A Conversation About Christ Jesus
Welcome back, my dear friends. We now will follow Jesus through the Old Testament. As I said in my introduction, my goal with each successive lesson is to reveal the complete picture of the God/man, Jesus Christ.
We now will begin our journey through the Old Testament first to see what God’s Word has to say about our Lord, Jesus Christ. Although we will not meet the human Son of Man until the New Testament, God the Son and His approaching ministry is woven like a scarlet thread throughout the Old Testament.
The entire Bible is a beacon that points us to God’s offer of reconciliation, the hope of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. The theme of the entire Bible is Jesus Christ.
We will find that God has predicted Jesus’ coming beginning with Genesis until the time of His birth in Matthew. We’ll see Him through symbols, stories, images, prophetic predictions and more. The entire biblical story points toward Jesus.
Two important scriptures we need to keep in mind as we search for the Son of God are:
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Colossians 1:15 (NIV)
18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son is the one who has shown us what God is like. He is himself God and is very close to the Father. John 1:18 (ERV)
The first evidence of Jesus in the Old Testament is through hundreds of messianic prophecies that point to Jesus Christ and were fulfilled by Him in His life on earth. These include prophecies about:
His unique birth
14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)
His earthly ministry
61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released, and prisoners will be freed. Isaiah 61:1 (NLT)
His death and burial
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he never said a word. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he stood silent before the ones condemning him. 8 From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people of that day realized it was their sins that he was dying for—that he was suffering their punishment? 9 He was buried like a criminal, but in a rich man’s grave; but he had done no wrong and had never spoken an evil word. Isaiah 53:7-9 (TLB)
Jesus Himself confirmed the fact that He is in the Old Testament. In the gospel of John, He explained to some religious leaders who had challenged Him that the Old Testament wasn’t talking about Him.
46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. John 5:46 NASB
4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Exodus 24:4 (NASB)
Here are over 90 more Old Testament prophecies* that the Son of God fulfilled in the New Testament as the Son of Man.
| Prophecy | Given |
| Fulfilled | |
| The serpent and the “seed” of Eve will have conflict; the offspring of the woman will crush the serpent. Jesus is this seed, and He crushed Satan at the cross. | Genesis 3:14-15 |
| Galatians 4:4; Hebrews 2:14 | |
| God promised Abraham the whole world would be blessed through him. Jesus, descended from Abraham, is that blessing. | Genesis 12:3 |
| Acts 3:25-26; Matthew 1:1; Galatians 3:16 | |
| God promised Abraham He would establish an everlasting covenant with Isaac’s offspring. Jesus is that offspring. | Genesis 17:19 |
| Matthew 1:1-2 | |
| God promised Isaac the whole world would be blessed by his descendent. That descendent is Jesus. | Genesis 28:13-14 |
| Matthew 1:1-2; Luke 1:33; 3:23-34 | |
| Jacob prophesied Judah would rule over his brothers. Jesus the king is from the tribe of Judah. | Genesis 49:10 |
| Matthew 1:1-2; Luke 1:32-33 | |
| The Jews were not to keep the Passover lamb overnight. Jesus was buried the day He died. | Exodus 12:10; Numbers 9:12 |
| John 19:38-42 | |
| The Jews were not to break the bones of the Passover lamb. Jesus’ bones were not broken on the cross. | Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12 |
| John 19:31-36 | |
| The Jews were to devote the firstborn males to God. Jesus is Mary’s firstborn male; He is also the “firstborn” over creation and the “firstborn” of the dead. | Exodus 13:2; Numbers 3:13; 8:17 |
| Luke 2:7, 23; Colossians 1:15-18 | |
| Moses promised another prophet like him would come. Jesus is that prophet. | Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19 |
