BY FAITH EVE NAMED HER SON THE APPOINTED ONE
Eve must have received a word from the Lord concerning her third son. For she named him “Seth,” which means “appointed.” By faith she named him as the appointed “seed” that replaced her righteous son Abel, whom her firstborn Cain had killed. How filled with grief she must have been when she lost not one, but two sons. One murdered, and the other driven away from her by his murderous sin. How she must have felt responsible for this loss, since she had been the one deceived by the serpent.
But God in His great grace, appointed another “seed” for her. The language here is unmistakable. For Eve had not forgotten what the Lord had said to the serpent, “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” (Gen. 3:15). The Lord would keep His promise through the “appointed seed” of Seth. The Messiah would one day born into his holy line.
From the time of Cain until the time of Herod, the seed of the serpent has sought to kill the Seed of the woman. But God appointed Jesus, the Righteous Seed, who was “bruised for our iniquities” (Isa. 53:5), crucified, buried, and raised on the third day to set us free from the power of Satan (Rom. 16:20, Heb. 2:14) and give us eternal life. Jesus Christ is the Appointed One, the Son of God and the Son of Man. Jesus is the Promised Seed (Gal. 3:16) born in the line of Seth, just as God promised Eve.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You that You always keep Your promises. Even from the beginning, You have promised redemption for those who would place their faith in You and in Your Son, Jesus. How wonderful is the story of Your grace and mercy! We shall one day join with the saints of old and tell of Your great acts and wondrous love as the ages roll on. Until then, keep us and strengthen us for Your work. In Jesus’ name, amen.