Pyrrhus of Epirus fought the Roman Empire. He won the Battle of Heraclea in 280 B.C. and the Battle of Asculum in 279 B.C. but at a great cost. His close commanders were killed. His fighting forces were depleted. Military reinforcements were unavailable. Political allies proved useless. The Romans lost more soldiers than Pyrrhus. But the more they lost, the more soldiers poured out of Rome, determined to fight and win. When Pyrrhus received the news of victory in Asculum, he replied, “If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined.”

“A Pyrrhic Victory” is a victory not worth winning. You can fight a battle that costs so much to win that it is tantamount to defeat. It is to win the battle and lose the war. Genesis 3 records the ultimate “Pyrrhic Victory.”  

In six days, God spoke the world into existence out of nothing. Bearing the image of God, man was the crown of creation. It was not good that the man was alone. So God made a woman and gave her to the man. Genesis 2:25 says, “And the man and his wife were both named and were not ashamed.”

Genesis 3:1 says, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.” The serpent implied God was not good because he declared one tree in Eden off-limits. Though Eve misrepresented the divine prohibition, she rightly stated the consequences of transgression: immediate death. The first couple ate of the forbidden tree. Genesis 3:7 says, “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” 

Fearing death was imminent, they hid from the Lord among the trees of the garden. Verse 9 says, “But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” Adam confesses that he hid because he was naked and afraid. God asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” Then they played “The Blame Game.” 

• Adam blamed the woman.
• Eve blamed the serpent. 

 Verses 14-19 record the divine curse and punishment on this trio of transgressors. It begins with the serpent in verses 14-15. Verse 14 curses the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.” Verse 15 curses the Tempter who used the serpent to deceive Eve: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his hell.” 

Ray Stedman said, “This is surely one of the most remarkable verses in the Bible.” Theologians call it the Protoevangelium – the prototype of the gospel. Charles Spurgeon said, “There lies within it, as an oak lies within an acorn, all the great truths which make up the gospel of Christ.” What is the good news in this divine curse? Jesus is the seed of the woman who came to save sinners. Genesis 3:15 summarizes the story of the Bible in three acts. 

The Ongoing Struggle 

The Fall seemed like a victory for Satan. The fight was not over when the forbidden fruit was eaten. It was the beginning of a conflict that was not a fight between equals. Genesis 3:15 reveals three ways God was in control of this ongoing struggle. 

Divine Judgment.

• Adam makes an excuse in verse 12. 
• Eve makes an excuse in verse 13.

God did not give the serpent a chance to defend himself. The Lord cursed the serpent before he punished Adam and Eve. Verse 14 is a statement of condemnation, degradation, and humiliation. While verse 14 is biological, verse 15 is theological. God says, “I will.” Genesis 3 records the darkest day in history. Yet it does not depict the Lord in crisis mode. He takes the initiative after the Fall. He seeks out the hiding sinners. He declares judgment on the Tempter-Serpent.

This is the context of Genesis 3:15: “I will put enmity between you and the woman., and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” As we look at the world, it seems the devil won. But the devil is God’s devil. The crafty serpent was impotent, insignificant, and ignominious before the judgment of God. The one who has the first word in this conversation with the serpent will have the last word in the end. 

Sparing Mercy. Adam and Eve hid in fear because they knew they deserved to die because of their sin. Verse 15 is God’s restraining love that held back what they deserved: “I will put enmity between you and the woman.” Enmity is hostility or animosity. The serpent and the woman did not start with ill-will. Eve thought the serpent was her friend until she ate the fruit. God made them hate each other. The Tempter had a twofold plan: To get Eve to betray God and join his confederacy.

• Eve betrayed the Lord in her sin. 
• She did not become Satan’s ally. 

The Lord put enmity in the woman against the serpent. It was God’s sparing mercy. It was mercy that God did not strike Eve down immediately. She would even go on to have offspring. It was a greater mercy that God did not let her live in love with her sin. James Vaughan said, “The worst possible position in which men can be placed in a state in which there is no inward spiritual conflict. Quiet in the soul is the quiet of the grave. Where there is conflict there is life.” 

If God showed such mercy to the first sinners, he will be merciful to you if you turn from your sin and trust in Christ. Charles Simeon said, “Let no sinner in the universe despair. But let every one see in this prophecy how abundant and inconceivable is the grace of God.”

Redemptive Purpose. The God-induced enmity between the serpent and the woman is twofold. 

• It was personal: “I will put enmity between you and the woman.” 
• It was ongoing: “and between your offspring and her offspring.”

“Offspring” is not biological. Satan does not have physical offspring. Children are the seed of the man, not the woman. The verse is about spiritual progeny. Society categorizes people as oppressors or oppressed. Genesis 3:15 categories mankind differently: 

• There is the seed of the serpent. 
• There is the seed of the woman. 

