Christ in the Old Testament
Introduction
Perhaps no group of people knew what we call the Old Testament better than the Jews. And in many cases their motives were commendable - a desire to learn how to lead a life pleasing to God and even a desire to gain eternal life. But however commendable their motives, they had missed the main point and one day the Main Point stood before them and said, "You search the scriptures because in them you think you have eternal life; it is these that bear witness of me" (Jn 5:39). How hard it must have been for so many of the Jews to see that Christ was the focus of the Old Testament. But do we face the same difficulty? We may know that the Old Testament is a revelation of Christ, but do we see that day by day as we read it? How does the Old Testament reveal Christ? What are some of the ways we see Christ in the Old Testament?
Prophecy
To begin with, we see Christ in Old Testament prophecy. As we read Old Testament prophecy we discover that it focuses not so much on future events as on a Person. Events are only significant insofar as they speak of him. This is why the Bible ignores so many nations and events that the world considers crucial, and why the Bible details events that the world considers unimportant. All of history is with a view to gathering all things together in Christ (Eph 1:10) and in Old Testament prophecy we see how God has been inexorably moving world events towards that end. Prophecies about the coming Messiah are found throughout the Old Testament, not simply in the books we call the prophets. From the seed of the woman (Gen 3:15) to the sun of righteousness (Mal 4:2), all the Old Testament writers give us glimpses of the Coming One.
The prophecies of the Old Testament largely fall into two categories: prophecies about Christ's first coming as the suffering Messiah and prophecies about his second coming as the reigning Messiah. In the first category we have prophecies concerning his birth (Isa 7:14; Mic 5:2), early life (Hos 11:1), character (Isa 42:1-4), ministry (Isa 61:1-3), triumphal entry (Zec 9:9), rejection (Isa 53:3-4), betrayal (Zec 11:12-13), crucifixion (Ps 22:1), resurrection (Ps 16:10) and ascension (Ps 68:18). In the second category we have prophecies about the tribulation (Isa 24:1), Christ's return (Zec 14:3-8), his judgement (Ezk 20:34-38) and his rule (Ps 72:1). Messianic Psalms are a special type of Old Testament prophecy rich in teaching about the Lord Jesus (e.g. Ps 2:1, 24:1, 110:1, etc.). Together all of these Old Testament prophecies provide us with a portrait that not only proves that the Lord Jesus is the Messiah, but also reveals his glories to his people.
The Angel of the LORD
A second way we see Christ in the Old Testament is in the appearances of the Angel of the LORD. Just as God has many sons but there is only One who is called THE Son of God, so also the LORD has many angels, but there is only One who is called THE Angel of the LORD. Time after time we see the Angel of the LORD identified as God himself. When the angel of the LORD speaks to Hagar (Gen 16:7) we are told that "she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her" (v.13). When the angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Ex 3:2) we read that it was God who was in the bush (v.4). Truly this angel is "the angel of his presence" (Isa 63:9).
So we see that the Angel of the LORD is God, but how do we know that he is God the Son? To begin with we see he fills the same submissive role as the Son (Ex 23:20; 1 Chr 21:9-17). Secondly, appearances of the Angel of the LORD ceased as soon as the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Thirdly, the Angel of the LORD claims one of the names of Christ (Jdg 13:18 - "wonderful" - see Isa 9:6). And lastly, appearances of the Angel of the LORD are manifestations of God and it is always the Son's role to manifest the Godhead to men (Jn 1:18; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3).
Therefore, we can learn of Christ through his preincarnate appearances as the Angel of the LORD. And as we examine the work of the Angel of the LORD in each of his Old Testament appearances, we see little pictures of Christ's work today. He is still "the God who sees" (Gen 16:13). He is still the One who has been sent "before you, to guard you along the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared" (Ex 23:20). And He is the Angel who has redeemed us from all evil (Gen 48:16).
