve the same function as that of a definite article.

between your seed and her Seed;

The immediate implication of “seed” also suggests a great multitude of offspring, of generations to come from Eve; and correspondingly to come from Satan, some by temporary adoption, others as sons of perdition. Seed denotes a familial “kind”, as in the generation of
seed that proliferates, develops, and grows in a manner “after its own kind.” There is a double-meaning in the sense of the possibility
of the co-existence of two kinds of seed in the multiple; one of the serpent-in-kind, and one of the rescued-in-kind, those from Eve who are destined to be among the ones who will be, like Eve, rescued from the Serpent.

I will put enmity

Between you and the woman between your seed and her Seed

The words here for “I will put enmity” is more on the order of “to set enmity into place”, with a sense of permanence, as in to set an entirely new kind of relationship into place between a rescued-in-kind-seed and a serpent-in-kind-seed.

                                   

(Q) Why are we only referring to Eve and not also to Adam at this point?

If only for the reason that covenant-wise they are one; or that physically, Eve is out of Adam’s flesh and bone; or that Adam’s name for her ish-shah‘ woman, is an adaptation of his name ish, man?

(A) Because at this point, God is dealing with Satan and Eve; He has yet to address Adam.

                                   

The relationship that God is setting into place is not a static condition but rather a dynamic condition that is intended to continue to exist over a great period of time, until its final conclusion, at the Day of Judgment.

After its beginning, the relationship will progress in ways that will be observable throughout its historical continuity, being characterized primarily by particular salvific events along the developing salvation process overall.

In terms of salvation, think of what had developed rather quickly in the relationship between Satan and the woman Eve; a discipleship, familial, servant/lord relationship with Satan had been quickly established, and just as quickly reversed. God’s sudden arrival on the scene was actually an act of salvation as well as an act of judgment. In the event that played out between God, Eve and the serpent( Satan), we see an example-enactment of the prayer/promise given later to the children of God by Christ in the form of “the Lord’s Prayer”.

Poisonous varieties have large, sharp fangs which they use “to strike”, wound, and inflict their prey with venom that works to “disable” their victim by inducing paralysis, so that the victim is not able to escape from the serpent no matter how hard it tries. Once the victim has been poisoned and rendered helpless, it drops in its foot-tracks; then the creature uses those large teeth to clutch its prey and draw it down into its
belly.

Regardless whether the serpent is poisonous, or the kind that squeezes its prey to death; beyond a certain point; whether bitten or seized, there is no way for the prey to escape by its own strength. Only an act of third-party intervention by another that is stronger and more mighty than the serpent, will effect a save in behalf of the prey, making it possible to be dragged away from the grasp of the evil one.

Hence, the need for God to “deliver us from the evil one.”

Another point that we must draw from this verse is that there is a real point in time during the process of dealing with the devil, beyond which wisdom is no longer operative.

Wisdom should guide us to avoid the act of tempting God by adopting an alligator( leviathan) for a pet, well before it becomes too late.

Translation:

And enmity( ) I shall set into place Between you( .) and between the woman( .) And between your( .) seed and between her( .) seed He(emph.) He(emph) shall bruise( strike) you( .) of head And You(emph.) you shall bruise( strike) him( .) of heel.

We hope to look into the “He/you” contrast next week.

Exposition:

And enmity ( ) I shall set into place

ey-bah' personal hostility, enmity - This is an action noun.

Lit. “strong arm of the tent beheld”

Root      As in the tent pole is pointed at one end and doubles as a spear, which can be used (1) to support the family, and (2) to defend
against an enemy.

Action: to be hostile
Concrete: spear
Abstract: enemy

The idea: enmity, to take up the spear against one another.

Exposition:

And enmity( ) I shall set into place

sheeth             to put, to set into place, to lay hand upon

          Lit. “to press with the hand a mark” As in the pressing down upon a seal of a decree, thereby laying down or appointing the existence of a given condition that shall continue to remain in place throughout the ages.

Action: to sit

Concrete: a garment

Translation:

Between you ( ) and between the woman ( )

thorn; pierce, sharp, repulsive

Translation:

Between you ( ) and between the woman ( )

 

In the ancient Hebrew language, when the space separating two distinct objects is to be indicated, this is done most commonly by repeating the word “between”, just as we find in the expression used in our text.

The action of discrimination is involved in order to distinguish one kind from another. The repetition of “between” indicates that God did not
set into place a simple one-sided condition of enmity, but a two-sided or mutual sense of hostility, and the emphasis of this expression is upon the distance of the separation created by the enmity.

While we might not have given this idea much thought before, there is definitely a difference in the scale of our mental attitude when approaching someone we find repulsive, as compared with doing so with the added knowledge that the other person finds us repulsive as well. In that case, the effective hostility between us is, in a sense, doubled. A physical analogy: it’s one thing to run into a tree while
going 30 mph, but a head-on collision of two cars each going 30 mph is obviously much worse.

Translation:

Between you ( ) and between the woman ( )

The repeat of the word “between” expresses a mutually perceived, wide-gap of hostility.

NKJ 1 Samuel 17:3

The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.

Many will be surprised on the Day of Judgment when they discover that it was just as the Word of God says; only the righteousness of Christ is able to save you.All men are sinners and no one can save himself. God is just, so He must punish sin; but He is also merciful, moreover gracious, and offers His Son as the perfect sacrifice in order to purchase a place for you in heaven, which He offers to you as the free gift of eternal life. As we continue to examine man’s earliest duties with regard to the covenant of works, although they can be categorically divided into two distinct types of classes; one in relationship with God, and the other in relationship with fellow man, all covenant stipulations are expressions of the will of the Lord. The law of the covenant is the law of man’s imzage-sonship.

Jesus is God Incarnate

In order to pay the debt of our sins, He came from Heaven, having been sent by the Father, where He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father even unto the shameful death upon the cross in order to pay the debt of your sins.This gift must be received by faith, believing that Jesus’ perfect life and Cross Work was His complete and necessary Atonement for your sins, in your behalf.Faith is a gift that comes by the Power of God the Holy Spirit working in a person’s innermost being. The Holy Spirit has the authority and power to quicken your dead spirit, to make it come to life. If you have not done so before this moment, ask Jesus to forgive you your sins, tell Him you’ve stop trying to be your own savior, and ask Him to come into your life right now, and to give you eternal life. Then, in faith believing, thank Him for the gift that He is giving you, the one He paid for in full in your place, in Jesus’ name, AMEN

 

Copyright April, 2016
Rev. Jim Craig
All Rights Reserve