Establish the need: What was the first place that predicts the coming Messiah?
Purpose: We will consider how Genesis 3:15 anticipates the Messiah is Jesus.
- Clues from within Genesis 3:15
- Clues from Eve’s expectation in Genesis 4:1
- Clues from the Aramaic Targum
- Clues from the expectation of the coming of the Messiah with LamechClue from the expectation of the coming of the Messiah with Noah
Clues from within Genesis 3:15
Passage: “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
The big question: Who is this that will crush Satan?
Clues from Eve’s expectation in Genesis 3:15: This head-crusher of Satan is born not with the help of a man!
- We would typically expect “his seed” and not “her seed” (“her sperm’).
- Referring to “her seed” (“her sperm’), that is, Eve’s seed is strange since it is the man that provides the seed.
- I think it shows that this person must be born mysteriously not as a seed of a man and without the help of a man.
- One can say there’s a foundation of the doctrine of the virgin birth right here.
Clues from Eve’s expectation in Genesis 4:1: Yahweh born as a man!
- Note that Eve must have expected her firstborn to be this “Bruiser” since in Genesis 4:1 Eve named him “Cain” which means “Spear,” or “Possessed;” One can’t help but to wonder if she expected her firstborn to be the one who will attack Satan’s head.
- Literally in the Hebrew Eve said “I have gotten a manchild” followed by the Hebrew phrase:“ ְהוָה־יאֶת”.
- The Hebrew phrase:“ ְהוָה־יאֶת” literally is an object marker that shows the second word is the direct object of what it is Eve gave birth to. Here it is shockingly: She thought she gave birth to a “Man” that is “Yahweh.”
- Eve expected an incarnation.
Picture: <Have you ever looked at those 3D pictures and you had to really look before you discover there’s something there?>
Practice: Are you in awe with the Messianic expectation of God coming to save sinners??
Clues from the Aramaic Targum
The Aramaic Targum is a translation of the Hebrew Old Testament into the Aramaic language.
The Aramaic Targum isn’t always as literal but it gives us the interpretation of how non-Christian Ancient Jews thought about passages.
The translation of Genesis 3:15 states “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between the seed of thy son, and the seed of her sons; and it shall be when the sons of the woman keep the commandments of the law, they will be prepared to smite thee upon thy head; but when they forsake the commandments of the law, thou wilt be ready to wound them in their heel. Nevertheless for them there shall be a medicine, but for thee there will be no medicine; and they shall make a remedy for the heel in the days of the King Meshiha.” [1]
- The ending mentioned that the remedy for the Fall will be “heel in the days of the King Meshiha”
- In the Aramaic “Meshiha” is “Messiah.”
- We see non-Christian Jewish interpretation of Genesis 3:15 of it being Messianic goes back longer than Christian interpretation of Genesis 3:15 as Messianic.
Clues from the expectation of the coming of the Messiah with Lamech
Passage: “Now Lamech lived 182 years, and fathered a son. 29 And he named him Noah, saying, “This one will give us comfort from our work and from the hard labor of our hands caused by the ground which the Lord has cursed.”” (Genesis 5:28-29)
Proof
Here in this passage you see Lamech had expectation about his son Noah.
Noah’s name means rest.
Here we see in verse 29 the explanation of why his name is rest: “This one will give us comfort from our work and from the hard labor of our hands caused by the ground which the Lord has cursed”
- This reference back to Genesis 3 where God curse the ground because of man’s sin.
- In light of the reference to Genesis 3 this seems likely to refer to the child of Eve that would somehow reverse the curse!
- So we see the expectation of the Messiah was active during the time before Abraham!
But as it turns out Noah was not the Messiah; how do we know that? Noah sinned! See Genesis 9:20-24.
- You see here a strange episode where Noah had no clothes.
- You see the sin of Noah getting drunk.
- Often when you find strange stories in the Bible it serves two purposes:
- It shows how the Bible is true, people are sinful.
- It shows how the specific individual as a hero is not the Messiah, having fallen short of God’s glory and morals.
Practice:
- Lamech was not wrong to expect the Messiah. We are not wrong to see Someone out there will be the Messiah: Jesus Christ!
- But Lamech was wrong in thinking Noah was the Messiah! We too will be wrong to see someone else besides Jesus as the Messiah.
- Still we are to expect the Messiah! The second coming of the Messiah…are you ready?
Clue from the expectation of the coming of the Messiah with Noah
Passage: “He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant. (Genesis 9:26)
Proof
Some context is important here.
- This is Noah speaking and Noah is speaking prophetically after the embarrassing episode in Genesis 9:20-24.
- In Genesis 9:20-24 recall Noah was covered up by two of his sons while the younger son dishonored Noah by telling his two brothers of something embarrassing about his father.
- So in Genesis 9:25-27 Noah pronounces blessing and curses to his three sons.
Here in Genesis 9:26 Noah blesses Shem.
