What in the
World is Happening – Part 4 of 4
Isaiah
46:3-11
by Paul
George
A spiritual war that began
in the spiritual realm of God’s kingdom spreads to the physical realm. Defeated
in the spiritual realm Satan sets his sight on the physical realm of God’s
kingdom. Through the disobedience of Adam and Eve sin and death enters the
perfect world created by God. The invasion of the physical kingdom of God did
not result in total victory for Satan. God predicted the outcome of the
spiritual war that began in the Garden of Eden.
In the Garden of Eden God
told the serpent the seed of the woman would crush his head. From the Garden of
Eden to the present Satan’s goal is to one day establish his kingdom upon earth
and seat his king on the throne given to the promised seed of the woman. Who is
this promised seed?
At the time of their first
son’s birth, Adam and Eve must have had a special measure of joy. With Cain came
the hope that this son might be the promised “seed” (Genesis 1:4:1). When Cain
killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8) Cain was no longer qualified to be the
promised “seed.” Abel could not be the promised seed he is dead. With the birth
of Seth (Genesis 8:25), hopes once again were raised. If this son was not the
promised seed, at least he could be the forefather of the promised seed. Satan
is no fool. He knows he cannot prevent the birth of the promised seed. He has
only one alternative, pervert the bloodline of the promise seed. In Genesis,
chapter 6 Satan’s attempt to pervert the bloodline of the promised seed is
revealed. God brings this attack upon the bloodline to an end with a flood
(Genesis 6:1-8). Had it not been for the obedience of Noah the coming of the
promised seed would not be fulfilled.
About three hundred years
after the flood in the days of Noah under the leadership of Nimrod, a second
revolt against God occurred (Genesis 11). What is known as the Abrahamic
covenant (Genesis 12:1-3) set the groundwork for the coming of the promised
seed. The Abrahamic covenant promised blessings, not to just Abraham’s
descendants but “all the families of the earth (Genesis 12:3).
What in the World is
Happening has its roots in the Garden of Eden, in a plain in the land of Shinar,
in the life of Abraham.
The account of the call of
Abram, whose name God will change to Abraham, is recorded in Genesis 12:1-20.
A famine in Canaan prompted
Abram to leave Canaan and go to live in Egypt. Even at her age, Sarai was a
beautiful woman. Abram feared some Egyptian might want her for his wife, and in
order to have her, he might first make her a widow. To save his own life, Abram
asked Sarai to lie about her identity. Thus, during their sojourn in Egypt,
Abram and Sarai represented themselves as brother and sister.
It is crucial that we
recognize how Abram’s deception threatened the promised “seed.” How could Abram
and Sarai have a child when Sarai was about to become the wife of another man?
Abram’s actions were completely inconsistent with the covenant God had just made
with him. Rather than cooperating with the covenant, Abram actively undermined
it. God intervened.
Abram began to be concerned
as time passed and he still had no son of his own. He wrongly concluded that his
heir would be a child born in his household, and not of him or Sarai (Genesis
15:1-2). God assured him he would have a son that would come from his own body
(Genesis 15:4). Like the stars of the heavens (15:5), his descendants would be
numberless. Abraham believed God’s promise, and due to his faith in the promise,
he was reckoned as righteous (Genesis 15:6).
Time continued to pass with
no son in sight. Sarai concluded the time for her to bear a child had passed.
She realized that God had closed her womb. Perhaps, Sarai suggested to Abram,
God meant for him to have a son through some other woman. Therefore, Hagar,
Sari’s maid, was given to Abram as his concubine; through her, Abram could have
a son. This presumptuous act brought painful consequences, both for Sarai and
Abram. Hagar did bear a son, Ishmael. The Arab people, who came from Ishmael,
have been a thorn in Israel’s side throughout their history.
Fifteen years after God’s
covenant was first made with Abram, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham to
signify that His promise was not forgotten. Abram means, “exalted father;”
Abraham means “father of a multitude.” Sarai’s name was changed to Sarah,
“Princess,” (Genesis 17:15). At this time, God introduced the rite of
circumcision (Genesis 17:9-14).
Ten years passed from the
time of Abraham’s circumcision until the time when the promised son was born.
Nine years passed before God announced the time of the birth of the son. As the
angels paused at Abram’s tent for a meal on their way to destroy Sodom and
Gomorrah, they informed him that Sarai would bear a son at that same time the
following year. Shortly after, Lot and his daughters fled from Sodom, barely
escaping God’s wrath on that wicked city. Because Lot’s wife died in this
ordeal, his daughters arranged to become pregnant by their drunken father in
order to “preserve their family” through their father (Genesis 19:30-38). What
tragic irony. The offspring of these unions were also a source of suffering and
sorrow to Abraham and Israel, to this day.
