“Snakes! Why’d it have to be snakes?” Though I know of a few exceptions, the near-universal reaction of humanity to the slithering, hissing beings we call “snakes” echoes that of Indiana Jones in the classic Raiders of the Lost Ark movie. It’s easy to fool ourselves with mock grandeur when we wander through the snake house at the zoo, boasting that we aren’t afraid like weakling Indiana Jones (that thick glass feels quite impenetrable, no?)…until we find ourselves surprised by a snake in the wild. My own personal run-in with an unexpected snake occurred when I was a child, safe in the haven of my own front yard. The sound of slithering in the grass interrupted a peaceful family walk at dusk. Nearly at the front door, we saw a massive black snake winding towards us 20 yards away and, obviously, shrieked at the top of our lungs! The sound thrust my neighbor into speedy attack, snagging a shovel and dashing over within seconds. He aimed straight for its head, decapitating the terrible beast and, with repeated blows, slashed its body to shreds. My mother thanked him profusely and we fled inside. Wary of other reptilian friends, we waited weeks before playing outside again, sealing our fate with Indiana Jones as snake-haters.
As we enter the Advent season, we often take a few perplexing presuppositions for granted. Have you wondered why it was important for Jesus to be born of a virgin? Or what prompted Mary and Elizabeth to respond to their situations with joy instead of bewilderment? How would they have understood the idea of the Messiah, God’s anointed rescuer? And, most importantly, what in the world does this have to do with snakes? Some of these questions find answers in the theological concept of “seed of the woman.”
Hope for deliverance from the slavery of sin touches each page of the Old Testament, starting almost as soon as sin enters the story of the world. Eve is tempted by a serpent (which in Hebrew is נָחָשׁ—also translated “snake”) to disobey the word of God and eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. As God curses the serpent in Genesis 3:15, we learn that humans and the serpent will be locked in ongoing conflict:
“And I will put enmity
Genesis 3:15 (NKJV)
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
Whew, what a relief to hear that humans disliking snakes is a biblical concept! The enmity in this verse can be understood corporately (all humanity dislikes all snakes) but also seems to predict a battle with a specific individual. The seed of the woman (or, as some versions translate it, her “offspring”) will one day battle the serpent (i.e. evil) and crush it. This surprising, near-apocalyptic language refers to a specific snake-crusher, the Messiah. Through the curse-blasting Messiah, blessing will be experienced by Israel and, through Israel, the rest of the nations. Hope is sustained through millennia of suffering because God shares the end of the story at the beginning.
Expectation builds throughout Scripture—every son born of a woman has the potential to become the foretold serpent-crusher! Each woman is offered a divine opportunity to reverse the curse once and for all through this special assignment. But what is the very next thing we see after the promise? Genesis 3:16 says:
“To the woman He said:
‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
Genesis 3:16 (NKJV)
In pain you shall bring forth children;
Your desire shall be for your husband,
And he shall rule over you.’”
The woman’s very ability to conceive and bear this serpent-crusher will be filled with grief and pain. There are two primary directions that this theme is experienced in Scripture.
First, we see the blessing brought by various crushers of heads and serpents in the Old Testament stories. In Judges 4-5, Jael pounds a tent peg through the head of the enemy general Sisera and the prophetess Deborah sings jubilantly that Jael is “blessed among women” (Judges 5:24). Here, echoing the scene from Genesis 3, a woman herself is responsible for crushing the head of Israel’s enemy! In 1 Samuel 17, David rescues the Israelite army by slinging a stone into the head of Goliath, who is wearing scaled armor (note: “scaled” armor makes him appear like a snake!). David’s rescue of the Israelite nation by destroying this snake yet again reminds God’s people of his promise to Eve. Snake-crushers like this prefigure the Messiah but ultimately could not end the curse.
Second, the “seed of the woman” theme appears in stories of overcoming barrenness to bring about the promised line of the Messiah. Spread throughout Genesis, the stories of the patriarchs’ wives (Sarah, Rebekah, and Leah and Rachel) introduce the recurrence of difficulty conceiving in Scripture. How can God promise Abraham that he will be a great nation with countless descendants when the first three generations have so many stories of childlessness? There is more here to discuss than a short post will allow, but the main point is that God is the one to counter the curse, and he alone receives the glory and honor for the hope of future generations. Note how the story of each matriarch gives special credit to God for conception (see Genesis 21:1-2, 25:21, 29:31, 30:1-2, 30:21-22).
Matthew’s genealogy lists multiple women, all Gentiles, who participated in the Messianic line. Two are of note for tracing this theme. Tamar, in Genesis 38, is wrongfully withheld from continuing Judah’s family line. She demonstrates her incredible commitment to carrying on the family line through means that are commended by the biblical text, despite their shocking nature to modern audiences. Without Tamar’s ingenuity, Judah would bear zero descendants and there would be no King David! Ruth, who lost her husband and her homeland, became the great grandmother of King David through her dedication to the Israelite people (and, most specifically, her bereaved mother-in-law, Naomi). Take special note of two key points. First, in Ruth 4:11-12, the community blesses the marriage of Ruth and Boaz, wishing that their family grows like Rachel and Leah’s and becomes like Perez, Tamar’s son. This highlights the history of blessing in God’s family. Note also Ruth 4:13, where God intervenes to enable her to conceive her son Obed: “The Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.”
Mary enters the scene against the backdrop of this history, surrounded by a culture anticipating the coming Messiah. Both she and Elizabeth (along with the women of their Israelite community) hope that they might participate in continuing the blessed storyline of the Messianic promise. Elizabeth, like the matriarchs before her, suffered years of childlessness before miraculously bearing John the Baptist in her old age. The Holy Spirit, in an act of high favor and beautiful grace, intervened in Mary’s childbearing while she was a virgin, inviting her to bear the snake-crusher by her seed in a unique way. Though not scarred by years of childless sorrow like her predecessors Sarah, Tamar, Ruth, and even Elizabeth, Mary still recognized the incredible gift of bearing the Messiah. At long last, the snake-crusher had finally entered the world! And he did so through the seed of a woman.
In all this, God’s faithfulness is apparent throughout the Old and New Testament through vivid stories recalling patterns of grace. The Gospel writers illuminate God’s promises by calling us back to repetitive patterns in the Old Testament. By highlighting the stories of these two women, Elizabeth and Mary, Luke demonstrates how Jesus fulfills the role of Messiah by being born of a woman. As the stories continue, we should be on the lookout for Jesus’ ultimate crushing of the head of the serpent (i.e. evil and death).
Like snakes, evil slithers and creeps about us, causing worry and fear in many situations. Rather than tremble in fear, how can we call out for the one true snake-crusher, Jesus Christ, to rescue us and bring us to safety?
Photo Credit: Emilee Carpenter
Julie isan engaging learner and educator with a love for inspiring groups of all sizes to learn widely and grow deeply. Presenting content that is both fascinating and fun, she enjoys bringing life to a wide range of topics, from FDA regulations, to German beer brewing history, to the beauty of Scripture expounded across eras of the church to the intricacies of sweater knitting. She is currently studying at Denver Seminary for her M. A. in New Testament, though she remains based in her beloved Cincinnati to grow roots with her amazing friends, family and church.
1 comment
Very insightful and thought provoking!