Who is this promised offspring

Read Genesis 5

One of the greatest reasons for these genealogies is to track the ancestry of a particular person, because after Genesis 3, everyone is wondering this question especially Satan. Who is this promised offspring that will crush the serpent’s head?

Throughout the whole Old Testament, we are asking that question to each character we meet. Is this the promised one? And through it all you can perceive the hand of the serpent, Satan, working through his children, those opposed to God, to destroy and snuff any possible chosen one.

He is always murdering them and he is always tempting them. All in an effort to destroy any possibility of this promised offspring arising to destroy him. Who exactly this promised offspring will be, is developed throughout Scripture, through characters like Abraham, Moses and David, also through the prophetic writings of Isaiah and Daniel as well as the Psalms.

The Bible goes to incredible lengths to tarnish virtually every major character we might have reason to hope in, unlike any piece of ancient literature which often shy away from their failures. But that is because all of it is pointing to a perfect redeemer, someone who will not give into temptation, someone who though he will be murdered, as many of God’s people have been before him. It will become the means through which he crushes the serpents head and redeems his people from their slavery to him.

Understand this, that in every failure in the Bible we should be able to see some part of them in ourselves. Just as David did, all of us have pursued sexual immorality and lust. Just as Jonah did, all of us have run from God and his call upon our lives. Just as Samson did, all of us have taken the gifts God gave us and used them to serve our own ends.

All of humanity has this in common, we are wicked and evil sinners, all humans except one. The promised offspring, Jesus of Nazareth who lived a perfect life not one spot or blemish. Yet did he receive his reward, no he was murdered and hung on a tree among criminals. Why? So that his reward might become ours, and we might be spared from the punishment of our sins.

The Bible is a love story, and “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). A love so deep not even Satan thought such a thing was possible. Praise God for his love towards us.

Prayer:

“God, you planned before all time to display your love towards us, in the greatest act of mercy and compassion that could ever be conceived. The sacrifice of your son in our place on the cross. There is no deeper love, and never let us forget it, for it is the fountain of everlasting water that gives us life. To you belongs the glory. Amen.”