The Promise of Deliverance

After man was turned out of Eden children were born to him, and as these began to multiply some were good and some were wicked. As examples of faithfulness we have Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and others.

It was after a great lapse of time from the creation and fall of man that God called faithful Abraham and promised him that in his offspring all mankind should be blessed. (Gen.12.1‑3; Gen: 22.15‑18). God had previously stated that the offspring of the woman should bruise the head of "that old serpent the devil". This was when the first man and woman were about to be turned out of Eden, with the curse of death upon them. (Gen.3.15). This statement was God's promise of a coming deliverance for man from the power of the Devil. It meant that a deliverer should come from the offspring of the woman, who would destroy the Devil and bring blessing to man. The promise made to Abraham showed that the long looked for deliverer was to be of Abraham's children. Perhaps Abraham thought his son Isaac would be the one; but not so. Isaac and his son Jacob were greatly blessed by God, but they did not fulfil the promise. Neither became the blesser or deliverer of mankind.

At Jacob's death his twelve sons and their families, known as the Children of Israel (Jacob's name was changed to Israel), became a special people to God above all others. (Exodus 19.5). They were the descendants of Abraham, and so long as obedient to their God, received many favours, but did not, as a people, become the great deliverer of the world of mankind, as they may have hoped. Moses, their leader and lawgiver, prophesied that the great deliverer should be one of their brethren. (Deut.18.15). Many great men arose in Israel after Moses, such as Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, and others, but none of these proved to be the deliverer.

From time to time the prophets of Israel kept the hopes of the faithful alive, that God would send a mighty one who would fulfil the promise made to Abraham. In time this promise was limited to the house of David; the statement being, that of David's children God would set upon his throne for ever. (Psalm 132.11.12). This would give the thought that the coming deliverer would be a great King, one who would sit upon David's throne (the throne of the Lord. 1 Chron.22.10). The prophet Jeremiah prophesied concerning the deliverer, the great Messiah, that he would be a branch (offspring) of David, and that as a king he would reign and prosper, and execute justice and judgment in the earth. (Jer.23.5.6). Thus the faithful in Israel would be looking for their long promised Messiah as a great Prophet and a great King.

When the great deliverer came the faithful recognised Him, but the majority rejected Him even though all were in expectation of Him. (Luke 3.15). The great deliverer, the seed of Abraham, is Christ. (Gal.3.16).

FM