Just the past month I saw a couple of friends have to walk with a crutch for the next weeks, after a bicycle ride accident. I'm unfortunately not that of a sporty person enough to deal with foot injuries. But as someone born with high-arched feet I'm usually advised to wear footwear with a certain platform, at least 2-cm heels or an elevated flat platform. Wearing flats for hours, like the whole day, rather pains my legs. Or when I injured my knee in a frisbee game years ago -- I literally had to stop my driving lessons because it was just too painful to push the car break. Foot injuries can that much interfere our simple day to day life.
But have you had a bruised heel? I don't think I ever have.
Medically bruised heels are diagnosed by a sport medicine professional and when a fracture is suspected, one should undergo a routine x-ray or a bone scan. A heel bruise can be caused by a specific one-time incident or over time as a repetitive trauma (like running on the beach without footwear, or excessive body weight). You can find out more on other causes here.
Jesus had his heels bruised too, by the serpent. And by "bruise" here is metaphorical.
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15, ESV).
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. (Genesis 3:15, NIV).
"Enmity" indicates blood feud between the snake and the woman's offspring.
Enmity and its synonyms "hostility," animosity, and animus all indicate deep-seated dislike or ill will. Enmity (which derives from an Anglo-French word meaning "enemy") suggests true hatred, either overt or concealed. Hostility implies strong, open enmity that shows itself in attacks or aggression. Animosity carries the sense of anger, vindictiveness, and sometimes the desire to destroy what one hates. Animus is generally less violent than animosity, but definitely conveys active prejudice or ill will.
(Merriam-Webster dictionary)
And the word "offspring" ("hu", Hebrew) indicates a masculine gender, referring to Jesus as the offspring of the woman. The snake's offspring were satan and his followers.
Genesis 3:15 is a profound and remarkable verse -- it is the first revelation of a Savior.
The heel bruising refers to Satan wounding Jesus, that leads to his death at the cross. But Jesus crushed Satan's head. The Amplified Bible emphasizes the contrast, “And you shall [only] bruise His heel.” -- the heel bruising is in contrast to the head crushing. Satan bruised Jesus's heel, but Jesus had the ultimate victory by crushing Satan's head, defeating Satan forever. This is fulfilled in Jesus' ultimate victory at the cross, defeating Satan and sin.
Lurking to bruise us
So, Satan is actually a defeated foe. But the enmity between Satan and God's children remains. Until Satan is thrown "into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever", he will still be lurking around. Just as our spiritual enemy bruised Jesus' heels, he will also bruise ours.
He would continuously try to inflict wounds, he wants us stuck in guilt, bondage, shame; anything that keeps us from moving forward in our walk with God.
1. Walk
We were designed to have two feet. Have you ever wondered... this design works well to support our body weight, as we walk, jump, run, squat, kick, paddle, tiptoe. Our feet support our entire body, and maintain posture and overall wellbeing.
All of this intricate architecture comes into play every time we take a step. In a normal, healthy gait, the heel hits the ground first. The calcaneus and a layer of fatty tissue underneath it absorb some of the impact. As the foot rolls forward on its outside edge, the intrinsic muscles of the sole of the foot give way a little and a band of tissue along the bottom of the foot, called the plantar fascia, stretches out. Then the weight moves to the ball of the foot and over the joints formed by the metatarsals and the first, or proximal, phalanges. Finally, we get leverage by pushing off on our big toes, while the Achilles’ tendon lifts our heels. (Harvard Health Publishing)
"Walking" is often used in the Bible as a language to describe our relationship with God. David "walked" with God. Moses "walked" with God. God "walked" in the garden with Adam and Eve.
And in this walk with God there are oppositions from a real enemy who wants to trample us down. Time and time Satan seeks to bruise the heels of God's servants and thwart God's plan.
On the Sunday of 21st March 2021 I was helped particularly by Brian Houston to look back at Satan's attack on me happened in November 2020 -- it happened in natural realm, so I didn't relate that to a spiritual attack. Satan tried to bruise my heels and thwart God's plan for me here in this new country.
Psalm 119:105 tells us that we are to walk with His word "a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path". Stay in step with Him on the path, and He will guide us avoid unnecessary detours.
So, let's have a walk?
2. Stand firm
I recently read Exodus 14 with a renewed sense of awe -- especially at verse 17:
And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. Then I will gain honor by means of Pharaoh and all his army and chariots and horsemen.
The past months I was encouraged by simple Sunday sermons that.... so outstanding, how they reflected what God was revealed to me, in my journey praying for someone I grew care about, in the preceding months. I got goosebumps reading this text, as God has the power to harden one's heart -- but it all leads to the same purpose, what glorifies Him most.
In my journey walking with God I am not alone. It would've been much, much easier to walk away. But in here, I sense His pointing, to stand firm. He is fighting for me. And He will show me, how He would "gain honor", be glorified, through all this.
Stand firm. He has won the battle.
3. Run
There are times where we need to run, to flee from Satan's trap, running from evil. And run toward Jesus instead.
In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 "run" is described as a race. God calls us to finish the race He has marked out for us. He has designed that lane for our feet to travel.
Let's stay on course, and fulfill our God-given purposes in this life. Even when our heels are bruised, we have the authority to crush Satan's head. He can injure us, but he can't touch our soul, he can't take us out. In Christ, we have already won the race!
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- What does Genesis 3:15 mean that “he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”? https://www.gotquestions.org/crush-head-bruise-heel.html
- Walking with Bruised Heels, Laynie Travis.
- Special section: Feet: How your feet work - and three steps for keeping them healthy. https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/Special-section-Feet-How-your-feet-work---and-three-steps-for-keeping-them-healthy
- The foot-body connection: How your feet affect your whole body. https://www.carecredit.com/newsletter/2020/march/the-foot-body-connection-how-your-feet-affect-your-whole-body/
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