A Journey Through the Bible, Part Two

Old Testament

Genesis 3, 4, and 5

Genesis 3:15—“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 is perhaps the saddest chapter in the Bible—it records the fall of man. Yet, God in His grace, provides a door of hope. Immediately after man sinned, God announced the beginning of His plan for the restoration of fellowship with Him. It’s found in verse 15—the Savior will come from “her seed,” i.e., the seed of woman. Interestingly—unless I’ve overlooked something somewhere (and, reader, please correct me if I err here)—this is only place in the Bible that speaks of woman’s seed, rather than man’s. This is a veiled reference to the virgin birth; a male was, of course, not involved in Jesus’ conception. The other important thing here is the God announced that His scheme of redemption will come through humanity. He could have chosen to save man via another means, but this is the one He selected. The Lord is informing us, in Genesis 3:15, to be on the lookout for a Savior—He will come in human form, and be born of a virgin. As we proceed through the Bible, God will refine this promise, telling us further particulars regarding where to look: the family of Shem (Gen. 9:26), then Abraham, Isaac (not Ishmael), Jacob (not Esau), Judah (not one the other sons of Jacob), and then the house of David. “Look for the Messiah from these people,” God will be telling us, and He’ll give other information as well (such as where He will be born, Micah 5:2, and even when He will die, Daniel 9:24-27). But Genesis 3:15 is the beginning. Man sins, God promises a Savior—and He will appear as a human.

Genesis 4:7—“If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” God is speaking to Cain here following the murder of Abel. Notice how close sin is—“it lies at the door.” The ASV uses the descriptive term “coucheth at the door.” The idea portrayed here, at least in my mind, is sin—the devil—hiding behind a door, waiting to spring upon us when we enter. We must be wary of him always. Thus, “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8). Or he might be “couching” at the door.

Genesis 5, passim through the chapter: “and he died.” This chapter records the genealogy of Seth, and with almost monotonous regularity, after telling us how long a patriarch lived, the chapter says, “and he died…and he died…and he died….” This is exactly what God had promised would happen (Genesis 2:17), and Satan denied (Genesis 3:4). Eve believed the serpent, and man has been believing him ever since. And thus: we die. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). There is, however, a second death that can be avoided through faith in Jesus Christ.

New Testament

Matthew 2

Matthew 2:6—“And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.” This is actually a quotation from Micah 5:2; compare the note above on Genesis 3:15. The Jews understood many of the Messianic prophesies, including where the Christ would be born, and Jesus, of course, fulfilled this prophesy of 700 years previous, as He fulfilled all the prophesies of the Old Testament. The Jews were quite willing to accept the prediction of His being born in Bethlehem; but they could not—would not—accept other prophesies, such as His suffering and dying (Isaiah 53). Only the conquering King was sufficient for them, and it remains so to this very day. Selective acceptance of Scripture, however, is not satisfactory to God. It behooves us to be cautious lest the same sin emerge in our own lives.