Jesus: The Seed of the Woman

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver

The gospel was preached to the devil. The location was the garden of Eden. Those in attendance included the serpent, Adam, Eve, and the rest of creation at that time. The occasion was the serpent beguiling Eve with his subtilty (2 Cor 11:3) and as a result sin had entered the world and death by sin (Rom 5:12). So, what was the message that the Lord preached? Hear it for yourself:

And the Lord God said unto the serpent, "Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:14-15)

The fall of man was the result of the devil deceiving man and man, in rebellion to the command of God, sinning. God, the Righteous Judge, declared judgment on all offending parties - man, woman and the serpent. The largest blow, however, would be dealt to the devil, and that by "the seed of the woman." 

The Seed of the Woman. To be sure, this is an interesting phrase. The point is that the one to bruise the serpent's head would be a man. The destruction of the devil would not be attributed to an angel, or a principality or power in heavenly place, or to God Himself but to a man. But not just any man..."the seed of the woman." 

Jesus most frequently referred to Himself as "the Son of Man." This emphasized His association with man. He is the One Mediator whom Job desired that could reach up into heaven and reach down to earth. His manhood was a requirement for salvation. We couldn't be saved by an angel, because we needed someone who could be touched with the feelilng of our infirmities and could be tempted in all points like as we are (Heb 4:15). This association with man qualified our Savior to be a merciful and faithful High Priest (Heb 2:17).

Not only this, but Jesus had to become a man so that He could die. He was "made a little lower than the angels FOR the suffering of death" (Heb 2:9). He couldn't, "by the grace of God taste death for every man" unless He became a man and dwelt among us. For this He humbled Himself and took upon Himself "the seed of Abraham" (Heb 2:16). He willingly submitted Himself to death, even the death of the cross. He became a curse for us and was forsaken by the Father so that He could, once for all, put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. It was then, in His weakest state (2 Cor 13:4) that He defeated the devil.

The Serpent. The serpent in the garden was none other than the devil himself. He took on the form of a "snake" yet his person was the same. He was cunning and crafty, subtle and deceitful. He took the words of God, "Thou shalt surely day" (Gen 2:17) and manipulated them to turn them into a lie, "ye shalt surely NOT die" (Gen 3:4). This is his manner of work. He knows and is able to "twist" the Scripture in order to corrupt the minds of man. His boldness can be seen in that he even tried to deceive Jesus this way (Mt 4:1-11). 

Determined Enmity. Enmity is hostility and opposition between two parties. Enmity between Jew and Gentile (Eph 2:15-16). Friendship with the world is enmity with God (Jas 4:4). The carnal mind is enmity against God (Rom 8:7). Herod and Pilate were at enmity with one another until they unity in their hostility against Christ (Lk 23:12). The one who murders another with enmity and hatred is to die according to the law (Num 35:20-25).

Satan is portrayed as "a great red dragon" who "stood before the woman which was ready [to deliver]" in order to "devour the child as soon as it was born" (Rev 12:4). You will recall that as soon as Jesus was born a decree of death was issued by Herod and he "slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under" (Mt 2:16). Joseph and Mary, having been warned of this in a dream, fled to Egypt for safety. Was this simply the work of a wicked king? or was this determined since before the foundations of the earth were laid? The fleeing to Egypt and the destruction in Bethlehem fulfilled at least two prophecies (Hos 11:1; Jer 31:15) showing us that men were not simply reacting to their circumstances. On the surface it may have looked like that but behind the scenes we know that this was the determined enmity between the serpent and the seed of the woman. This was "the great red dragon" seeking to "devour the child as soon as it was born." And what was happening when the pharisees and scribes sought to put Him to death? The serpent was seeking to devour the child.

Jesus Bruised the Serpent's Head. While the devil and his cohorts would constantly go about seeking to the devour the offspring of the woman, their attacks would be limited to the likes of a bruise on the heel. The seed of the woman, however, would deliver a much more severe and lasting blow on the head. Some versions interpret the text and rendered the devil's work as striking his heel and the seed of the woman's work as "crushing" the head. 

Jesus declared that no man would take His life but that He would lay it down on His own accord. When the serpent bruised His heel it was because (and ONLY because) he was given power to do so. Jesus said to his enemies and seemingly to all the forces of wickedness, "this is your hour and the power of darkness" (Lk 22:53). They had an hour and they did their worst. But it only amounted to a bruise on the heel of Jesus. And while the serpent drew near and struck the son of the woman, the son of the woman crushed his head. Thus, it is written, "forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb 2:14).

Today. The serpent is still at work today, but "we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Cor 2:11). The enmity between the serpent and the seed of the woman has spilled over into enmity toward the woman and the rest of her seed. "When the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child" (Rev 12:13). In other words, though the devil was overcome by Jesus, he still makes war against those whom Jesus was sent to save - man. People seem to imagine that if they join "the devil's side" that he will in some way do good to them. This is just another one of his deceptions. In the end, he is even making war against his worshippers in order to afflict the "Man child" by some means. The devil's attention, however, is with the followers of Christ. They are the focus of his warfare, as it is written: "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev 12:17). They are the focal point of his persecution because they have joined themselves to the Seed of the woman. 

Being the subject of persecution does not cause us to shrink back or cower. Rather, we joy in our tribulations and willingly fill up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ (Col 1:24). We count it a blessing to be considered worthy to suffer for His sake and we know that it will turn out for our good. It is still true, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" We find comfort in knowing that greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world. 

Jesus said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (Jn 16:33). We reason thus, if Christ overcame the world, He is also able to make us overcome through Him. With His power that is at work in us, we "resist the devil" and he flees from us (Jas 4:7). In the consummation of his demise the final blow will come upon the devil and that also by the hand of men. For, "the God of peace shall bruise Satan under YOUR feet, shortly" (Rom 16:20).