“Then entered Satan into Judas. . . . And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him unto them.” (Luke 22:3-4)
God
promised from the beginning that there would be an ongoing war between
the serpent’s brood and the seed of the woman, with the latter
ultimately prevailing (Genesis 3:15).
The
first 2,000 years of biblical history recorded one attack by Satan
after another. After Adam and Eve fell, their son Cain, a child of the
devil (1 John 3:10-12), murdered the righteous Abel (Genesis 4). Though God provided another seed, Seth (Genesis 4:25-26), from whom came righteous Noah (Genesis 5), this action didn’t prevent the entire world from plunging into corruption (Genesis 6:1-7). Not long after the judgment of the Flood, the whole world rebelled again at Babel, requiring another judgment of God (Genesis 11:1-9).
The
next 2,000 years recorded even more conflicts with Satan. Though God
promised Abram and his seed the land of Canaan forever (Genesis 12–13),
Abram often stumbled. God miraculously brought his descendants into
Canaan many years later, but their recurrent wickedness culminated in
their captivity at the hands of pagan nations (2 Kings 17, 24).
Conflict
with Satan continued into the New Testament. In our text above, Satan
actively sought to put Christ on the cross . . . and it worked. For a
moment, it may have appeared as if Satan—not the righteous seed of the
woman—would have the final say. Yet Christ’s death was not Satan’s
victory; it was Satan’s deathblow! Christ didn’t stay in the grave; He
rose again! His death and resurrection defeated the devil (Hebrews 2:14) once and for all.
In trying to destroy the righteous Seed of the woman (Christ), Satan actually sealed his own fate. God used the evil machinations of the devil to accomplish His eternal purposes in a way finite man could have never conceived.
Sing Praise To The Lord
Mark Chandler
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