The LORD
TThirdly, we learn about Christ in the Old Testament as we learn about the God of the Old Testament. The Bible could not be clearer on the undiminished deity of Christ. He is "The Mighty God" (Isa 9:6) and "In him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Col 2:9). So as we learn about the LORD in the Old Testament, we're learning about God the Son just as much as we are about God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. In fact, the New Testament is full of parallels where Old Testament teaching about Yahweh is applied to Christ.
Christ shares the names of Yahweh. He is the "I AM" (Ex 3:14 & Jn 8:58), "the first and the last" (Isa 44:6 & Rev 1:17), "the lord of lords" (Dt 10:17 &Rev 19:16 ).Christ shares the offices of Yahweh. He is the Shepherd (Ps 23 & Jn 10:11; Heb 13:20; 1 Pe 5:4) and the King (Jer 23:5-6; Jn 1:49, 12:13). Christ shares the work of Yahweh. He is the Creator (Isa 44:24 & Jn 1:3), he forgives sins (Isa 43:25 & Mk 2:5; Lk 5:24) and he is the object of worship (Ex 34:14; Dt 6:13 & Mt 2:1-2,11 , Mt 14:33, Mt 28:17).
Christ shares the attributes of Yahweh. He is unchangeable (Ps 102:21-27; Mal 3:6 & Heb 1:10-12,13:8 ), eternal (Ps 90:2 & Isa 9:6; Mic 5:2 ) and omnipotent (Jer 32:17,27 & Mt 28:18; Rev 1:8).
Names
Fourthly, the Old Testament teaches us about Christ as it teaches us his names. "His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace" (Isa 9:6). He is the Branch who is king (Jer 23:5), servant (Zec 3:8), man (Zec 6:12) and God (Isa 4:2). He is the God of Abraham (Gen 31:42), the Fear of Isaac (Gen 31:42) and the Holy One of Jacob (Isa 29:23). He is Emmanuel (Isa 7:14), the Messenger of the Covenant (Mal 3:1), the Prince of Princes (Dan 8:25), the Redeemer (Isa 59:20) and the Light of the Gentiles (Isa 42:6).
Pictures
Finally, there are a multitude of Old Testament pictures, shadows and types that speak to us of Christ. Of course, no picture is perfect - they all break down in that they neither go far enough nor are they without flaws. But each picture reminds us of some facet of the One who is the object of His Father's heart.
What kind of pictures of Christ do we have in the Old Testament?
There are people who picture Christ: Adam (Rom 5:14), Melchizedek (Heb 5:6), Isaac (Heb 11:19), Moses & Aaron (Heb 3:1), Boaz (the kinsman-redeemer), David (the beloved shepherd-king after God's own heart), Solomon (the wise, glorious, rich king), and the various Joshuas. There are institutions which picture Christ: the priesthood (Heb 5:8), the levitical offerings (Heb 9:10) and the cities of refuge (Heb 6:18). There are ceremonies which picture Christ: the Sabbath (Col 2:16-17), the Passover (1 Cor 5:7) and the First Fruits (1 Cor 15:20). There are objects which picture Christ: the brass serpent (Jn 3:14), the rock (1 Cor 10:4), the lamb (Jn 1:29), the Ark and the Tabernacle.
These are just a few of the ways in which we see Christ in the Old Testament. Have we ever felt that the Old Testament is unimportant or irrelevant for us today? Nothing could be further from the truth. It is a gold mine of revelation about our Lord Jesus Christ. And another thing. Are we intimidated by the Old Testament? Do we have trouble understanding it? Is it a closed book to us? Perhaps we've forgotten its Key. Focusing on Christ will open up the Old Testament to us. The Scriptures tell us that "until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ" (2 Cor 3:14). On the road to Emmaus two of his disciples were privileged to walk beside him and their hearts burned within them as he opened up the scriptures to them to show that the Old Testament is all about him (Lk 24:27,32). We may be thousands of years away from the exposition that took place that day, but the Teacher still walks beside us. He still opens up the Scriptures to reveal himself to his disciples today and, when he does, our hearts still burn within us.
Written by James Martinfont