| Matthew 21:11; Luke 7:16; 24:19; John 6:14; 7:40 | |
| God told the Jews to never leave the body of someone who had been hanged overnight. Jesus was buried the day He died. | Deuteronomy 21:23 |
| John 19:31-36; Galatians 3:13 | |
| The word of God will be in hearts and mouths. Jesus is the Word who is in the hearts of His followers. | Deuteronomy 30:14 |
| John 1:1; Matthew 26:26 | |
| Moses promised God would atone for His people. Jesus’ sacrifice is that atonement. | Deuteronomy 32:43 |
| Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17 | |
| God promised David his offspring would rule forever. Jesus is descended from David, although His literal reign has yet to begin. | 2 Samuel 7:12-13, 16, 25-26; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14, 23-27; Psalm 89:3-4, 35-37; 132:11; Isaiah 9:7 |
| Matthew 1:6; 19:28; 21:4; 25:31; Mark 12:37; Luke 1:32; 3:31 | |
| The nations, people and rulers plot against the Lord and His anointed. The Sanhedrin, the crowd, Herod Antipas and Pilate plotted against Jesus. | Psalm 2:1-2 |
| Matthew 12:14; 26:3, 4, 47; Luke 23:1, 7 | |
| God will tell someone He is their Father. God told the crowd at Jesus’ baptism that He is Jesus’ Father. | Psalm 2:7 |
| Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:22; 9:35 | |
| David believes God will not abandon him to the grave. Jesus rose from the grave. | Psalm 16:9-10; 30:3; 86:13; Isaiah 26:19 |
| Luke 24:6-8; John 20 | |
| David cries out that God has forsaken him. Jesus uses the same words on the cross. | Psalm 22:1 |
| Matthew 27:46 | |
| David says his enemies mock and insult him. Jesus endured the same on the cross. | Psalm 22:7 |
| Matthew 27:38-44 | |
| David’s tormentors tease him, telling him to have God rescue him. The people said the same to Jesus. | Psalm 22:7 |
| Luke 23:35, 39 | |
| David describes his physical torment. The description matches the condition of someone who is being crucified. | Psalm 22:14-15 |
| John 19:28 | |
| David says that “dogs” surround him and pierce his hands and feet. Gentile soldiers put nails through Jesus’ hands and feet. | Psalm 22:16 |
| John 19:16; 20:20; Acts 2:23 | |
| David says that others divide his clothing. The Roman soldiers took Jesus’ clothes. | Psalm 22:18 |
| John 19:23-24 | |
| David says false witnesses will testify against him. False witnesses did testify against Jesus, although they didn’t have matching stories. | Psalm 27:12; 35:11; 109:6 |
| Matthew 26:60; Mark 14:55-59 | |
| David says he commits his spirit to God. Jesus used the same words on the cross. | Psalm 31:5 |
| Luke 23:46 | |
| God will protect the bones of the righteous. Jesus’ bones were not broken on the cross. | Psalm 34:20 |
| John 19:31-36 | |
| David talks of being hated without reason. Jesus was hated without reason. | Psalm 35:19; 69:4 |
| John 15:24-25 | |
| The psalmist says his friends will abandon him. The disciples abandoned Jesus. | Psalm 38:11; 88:18 |
| Matthew 26:56-58; Mark 14:50 | |
| David says he has come to do God’s will. Jesus came to do God’s will. | Psalm 40:6-8 |
| Matthew 26:39, 42; John 6:38; Hebrews 10:5-9 | |
| David talks about being betrayed by a friend. Jesus was betrayed by Judas. | Psalm 41:9; 55:12-14 |
| Matthew 26:14-16, 23; Mark 14:10-11, 43 | |
| The psalmists say God will rescue them from the land of the dead. God resurrected Jesus. | Psalm 49:15; 86:13 |
| Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6-8; John 20 | |
| The Lord ascends on high, bringing captives with Him. Jesus ascended to heaven, and believers go to heaven. | Psalm 68:18 |
| Luke 23:43; 24:51; Acts 1:9 | |
| David says he will be rejected by his siblings. Jesus’ brothers refused to believe who He was until after the resurrection. | Psalm 69:8 |
| Mark 3:20-21, 31; John 7:3-5 | |
| David has “zeal” for God’s house and His honor but will be reproached. Jesus showed that zeal by cleaning out the temple and was questioned by the Sanhedrin members. | Psalm 69:9 |
| Mark 11:15-17, 27-28; John 2:13-18; Romans 15:3 | |
| David talks of being fed gall and vinegar. Jesus was offered gall and vinegar on the cross. | Psalm 69:21 |
| Matthew 27:34, 48; Mark 15:23; Luke 23:36; John 19:29 | |
| Solomon asks God for foreign kings to bring him gifts and honor. The Magi did so for Jesus. | Psalm 72:10-11 |
