Many of us consider the angel Gabriel’s visit with young Mary to be the first announcement of the birth of Christ. “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you! Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1)
The visit of the Angel of the Lord to the shepherds by night typically takes second place. “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
Then there’s the star that gave the wise men from the east directions to the cradle of Jesus. (Matthew 4) The Holy Spirit prodded Simeon, leading him to wait for firstborn son Jesus to be presented in the temple soon after birth. Something of the sort also brought the old prophetess Anna to see the baby Redeemer. (Luke 2)
Seven hundred years before the nativity, we read in the prophet Isaiah of Messiah’s birth announcement. (Isaiah 7 & 9) Was this the first word of a Savior?
One must return to the beginning of the Bible to find the very first mention of the coming of a Savior. The first two chapters of Genesis tell us of the creation of the world and everything in it. We also find our first parents living in paradise, fulfilling all of God’s glorious intentions for man on the earth. Satan has another plan! He creates discontent in their hearts and minds, leading them to rebel against God’s provision, kindness, and sovereignty.
After they sinned against God by eating the forbidden fruit (Genesis 2-3; Hosea 6), they hid from God. He sought them, sacrificed an animal in order to clothe them, and then gave his judgements to each. You can imagine Adam, Eve, and Satan lined up with the Lord handing out his punishments. Eve would have difficulty in marriage and bearing children. Adam would work, sweat, and smash his fingers only for the soil to produce a little. To Satan, God gave a prophecy much like a boxing match announcer. “In this corner, Satan the Liar. And in this corner, Jesus Christ the Serpent Slayer!” The late Eugene Peterson’s translation is: “Because you’ve done this, you’re cursed, cursed beyond all cattle and wild animals, cursed to slink on your belly and eat dirt all your life. I’m declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He’ll wound your head, you’ll wound his heel.”
Baby Jesus grows up to destroy darkness, death, and Satan. This work began in His first advent and will be completed at the second coming of our Lord. The Apostle Paul slips a little prophecy of his own in the conclusion of his letter to the Romans (chapter 16): “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”