Essay Questions

Why does the narrator claim in the sermon "The Seed of the Woman, and the Seed of the Serpent’’ that the prophecy from Genesis was "dark’’ for those who lived before the New Testament was written?

Many scholars and religious people referrer to the time period before the New Testament was written as being ‘’dark’’ because there was little hope in the messages transmitted by the prophets. Many see the Old Testament as a part of the Bible which focuses on the history of the Jewish people and the history of their nation. The laws and principles mentioned in the Old Testament are more than often applicable to only one person, someone who was in power, such as a King. The common people seemed to be completely forgotten and no promise of salvation was offered to them. In order to have their sins forgiven, the Jews and those who adopted the religion had to perform complicated and expensive rituals, to bring animal and crop sacrifices every year. Despite their efforts, salvation was not something they could be sure of in the same way the first Christians and later the rest of the people who adhered to the Christian religion believed they will be. The vast majority of the laws and principals modern day Christians follow appeared only in the New Testament and in this sense, many saw the pre-first century period as being a dark one when it comes to religious knowledge.

What does the woman represent in the sermon "The Seed of the Woman, and the Seed of the Serpent’’?

The Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent are mentioned in Genesis, in what is widely considered as being the first prophesy mentioned in the Bible. The prophesy in question is made after the Serpent convinced Adam and Eve to eat from the forbidden fruit and after they were thrown out from the Garden of Eve. The prophesy was meant to have a deep symbolic meaning and to give hope to the primordial couple’s descendants who will want to serve God. The Serpent refers here to the Devil who introduced sin into the world. The fact that his seed will have to suffer suggests the idea that his followers will be the one to receive the punishment. The woman is God’s Kingdom which produced a son, Jesus Christ. When he came on earth, he was killed by those who opposed him and thus the seed of the woman had his heel crushed. Still, the seed of the woman continues to be more powerful than the seed of the Serpent, stepping on its head and killing it. This image is used to suggest the way the Devil and his followers will be destroyed during judgment day.

What does the narrator want to transmit through the sermon "Walking with God’’?

The sermon starts on a quite depressive tone, the narrator mentioning the numerous men who failed to be faithful to God. Some of those men are mentioned in the Bible and act as warnings to the readers, showing them what they must not do. The sermon then turns towards the positive characters, those who despite experiencing hardship in their lives, managed to listen to God and do this bidding. The narrator wants to transmit thus a message of hope, assuring his readers that no matter how difficult a situation may be, a person could always count on God to help them and can have the confidence they will be able to serve God as he wants them to, no matter how hard it is.