Prophecies are given for two reasons: so that we may connect a prophecy to its fulfillment when it occurs, thereby glorifying God and growing our faith; and so that we may repent and position ourselves for God’s favor.
The first recorded prophecy of the coming Messiah had three hearers. God spoke it to Eve and to the serpent in the hearing of the third hearer, Adam. Adam and Eve would produce One (the seed of the woman) who would bruise the head of the serpent, while the serpent would bruise His heel.
Adam and Eve heard the prophecy and produced a lineage that would eventually fulfill the prophecy. As Moses later recorded it, it was passed down in writing through a hundred or more generations. As their seed read the prophecy, they became watchful for this One who would bruise the serpent’s head.
The serpent, who was the head of the enemy kingdom, had a different reaction to the prophecy, a third and foolish response. He set out to prevent the prophecy’s fulfillment. He organized his minions to detect and eliminate this “seed” that would bruise his head.
The first seeds of the woman, Cain and Abel, had to be dealt with, so the enemy drew Cain off course, whispering murderous thoughts to him. By those murderous ideas, Abel would be snuffed out, along with his line. But the enemy didn’t count on a third line, that of Seth.
Generations rolled by, but Hell’s king never forgot his strategy, and never stopped surveilling for clues of this “seed.” His influence was so effective that it reached all of mankind, provoking God to judge of the whole world.
But if Satan, the serpent of old, remembered his strategy, God remembered His all the more. He selected Noah and his son, Shem, for the lineage of the promised seed. While the flood was God’s judgment, the ark was His vehicle of promise, mercy and fulfillment of His prophecy.
Satan’s next attempt was to inspire mankind to unify without God and form a towering civilization so mighty that it would never need God. However, God frustrated these plans by confusing the language and dividing mankind into smaller groups, each unified by their own special language.
It was in the language of a Chaldean, Abram (later named Abraham), that God made promises and established Abraham as a patriarch of the promised seed. Satan must’ve felt victorious when Abraham raised the knife to kill his son, Isaac. But once again, God was a step ahead of the enemy and eventually used Isaac to beget two sons.
Like he did with Cain and Able, Satan would attempt to pull one son (Esau) off course and kill the other (Jacob). But Jacob was preserved as the patriarch of the nation from which the “seed” would come.
Elimination of the nation of Israel (new name given to Jacob) was Satan’s next mission, but he failed at the Red Sea and on several occasions in the wilderness.
By this time, Satan had heard the prophecies that his future bruiser would come from the tribe of Judah, and he devised his strategy accordingly.
In the Promised Land, it was Achan from the tribe of Judah whom the enemy tempted into idoltry, resulting in the deaths of Achan’s entire family.
Later, David was Satan’s target. Many times, the king of Israel, from the tribe of Judah, faced the threat of death on the battlefield, and lost several of his sons. The enemy was ever busy in attempt to prevent this “seed” from ever being born. But his busyness proved futile.
Satan, through post-Davidic generations, used all his power to eliminate the lineage that would produce the promised seed, the Messiah. He incited Assyria, Babylon, and the monarch over Daniel as some of the final attempts to prevent God’s promise being fulfilled. But nothing ever worked.
Finally, it was clear to Satan, if not to all mankind, that the Messiah had arrived. Angels had announced it, a virgin (Mary) and a town (Bethlehem) had confirmed it and shepherds and Oriental kings had verified it.
To his credit, Satan never gave up. The Bethlehem massacre, Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness and inciting religious leaders to pull Him off course were but more failed attempts by the serpent to keep the Son of God’s heel off his head.
He may have felt hopeful when Jesus hung on the cross one Friday, but by Sunday morning the empty tomb would make it clear that the head-bruising promise was fulfilled.
Satan, like a snake that seems impossible to kill, still hasn’t given up. If he couldn’t stop the Messiah, he’ll still try to stop us from trusting Him. That’s his only remaining play. But by the grace of God and His immutable plan, our faith is sure and our enemy is bruised again, over and over. And his ultimate bruising is soon, when he’ll be cast into the Lake of Fire.
Let us keep the faith, my brothers and sisters. Our enemy is defeated by our God and King!