The greatest test of
Abraham’s faith is described in Genesis 22. God instructed Abraham to take his
son to Moriah and offer him up as a sacrifice. With great agony of soul, Abraham
obeyed, trusting in God to raise his son from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19). In
response to Abraham’s faith and obedience, God again reiterated his covenant
with Abraham (Genesis 22:15-18).
Later God confirmed with
Isaac the covenant He had made with Abraham (Genesis 26:3-5).
In the next verses, we find
the account of Isaac going to live in Gerar with his wife Rebekah. There, not
surprisingly, he represents her as his sister, just as his father Abraham had
done before him (Genesis 26:6-11).
Rebekah, like Sarah, his
wife was barren (Genesis 25:21). In answer to Isaac’s prayers, she became
pregnant with twins. When Rebekah inquired of the Lord, He informed her, “Two
nations are in your womb; And two peoples shall be separated from your body; And
one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the
younger” (Genesis 25:23).
In the light of God’s word
to Rebekah, Jacob needlessly acquired his brother’s birthright. With Rebekah’s
help, he also stole his brother’s blessing (Genesis 27). We cannot in any way
justify the actions of Jacob or his mother. However, for now we must concentrate
our attention on Isaac. He is eager to pronounce a blessing on his son Esau
before his death. When he is wrongly convinced that Jacob is his son Esau, Isaac
pronounces this blessing on him (Genesis 27:27b-29).
In his final days, Isaac
sought to set aside God’s choice of Jacob as the one who would be heir of the
Abrahamic covenant. If Jacob and his mother were wrong for their deception,
Isaac was also wrong in trying to pass the blessings of the covenant on to Esau
rather than to Jacob. In the end, Isaac surrendered to the will of God and
pronounced on Jacob the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 28:4-5).
In a dramatic way, God affirmed His covenant with Jacob while he was on his way
to Haran to seek a wife (Genesis 28:13-15).
In Haran, Jacob found a
wife, but things did not turn out as he had planned. He wanted Rachel, the
younger daughter of Laban; instead, he was given Leah. Laban made him work seven
more years for Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel, but he did not love Leah. Yet Leah
bore him the first of his sons. Eventually, Rachel bore Jacob two sons, Joseph
and Benjamin. Joseph was loved more than any of the other sons. Clearly, Jacob
wanted Joseph to rule over his family. In God’s sovereignty, it was not Ruben,
the oldest son of Jacob (Genesis 35:22; 49:3-4) but Judah who was designated as
the one through whom the blessings would be brought upon all humanity (Genesis
49:8-10).
While Judah was chosen to be
the son through whom the promised seed would come, he certainly was not the kind
of person we would have selected for this position. Unlike Joseph, who refused
to enter into an illicit sexual relationship with his master’s wife (Genesis
39), Judah married a Canaanite woman (Genesis 38:2). He took what appears to be
a Canaanite wife for his son (Genesis 38:6). When two of his sons died because
of their wickedness, Judah would not give his last son to Tamar as her husband.
Tamar outwitted Judah, by playing the part of a Canaanite cult prostitute, and
became pregnant by her father-in-law (Genesis 38:12-19). From this union of
Judah and Tamar, the messianic line was continued (Genesis 38:27-30).
While the Old Testament does
narrow the field to a single person, it remains difficult to comprehend how one
person could possibly fulfill all of the prophecies about him. The promises even
seem to require more than one person. Even the godliest Israelite found it
impossible to comprehend how God could possibly fulfill all of the promises
pertaining to the promised seed in one person. As Peter writes:
As to this salvation, the
prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search
and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within
them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to
follow (1 Peter 1:10-11).
Errors pertaining to the
promised seed
The errors pertaining to the
promised seed predisposed the Israelites of Jesus’ day to resist and reject Him,
rather than submit to Him as the promised Messiah. The ungodly Israelites simply
picked those promises that suited their sinful desires and ignored the rest.
They embraced the promises of the Messiah as a blessing to Israel while ignoring
the promises of His coming to judge sinners, whether Jew or Gentile.
We may thus summarize
Israel’s error: they became proud of their privileged position and failed to see
their privilege as a manifestation of God’s grace to those who were undeserving.
Such pride was totally unfounded. God warned the Israelites against such pride,
reminding them that they were slaves at the time God delivered them (Deuteronomy
5:15). They were not chosen because they were great in number or strength; they
were chosen solely based on God’s sovereign grace (Deuteronomy 7:7-11). When
they worshipped, they were to acknowledge their ignoble origins (Deuteronomy
26:5).
