The Bible is also full of illustrations of Yogi’s pithy statement. On numerous occasions, our adversary, Satan, appeared on the verge of victory, but God always had—and will have—the last word, the final move to end up victorious. After the temptation in the Garden of Eden, when Satan, through the serpent, got Eve to doubt God’s goodness and God’s Word, resulting in Adam and Eve disobeying God and eating of the forbidden tree, God addressed the serpent (and Satan), giving the first promise of a coming Redeemer, the “seed of a woman” that would defeat Satan, but would suffer in doing so. He spoke, of course, of how God the Son, Jesus Christ, would come to earth and give His life to defeat our adversary, the devil, and provide freedom from the penalty of sin for all who believe on Him for eternal life (Gen. 3:15; Jn. 3:16).
From that time on Satan did all in his power to prevent the coming of this Redeemer. Satan, I’m sure, thought Joseph might be the one chosen through whom this seed might come, so attempted, through the jealousy of Joseph’s brothers, to have him killed, but instead, Joseph ended up in leadership in Egypt, where God used him to spare the chosen people, Israel, from the famine that was upon the earth. It wasn’t Joseph, but Judah, however, through whom the Redeemer would come, and then through the descendants of David, whom King Saul, prompted by Satan, attempted to kill. But, again, God had the final say, although at times, the royal line was down to just one person, such as when wicked Athaliah, mother of King Ahaziah, attempted to destroy all the royal offspring when her son died, so that she could rule. But, one of Ahaziah’s sons, baby Joash, was hidden for six years while Athaliah reigned. When Joash was seven years old, Athaliah was put to death and Joash was installed as king.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, “the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Mt. 1:1), Satan motivated King Herod to have all the boy babies two and under in Bethlehem killed (v. 16). But an angel had warned Joseph to take Mary and baby Jesus and flee to Egypt (vv. 13,14). Again, Satan, in his attempt to destroy the One who came to defeat him, was thwarted and God had the last word. He always does.