Offspring at War (Biblical Theme of "Seed")
Tim Davis
Have you ever seen a t-shirt or coffee cup with the famous “armor of God” passage on it? Better yet, do you own such a t-shirt or coffee mug?
In Ephesians 6:12 Paul writes, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against… the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Certainly Paul penned those words with something other than coffee cups and youth group t-shirts in mind. And sure enough, he did. The story about cosmic powers and evil forces finds its genesis in a beautiful garden.
THE INCITING INCIDENT
The Bible is a story. And like all good stories, the plotline unfolds the moment the inciting incident (problem) occurs. In the Bible, that’s Genesis 3.
God’s hospitality is on full display. He invites Adam to enjoy fruit from every tree (Gen 2:16)—every tree except one (Gen 2:17). But wouldn’t you know it, after two brief comments from the serpent, Adam and Eve eat from the tree God commanded them not to.
Now what? Well, consequences ensue. And one such consequence brings us into the story of the “seed”.
In Genesis 3:15, God tells the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.” To put this in plain language, the serpent will have “kids” and the woman will have kids, and they’ll fight a lot. But that’s not all. God continues, “he [one of Eve’s descendants] shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Not only will the two offspring fight, but one will deliver a more severe blow. Now I don’t know about you, but I think a knockout punch to the head is more fatal than getting hit in the heel.
One day a descendant of the woman will deliver that fatal blow. But let’s not skip ahead.
CAIN
You might recall the Bible’s first story outside the garden. Adam and Eve have two sons. The older, Cain, murders the younger, Abel.
But there’s a theological point we can’t miss as we trace the story of “seed”. The New Testament author, John, tells us that Cain was “of the evil one” (1 Jn 3:12). In fact, Jesus makes a similar claim regarding the religious leaders of his day (see John 8:39-44). Apparently, those powers of darkness Paul wrote about are active in human affairs.
But if we go back to Genesis, we have a problem on our hands. If Cain was “of the evil one” (1 John 3:12), then who will continue the line (offspring) of the woman now that Abel is dead?
Thankfully, Adam “knew” his wife again and they had a son named Seth. And the lineage continues.
SNAPSHOTS
The biblical authors repeat and develop this theme of “seed” throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. Here’s a few snapshots of these offspring at war.
• Pharaoh commands the Egyptian midwives to kill every Hebrew son. He then commands every Hebrew son be thrown into the Nile River to drown.
• In one of the most memorable scenes of the Hebrew Bible, Goliath—the Philistine champion—challenges Israel’s champion to battle. If Goliath wins, Israel—the offspring of the woman—will serve the Philistines.
• Under Persian rule much later in Israel’s history, God’s people—the seed of the woman—are on the edge of extinction yet again. A man named Haman devised a plan to “destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews” (Esther 3:13).
THE SEED
The theme continues to the time of Jesus. In Matthew 2:13, an angel tells Joseph to flee with baby Jesus to Egypt because “Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him” (Matt 2:13).
But the serpent’s offspring didn’t stop there. In a last-ditch effort—an effort the powers of darkness presumably thought meant victory—The Seed was crushed upon the cross. As the Apostle Paul makes clear, Jesus is The Seed of promise (Gal 3:16, 4:4).
But the story doesn’t end with the serpent’s seed delivering the fatal blow at the cross. Recall Genesis 3:15—it’s the seed of the woman who crushes the head of the serpent’s offspring. Jesus didn’t remain dead. He conquered death by rising from it. By overcoming death and sin, Jesus rendered the devil powerless.
The cross and empty tomb are vivid signs that the devil’s head has been crushed.
Though that’s true, you and I still experience the powers of darkness. “Right now Satan is like a snake whose head has been crushed but whose tail is still whipping around and creating havoc.”[1] But we’re not left to fend for ourselves—God has given us armor (Eph 6:11-17). He’s equipped you and me to face off against the evil powers. Though we’ll encounter battles, we can rest assured the war will end. The devil—the serpent’s offspring—will be thrown into the lake of fire (Rev 20:10).
So next time you sport that “armor of God t-shirt”, remember the Bible’s story about the “seed”. And behold, The Seed, who was bruised upon the tree but delivered the fatal blow just a few days later.
[1] Nancy Guthrie, Even Better than Eden, (pg. 120).