The Old Covenant
Eventually Yahweh revealed through His prophet Moses a sacrificial system to temporarily cover sins and set up laws providing guidance in every aspect of human life. This became known as the Old Covenant. It was a bilateral, conditional agreement wherein God’s people were to obey His Law and in return He would bless them. The Law not only made people aware of their sin and the need for God in their lives, but it also became part of the larger Old Testament narrative pointing Old Covenant saints forward in time to the coming of the promised Messiah, Jesus. Galatians 4:24-26, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”[1] Jesus is the embodiment of the promises of God,[2] the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. As Saint Augustine said, “In the Old Testament the New is concealed, in the New the Old is revealed”[3] In every Old Testament book, we see types, symbols and foreshadows of Jesus Christ.
•Genesis 3:15: Jesus was the Seed of the woman that bruised the serpent’s head (Matthew 1:18; Luke 10:19).
•Exodus 12:21: Jesus was our Passover Lamb sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7).
•Leviticus 16:21-22: Jesus was our scapegoat who bore our sins on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21; John 1:29; Hebrews 9:28).
•Numbers 21:8: Jesus was lifted up on a pole like the bronze serpent (John 3:14).
•Deuteronomy 18:15: Jesus was the prophet like Moses who God raised up (John 7:40; Hebrews 3:2-6).
•Joshua 5:14: Jesus was there as a Commander of the Lord’s army (Revelation 19:11-14).
•Judges 6:22: Jesus was there as the Angel of the Lord, encouraging Gideon (John 14:8-10).
•Ruth 4:6: Jesus, in His incarnation, became our Kinsman Redeemer (1 Peter 1:18; Leviticus 25; Deuteronomy 25).
•1 Samuel 2:10: Jesus is the Horn of Salvation that God raised up for us (Luke 1:69).
•2 Samuel 7:12: Jesus is the Son of David, prophesied to rule as King (Matthew 1:1).
•1 Kings 8:27: Jesus is the answer to the question, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth?” (John 1:14; John 2:19).
•2 Kings 4:43: Jesus is a prophet similar to Elisha who multiplied loaves (Mark 6:44).
•1 Chronicles 17:14: Jesus is the Son of David whose kingdom would last forever. He is both Priest and King (Matthew 1:1; Hebrews 6:20; John 1:49).
•2 Chronicles 9:22: Jesus was typified as a “Greater than Solomon” in His wisdom (Colossians 2:3; Matthew 12:42).
•Ezra 9:2: The preservation of the Holy Seed matters, because the lineage of Jesus matters (Genesis 3:15; Luke 3:23-38).
•Nehemiah 13:8: Nehemiah foreshadows Jesus cleansing the temple. (Mark 11:15-19).
•Esther 10:3: Jesus was typified by Mordecai’s exaltation from persecuted Jew to the highest position (Matthew 21:42; Revelation 20:4).
•Job 19:25: Jesus is our Living Redeemer who stood on the earth (Ephesians 1:7; Matthew 28:6).
•Psalm 22:16: Jesus was the One whose hands and feet were pierced on the cross (John 20:25).
•Proverbs 30:4: Jesus was the Son of God who descended from heaven to save us and ascended to be our advocate.
•Ecclesiastes 12:11: Jesus was the Good Shepherd who taught us the truth.
•Song of Solomon 2:4: Jesus’ love for His church was typified in Solomon’s love for his bride. (Ephesians 5:25-32).
•Isaiah 53:5: Jesus was prophesied to be the One to take our sin’s punishment (1 Peter 2:24).
•Jeremiah 23:5: Jesus was the Branch that sprang up from the line of David (Matthew 1:1).
•Lamentations 2:11: Jesus would also be in tears over Jerusalem’s condition (Luke 19:41).
•Ezekiel 34:23: Jesus is the Chief Shepherd who fed the people physically and spiritually (1 Peter 5:4; Mark 6:42).
•Daniel 9:25: Jesus was prophesied to arrive as King on the exact day He did (Nehemiah 2:1-8; John 12:12; Exodus 12:1-3).
