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.”

Wounded Healer: A great victory looks at first like defeat

Today's reading: Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53:3: He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

In at least ten places, New Testament writers identify Jesus as the suffering servant. In one instance, Philip corrects an Ethiopian official who wonders if the servant refers to an ancient prophet (see Acts 8:26-35). