Crushing the Serpent's Head.

Among those who follow a Christological interpretation of the verse, the bruising of the serpent's head is taken to refer primarily to the final defeat of Satan, while the bruising of the heel of the seed of the woman is taken to refer to the crucifixion of Christ.

Genesis 3:14 - 15

So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.

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.

This prophecy was given to Eve. Eve is a type of the church, the bride of Christ. There will come from the woman a particular seed that will bruise the head of the serpent. The head of the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman, then in turn the heel would crush the head of the serpent.

Jacob a prophecy about Dan in Genesis 49:16,17

"Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel.

Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse's heels So that its rider shall fall backward".

Judges 18:30,31.

Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

So they set up for themselves Micah's carved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh".
Dan was the first tribe to introduce idolatry in Israel. Dan brought the attack of the serpent into the household of faith, the chosen nation of Israel. It later brought about wholesale backsliding in Israel.

Dan did the work of the serpent - biting the heels of Israel.

The heel of the serpent would later be crushed. The Lord said He would blot out the name of the persons who brought idolatry into Israel.

Deuteronomy 29:18 - 21.

"Make sure there is no man or woman clan or tribe among you today whose heart from from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root that produces such bitter poison. When such a man hears the words of this oath he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks "I will be safe even though I persist in going own way". This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. The Lord will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against the man. All the curses written in this book will fall upon him and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven. The LORD will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law", NIV.

The name of Dan is missing from the 144,000 Israelites in the book of Revelation.

Everything that has to do with the serpent will be removed permanently.

The seed who would bruise Satan's head would be a firstborn though a woman.

Galatians 1:4,5.

"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons".

Jesus Christ is the seed of the woman. He is the son of David, through the tribe of Judah. At the cross, the serpent bruised the heel of Jesus, the Messiah.

When Jesus was raised from the dead by God the Father, the seed of the woman, He made it possible to bruise the head of the serpent.

Jesus has given the church the authority to bring about the ultimate bruising of the serpent, Satan, the author of sin.

Here are some Scriptures that talk about the bruising of the head of the serpent. The show us that Jesus Christ is a deliverer in fulfilment of the call demonstrated by judges in the Bible.

Joshua 10:24.

So it was, when they brought out those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings." And they drew near and put their feet on their necks.

1 Kings 5:3.

You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the LORD put his foes under the soles of his feet.

Isaiah 27:1.

In that day the LORD with His severe sword, great and strong, Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.

Luke 10:19, 20.

"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

"Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

Romans 16:20.

And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

1 Corinthians 15:25, 27.

For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.

For "He has put all things under His feet." But when He says "all things are put under Him," it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.

Ephesians 1:22.

And He (God the Father) put all things under His (Jesus Christ) feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,

Hebrews 2:8.

You have put all things in subjection under his feet." For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him.

1 John 3:8.

He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

A person who enjoys this blessing and ministry is one who has learnt through the Holy Spirit to overcome everything from the serpent through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ and His church are one in ministry and inheritance.
Jesus Christ and His church ae the only agents on the the earth dealing the work of bruising Satan, the serpent in several ways:
carry out the ministry of preaching the gospel, reconciliation and forgiveness of sins.

healing the sick.

cast out demons.

releasing the truth of God's word through preaching and teaching.

healing communities.

Matthew 28:18.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Luke 10:19, 20.

"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

"Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

Let us ask the Holy Spirit to teach us how to exercise our God-given authority over Satan and the powers of darkness.

In the final analysis, we must say that the complete biblical picture does reveal a difference in the significance of the terms. Christ’s death for human sin was, in effect, a wound rendered by Satan. But the Lord’s resurrection, exaltation, and final victory will destroy the devil’s revolting efforts (Rom. 8:20-21; 1 Cor. 15:26; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14; 1 Jn. 3:8; Rev. 20:10).

Great Truths Taught.

There are a number of important points that we would make in concluding this discussion. These are practical points from which we may learn and enhance our own spiritual lives. Consider the following.

Satan — a real enemy.