•Hosea 11:1: Jesus was the true Son of God that was brought out of Egypt (Matthew 2:15).
•Joel 2:32: Jesus would be the name people could call on for salvation (Romans 10:13; Acts 2:21).
•Amos 9:11: Jesus was going to arrive when the tabernacle of David was repaired after the exile (Acts 15:15-17).
•Obadiah 1:21: Jesus will rule the kingdom in the Millennial Period (Revelation 11:15).
•Jonah 1:17: Jonah typified the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 12:40).
•Micah 5:2: The birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem was prophesied (Matthew 2:1).
•Nahum 1:15: The redemption secured by Jesus over our enemy is good news to bring to all (Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15).
•Habakkuk 2:4: This verse is quoted three times in the New Testament, pointing to faith in Jesus (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).
•Zephaniah 3:15: Jesus will be the King in the midst of His people during His Millennial reign (Revelation 19:16; 20:4).
•Haggai 2:23: Jesus was a descendent of Zerubbabel, fulfilling this promise (Matthew 1:12).
•Zechariah 9:9: Jesus was prophesied to arrive on a donkey (John 12:14-15).
•Malachi 3:1: Jesus had John the Baptist as a forerunner, and He Himself came suddenly to the temple (Matthew 3:1-3; Mark 11:15-19).[4]
During the time the Old Covenant was in place, the Holy Spirit would rest upon individuals for specific purposes. But the Old Covenant pointed to a New Covenant to come in which the Holy Spirit would actually dwell within the hearts of His people. Whereas the blood of animals provided temporary covering for sin, the blood of the Lamb of God would be able to cleanse completely and seal the child of God to Him forever.[5] The external rules and regulations would fulfilled in the one who is able to effect an internal change of heart.[6] Jesus became both the ultimate sacrifice as the Lamb of God and our Great High Priest who intercedes on our behalf with the Father.[7]
The over three hundred messianic prophecies found in the pages of the Old Testament find their fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. When the Dead Sea Scrolls which had been hidden away in the caves of Qumran were discovered in 1947, not only was the accuracy of our modern Bible confirmed, but among the manuscripts was a complete copy of the Book of Isaiah dated to one hundred fifty years before the birth of Jesus. The prophetic substance of the book was originally written hundreds of years before Christ and contains some of the most explicit predictions that the Lord fulfilled. These fulfillments form one of the primary reasons I personally believe in the trustworthiness of the Bible to be the authentic Word of God.
Isaiah 53 speaks of the suffering servant who would endure pain in order to bring salvation. “He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.” This was fulfilled in Luke 2:52 which says, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” The spiritual climate of Israel when Jesus came into the world was like a desert because of the heartless and hypocritical leadership of the religious establishment. The wilderness that John the Baptist called out from was literal and figurative.[8] This was the dry ground that the Root of Jesse broke through.[9]
The arrest, trial and torture of Jesus was foretold by Isaiah. “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”[10] When Jesus was questioned during His trials, Mark records in 14:60-61a in his gospel, “Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.”
On the cross of Calvary, Jesus took upon Himself the sins of all the world. Isaiah saw this in 53:4-5, “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” During His earthly ministry, Jesus healed people both spiritually and physically. He did this through His atonement in the power of the Holy Spirit.[11]
[1] Galatians 4:24-26 KJV
[2] John 1:1, Matthew 5:17-20
[3] St. Augustine, Quaestiones in Heptateuchum VII 2,73: PL 34, 623; cf. DV 16. Dated AD 419-420.
[4] https://calvarychapel.com/posts/the-best-verse-about-jesus-from-each-old-testament-book/
[5] Hebrews 10:4, II Corinthians 1:21-22
[6] Hebrews 9:10, Galatians 6:15, Matthew 5:17
[7] John 1:29, Hebrews 4:14-16
[8] Isaiah 40:3-8, John 1:23
[9] Isaiah 11:10
[10] Isaiah 53:7
[11] Acts 10:37-38
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