{"id":4462,"date":"2024-01-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-03T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/handstotheplow.org\/reading-plan\/january-3\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T16:54:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T21:54:34","slug":"january-3","status":"publish","type":"reading-plan","link":"https:\/\/handstotheplow.org\/am\/reading-plan\/january-3\/","title":{"rendered":"January 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

Insight from Genesis 3<\/strong><\/p>\n

Genesis 3 is a major turning point in the story of creation and in the story of the world. In this chapter, the reader is introduced to the serpent and is able to hear him distort God\u2019s good words and God\u2019s good creation. This serpent will play a major role in the story being told in the rest of scripture. It is as if the reader has been brought into the scene and is listening to Eve (Adam\u2019s perfect helper!) as she talks with the serpent. The reader wonders why Adam doesn\u2019t say a word. Next, the reader watches, in horror, as Adam and Eve disobey God\u2019s good command and eat the fruit. Instantly, everything changes. Adam and Eve begin creating things (their own clothes). They hide from God. And God, as the eternal Judge, pronounces heaven\u2019s verdicts upon Adam, Eve, and the serpent.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this chapter, the reader only \u201csees\u201d two people\u2014Adam and Eve. However, there is another person who is also described in this chapter. This person, like Adam and Eve, will also have a close encounter with the serpent. This person, unlike Adam and Eve, will not listen to the serpent\u2019s lies. He will defeat the serpent. This person is introduced in a poem. Notice the words in bold below.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and <\/span>her offspring<\/b>; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.\u201d Genesis 3:15<\/span><\/p>\n

Who is this future serpent bruising warrior? In this chapter, this future warrior who is to battle the serpent is referred to as the woman\u2019s <\/span>offspring<\/b>. Later passages in the Old Testament describe this <\/span>offspring<\/b> more completely. In fact, the word <\/span>offspring<\/b> is used in many significant passages. The prophets who wrote in the Old Testament were anxiously waiting for the coming of this <\/span>offspring<\/b>. When would the serpent be defeated? Readers of the New Testament know that the \u201c<\/span>offspring<\/b>\u201d first described in Genesis 3:15 has already come. His name is Jesus. While Jesus has already defeated the serpent (i.e., Satan), Satan\u2019s destruction will not be fully seen until the events described in Revelation 20:10 take place. Until that day, believers in the Lord Jesus will still suffer because of Satan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_crdt_document":""},"class_list":["post-4462","reading-plan","type-reading-plan","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/handstotheplow.org\/am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reading-plan\/4462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/handstotheplow.org\/am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reading-plan"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/handstotheplow.org\/am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/reading-plan"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/handstotheplow.org\/am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}