But if one pay attention in Genesis 9:26 Noah technically blesses God. That is the God of Shem.
What is going on here? Is Noah blessing God or blessing Shem? The answer? Recall the expectation of a rescuer who will be God, born from Eve’s line.
Of course the Messiah will be coming from the Jews and the Jews are descendants of Shem (hence sometimes being anti-Jewish is called Anti-Semitism).
The structure of Genesis 9 parallel Genesis 3 that further fortify the point that Genesis 3:15 is Messianic Prophecy.[2]
- Genesis 9:20 indicate Noah was like Adam with caring for plants in an area.
- Genesis 9:21a shows Noah was like Adam sinning through a fruit, in Noah’s instance it was being drunk.
- Genesis 9:21b-22 shows Noah was like Adam in that they were naked and ashamed after their sins.
- Genesis 9:23 shows Noah was like Adam where nakedness and shame was covered by another.
- Genesis 9:25-27 shows Noah’s story was like Adam’s story where after their sins there’s a pronouncement of curse but also a Promise Seed.
Practice: Are you in awe with the Messianic expectation of God coming to save sinners???
[1] Source: https://www.sefaria.org/Targum_Jonathan_on_Genesis.3.14?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en.
[2] Seth Postell, “Genesis 3:15: The Promise Seed” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 246-247.
Well said brother. This is very helpful.
Soli Deo Gloria!
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Always in “awe” of the True and Living God! 🙌🙌🙌 Thanks…
He is truly Awesome!!
Thank you Pastor for such explanations! You really put a magnifying glass upon well known verses to dig deeper!
I hope all is well with you and your family – church family too!
Thanks for reading this latest post refuting the skeptic Annotated Bible. I appreciate the love and support for this ongoing series! My family is well! How are you and your family Lisa???
My family is fine, thank God. Will be back in MA next week for 10 days. Church family doing well too, praying for the Lord to lead us in every way. ⚘
Amen. Soon.
Amen. Look up!
This is so good! Praise God that His Word clearly tells us what will happen. Now more than ever we should claim to Messianic prophecies to focus on eyes on Jesus and keep our hearts, minds and hands busy with the work that He has for us.
A big hearty amen!! How are the new classes?? Are you guys reading Van Til’s Intro to Systematic Theology by chance??
Intense, brother!!!!! Going to be reading Van Til (finally!!!) this semester!!!! My Greek 3 class is already proving to be a thorn in my side!!! I was wondering at TMS how many Greek classes did you have? What were your textbooks?!
We had 4 semesters worth of required Greek; two semester of Greek grammar, two of Greek exegesis. How many Greeks for you guys??? Yeah to you reading Van Til! I bet its Intro to Systematic Theology?
Yes it is!!! I have been looking forward to reading this for months!!!! So, we have 3 mandatory Greek classes; however, I am not sure whaat the focus is. Like in Greek 1 was all indicative and simple translation. Greek 2 was every other verbal form and then translation based on Wallace’s Beyond the Basics. Now in Greek 3 it seems to be discourse analysis. I just submitted my first translation assignment and I am already confused! Lord have mercy!!! What I find the most bizarre, is that we can consult tools if necessary. I feel like there are enough resources out there, if we are to use tools, why not teach us how to use tools?! There are pros and cons to both. I do think that genuine mastery of biblical languages is becoming a thing of the past. I was stunned to learn about the coherence based genealogical method which is using computers instead of reasoned eclecticism and text families. Computers really are taking over the world!!!! Hope you are not sorry that you asked, I am honest!!!!!!!
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Thanks for delving into these Old Testament Messianic foreshadowings/prophecies, always a thrill for me.
RE: Genesis 3:15
I thought you would be interested to know that the translators of the Douay-Rheims Bible, which was the preeminent English-Catholic Bible for 350 years, mistranslated Genesis 3:15 as follows, giving the preeminence to Mary, “the new Eve”:
I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.
Wow that is rather blasphemous of the Douay-Rheims Bible. That is unacceptable and has no basis with the actual Hebrew text! Wow have you written a post going more indepth with this?
That definitely would be excellent fodder for a future post. Thanks. I will write myself a reminder.
This left me convinced. For years I wonder why do we see this as Messianic
Thanks Jim! I’d never considered that Eve and her immediate descendants expected a very early fulfillment of the prophecy!
Thanks for reading this and seeing I was arguing for that interpretation! Blessings to you RG!
And to you too, Jim!
The Targums…that was new to me the information
This brings a greatly appreciate for our Savior, well done brother, you challenge and teach me in ways that is very good for my soul. My the Lord continue to bless you in your work!
Aww praise God!! Hope you had a blessed Lord’s Day today!!!
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I wonder if in the same way stars in Genesis 1 means more too since the Bible often calls angels “stars”. If you have never cross-studied “stars” and “angles” in the Bible, I highly recommend it.
Peace.