Treasury of Daily Prayer

An interesting writing from Martin Luther was served up in the Treasury of Daily Prayer today. In speaking of the promise of God to send one to bruise the serpent's head (Gen 3:15), Luther writes: "Adam, together with his descendants, was carried as it were in God's bosom, and by faith in it he was preserved, waiting patiently for the woman who should bruise the serpent's head, as God had promised. And in that faith and expectation he died, not knowing when or who she would be, yet never doubting that she would come." It was jarring reading that - she, instead of he - and I'm sure confused some folks. I remember the first time I read that (last year) - I thought it was a misprint! But I looked it up in the American Edition of Luther's Works, and sure enough, that's what it says.

My guess here is that Luther writes of Adam waiting for the promised woman who would bear the promised Seed. I don't believe he thinks of Mary as the bruiser (such a theology I think comes into Romanism much later), but desires to keep a churchly focus on Mary, instead of leap-frogging her right to Christ. Interestingly, in his Genesis commentary, Luther writes of Adam and Eve believing already that Cain is the promised one ("I have gotten a man: the Lord!). Maybe Adam's waiting would have come after the disappointment of Cain.

But there is also a second interesting line: "For such a promise, being the truth of God, preserves even in hell those who believe it and wait for it." Was ist dass? The only way I can make this fit is if the hell Luther speaks of here is metaphorical - those who are enduring hell on earth in persecutions, suffering, and struggling. But to speak in this way seems quite un-Luther-like. He more often speaks of these things as crosses one must bear in this world and life - not as hell in any way.

So it was a strange day in the Treasury. Also, the Prayer of the Day was a bit odd as well . . .

Any of you who are reading this post - any ideas of these topics?