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The DEEP

Bad Things Have Purposes

Even the fall.

Genesis 3:14-16 (ESV)

The LORD God said to 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

 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.”

To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.

Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

There is some debate over whether God was referring to snakes or Satan when He said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.” However, “he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel,” is all in the singular – and the “he” is masculine singular. That strongly points to a specific “he.”

That “he” is Jesus Christ. Genesis 3:15 is the first direct reference to Christ in the Bible.

Thus doth the plot thicken. The “catastrophe” of the fall sets up something else, something wondrous, something that glorifies God.

Remember, the purpose of everything is God’s glory. The fall of man looks, at first glance, like a huge setback.

Maybe not.


The “he” in Genesis 3:15 becomes flesh in the incarnation. We can never fully understand this, but we can celebrate it.

Thank God for Christmas. Thank Him especially for the magnificence of His plan. He did something no one expected.

That’s part of why the first century Jews didn’t recognize Christ for who he is – despite all the miracles. It was just too fantastic to make sense.

There’s a reason that Christmas Carols are some of the greatest hymns

They’re trying to do justice to the glory of it all.


The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Mike Slay

As a mathematician, inventor, and ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church in America, Mike Slay brings an analytical, conversational, and even whimsical approach to the daily study of God's Word.

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