We see this antithesis play out in Genesis 4 when Cain killed Abel because his brother was more righteous. It is the reason Pharaoh afflicted the children of Israel in Egypt. It is the reason Saul sought to kill David. It is the reason Haman planned a holocaust of the Jews. It is the reason It is the reason the religious leaders sought to destroy Jesus. It is the reason why the world hates the church today. The ongoing conflict is a part of God’s redemptive plan to bruise the head of the serpent through the Person and Work of Christ. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,  to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

The Promised Champion 

  Genesis 3:15 is the greatest sermon ever preached. 

• God was the preacher. 
• Eden was the sanctuary. 
• Satan was the congregation. 
• Judgment was the message. 
• Christ was the champion. 

There is no direct reference to Christ in this verse. But it is all about him. Christ fulfills what this verse promises. Mark Vander Hart wrote: “Christ is the chief agent of God, the Suffering Servant of the Lord, who enters our history, taking on our own nature, to win the cause for God our Father.” What does this verse foretell about the Lord Jesus Christ?

Christ the Seed. Verse 15 says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.” “Offspring” is the Hebrew word for “seed.” The Septuagint uses the Greek word for “sperm.” The Bible does not typically talk this way. 

• Genesis 16:10 mentions the offspring of Hagar. 
• Genesis 24:60 mentions the offspring of Rebekah. 

Beyond these rare exceptions, scripture associates offspring with a man. The family line is traced through the male seed. When a woman is mentioned in a biblical genealogy, it is in connection with male members of the family line. Yet verse 15 says the woman will have offspring. This is more than the spiritual progeny – the righteous who trust and obey God. It refers to a person, not a group. 

Who is that person? Isaiah 7:14 says, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”Matthew 1:21-22 explains the birth of Jesus: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet; ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). Jesus Christ is the seed of the woman.

Christ the Son. Verse 15 says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head.” Note that the Lord calls the woman’s offspring “he.” Pronouns matter. The verse says nothing about the “it-ness” or “they-ness” of the woman’s offspring. It declares the “he-ness” of the seed of the woman. 

Genesis 4:1 says, “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, ‘I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.’” Eve may have believed the birth of Cain fulfilled Genesis 3:15. She was disabused of that notion when Cain murdered Abel. Genesis 4:25 says, “And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, ‘God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” If Eve thought the birth of Seth fulfilled Genesis 3:15, she was wrong again.

• He would be of the line of Seth. 
• He would be the seed of Abraham.
• He would be of the tribe of Judah.  
• He would be the son of David.   
• He would be the holy Son of God. 

 Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his should, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

The Decisive Victory 

 Genesis 3:15 emphasizes the enmity between the serpent, the woman, and their offspring. But when you read this verse from a Christocentric perspective, you know this ongoing struggle does not end in a draw of the official scorecards. It’s a knock-out win. The seed of the woman wins a decisive victory. Some argue that the bruised heel is the first advent and the bruised head is the second coming. It is better to read both as fulfilled in the Incarnation. The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ was the decisive victory. 

The Heel-Bruising Crucifixion. Verse 15 says, “You shall bruise his heel.” The verb means to strike or crush. The serpent would stalk the seed of the woman through forty-two generations. He would finally strike his heel at the cross. Don’t allow “bruise” to cause you to minimize the devil’s strategic blow. The serpent’s goal was to kill, not wound. The death of Christ seemed to be a victory for Satan. That sad day was actually Good Friday! Colossians 2:15 says, “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” It is wrong to think that hell partied when Jesus died on the cross until the resurrection crashed the party. Satan lost at the bloody cross, not the empty tomb. Satan lost at Calvary! 

Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” If you want to be set free from the power of the evil one, run to the cross! 

The Head-Bruising Resurrection. Verse 15 says, “He shall bruise your head.” The same verse is used for both bruises. The different locations of those bruises decide the victory. 

• The serpent will only bruise the offspring’s heel. 
• The offspring will crush the head of the serpent. 

John 19:30 says, “It is finished.” God the Father places his stamp of approval on the finished work of Christ by raising him from the dead. Acts 2:24 says, “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” After the crucifixion, Death placed Jesus in the custody of the Grave. The grave successfully held Jesus on Friday and Saturday. On the third day, God raised him from the dead. 

Revelation 1:17-18 says, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys to Death and Hades.” Jesus rose from the dead to crush the head of the serpent! Satan is real. Satan is powerful. But Satan is defeated. 

• There is no devil in the first two chapters of the Bible. 
• There is no devil in the last two chapters of the Bible. 

 The conflict continues to rage all around us. But the outcome has already been determined. Romans 16:20 promises: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” 

Have you ever read a suspenseful book? You become anxious because you know how the story is going to end. But there is a resolution to the conflict even though it may not be evident. The one who wrote the beginning wrote the ending. 

• The one who wrote the beginning wrote the end. 
• The one who wrote the problem wrote the solution. 
• The one who wrote the conflict wrote the victory. 
• The one who wrote Genesis wrote Revelation. 
• The one who wrote the bad news wrote the good news. 
• The one who wrote the Fall wrote the gospel. 
• The one who wrote the First Adam wrote the Second Adam.