"Her Seed"

In the book of Beginnings - Genesis - we are given an account of the entire 7 Day Creation. Life is Revealed: Sea life, Plant life, Animal life culminating in Human Life. Very shortly after the miraculous description of Everything Good, we are given a frightening lesson on Man's Fall from a perfect fellowship with the Creator and the beauty of Eden's Garden. Yet, hidden in the despair of sin, God provided Eve with an amazing Promise: Redemption through God's Son would come from "the seed of the woman" Genesis 3:15.

Adam who enjoyed a pure communion with the Lord from his very creation felt alienation and fear after tasting of the forbidden fruit when God called for him: "I was afraid ... I hid myself" Gen 3:10. Then Eve, feeling the pain of blame and guilt responded that she was beguiled or deceived into her actions. We can all identify with these emotions of fear, shame, and the disappointment or anger stemming from betrayal. Yet, none of us have fallen from such a holy companionship with our Lord and King.

God set out his punishment clearly, quickly and without further reprimands. First the serpent was cursed to crawl on the belly, eat dust, feel enmity, be crushed. Then the Woman's punishment would be two fold: pain, sorrow in childbearing; and the desire to her husband who should be caring for her, not as the partner, as was the woman in Eden. Both of these are relational for her. She devotes much of her time to child rearing with hurt and tears being integral to the process. Her relationship with her husband is now cursed; there's the struggle to earnestly heed his direction. Adam's curse was applied to him personally as well as the human race. The garden now becomes a burden requiring toil, sweat with thorns and thistles. He is to get his sustenance from the cursed ground. Death would be a reality resulting from the fall - dust thou art and shall return.

Yet, it was the Woman who was given the message of Hope: her Seed would bruise the head of the deceiver. The promise that Eve would be the mother of all living, provided that HOPE for Victory. Through her offspring, a Savior would come to be the Deliverer from the beguiling serpent. This is how the darkness and the evil from sin would be overthrown. Notice the prophet Isaiah's statements in 14:12 when Lucifer is addressed as fallen, cut down to the ground, brought down. This very promise concealed in the curse was a treasure that she pondered in her heart: the serpent would be defeated most certainly by her Seed!

God's perfect plan was presented to us very early in the Scripture. The Hope of Christ is given to us in such a simple phrase as "her seed." Let us look forward to the future when Christ shall appear gloriously a second time as "the blessed Hope" Titus 2:13. As the book of Revelation concludes, let us join with its author who states: "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).