Ezekiel 16 offers the
most humbling indictment of Israel’s pride:
“Then the word of the Lord
came to me saying, “Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, and
say, ‘Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem, “Your origin and your birth are from
the land of the Canaanite, your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor
were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt or even
wrapped in cloths. No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for
you, to have compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the open field,
for you were abhorred on the day you were born. “When I passed by you and saw
you squirming in your blood, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’
Yes, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ I made you numerous
like plants of the field. Then you grew up, became tall, and reached the age for
fine ornaments; your breasts were formed and your hair had grown. Yet you were
naked and bare. Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, you were at the
time for love; so I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also
swore to you and entered into a covenant with you so that you became Mine,”
declares the Lord God. “Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from
you, and anointed you with oil. I also clothed you with embroidered cloth, and
put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and
covered you with silk. And I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your
hands, and a necklace around your neck. I also put a ring in your nostril,
earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned
with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered
cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and
advanced to royalty. Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of
your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you,”
declares the Lord God. “But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot
because of your fame, and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by who
might be willing” (Ezekiel 16:1-15).
Israel’s history
consistently bears witness of Israel’s waywardness and God’s faithfulness (Psalm
78). If the coming of the promised seed were dependent upon sinful men, He would
surely never have come at all. However, since the coming of the promised seed
was dependent upon God Himself, He has come indeed!
The Abrahamic covenant,
recorded in Genesis 12:1-3, spoke of Abraham’s “seed” as the recipients of God’s
blessings, as well as the instrument through which the blessing would be
accomplished. New Testament teaching on the “seed of Abraham” falls into two
categories: (1) the seed which provides the blessing of God; and, (2) the seed
who receive this blessing. Let us consider what the New Testament has to say on
each of these subjects.
The nation Israel was chosen
to display the glory of God. God’s glory has been displayed through Israel.
Israel was chosen not only to demonstrate the glory of God, but also to be the
instrument by which God’s grace was proclaimed to men of every nation. Israel
was to be a blessing to the nations. They were to be a light to the Gentiles
(Isaiah 42:6; 60:3). Israel took credit for God’s blessings, rather than
receiving them humbly and with gratitude. Their pride produced prejudice, so
that they felt superior to the Gentiles. They thought themselves to be worthy of
God’s blessings and the Gentiles to be unworthy. Like Jonah, they refused to
take the good news to the Gentiles. In response to Israel’s persistent rebellion
God sent His Son to take Israel’s place, to do individually what Israelites
could not do on their own or as a nation.
What Israel failed to do as
God’s “servant,” Jesus did as Israel’s Messiah, the “suffering Servant.” Our
Lord not only took the sinner’s place, but in a sense, He took Israel’s place,
achieving for this people what they could not do. Paul points this out in his
letter to the Galatians, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having
become a curse for us-- for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a
tree”-- in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the
Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man’s
covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions
to it. Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say,
“And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,”
that is, Christ (Galatians 3:13-16).
As a nation, Israel did not
bless the nations by her obedience. Israel’s rejection of Messiah brought about
the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles. The gospel went to the Jew first,
but Jewish rejection led to Gentile evangelism, as the Book of Acts makes clear.
As the apostle Paul said, we can be grateful for Israel’s failure, and we can
look forward to her restoration, “I say then, they did not stumble so as to
fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come
to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. Now if their transgression be riches for
the world and their failure be riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their
fulfillment be” (Romans 11:11-12).
Since the “seed” is Jesus
Christ, then our blessing or cursing is the result of our response to Him.
Contrary to Israel’s belief, one is not saved by being one of the physical seed
of Abraham or of Jacob, “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For
they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; neither are they all
children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “through Isaac your
descendants will be named” (Romans 9:6-8). That is, it is not the children of
the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded
as descendants. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to
become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not
of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”
(John 1:12-13).
The good news for the Old
Testament sinner was this, salvation is available to sinners who trust in the
“seed” whom God will provide. The good news of the gospel is this: God has
provided the promised “seed,” Jesus Christ. By faith in Him, sinners are saved
and become the children of God.
Jesus Christ is the promised
seed of the woman. Your response to Him is the most important decision you will
ever make. To trust Him for salvation is to enter into God’s blessings. To
reject Him is to bring upon yourself the curse of God. May you trust in Him for
salvation and blessing.
The salvation of man and the
destruction of Satan was promised in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15). The
“seed of the woman” was later revealed to be the “seed” of Abraham (Genesis
12:1-3), of Isaac (Genesis 21:12; 25:19-26), of Jacob (Genesis 25:23; 27:27-29),
and of Judah (Genesis 49:8-10). He was still later indicated to be the “seed” of
David (2 Samuel 7:12-16). Further revelation indicated that He would both suffer
for the sins of His people (Isaiah 52:13--53:12) and reign triumphantly as
Israel’s King (Psalm 2, 110). He was to be both human (Genesis 3:15) and divine
(Isaiah 9:6; Micah 5:2), born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) in the village of
Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Jesus of Nazareth was the promised “seed,” fulfilling all
of the prophecies related to his birth, suffering, death and resurrection
(Galatians 3:13-16). He was rejected by the leaders of Israel and proclaimed
among the Gentiles. This same Jesus is coming again, to triumph over His enemies
and to rule over all creation (Acts 2:22-36; 7:2-53).
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