Genesis 3:15 is called the protoevangelium, from the Greek words proto (first) and evangelion (good news). In other words, it is the first mention of the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. This is because the “seed” of the woman is a reference to Jesus, who would be born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23)

In addition, Satan would be the one who would bruise the seed’s (Jesus’) “heel”. This is a reference to Satan’s involvement in Jesus’ crucifixion. (John 13:18, 27; Luke 22:3)

The curse upon the woman was two-fold. First, childbirth would be difficult. The word “sorrow” in Hebrew refers to “labor” and “hardship”. Second, she would be subject to her husband. (vs. 16) There has been much written about the issue of a woman’s submission to her husband and this short article is not going to cover everything involved with it. However, 1 Corinthians 11:3 is helpful, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” Please note that Christ is subject to God the Father, even though they are both equal. Likewise, the woman (wife) is subject to the man (husband), even though they are both equal in the eyes of God. That said, most men are not very Godly and most women are not very Christlike, and that is where problems arise.

The man’s curse was also two-fold. First, the ground was cursed. Food would not be easily accessible. Second, a corollary of the cursing of the ground is that work would be difficult. Sweat and toil would be the price of food. (vv. 17-19)

Verse 19 ends with a statement which should give all of us pause. We will one day return to the ground. Our composition is essentially dust. The human body is mostly contains oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen. That is roughly 99% of our chemical makeup. Organic soil mostly contains the same elements. So, we’re basically dirt. This provides at least two applications. First, humility is justified. We shouldn’t think highly of ourselves, because we’re basically living dirt and we owe our life to God. Second, we are limited. We have a limited existence in this life, so we should use the time we have to give glory to God in all we do. We can do this in our home life, our occupation, our hobbies, our friendships, and any other endeavor we take.