Jesus in the Bible, part one
July 26, 2023
And beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Luke 24:27)
We have just finished looking at every book in the Bible; each and every one of the sixty-six separate books. But though there are that many books, and some forty authors, the Bible is one whole. It is indivisible and non-contradictory. It gives us the answers to all of life’s problems. Its source is God, its author is the Holy Spirit, and its focus is the Son, Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ can be found in every book. This was the most important thing that we strove to emphasize as we went through our Bible survey these past two years. So, let us take time over the next two or three weeks to review where Jesus is found in each book. Let us take time to pause, and consider these wonderful truths.
In Genesis Christ is found in the coats of skin provided by God for our first parents. He is seen in the ark as the only place of safety from the Flood, and in the offering of Isaac.
In Exodus Christ is seen in the manna, for He is the Bread of Life. Every article of furniture in the Tabernacle points to Him
Leviticus reveals Christ in its presentation of each designed sacrifice and feast.
We see Christ in Numbers as the serpent on the pole, lifted up for our salvation. He is the Rock which Moses smote, and He is seen in the cities of refuge.
Moses prefigures Christ in Deuteronomy as the only other person besides Christ to rightly fulfill the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King.
Joshua also prefigures Christ as he has the same name, though his is Hebrew and Jesus is a Greek name. The scarlet cord used to save Rahab and her family is the emblem we could use to see Christ presented throughout the Word of God.
Each of the judges, though human and imperfect, pictures Christ as ruler-deliverer.
The Book of Ruth, the ‘Romance of Redemption,’ sweetly shows us our Savior as our Kinsman-Redeemer.
The Books of Samuel present David as a picture of Christ. Jesus is a son of David, and will one day rule on David’s throne from Jerusalem over all the world.
In the Books of the Kings we see two men who prefigure Christ. Elijah anticipates John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ. Solomon’s glorious kingdom points to Jesus’ Millennial rule.
In the Chronicles, the line of Christ becomes hidden. But it one day was revealed in the marriage of Mary and Joseph, both from David’s line. Her virgin-born son fulfilled all of the OT prophecies.
Just as God kept His promise in providing us a Savior, so in Ezra and Nehemiah, we find God keeping His promise to restore Israel to her land after seventy years of captivity.
The last book of OT history is Esther. Here we find God’s protection of His people. Just as Haman strove to eradicate the Jews, so had Pharaoh, and so would Herod. Yet God spared the nation so that the Messiah would be born to provide forgiveness of sins for the world by the shedding of His blood on Calvary.
Next week we will plan to continue looking at the presentation of Christ in the OT, beginning with the books of poetry.