| Matthew 2:1-11 | |
| Solomon tells God that as king he will deliver the needy and weak. Jesus did this. | Psalm 72:12-14 |
| Luke 7:22 | |
| The psalmist says he will speak in parables. Jesus spoke in parables. | Psalm 78:2 |
| Matthew 13:3, 35 | |
| God says He will make David His firstborn. Jesus, David’s descendent, is God’s firstborn. | Psalm 89:27 |
| Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15 | |
| David’s enemies attacked him, but he refrained from responding. Jesus forgave His enemies. | Psalm 109:3-5 |
| Matthew 5:44; Luke 23:34 | |
| David asks that his betrayer’s life be short and his position be taken. Jesus’ betrayer, Judas, died, and Matthias took his place. | Psalm 69:25; 109:7-8 |
| Acts 1:16-20 | |
| David says his Lord will be made a priest of Melchizedek. Jesus is a priest of Melchizedek. | Psalm 110:4 |
| Hebrews 5:1-6; 6:20; 7:15-17 | |
| The psalmist says the stone the builders reject will become the cornerstone. Jesus was rejected by the Jewish leaders, but He is the basis of God’s salvation. | Psalm 118:22-23 |
| Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10-11; Luke 20:17; John 1:11 | |
| The Lord will redeem Israel from her sins. Jesus redeemed Israel. | Psalm 130:7-8 |
| Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:68 | |
| God told Ezekiel the people would not understand what He was doing. Jesus used parables to keep casual observers from understanding His teaching. | Isaiah 6:9-10 |
| Matthew 13:14-15 | |
| God promised that a virgin would conceive. Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived. | Isaiah 7:14 |
| Luke 1:26-35 | |
| God promised to send a Son who would be “God with us” (“Emmanuel”). Jesus is that Son. | Isaiah 7:14; 8:8, 10 |
| Matthew 1:21-23; John 1:14; 14:8-11 | |
| God promised a “stone” that people would trip over. Jesus is that stone. | Isaiah 8:14-15 |
| Matthew 21:42-44; Romans 9:32-33 | |
| God promised the land of Zebulun and Naphtali and “Galilee of the nations” a light for their darkness. Jesus is that light; at the time of Jesus, Galilee was a mix of Jews and Gentiles. | Isaiah 9:1-2 |
| Matthew 4:12-16 | |
| God promised David His Spirit would rest on his offspring. Jesus is that offspring. | Isaiah 11:1-2 |
| Matthew 1:1, 6; 3:16; Mark 1:10 | |
| Gentiles will come to God. A centurion and a Syrophoenician woman came to Jesus; the Gentiles in Pisidian Antioch responded to Paul’s gospel message. | Isaiah 11:10; 42:1; 55:4-5; Hosea 2:23 |
| Matthew 8:5-13; Mark 7:24-26; Acts 13:48 | |
| God promised a time when the blind would see. Jesus healed the blind. | Isaiah 29:18; 35:5 |
| Matthew 9:30; 11:5; 12:22; 20:34; 21:14; Mark 10:52 | |
| God promised a time when the deaf hear. Jesus healed the deaf. | Isaiah 35:5 |
| Matthew 11:5; Mark 7:31-37; 9:25 | |
| God promised a time when the lame would be healed. Jesus healed the lame. | Isaiah 35:6 |
| Matthew 15:30-31; 21:14 | |
| God promised a time when the mute would speak. Jesus healed the mute. | Isaiah 35:6 |
| Matthew 9:33; 12:22; 15:30; Luke 11:14 | |
| God promised a messenger who would announce the Lord’s coming. John the Baptist is that messenger. | Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1 |
| Matthew 3:3; 11:10; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4-6 | |
| God is the shepherd who tends His sheep. Jesus is the good shepherd. | Isaiah 40:10-11 |
| John 10:11 | |
| God promised to put His Spirit on His servant. Jesus is that servant. | Isaiah 42:1 |
| Matthew 3:16; 12:18; Mark 1:10 | |
| God’s servant will not cry out. Jesus told those He healed to remain quiet. | Isaiah 42:2 |
| Matthew 12:19 | |
| God’s servant will be gentle. Jesus treated people gently. | Isaiah 42:3 |
| Matthew 11:29; 12:20 | |
| The nations will put their hope in God’s servant’s teaching. Nations put their hope in Jesus’ teachings. | Isaiah 42:4 |
| Matthew 12:21 | |
| God will send His servant as a light to the Gentiles. Jesus is a light to the Gentiles. | Isaiah 42:6; 49:6 |
| Luke 2:25-32 | |
| The writer says he will not be rebellious or turn away. Jesus obeyed God all the way to the cross. | Isaiah 50:5 |
| Matthew 26:39 | |
| Isaiah speaks of one who will be beaten and spit upon. Jesus was beaten and spit upon. | Isaiah 50:6 |
| Matthew 26:67; 27:26-30 | |
