Woman’s Offspring

Gen 3:9-19

 

1. In this last month of the year, the churches around the world celebrates the season of Advent, welcoming the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ to save the world. It is meaningful to celebrate Christmas and the last month of the year together, because the end of our world will come with the coming of Christ. When we are confronted with the end of this world or our life, what would be the most important and decisive thing for us? Korean people thought that we will meet our ancestors, but they could not be the lord there. If there is a world after death, it must be ruled by God. We will be confronted by the judgment not of our ancestors or any other mortals but of God our Creator and Sender. Because Jesus Christ came to the world for us to prepare the judgment after death, His coming is a great blessing for humanity.

2. The most meaningful way to keep this Advent is neither to be busy with Christmas shopping, nor to be simply excited with Christmas celebration or decoration, but to relate it with your life and personally welcome the Messiah into your deepest heart and your whole life. The coming of the Messiah is not an accident but the fulfillment of the world history. Therefore, in this Advent, I am going to contemplate with you on the Old Testament prophecies for the coming of the Messiah.

3. The first messianic prophecy was revealed in Genesis 3:15, the so-called “proto-gospel”: “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.” It was in Eden, and it was told by God Himself in the beginning of human history. It seems a simple prophecy of permanent enmity between snakes and humanity, especially woman. Woman is really afraid of snake far more than its real threat. TIME magazine this week reported an interesting statistics: In America, only 2 dies by snakebite a year, while 66 by bee sting, 332 by bathtub drowning, 594 by falling out of bed, and 1588 by falling down stairs. But, snake in Genesis 3 does not mean simply a snake but Satan. Therefore, this enmity is far more serious and spiritual than a mere fear of snake.

4. Moreover, the woman’s offspring here is not simply any man, for everybody is woman’s offspring. Further, when the Epistle to Galatians identified this offspring of woman as Christ, Genesis 3:15 is not a simple enmity between two species but the messianic prophecy: “when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman.”(4:4) Also, here the offspring is not plural but singular, pointing a single man: “The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.”(3:16) Even though Genesis 3 is about the rebellion of humanity against God and God’s punishing condemnation, God loves humanity and we see God’s love and care in this tragic and rebellious situation. God gave a gracious direction how to safely survive in this fallen and cursed world, and “God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.”(21) In this context of fatherly loving punishment to the rebellious children, God gave the wonderful promise to restore humanity by sending the woman’s Offspring when time is fully come. God is just as the Ruler of the world, and it was inevitable to punish sinners. However, He promised to save and restore them in His own way.

5. The Bible distinguishes human race into two groups: the children of light and children of darkness, the children of obedience and children of disobedience. Enmity between good and evil is universally accepted. The symbolic tree of human tragedy is called the tree of knowing good and evil. There are no evil people by nature. They are temporarily enslaved by the evil spirit without their own knowledge. Like Hitler and Stalin, when men are enslaved by evil spirit, they are involuntarily belonged to the children of darkness and disobedience. Jesus came to the world to liberate them from the bondage of evil spirit, form and lead the children of light and obedience: “he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”(1Cor 15:25) There is no neutral zone. As far as humanity exists, the fight between good and evil will continue. As seen in Rev 12, the fight and struggle between woman’s offspring and serpent dragon will continue. Satan and the children of darkness continuously strike the hills of Christ and children of light. But Jesus Christ crushed Satan by crucifixion and resurrection. Since this D-day, Satan and His power is gradually falling and decreasing in spite of its strong resistance, and Satan and His followers will be imprisoned and thrown to the lake of sulfur fire forever.

6. Therefore, the only question for us is which group we belong. Everybody assumes that he or she belongs to the good group, but it is a great deception of Satan, the Great Deceiver. We belong to the good group only when we belong to the woman’s offspring, Jesus Christ. In this blessed season of Christmas, may God bless you richly to truly understand your existence and clearly belong to the children of light!