WHO IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES POINTS TO JESUS? I learned something phenomenal this week. Something that I could have/should have learned earlier had I been paying closer attention to the nuances of Romans 4. Back to the question that is the title of todays post: Who in the Hebrew Scriptures Points To Jesus? Most of us would give a variety of answers, including . . . Moses -- the way he liberated the people from slavery is a foreshadow of what Jesus does to sin. David -- Jesus comes from the house of David, after all, and Davids Psalm 22 is the grid through which Jesus understands his passion and crucifixion. The Suffering Servant Of Isaiah 52-53 -- not just a type of the agony of the cross, but a remarkably accurate prediction of it. And none of those answers are wrong . . . there are hints of Christ in each of those Old Testament characters. But I learned this week that perhaps the most compelling Hebrew foreshadow of Jesus is . . . Isaac. Look at the fascinating-yet-overlooked analogy Paul makes in Romans 4:19-24: 19 Without weakening in his faith, [Abraham] faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. Whats the comparison? That at the age of 100, Abrahams body was as good as dead. At the age of 90, Sarahs womb was also dead. And yet what came out of the union of the dead body and the dead womb? Baby Isaac. Laughter. An appetizer for one who is coming, one who will also bring life out of death. And thus Jesus emerges out of the depth of death -- the tomb -- as the risen Savior who has the last laugh on Satan. Isaac anticipates Jesus. Never heard of that, never thought of that, never considered that, and there it is, right before my eyes. The bible is so interesting when you actually read it.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 12:30:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015