THE SEED OF A WOMAN

            "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 3:15). This is a promise from God to the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The serpent had previously been the exalted angel Lucifer before his rebellion against God. He appeared in the garden as a serpent and God announced how his final judgment would come - through the Seed of a woman. It would not come through another angel or an animal, but through the human race as one Seed of one woman! His destruction would not come through the seed of a man, nor through many seeds of many women, but one Seed of one woman. How can we know who the woman would be who would bear this special Seed?

            The human race was destroyed by the flood except for Noah and his family. He had three sons, but God declared the Seed would come from the section of the race through Shem: "And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem" (Genesis 9:26).

            Many years later, Abram (later called Abraham) was a descendant from Shem's lineage and the promise was made the Seed would come from the nation that came from him. "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing" (Genesis 12:2). Later on Mount Moriah, God promised, "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice" (Genesis 22:18).

            The promise would continue through Abraham's son Isaac and grandson Jacob. Jacob had 12 sons and God declared that the tribe of Judah would produce the Seed. "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be" (Genesis 49:10). 

            Many centuries passed before the family of Jesse was chosen from the tribe of Judah to produce the Seed. "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots" (Isaiah 11:1). The Seed was referred to as a 'Branch' that would come from Jesse's roots.

            Samuel was instructed to go to the family of Jesse to find the one to anoint as the next king. He had 8 sons and the oldest 7 passed before Samuel and all were rejected. The youngest was keeping the sheep and Samuel asked for him to be brought forth. As soon as David arrived, "The LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he" (1 Samuel 16:12). David became the greatest king in Israel's history, but he was promised a greater King would come through his household. "Thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever" (2 Samuel 7:16).

            The Seed must be from a woman! She had to be a very special woman and God found that woman in the household of David! "Hear ye now, O house of David; -- Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:13, 14).

            The promise was made that the woman who would bear the Seed would give birth in Bethlehem, which was known as the city of David. "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2). When chosen, Mary resided in Nazareth so the decree was made that she and Joseph must return to Bethlehem and there the Seed was born to be the Savior of the world and the destroyer of Satan.       

            Of all the generations of humanity, only Jesus qualifies to be the Seed! The New Testament opens with, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of  Abraham" (Matthew 1:1). Joseph was engaged to Mary when she was found to be carrying a child. "But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20, 21). Mary was a virgin when the Seed was conceived and also a virgin when He was born! "Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS" (verses 24, 25).