Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10
The Cambridge Online Dictionary defines this phrase as “to win at the last moment possible, when it had previously seemed certain that you were going to lose.” It has applications in sports, politics, war, business, etc. The phrase encapsulates the story of Scripture in a vivid way as we repeatedly see God deliver His crown jewel of creation victory when defeat seemed imminent.
When the first couple sinned, the earth changed in profound and negative ways. Work became more difficult (Genesis 3:17-19), childbearing became hard (Genesis 3:16), and death became an inescapable reality (Genesis 3:19-24). Amid these curses, God gave reasons for hope (Genesis 3:15). The seed of woman would crush the serpent’s head who tempted the first couple. The rest of Scripture details the ways God snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for humanity. Along the way, many examples of this are seen (Rom. 15:4). Consider a sample of these before we emphasize the greatest of all.
In Noah’s time, humanity grew so wicked that God determined to eradicate them from the earth (Genesis 6:5-7). Humanity’s end seemed imminent. However, Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” God, through Noah, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for humanity.
Genesis 37-50 narrates Joseph’s life with multiple examples of this phenomenon for Joseph, his family, Israel, and ultimately humankind. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery (37:12-36), but the Lord was with him, and he was treated well by his new master (39:1-6). Unfortunately, the benevolent master’s wife had wicked intentions for Joseph that landed him in prison (39:7-20). Again, the Lord was with him, and he found favor with the keeper of the prison (39:21-23).
Eventually, his time in prison brought him into Pharaoh’s palace to interpret his disturbing dream (41:1-36). Pharaoh put him over the preservation project of the plentiful years. When the famine hit, Joseph’s family was spared from death, and the promises of God lived on (Genesis 50:19-20).
After Joseph died, the Israelites became slaves to a cruel Pharaoh (Exodus 1-2). When God sent Moses to deliver them, Pharaoh oppressed them even more, until the tenth plague broke his will, prompting him to let them go (Exodus 3:1-12:32). However, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army to destroy them (Exodus 14:1-10). Again, defeat seemed imminent, but the Lord parted the Red Sea, permitting the Israelites to cross over before drowning the Egyptian army (Exodus 14:11-31).
We could continue this exercise with the conquest of Canaan, the repeated delivery from oppressors in the period of the judges and beyond, the return from captivity, etc., but these are sufficient to establish the principle of God repeatedly snatching victory from the jaws of defeat for His people. Now we will briefly ponder the greatest victory of all snatched from the jaws of the worst defeat of all.
In Genesis 3:15, God told the serpent that the seed of woman would one day bruise his head for his role in humanity’s defeat. Galatians 3:16 and 4:4 leave no doubt Jesus is this seed. As we follow through those narratives above, each one builds towards the events on the cross. This is why John and Jesus both began their ministries declaring the long-awaited fulfillment was at hand (Matthew 3:1-2; Mark 1:14-15). As the narrative unfolded, Jesus gained a tremendous following, but the enemies of God had Him executed (Matthew 26-27). Just when it appeared that all was lost and defeat was sure, the disciples found the tomb empty, and the Lord had risen (Matthew 28). Not only did God snatch victory from the jaws of defeat for Jesus, but for all who will be faithful in Him (Revelation 2:10). It is ours to simply submit to His will and allow Him to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in our lives too.