There is the fact that Satan is a real enemy, and a formidable opponent. He lied to Eve, and he murdered the human family (Jn. 8:44). He is the ever-tempting one (Mt. 4:3 — a present tense participle) who, as our adversary, continuously is on the prowl for those whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8).

Nothing could please him more than for liberal theologians to dismiss him as a mythological metaphor. Elsewhere we have discussed the history and mission of Satan in greater detail (Jackson, 103-111).

Not a myth or legend.

Allegations that the “serpent story” is a mere legend, are based upon anti-supernatural presuppositions. The God who fashioned all creatures certainly could, for a special occasion, empower a serpent to speak, just as in the case of Balaam’s donkey (Num. 22:28). The inspired Paul viewed the episode as strictly historical (2 Cor. 11:3).

There also is archaeological evidence that connects the serpent image with man’s original fall. A seal was discovered at ancient Nineveh depicting a man and woman on either side of a fruit tree. To the left of the woman stands a serpent.

Such traditions, though distorted, may be traced ultimately to the historical events of Eden.

A preview of Christ.

Genesis 3:15 is a preview of the incarnate Christ. The expression “seed of woman” implies humanity. The virgin would conceive and bear a son (Isa. 7:14). [Note: The reference is not to Isaiah’s son, as some erroneously allege . Indeed, a child would be born, a son given (Isa. 9:6).

The apostle John, of course, notes that the eternal Word “became flesh” and dwelt among the human family (Jn. 1:14).

There are tremendous reasons for the necessity of the Redeemer being human, not the least of which is the fact that a spirit-being cannot die a physical death ( 1 Tim. 6:16).

But Jesus partook of the nature of humanity that “through death he might bring to naught him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14).

The suffering of Christ.

The allusion to the woman’s seed being bruised unquestionably looks to the suffering of Christ on behalf of the sins of humanity.

In Isaiah 53, there is a vivid portrait of Jehovah’s abused servant, the Christ ( Lk. 22:37; Acts 8:32-35). Twice the prophet speaks of the promised Messiah being “bruised” (daka) and wounded as an offering for sin (53:5, 10).

The death of Jesus, planned even before the foundation of the world (1 Pet. 1:19-20), was previewed in this miniature “gospel.”

Resurrection implied.

The fact that only Christ’s “heel” (in contrast to the serpent’s “head”) was to be injured, obviously alludes to the Lord’s resurrection from the dead. Jesus’ death would not terminate the divine mission.

Human alliance with Satan.

The allusion to the serpent’s seed ominously predicts that many of the human family would choose to be aligned with Satan, rather than with the Son of God.

This stands in bold relief to the modern notion that all men basically are good, and are, therefore, perfectly at liberty to pursue the course of their own interests in life with Heaven’s approval. Genesis 3:15 contradicts universalism.

Victory over Satan.

The prophecy reveals that the glorious cause of the woman’s Seed would prevail ultimately. Satan and his forces will be crushed.

As Paul writes, in words designed to encourage the saints in the imperial city of Rome:

“And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly” (Rom. 16:20).

Observe the expression, “your feet.” The redeemed will partake of Christ’s triumph! ( Rev. 19:14). Though Paul’s prophecy may refer to a situation more immediate than remote, the term “shortly” does not necessarily demand chronological proximity. Rather, “the phrase means ‘swiftly.’ As with a swift stamping of the feet one crushes a snake’s head...”

As noted earlier, Satan’s dreaded destiny is graphically set forth in the concluding book of the Bible (Rev. 20:10; cf. Mt. 25:41).

And so, Genesis 3:15 is a grand depository of rich, prophetic information. In capsulated format, it highlights the origin of human rebellion. But it does not leave the drama hanging; rather, the glorious triumph of the woman’s seed is previewed. The “rest of the story” is depicted in the book of Revelation!

This Old Testament text certainly is worthy of the designation “first gospel.” It is the gospel, sketched in an abbreviated form, which concept, in fact, has the endorsement of Scripture itself ( Gal. 3:8)