“Christmas” Expectations in Genesis

Establish the need:  The coming of God to be born to save us from our sins, when was this first predicted or anticipated?  Can it be that this “Christmas” hope, of God coming to be born to save us from our sins, be predicted as far back as the book of Genesis?

Purpose:  Today we will see four points concerning the expectation of the Messiah

• Young or old should know the Old Testament expectation of the Messiah (Luke 1:46-55)
• The expectation of the coming of the Messiah with Adam and Eve
• The expectation of the coming of the Messiah with Lamech
• The expectation of the coming of the Messiah with Noah

Young or old should know the Old Testament expectation of the Messiah (Luke 1:46-55)

Passage: “⁴⁶ And Mary said:

“My soul ^[ag]exalts the Lord,
⁴⁷ And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
⁴⁸ “For He has had regard for the humble state of His ^[ah]bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
⁴⁹ “For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
⁵⁰ “And His mercy is ^[ai]upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
⁵¹ “He has done ^[aj]mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the ^[ak]thoughts of their heart.
⁵² “He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.
⁵³ “He has filled the hungry with good things;
And sent away the rich empty-handed.
⁵⁴ “He has given help to Israel His servant,
^[al]In remembrance of His mercy,
⁵⁵ As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his ^[am]descendants forever.”

Proof:

1. Here Mary sings a song about and to God.
2. The Song is biblically and theologically well informed.
   1. Notice how her song echoes the Old Testament Bible
   2. She even cited Psalm 103:17 in verse 50.
   3. She was aware of the deep things of God’s Word.
3. It is amazing to consider that this young little girl can make a song that shows she was quite educated and familiar with the Bible, yet how was this possible?
   1. Note the order: Elizabeth sings a biblical and theological songàMary sings a biblical and theological song.
   2. Mary probably learned it from her spiritual mentor Elizabeth.
4. Mary’s song suggests she knew the deep things of the Bible
   1. “God my Savior.” ( 47)—Amazing for a Jewish girl to know that the Savior is God.
   2. “As He spoke to our fathers,” ( 55a)—Is she familiar with what God has spoken throughout the Bible?
   3. “To Abraham and his descendants forever.” (55b)—Abrahamic Covenant!
5. Mary not only have studied but applied the deep things of God
   1. First application: She worships God with songs and praise!
   2. Second application: She saw how it applied to her explicitly.
   3. ““For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me ” (v.48)
      1. She understood God’s purpose for her in God’s larger plan.
      2. It made her more humble.
6. It also comforted her despite people not understanding.

Practice: (How?)

1. Test question: Do you know what God’s Abrahamic Covenant is? Do you know what God promised in the Abrahamic Covenant?  Do you think it’s important for your life?  DO YOU SEE HOW IT CONNECTS WITH YOU?  If you don’t see the connection, then it means you need to grow in your knowledge and ability to apply the Bible.
2. THEREFORE, seek someone you can regularly asks questions about the Bible to!
3. If you need to start small in applying this point: Every week you should have questions about the Bible or the Bible for life. Call your pastor.  Do this whenever you have questions.
4. What discipleship looks like: Go over a book, they read, I read, and meeting up and discuss about it. Time of prayer.

The expectation of the coming of the Messiah with Adam and Eve

Passage: “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

Proof

1. The big question: Who is this that will crush Satan?
2. Clues from Eve’s expectation in Genesis 3:15: This head-crusher of Satan is born not with the help of a man!
   1. We would typically expect “his seed” and not “her seed” (“her sperm’).
   2. Referring to “her seed” (“her sperm’), that is, Eve’s seed is strange since it is the man that provides the seed.
   3. I think it shows that this person must be born mysteriously not as a seed of a man and without the help of a man.
   4. One can say there’s a foundation of the doctrine of the virgin birth right here.
   5. Clues from Eve’s expectation in Genesis 4:1: Yahweh born as a man!
      1. Note that Eve must have expected her firstborn to be this “Bruiser” since in Genesis 4:1 Eve named him “Cain” which means “Spear,” or “Possessed;” One can’t help but to wonder if she expected her firstborn to be the one who will attack Satan’s head.
      2. Literally in the Hebrew Eve said “I have gotten a manchild” followed by the Hebrew phrase:“ ְהוָה־יאֶת”.
      3. The Hebrew phrase:“ ְהוָה־יאֶת” literally is an object marker that shows the second word is the direct object of what it is Eve gave birth to. Here it is shockingly: She thought she gave birth to a “Man” that is “Yahweh.”
      4. Eve expected an incarnation.

Picture: <Have you ever looked at those 3D pictures and you had to really look before you discover there’s something there?>

Practice: Are you in awe with the Messianic expectation of God coming to save sinners???

The expectation of the coming of the Messiah with Lamech

Passage: “Now Lamech lived 182 years, and fathered a son. 29 And he named him Noah, saying, “This one will give us comfort from our work and from the hard labor of our hands caused by the ground which the Lord has cursed.”” (Genesis 5:28-29)

Proof

1. Here in this passage you see Lamech had expectation about his son Noah.
2. Noah’s name means comfort.
3. Here we see in verse 29 the explanation of why his name is comfort: “This one will give us comfort from our work and from the hard labor of our hands caused by the ground which the Lord has cursed”
   1. This reference back to Genesis 3 where God curse the ground because of man’s sin.
   2. In light of the reference to Genesis 3 this seems likely to refer to the child of Eve that would somehow reverse the curse!
   3. So we see the expectation of the Messiah was active during the time before Abraham!
4. But as it turns out Noah was not the Messiah; how do we know that? Noah sinned!  See Genesis 9:20-24.
   1. You see here a strange episode where Noah had no clothes.
   2. You see the sin of Noah getting drunk.
   3. Often when you find strange stories in the Bible it serves two purposes:
      1. It shows how the Bible is true, people are sinful.
      2. It shows how the specific individual as a hero is not the Messiah, having fallen short of God’s glory and morals.

Practice:

1. Lamech was not wrong to expect the Messiah. We are not wrong to see Someone out there will be the Messiah: Jesus Christ!
2. But Lamech was wrong in thinking Noah was the Messiah! We too will be wrong to see someone else besides Jesus as the Messiah.
3. Still we are to expect the Messiah! The second coming of the Messiah…are you ready?

The expectation of the coming of the Messiah with Noah

Passage: “He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant. (Genesis 9:26)

Proof

1. Some context is important here.
2. This is Noah speaking and Noah is speaking prophetically after the embarrassing episode in Genesis 9:20-24.
3. In Genesis 9:20-24 recall Noah was covered up by two of his sons while the younger son dishonored Noah by telling his two brothers of something embarrassing about his father.
4. So in Genesis 9:25-27 Noah pronounces blessing and curses to his three sons.
5. Here in Genesis 9:26 Noah blesses Shem.
6. But if one pay attention in Genesis 9:26 Noah technically blesses God. That is the God of Shem.
7. What is going on here? Is Noah blessing God or blessing Shem?  The answer?  Both. Recall the expectation of a rescuer who will be God, born from Eve’s line.
8. Of course the Messiah will be coming from the Jews and the Jews are descendants of Shem (hence sometimes being anti-Jewish is called Anti-Semitism).

Practice: Are you in awe with the Messianic expectation of God coming to save sinners???