Sunday: Jesus in the Old Testament
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began
(2 Tim. 1:8-9, NKJV).
Image © Steve Creitz from GoodSalt.com
Besides being great texts about the futility of salvation by works, these texts reveal the eternal nature of salvation; they show that the plan for our redemption had been formulated long, long ago.
So it is no wonder that all through the Old Testament Jesus Christ is revealed in one way or another. Especially powerful are the prophecies, which clearly show that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.
Read the following Old Testament texts, all applied to Jesus. What do they say about Him and His role as Messiah? Isa. 61:1; Dan. 9:24-27; Isa. 7:14; Isa. 9:6; Isa. 42:1-9.
The prophet Isaiah describes the mission of Jesus with these words: <Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. . . . I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness
(Isa. 42:1, Isa. 6-7 NIV).
Dwell on the incredible idea that Jesus, the Creator, took upon Himself our humanity and in that humanity lived and died as He did. What great hope does this offer you in a world that, in and of itself, offers no hope at all?
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Awesome work. Great insight. I cannot get enough. PRAISE HIS NAME!
It is indeed incredible that Jesus the Creator agreed even before man was created, that should man sin, He would be willing to take man's place, and assume his guilt, and pay the penalty for it, that is sin.
This was the "foolishness to the Greeks" that Paul was referring to in 1:Cor 23.Their argument was "How can a God, who is the very essence of purity and sinlessnes dwell in the carnal nature of man subject to corruption and death?"
This is the very heart of Christianity and the gospel, we cannot comprehend it, nor should we try, but believe it and be saved. With God nothing is impossible. Praise His name indeed!
Although the church sings, “the theme of the Bible is Jesus” it may not be as easy for some to identify Christ in the rest of scripture outside of the four gospels and Acts in the New Testament. However the Son of God is actually more active throughout scripture than first appears.
Since the fall of man the Son of God in subjection to the Father has been the member of the Godhead interacting directly with mankind, with support from the Holy Spirit. By decisions made before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:3, 4) the Creator (Hebrews 1:2) was to lead the effort of restoration of a damaged race.
It was the Son who confronted Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:8, 9), walked with Enoch (Genesis 5:24), reasoned with Abraham (Genesis 18:22-33), met with Moses (Exodus 3:2-15), and appeared to Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15). The Son of God also sent the Flood (Genesis 6:7), burnt up Sodom (Genesis 19:24), dispatched destroying angels (Psalm 78:49) and executed judgment on several occasions (Exodus 17:16).
One reason Christ might not be easily recognized in the Old Testament is He is seen in human form in the New Testament as the sacrificial Lamb and suffering Savior (Acts 8:32, 33). However Bible students ought to recognize that Jesus takes on different roles at different times as He makes His way through the sanctuary (Daniel 8:14), a very important doctrine, particularly for last day believers.
There is a time for the lamblike appearance, priestly attires, garments of vengeance and kingly robes. In all this Jesus is the God of love as the Father is and every aspect of His ministry is important to the restoration of His image in mankind. An appreciation of this is important to a right relationship with Christ especially as we approach the end of time.
Why do some insist that God, in the garden of Eden was Jesus, the Son, the second member of the Trinity? It is usually because of John 1:3 and Genesis 1:26. To say that Jesus replaced God the Father isn't supported by those texts. Jesus' contribution to the plan of salvation
is what should be the most the notable characteristic that he possesses. If I have missed something else in the Old Testament other than the prophecies in Isaiah and Psalm, Jesus is mentioned but as a human being not God. Correct me if I am wrong.
He is also the "author and finisher of our faith" (Heb 12:2)and I am sure that there many more texts like this one. In short Jesus is everything to the Christian and in the end He will be part of the temple in the New Jerusalem and its light (Rev 21:22-23).
Christ is our Creator and so does the Bible put it. In fact Jesus' association with man began at creation "For your Maker is your
husband-- the LORD
Almighty is his name--
the Holy One of Israel
is your Redeemer; he
is called the God of all
the earth." Isaiah 54:5
Jesus in the OT:
It is wonderful that again and again we see in the OT the promise that one day the Messiah will come, we see it in statements like Gen 3:15, in prophecies, in types and examples.
But it wasn't only promises for the future, Paul helps us understand that all the interactions the people of the OT had with "God" were in fact interactions with the pre-incarnate Jesus.
We have the same privilege, not only are we looking forward to Jesus' 2nd coming, we also have his presence through the Holy Spirit on a daily basis to guide and comfort us.
Missed you, Sis. Shirley!
Thank you Sister Norma.
Hugh,
In your exposition of Christ in the O.T,I'm impressed by your splendid explanation of Jesus.I want to allude to the fact that He existed long before the foundations of the earth were laid and that Christ takes different titles and roles according to the nature of the mission and circumstance sorrounding the operation. How would have been salvation had He come out in the open as the incarnate Christ in O.T?
