Evil: Having put on display the profound goodness of God in creation, Moses now turns his attention to the origin of evil. Evil is first introduced in 2:17 in the twofold commandment of God. If man should defy God’s prohibition, he will taste (or “know”) evil, even as he had experienced (or “known”) good in the Garden. In a world without sin, rebellion would seem impossible to come together, except that a deceiver crept into the Garden. The deceiver tempts Eve to distrust the LORD. She believes his lie and falls into transgression. Sadly, Adam joins her in her rebellion. Their souls instantly die in the sight of God and they are separated from Him in spiritual death. They immediately become withdrawn from the LORD, ashamed of who they are, and afraid of God. They no longer go out to walk with Him in the cool of the day (3:8). Their relationship with Him was broken. In the day they ate of that tree, their souls died (Eph. 2:2). Moreover, the curse of God brought pain, both for the woman and for the man, and their misery will crescendo with physical death (3:19).

Seed: What hope is for there for man in this plight? The promise of the seed of the woman. This human offspring will vanquish the deceiver, his ultimate brainchild (the Antichrist), and all those who have followed his lies—the children of the Devil (John 8:44; 1 John 3:7-10). Even though Adam and Eve were banned from Eden which was guarded by powerful and armed angels, God gave them hope, nonetheless. A victor will arise who will defeat the enemy and deliver humanity from his lies. That seed of the woman, who will later be identified as the seed of Abraham (Gen. 22:18) and the seed of David (1 Chr. 17:11), this promised human offspring will resist the Devil (Matt. 4:1-10), drive him out (John 12:31), render him powerless through the atonement (Heb. 2:14), draw men out of his clutch (John 12:32), destroy his works (1 John 3:8), and bring divine judgment upon him (John 16:11). Who is this seed? It is the Lord Jesus Christ. He comes full of truth (John 1:14), even as the divine Truth Himself (John 14:6). He speaks the truth and dispels the lie (John 8:31-32; 15:26-27; 16:13-15) as the light that shines in the darkness (Acts 26:18; 2 Cor. 4:3-6), guides His people out of darkness into light (John 8:12; 1 Pet. 2:9; 1 John 1:5-7) and leads them safely home to glory (Rom. 2:7, 10; 8:17, 30; Phil. 3:21; Col. 3;4; 1 John 3:2) in paradise (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:4; Rev. 2:7). The blessing of Eden which was lost is regained for all those who are joined to Christ and one with Him (1 Cor. 6:17; Eph. 5:30-32). In that place of paradise, a river will flow once again and the tree of life will line its banks (Rev. 22:1-2). There, the curse will be no more (Rev. 22:3) and the redeemed in Christ will reign forever and ever (Rev. 22:5).

Messianic Anticipation: The rest of Genesis develops this Messianic anticipation. In the next section (Genesis 4-11), we find the flicker of hope that continues to shine through the days of Cain, Enosh, and Noah. This hope persists amid the corruption that pervades the world (Cain, Lamech, Flood, and Babel). The promise made to the fathers (Acts 13:32; 26:6; Eph. 3:6; Heb. 6:15; 9:15; 11:13) continues onward through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the rest of Genesis and it builds taller and wider and more elaborate through the rest of biblical revelation until it is finally fulfilled in Christ. Gen. 3:15 sets down of the very first stone in the vibrant mosaic of Messianic promise.