CAPÍTULO IV: LEGISLACIÓN COMPARADA DE LOS GRUPOS ECONÓMICOS
4.3. Legislación española
4.3.2. Agrupación de interés económico
After God describes the curse brought upon the world in Genesis 3:14–19, he casts Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden (3:23–24). He forbids them from ever re-entering. However, in light of the promise given in 3:15, they are left with the hope of a coming “seed” who will defeat the serpent and the serpent’s “seed” (that is, the serpent’s followers, ultimately including the serpent’s influence in the world).51 Since—as discussed above—the serpent may be identified as the evil one, the promise of future
victory over the serpent implies the defeat (or elimination) of the serpent’s negative influence from the world. In other words, this victory includes the future destruction of evil. In view of the previously perfect state described in Genesis 1–2, through this promise, it is evident that this individual’s victory will accomplish something great.52 Therefore, once the serpent is defeated and the world rid of its
influence, the world will be able to be brought back to its Genesis 1–2 state (void of the effects of the curse—such as sin, sickness, death, pain).53 Also, in view of God’s relationship with Adam and Eve prior
to the fall—where he dwelt with them freely (cf. 3:8–9)—this promise seems to include not only a restoration of creation, but also a restoration of relationship. As such, from the content given solely in Genesis 3:15 (within the context of Genesis 1–3), the hope offered to Adam and Eve can be summarized as God’s promise to accomplish three tasks: (1) Destroy evil (defeat the serpent, its seed, and thereby destroy the influence of evil); (2) Restore creation (to the state it was previously, void of all evil, i.e. the Genesis 1–2 state—cf. 1:31); and (3) Allow God to dwell with his people (just as he previously dwelt with Adam and Eve in Eden—cf. 3:8). These three themes are alluded to and developed greatly throughout
51Allen P. Ross states, “By New Testament times [the seed of the serpent] may have included all who rejected
the Lord and opposed his kingdom (cf. ‘you are of your father the devil,’ in John 8:44). Along the way, we may say, anything that represented the forces of evil could be included in the seed of the serpent” (Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996], 145, emphasis added).
52Consider the words of DeRouchie and Meyer, “Genesis itself teaches that the curse of Adam would be eradi-
cated and blessing would be enjoyed on a universal scale” (“Christ or Family,” 38).
53Consider the statement in Genesis 3:20, “The man called his wife’s name Eve (ה ָוּ ַח), because she was the
mother of all living (י ַח).” For Adam to name his wife “Life” after they are given the sentence of death implies a degree of certainty in a future restoration.
the rest of the Bible. As such, from the very beginning, one can see that God’s first promise is to send an individual who will come to restore the world.
In these three tasks, God promises something great; he promises the future “restoration of creation”; the renewal of all things. Ultimately, in 3:15, God promises to bring the world back to the way it was in Genesis 1–2: very good (cf. 1:31). While nowhere in this passage is the term “Messiah” found, it is pointedly evident that Adam and Eve were given clear anticipatory and eschatological hope. Collins articulates this point nicely:
The rest of Genesis will unfold the idea of this offspring and lay the foundation for the developed messianic teaching of the prophets. We must remember that an author put this text here, and we suppose that he did so with his plan for this unfolding in mind; hence for us to ask whether this particular text is messianic may mislead us: instead, we may say that Genesis fosters a messianic expectation, of which this verse is the headwaters.54
As such, while Adam and Eve would not have—by any means—been able to call this verse “messianic,” given the development of this future-oriented expectation throughout the rest of the Bible (later developed as the messianic hope), this verse clearly stands as the first anticipatory promise of the Bible, the protoevangelium.
Throughout Genesis, the notion of “seed” or “offspring” (
ע ַר ֶ֫ז
) is a major theme. Of the 229 times the wordע ַר ֶ֫ז
is used in the OT, 59 occur in Genesis. As such, the author of Genesis develops the unique family line anticipating the serpent’s defeat starting with Adam and Eve. Likely, Eve first believed that Cain was the promised “seed” (4:1).55 Yet once he proved to be a murderer (4:1–25), Eve replaced himwith Seth, saying “God has appointed me another
ע ַר ֶ֫ז
in place of Abel, for Cain killed him” (4:25). Then, Genesis 5:1–32 traces Adam’s descendants to Noah (through Seth). When Noah is born, his father Lamech (who himself is in the genealogical line waiting for the promised “seed”) declares that Noah shall bring relief from the curse on the ground:56And to Adam he said … (1) cursed [
ררא
] is the (2) ground [ה ָמ ָד ֲא
] because of you; in (3) pain [ןוֹב ָצ ִע
] you shall eat of it all the days of your life. (3:17 ESV)[Lamech] fathered a son and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the (2) ground [
ה ָמ ָד ֲא
] that the Lord has (1) cursed [ררא
], this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the (3) painful toil [ןוֹב ָצ ִע
] of our hands.” (5:28–29 ESV)After the flood, when God makes his covenant with Noah, he states, “I ... establish My covenant with you, and with your
ע ַר ֶ֫ז
after you” (9:9). Subsequently, Genesis 11:10–26 traces this genealogy through Noah’s son Shem to Abraham.5754Collins, Genesis 1–4, 157, emphasis added.
55This is evident through the wordplay of the term translated as “gotten” (ה ָנ ָק) and the name “Cain” (ןִי ַק). See
Walter C. Kaiser, who, while not dogmatically holding to this assertion, claims that through Eve’s response to the birth of Cain (4:1), “the biblical text ... perhaps hints at the clear understanding she had of Genesis 3:15” (Towards An Old Testament Theology [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978], 79).
56Additionally, Noah’s name is used as a wordplay (5:29)—note the similarity between the term “rest” (ם ַח ָנ)
and “Noah” ( ַחֹנ). In 5:29, “the reference to Genesis 3:17 is patent,” according to Kaiser, OT Theology, 80.
57Kaiser comments upon the oracle given by Noah to Shem: “The meaning of Genesis 9:27 is God’s an-
Furthermore, as this term is traced through Genesis, it is interesting to consider its repetition among the patriarchs. After God promises Abraham a
ע ַר ֶ֫ז
who will bless all nations (22:17–18),58 hepromises Isaac that through his