In addition to what has already been said about Jesus in the Old Testiment, He was the piller of cloud by day and fire by night,the Rock the I AM to name a few.
Rev. 20:12,13..."and the dead were judged according to their works"....please explain.
As I understand it our works are a physical manifestation of what is in the heart. This whole thing is not about salvation by works nor is it a retributive kind of an eye for an eye.
The punishment that the wicked receive is death not days of torture.
Paul In Genesis 1:26 "And God said, Let us make man in our image...." Who do you think the "us" refers to? It referred to all the members of the Godhead. When Jacob dreamed of the ladder stretching fro earth to heaven, who do you think was represented by the ladder? Was it God, the Father, or God, the Son? Who spoke to Moses in the burning bush? Exodus 3:14 " And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." Jesus in the New Testament refers to himself as "I AM". So how can you say that it is only In Isaiah and Psalms that He is mentioned as God. I only mentioned two incidents in the first two books of the Bible and there are many more.
Jesus in the Old Testament was our hope, always evident (as posted by others here) in the 'realness' and presence all throughout time. He created, communed with, led (cloud by day, fire by night), etc. so that we would be restored. Praise His Holy Name...
While the theme of the Bible is Jesus, it was through the focus on the One who would come and the Law He would live by in perfect character with it. Jesus didn't exist until His conception/birth as a creature. Yet, the Old Testament is all about the Messiah that would come as promised, in the manner and time foretold. Jesus was prophetically typified in the sanctuary and sacrifices. It was the Being who would become Jesus that was in the Old Testament as creator/communicator, speaking through patriarchs, prophets, and nature to the world. He was commander of the Lord's host and then called Michael. He is infinite in His existence while we are finite in our ability to fathom it. In the Old Testament He never presented Himself as the Son of God, but as the only true God. As Michael He is shown to be one of the Godhead(Dan 10:13), but not presented as the Son of God.
When the time was fulfilled, Jesus the Prophet/Lamb appeared calling Himself the Son of God and Son of Man, and completed His earthly mission to save. It is Jesus our High Priest who intercedes today, who will come again, and reign forever as King of Kings(the redeemed, Rev 1:6; 5:10).
We are blessed through Him in everything.
"Jesus didn't exist until His conception/birth as a creature." Robert could you please clarify what you mean by that statement because if taken the wrong way it could mean that He wasn't part of the Godhead from the beginning.
Robert can reply for himself, but Robert is absolutely correct.
Jesus is the name for the human child, Jesus.
Jesus Christ (i.e. Messiah) is the name used when we specifically referring to the incarnate God-man. He was/is a new person and did not exist before the incarnation. Before that, He was the eternal God, not God incarnate in humanity. (Also see Isa 9:6)
Note that Robert clearly indicated that the same Person of the Godhead Who became incarnate in humanity appeared in the Old Testament as the ...
That was well said.
Agree with Inge, which should answer your question Tyler, and I would add this from 5BC, 1129: "There is no one who can explain the mystery of the incarnation of Christ. Yet we know that He came to this earth and lived as a man among men. The man Christ Jesus was not the Lord God Almighty, yet Christ and the Father are one. The Deity did not sink under the agonizing torture of Calvary, yet it is nonetheless true that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Yes, we need to keep in mind the caution about explaining the incarnation. Trying to explain it in a manner understandable to humans generally leads to false teachings that either diminish Christ's divinity or diminish His humanity.
Beyond what we said already, silence is golden.
Is Michael CHRIST?? How can that be!
Jesus came to earth as our Savior. Jesus revealed who God is & what He is like. He was the perfect servant in whom God delighted. Jesus fulfilled His mission in that He died in our place & paid the penalty for our sins so that we might have forgiveness of our sins & receive the gift of eternal life.
Jesus was fully God & fully man. He maintained a vital union with God through prayer. Because God gave Jesus the power to live a life in perfect submission & obedience, we know that we can be empowered with everything we need to live for Him & serve Him in obedience. He will give us power to resist temptation; however, we can know that we can receive forgiveness because we have been covered by the blood. We too can have a vital union with God & know Him by studying His word & through prayer. We can pray confidently & expectantly knowing that our prayers have been heard & answered. Our lives will be changed as we spend time with God daily; our thoughts will become His thoughts & our desires will become His desires. We realize that all we are & have belong to Him. We owe Him everything even our very lives.
We know that Jesus has prepared a heavenly home for us, & that He will keep His word & return for us someday. We do not fear death because our future has been made secure. We can die to self daily to live for him. We know that any suffering or sacrifice made on earth for Him will be richly rewarded in heaven. No sacrifice on our part is too great since He gave His all for us.
With Love he has drawn me. The song said my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. This said it all for me. Thank you for saving me!