| The Suffering Servant will be so abused He will not look human. Jesus was beaten, whipped, crucified and pierced by a spear. | Isaiah 52:14 |
| Matthew 26:67; 27:26-30; 35 | |
| The Suffering Servant will be despised and rejected by His own people. Jesus’ tormentors rejected Him and spit in His face. | Isaiah 53:3 |
| Luke 23:18; Matthew 26:67; John 1:11 | |
| The Suffering Servant will bear the abuse we deserve for our physical and spiritual healing. Jesus did this. | Isaiah 53:4-5 |
| Matthew 8:17; Romans 5:6-8; 1 Corinthians 15:3 | |
| The Suffering Servant will bear our sins. Jesus bore our sins. | Isaiah 53:6, 8, 12 |
| Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 2:24-25 | |
| The Suffering Servant is like a lamb that does not defend itself. Although Jesus spoke during His trials, He never offered a defense. | Isaiah 53:7 |
| Matthew 27:12; Luke 23:9; John 1:29-36 | |
| The Suffering Servant’s people did not protest His death. Only Pilate protested Jesus’ death. | Isaiah 53:8 |
| Matthew 27:23-25 | |
| The Suffering Servant will die with the wicked. Jesus died with the two thieves. | Isaiah 53:9, 12 |
| Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27 | |
| The Suffering Servant will be buried in the grave of a rich man. Jesus was buried in the grave of Joseph of Arimathea. | Isaiah 53:9 |
| Matthew 27:57-60 | |
| God ordained that the Suffering Servant would suffer and die. God sent Jesus to die. | Isaiah 53:10 |
| John 3:16; 19:11; Acts 2:23; Philippians 2:8 | |
| The Suffering Servant’s sacrifice offers forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ sacrifice offers forgiveness of our sins. | Isaiah 53:11 |
| Acts 10:43; 13:38-39 | |
| The Suffering Servant will intercede for His abusers. Jesus asked God to forgive those who crucified Him. | Isaiah 53:12 |
| Luke 23:34 | |
| God promises a great light to pierce the darkness of Israel and the nations. Jesus is that light. | Isaiah 60:1-3 |
| Matthew 4:16; Luke 2:32; John 12:46 | |
| God promises someone to declare good news for the brokenhearted, captives and prisoners. Jesus is that someone. | Isaiah 61:1 |
| Matthew 3:16; Luke 4:18 | |
| God promises a “righteous Branch” from the line of Jesse who will do what is just. Jesus is that Branch. | Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:15-16 |
| Romans 3:22; 1 Corinthians 1:30 | |
| A woman will weep for her dead children. Herod killed the baby boys in Bethlehem. | Jeremiah 31:15 |
| Matthew 2:16-18 | |
| God makes a woman “encircle” or protect a man. The Holy Spirit conceived Jesus in Mary. | Jeremiah 31:22 |
| Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35 | |
| God promises a new covenant. Jesus provides the work for that new covenant. | Jeremiah 31:31-34 |
| Matthew 26:27-29; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:15-20 | |
| “David” will return as his people’s shepherd. Jesus is that shepherd. | Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24 |
| John 10:11 | |
| Gabriel tells Daniel when the “Anointed One” will be “cut off.” This is the exact time Jesus is crucified. | Daniel 9:24-26 |
| Matthew 27:50 | |
| God will call His “child” from Egypt. Jesus returned from Egypt when He was young. | Hosea 11:1 |
| Matthew 2:13-15 | |
| Israel’s ruler will be struck on the cheek with a rod. Jesus was struck on the head with a staff. | Micah 5:1 |
| Matthew 27:30 | |
| The ruler of Israel will come from Bethlehem. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. | Micah 5:2 |
| Luke 2:4-7 | |
| God will live among His people. Jesus lived among the Jews. | Zechariah 2:10 |
| John 1:14 | |
| The Branch will be a priest in the temple. Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek. | Zechariah 6:12-13 |
| Hebrews 7:11-28; 8:1-2 | |
| Israel’s king will ride a donkey. Jesus came into Jerusalem riding a donkey. | Zechariah 9:9 |
| Mark 11:1-10 | |
| God told Zechariah to take the thirty pieces of silver he earned and throw it to the potter. Judas took thirty pieces of silver and returned it to the priests who used it to buy the potter’s field. | Zechariah 11:12-13 |
| Matthew 26:14-15; 27:3, 6-10 | |
| If someone strikes the shepherd, the sheep will scatter. When Jesus was arrested, His disciples fled. | Zechariah 13:6-7 |
| Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50 | |
| The Lord will come to the temple and refine the silver and the priests. Jesus came to the temple and threw out the money changers. | Malachi 3:1-3 |
| Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15-19; John 2:13-16 | |
| The sun of righteousness will come. Jesus is that sun. | Malachi 4:2 |
| Luke 1:78 | |
| Elijah will return. John the Baptist fulfills the role of Elijah. | Malachi 4:5 |
| Matthew 11:13-14; Mark 9:11-13; Luke 1:17; 7:27-28 |
* Got Question.org
Let’s dig a little deeper into the theology of Jesus Christ. This is nothing more than digging into God’s Word to discover what He has revealed about Himself. When we do this, we come to know Him as Creator of all things, Sustainer of all things and Judge of all things. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end of all things.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Revelation 22:13 (NIV)
There is a theology called Christophany that believes whenever someone received a visit from “the angel of the Lord,” that the relation between the Lord and the “angel of the Lord” is often so close that it is difficult to separate the two. This identification has led some interpreters to conclude that the “angel of the Lord” was the pre-incarnate Christ.
These appearances can be seen in the following:
When the angel of the Lord spoke with Hagar, Sarah’s mistress, who was pregnant with Abraham’s child, promising her child would be the founder of the Arab nations.
17 Then God heard the boy crying, and the Angel of God called to Hagar from the sky, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Don’t be afraid! For God has heard the lad’s cries as he is lying there. 18 Go and get him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.” Genesis 21:17-18 (TLB)
When the angel of the Lord spoke to Jacob, saying return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives there, and I will be with you.
1 Then, in my dream, the Angel of God called to me 12 and told me that I should mate the white female goats with streaked, speckled, and mottled male goats ‘For I have seen all that Laban has done to you,’ the Angel said. 13 ‘I am the God you met at Bethel,’ he continued, ‘the place where you anointed the pillar and made a vow to serve me. Now leave this country and return to the land of your birth.’” Genesis 31:11-13 (TLB)
When the Lord appeared to Abraham in human form and told him that this time next year Sarah would bear a son to him.
18 The Lord appeared again to Abraham while he was living in the oak grove at Mamre. This is the way it happened: One hot summer afternoon as he was sitting in the opening of his tent, 2 he suddenly noticed three men coming toward him. He sprang up and ran to meet them and welcomed them. Genesis 18:1-2 (TLB)
When the angel of the Lord called to Abraham not to harm Isaac.
11 At that moment the Angel of God shouted to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes, Lord!” he answered. 12 “Lay down the knife; don’t hurt the lad in any way,” the Angel said, “for I know that God is first in your life—you have not withheld even your beloved son from me.” Genesis 22:11-12 (TLB)
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush.
3 One day as Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, out at the edge of the desert near Horeb, the mountain of God, 2 suddenly the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him as a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw that the bush was on fire and that it didn’t burn up, Exodus 3:1-2 (TLB)
When the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.
35 That very night the Angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian troops, and dead bodies were seen all across the landscape in the morning. 2 Kings 19:35 (TLB)
There are over 60 such references throughout the Old Testament.
Charles H. Spurgeon says, “Some may say then that Christ was then a created angel. The Old Testament uses the term angel of the Lord interchangeably with the Lord in reference to these visitations, but he is not a created angel. He is higher in nature, higher in rank, higher in intellect, and higher in power than they. Nothing less than the very God of the Universe. The very man who suffered on Calvary.”
