The Birth of a Serpent Slayer
“She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn. There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.” (Luke 2:7-8 WEB)
This was the backdrop of Jesus’ birth. The King of glory, God’s precious gift to us, was born on a dark, silent night, and there was no room for Him.
He did not come with great fanfare or a welcoming procession like the kings of the world would have received.
Instead, He came humbly like one of no repute.
But Heaven was not willing to let the Son of God be treated like a nobody.
“Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people. For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough.” Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men.”” (Luke 2:9-14 WEB)
An angel and the heavenly hosts appeared to shepherds, shining with awesome glory, to announce the good news of the King who was born.
At that point in time, Israel was under Roman rule, and had been ruled by the Gentile kingdoms for many years. The devil had subjugated God’s chosen nation and pressed them hard under his thumb.
However, God’s answer was not loud or dramatic. He sent a baby to be born.
Just as He delivered the children of Israel from Pharaoh using a baby (Moses), He would deliver Israel once more from Satan using another baby (Jesus).
This time, the baby would not be a Lawgiver, but a Law-fulfiller. Jesus fulfilled the demands of the Law through His suffering and death at the cross, and established the New Covenant of Grace for us.
“I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”” (Genesis 3:15 WEB)
No matter what its true origins are, today we celebrate Christmas because God made a promise in the Garden of Eden thousands of years ago, that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. He kept that promise, becoming the prophesied serpent slayer Himself. Christmas is about a promise kept!
Notice that in the prophecy, the one whose head is bruised is the serpent (Satan), but there is another person who is the “offspring” of the serpent. In the original Hebrew, the word “zaraka” is a noun in the singular, masculine tense, meaning one male child.
This wicked male child was destined to have hostility against the offspring (also singular and masculine tense) of the woman, who is our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who is the offspring of the serpent? If you are curious to find out his name as revealed in the Bible, and also the details about his eventual destruction and Jesus’ victory, you can read all the exciting details in “Sandcastles Don’t Last Forever”: https://www.ko-fi.com/s/7b9e3783ae
