Hope For The Nations, Lesson 7, Fall 2006

When was the Old Testament written?

  • Conservative scholarship dates the writing of the Old Testament books of the Bible between c. 1500 B.C. and c. 450 B.C., whereas liberal scholarship may date some of it even as late as 100 B.C.  All, however, can agree that every word we read and study in the Old Testament was written at least 100 years before Jesus ever even took one step on the earth (and I believe the gap between was many centuries greater than this).

Does the Old Testament talk about Jesus?

  • According to Matthew, Mark, John, Peter, Philip the Evangelist, Paul, and Jesus Himself, the Old Testament emphatically gives predictions/prophecies about Jesus’ life (see Matt. 1:22; Mark 15:28; John 19:24; Acts 2:30-36; 13:33; John 5:39 for examples of this).
  • The Bible says 18 times: “That the Scripture might be fulfilled…” about Jesus.

Does the Old Testament talk specifically about Jesus’ death and resurrection?

  • Peter says, “God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer” (Acts 3:18).
  • Paul says, “Christ died for our sins according to the [Old Testament] Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3; see also Acts 17:2-3; 26:22-23).
  • Jesus says: “Thus it is written [in the Old Testament], and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead” (Luke 24:46).

In what ways does the Old Testament talk about Jesus?

  • The Old Testament talks of Jesus in: likenesses (see Heb. 7:15); copies (Heb. 8:5; 9:23); types (Heb. 8:5; 11:19); shadows (Col. 2:17); and direct prophecies.

What does Genesis tell us about Jesus’ death?

Note:  I believe every event in Genesis happened exactly as it is recorded (presumably by Moses in 1,500 B.C.).  However, Paul says that “the spiritual is not first, but the natural” (1 Cor. 15:46), and in like manner the natural events of Genesis also seem to take on a secondary spiritual meaning that would be fulfilled later in the advent of Christ and the events of the New Testament.

EXAMPLES OF JESUS’ DEATH AS SEEN IN GENESIS:

  1. Genesis 3:7, 21 – Animal Skin Coverings

The only garments that truly covered them had to come from shed blood and not the cursed earth.

  1. Genesis 4:3-5 – Acceptable Offerings

Abel’s offering of death was acceptable before God, but the cursed ground that Cain gave was not.

  1. Genesis 6-8 – The Flood

The flood was brought to destroy the sinful flesh on the earth (Gen. 6:13, 17).  It was both a death and burial.  The ark, however, gave 8 souls new life after the death of the entire world (Gen. 6:18; 1 Peter 3:20).  There was only one door on this ark, corresponding to Jesus Christ being the only door to salvation (cf. Gen. 6:16; John 10:9).  After the ark hovered upon the waters of death for 5 months, it finally found rest from this death at Mt. Ararat on “the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month” (Gen. 8:4).  The 7th month “is the month Abib or Nisan, in which the Passover was (later on) appointed to be observed on the 14th day.”  (Mauro, Wonders of Bible Chronology).  And the 17th day of this month would have been precisely 3 days after the Passover feast, which means the ark rested the exact same day that Jesus resurrected!  After the ark rested (a type for resurrection), the dove was sent out to the new life that came up from the waters.  Similarly, after Jesus came up from the waters of baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on Him as a dove.  And so this powerful type continues to bring light on our Savior’s life, death, and resurrection.

  1. Genesis 8:20-22 – Noah’s Burnt Offering

Immediately after leaving the ark, Noah offered a burnt offering as God commanded.  This marked, in one sense, the end of God’s wrath upon sinful flesh (see Gen. 8:21), and leads us to the great burnt offering of Jesus Christ that was yet to come.

  1. Genesis 15 – God’s Covenant with Abram

The sign that God had covenanted with Abram was seen only in light of death (Gen. 15:8-10).  It was the true starting point of all the promises (vv. 12, 17).

  1. Genesis 22 – Abraham’s Burnt Offering – His Only Begotten Son

This is the next burnt offering seen after Noah’s (Gen. 8:21; 22:2).

Isaac was Abraham’s only son, whom he loved (Gen. 22:2); Jesus was God’s only beloved Son (John 1:14; Matt. 3:17).

Abraham went early in the morning with two men (Gen. 22:3); Jesus was taken early in the morning (Matt. 27:1-2) with two men at his sides (Luke 23:32).

Instead of tasting death, Isaac saw life (Gen. 22:12-13), typifying Jesus’ resurrection (see Heb. 11:17-19).

It was 3 days after the sacrifice was prepared that Isaac came back from the dead symbolically, just as Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day (Gen. 22:4; 1 Corinthians 15:4).

  1. Genesis 37-50 – Joseph

“Joseph shines forth as a most conspicuous type of Christ; for the Scripture exhibits him as one who, through hatred and betrayal by his brethren, was delivered to the Gentiles, was cast into prison by false accusation, was associated in his punishment with two malefactors (of whom one was saved and the other lost) and who, after three years, was exalted to be a prince and a saviour, to work ‘a great deliverance’ (Gen. 45:7) for his own brethren and for the world. It is most fitting that Genesis, which contains in condensed form the entire truth and doctrine of the Bible, should thus conclude with a wonderfully bright and clear type of the Saviour of men.” (Mauro, Wonders…)

Similarities between Joseph and Jesus:

Gen. 37:28 – Brothers betray Joseph for silver

Gen. 37:34-35 – Father mourns Joseph’s “death”

Gen. 40:2-3 – Joseph is with 2 men during his lowest moment

Gen. 40:13 – One man is exalted; Gen. 40:19 – One man is demoted.

Gen. 41:40 – Joseph is made 2nd highest ruler

Gen. 41:44 – Everyone’s life depended on Joseph

Gen. 45:5 – Joseph went through “death” to preserve/save life

Gen. 50:20 – Joseph’s brothers meant evil towards him, but God used it for good