The Son Is Greater Than the Angels
5 For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus: “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father,” God also said, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.” 6 And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, “Let all of God’s angels worship him.” Hebrews 1:5-6 (NLT)
There are even deeper ways that Jesus is found in the Old Testament. Many Old Testament historical events double as symbols of what God would do in the future through Christ. These are seen in what we call “types.” A type is a person or thing in the Old Testament that foreshadows Jesus, the Son of Man, in the New Testament.
| Type: Adam is a type of Christ because both their actions affected a great many people. | Genesis 3:17-19 |
| Romans 5:14 | |
| Type: Jesus is the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb. | Exodus 12:1-11 |
| John 1:29-36 | |
| Type: The rock that produced water for Israel points toward Jesus and the living water. | Exodus 17:6 |
| John 4:10; 1 Corinthians 10:3-4 | |
| Type: The tabernacle where God dwelt among the Israelites is a type of Jesus, God with us. | Exodus 25:8; Isaiah 7:14; 8:8, 10 |
| Matthew 1:21-23; John 1:14; 14:8-11 | |
| Type: The feast of unleavened bread represents the purity of Jesus; Jesus’ burial is like a kernel in the ground, waiting to burst forth in life. | Leviticus 23:6 |
| 1 Peter 2:22 | |
| Type: The feast of first fruits represents Jesus as the first fruit from the dead. | Leviticus 23:10 |
| 1 Corinthians 15:20 | |
| Type: Those who looked up at the snake on a pole were saved. Those who “look up” at Jesus on the cross are saved. | Numbers 21:8-9 |
| John 3:14-15 | |
| Type: Boaz is a type of Christ the redeemer. | Ruth 4:1-11; Ezekiel 16:8 |
| Galatians 3:13; 4:5; Colossians 1:14 | |
| Type: Jonah was in the fish for three days. Jesus’ body was in the grave for three days. | Jonah 1:17 |
| Matthew 12:40 |
Jesus unites the Bible. He is not absent from the Old Testament, sitting on the bench, awaiting his fourth quarter winning play. He is the player-coach-manager directing all things. Throughout the Old Testament, He is the one and only Mediator of God Most High, marching purposefully toward his own incarnation. Jesus is Lord. He always has been.
Don Stewart of Blue Letter Bible tells us that the proper view of Scripture will be the perspective that Jesus held. He is our standard. Therefore, it is crucial that we hold the same view of Scripture as He did.
As we examine the attitude of the Lord Jesus toward the Old Testament, we find Him viewing it as totally trustworthy. Jesus accepted the entire Old Testament as the Word of God. He referred to the two divisions of the Old Testament, the Law and the Prophets, and He cited from fourteen separate books.
Jesus believed that the people actually existed, and the stories literally occurred. He confirmed the historicity of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, David, Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Elijah, Elisha and Zechariah.
Jesus also confirmed several Old Testament accounts. These include God giving Moses the rite of circumcision, God providing the manna in the wilderness, David eating the bread of presentation, David as the writer of certain Psalms, Moses writing the law, the suffering of the prophets, the episode with Lot’s wife, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the destruction of Tyre and Sidon.
Jesus also confirmed several of the most controversial accounts recorded in the Old Testament. They include Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, the Flood in Noah’s day, and Jonah and the sea creature.
There also was the confirmation by Jesus of the authorship of certain disputed portions of the Old Testament — Daniel and Isaiah. Jesus quoted from Daniel as a prophet. He also cited both sections of Isaiah and attributed them to Isaiah alone. Jesus also spoke of Old Testament prophecy being fulfilled. He assumed the passages cited made divine predictions which needed to be fulfilled. He also saw the Old Testament as speaking of Him. It anticipated His coming into the world.
In addition, Jesus never cast doubt on any parts of the Old Testament. On the contrary, He believed all of it was equally authoritative.
Consequently, Christians, to be consistent, should have the same view as Jesus; the Old Testament is the divinely inspired Word of the living God.
Some Religions want you to believe that the Old Testament was written to the Jews and the New Testament is for the Gentiles. This is far from the truth.
God tells us that through the hundreds of messianic prophecies, the spiritual appearances of the Angel of the Lord, and the people of the Old Testament that were used as “Types” to foreshadow Jesus, the Son of Man in the New Testament.
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)
28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28 (NLT)
These things lay the foundation of the Man they would call Jesus. The understanding of our Lord’s activities in the Old Testament are important because they blend the two Testaments together as one. This makes the Bible come alive as you see the Son of God active throughout the Old and New Testaments.
These two Testaments must always go together. As the great St. Augustine once put it, “The New Testament is concealed in the Old Testament and the Old Testament is indisputable in the New Testament.”
We are one together in Christ, and the whole Bible is for all of us.
Until next time, my friends, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.