By Deolu Akinyemi

Observations – These things were written for our example.

1. It is true that Jesus asks questions: But the first question ever to be asked in the Bible was asked by the serpent. Our asking should produce a deeper knowledge of God in Christ, not seek to question God’s positions or rationalize His commandments. We must be aware of any knowledge that even slightly deviates from truth. We really cannot afford to be partial in our knowledge of truth. God’s word must be our daily sustenance.
2. We are not to underestimate the devil: He’s cunning and clever and he is only after one principal thing – take us out of from God’s plan, remove us from God’s rule. The devil is willing to give us access to everything else in exchange for our pleasing God. He’s ready to surrender this world to us, and all it’s kingdom, if we’ll just be disloyal to God’s will.
3. Having a legalistic stand isn’t very helpful either: Don’t throw a blanket over all the trees in the middle of the garden and say, don’t touch. The tree of life is accessible from the middle of the garden.
4. Satan offered the woman Christianity: If you do this, you will be like God! What God has in stock for us is not merely likeness, but in His very image and likeness, and with His representative authority in the earth. God’s plan for humanity was to make Him a part of Himself – to put man in Christ.
5. Knowledge can be distracting: We don’t need to know everything ranging from good to evil; it is sufficient to know Christ. 100% knowledge is dog-dung compared with the high privilege of knowing Him personally. Beware of anything that offers you the opportunity to see what is really going on.
6. The template and process of temptation: The Eve case study from 1 John 2:15-17, James 1:13-15 shows that we are drawn by our desires. Parallel with Matthew 4 – the temptation of the Seed of the woman.
7. Do not be deceived: The Woman was deceived; the man was persuaded. James 1:16-18, Galatians 6:7, Revelation 12:9, 1 John 4:1 Ephesians 5:6, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.
8. The first result of disobedience to God was eyes open to self. Eyes opened to self, made man want to hide from God. Man did not hide because he had sinned, man hid because he was naked. Man was afraid because he was naked. Self-realization births fear. Fear, hitherto not a word in man’s dictionary now finds its place. What builds your self-confidence and self-value builds your fear. Flesh is naked.
9. God’s questions: “Where are you? Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree I commanded you not to eat? What is this you have done?” These were God’s responses to fallen man. Can we answer these questions? God asks his own, to the serpent was no question asked.
10. The consequence of sin: Shame, guilt, fear, trouble, and death. Whenever we face any of these, it’s traceable to Adam and Eve. We are their biological descendants (3:20), their natural descendants, instead of God’s likeness we inherited their likeness (5:3), and as their legal descendants we inherited the same judgment (Rom 5:12-19, Ps 14:1-3).
11. God had a plan for another man, from timeless eternity to make an entrance to ensure that man has His image and likeness.
12. God curses the serpent and prophesies the coming seed; the seed of woman, the paradox. The seed was singular, the seed was He and the seed of the serpent is still the serpent. What great wisdom.
13. The seed of the woman is 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 9:6, Jeremiah 31:22, Luke 1:35.
14. Adam heeded the voice of his wife, not the serpent. We are not excused by who distracted or diverted us. Our eyes must be on Jesus.
15. Interesting observation: Man shall return to dust, the serpent shall eat dust, and the seed of the woman will bruise the head of the serpent.
16. God clothed them with animal skin: Shed blood implied.
17. Man was barred from the tree of Life to ensure he is not lost forever.

Summary Thoughts – The Seed of the Woman

The seed is singular, it’s of a woman, the sex of the seed is He, and the battle is with the seed of the serpent, which is the serpent. Christ will overcome all the kingdoms of this world.

Nothing is beyond God’s understanding and scope. Nothing. Even our misdeeds, acts for which we should be judged, find themselves within the boundaries of his timeless plan. The gospel is real here, Christ and what He does is clearly seen. Man is drawn away and disobeys God, but God had his eyes on Christ, and without going back to think about it, writes out the entire Bible in a breath – The Seed of the woman.

The Seed took form as different prophecies added flesh to God’s declaration to the serpent. God’s redemption plan – beyond redemption was being played out. The Seed was Christ. The first fulfillment of that prophecy was in Jesus, and the full fulfillment is in Christ, in who we are. Can we see how Mary became recipient of what God was doing and Christ was formed in her? Can we be that body that hosts the Christ? Are we a part of what God is doing to put all God’s enemies under Christ’s feet? Remember his feet are part of His body. This is the hour we are in.