Jesus in the Old Testament

Written by Rev. Daniel Forster

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV)

It is common today to think of Jesus only in conjunction with the New Testament. We look at Jesus as the baby in the manger as the place where the story begins and sadly miss what He fulfilled – the promises that came to pass. Jesus is mentioned and prophesied about all throughout the Old Testament. Jesus was with God before creation even began and was with God and His chosen people all throughout the Old Testament until it was time for Him to be revealed.

God sent prophetic words and promises about salvation to the prophets of the Old Testament – promises of freedom from sin and an eternal life with God. One of the most common of these scriptures is in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”Another common scripture is Isaiah 53:5-6:

“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

This scripture tells of how Jesus would, of His own accord, take on all our sins and pay the penalty of death for us so we would never have to. By His shed blood we are free from sin and death. We now have the peace of God through Jesus our intercessor. Please read all of Isaiah 53.

Jesus was not introduced to us in just the New Testament. Jesus is in the Old Testament and as John explained to us:“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5, ESV)

Take some time in your Bible reading to find and seek out Jesus in the Old Testament this season. Let His Holy Spirit guide and direct you to a deeper understanding of our Lord. Let His word lead you into a deeper relationship with Him as He shows you His love and mercy.

Lord, help us to see that the Bible is two separate books but one – a chapter one and chapter two. Let us see all You have done for us and let us learn and grow from Your Word. In Jesus name, Amen.

Question: Which prophesy about Jesus speaks to you the most?

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Rev. Daniel Forster

Daniel Forster is the Associate Pastor at Healing Streams Church, and is the Pastor Of Internet Ministry in Keokuk, IA. He is married to his wife Ashley, and they are blessed with a teenage son, and one on the way. You can connect on Twitter at @Revdforster, or on the web site at www.HouseOfPrayer-Ministries.org.

http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2012/12/17/jesus-in-the-old-testament/