Curse on the Serpent
So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.”
Genesis 3:14 begins a section of Genesis that has been called the “Protoevangelium” by modern theologians. This word means “beginning of the gospel.” It is used because theologians have correctly pointed out that this begins a thread that runs through the rest of the Bible—that God has a plan to counter the influence of Satan and redeem mankind from sin through Jesus Christ, and that the Kingdom of God will ultimately triumph over sin and evil.
This important portion of the book of Genesis begins with God addressing the instigator of mankind’s sin—the serpent (Satan, Revelation 12:9). Though Adam and Eve (and the rest of mankind) were personally responsible for their sin (Romans 5:12), Satan was still the deceiving influence that instigated the sin.
Satan is “cursed” in this verse for his role in the deception that led to the first human sin. This curse will ultimately be fulfilled when God defeats Satan: “That through death He [Christ] might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). We will learn more details about how Satan will be ultimately defeated in tomorrow’s post.
To learn more about the cause of evil in today’s world, read “The Problem of Evil.”
Tomorrow on the Daily Bible Verse Blog: “Satan and Jesus Christ in Genesis, Part 1.”
