A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Dr. Larry Ollison)
Scripture for the Day (April 4,2018)
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
In the beginning, Adam was placed in a Garden east of Eden. God saw that there was no one comparable to Adam, so out of Adam’s side God formed a mate for him. Adam and Eve were pleasing in the sight of God and they were given the command to replenish the earth.
Everything seemed to be going well until Satan tricked them into giving up their authority over the earth. Through Adam, sin was brought into the world and the punishment of God was placed upon them. After the sin in the garden, God spoke to the serpent. God said, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:14-15).
What is the seed of Satan? Well, for centuries theologians of all denominations have debated this. But let’s look at this from a little different angle.
In Luke 8, Jesus told the parable about the sower. After he told the parable, His disciples came to Him and said, “What does this parable mean?” Jesus then answers in verse 11 with this unique statement. “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.”
We understand that the Seed of the woman in Genesis is Jesus. But could the verse also have another symbolic meaning? Could it be that the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent are words?
Jesus was led away by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness and was tempted by the devil. The first time Satan tried to tempt Jesus, he said, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread” (Luke 4:3). Remember, Jesus had just completed a forty day fast. But Jesus answered him by saying, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4).
Then the devil took Him up on a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours” (Luke 4:6-7). But Jesus said to Satan, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (Luke 4:8).
Then a third time the devil tempted Jesus and Jesus answered again. “It has been said, you shall not tempt the Lord your God” (Luke 4:12).
All three times when the devil tempted Jesus, Jesus spoke the Word. When Jesus quoted the written Word of God, Satan was powerless. Jesus, who was the Seed of the woman, defeated the devil by using the seed, which is the Word of God.
As Christians we are to fight the forces of evil the same way Jesus did. We are to speak the Word. As believers, we are the children of God and joint heirs with Jesus. According to the Bible, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become born of God. That makes us offspring of God and His seed also. We have the authority then to speak His Word with power and authority. The result is this. We continue to bruise the head of the serpent daily by saying “it is written.”
The Seed of the woman (the Word of God) always has and always will bruise the seed (the lying words) of the devil.
