Wednesday- Week 1

Virgin

by Simon Ushakov 1668

The Curse

Genesis 3:14-24

So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.

And 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."

To the woman He said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

To Adam He said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After He drove the man out, 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.

What curse did God pronounce upon the serpent?

[1. Crawl on his belly; 2. Eat dust; 3. Enmity between the serpent and woman, woman’s seed and serpent’s seed; 4. He would crush the serpent’s head and the serpent would bruise his heel.]

The fourth part of the curse pronounced on Satan was called the Protevangelium (“first good news” or “first gospel”) by the early church fathers. It is the first clear promise of the coming Redeemer in scripture.

What was the promise? How was it fulfilled?

[The promise was that the seed of woman would crush the serpent’s head. Fulfillment came in the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ- for by His death, Satan was defeated, and His death on the cross, was symbolic of Satan striking (bruising) His heel.]

What was the significance of salvation coming from woman’s seed?

[Usually, a child’s lineage is traced through the father; however, this prophecy promised that the Savior would be from the woman’s seed. This is because Jesus would be born of a woman, not of a man’s seed—thus a virgin birth.]

Further Discussion

Why is the above passage called the Adamic Covenant? How does it relate to the Edenic Covenant?

[Whereas the Edenic Covenant was a covenant of responsibility (essentially a list of do's and one don't), the Adamic Covenant was a covenant of redemption. God made a new covenant to redeem Adam and Eve (and all mankind) from the effects of their choice to break the Edenic Covenant.]

Close In Prayer

There are many times in life when we feel rejected (or 'cursed') by God in our personal circumstances. But the Lord always has a bigger plan for us. Sometimes we cannot see it or understand it.

Sometimes, it is because we have made bad choices, but God always provides a way back to Him. If you have made bad choices, admit it, don't justify or lay blame on others for your poor decisions. Ask God to forgive you and then, if possible, make amends to anyone you have harmed in word or deed.

Pray for those around you who may need to find their way back to God. Maybe you are the one who has lost your way. All you have to do is ask, He has already made a path back.

Make A Joyful Sound!

Choose a song from Songs for Advent- Week 1 or choose one or your favorites!

#TheCurse #AdamicCovenant #Protevangelium #EdenicCovenant #GardenofEden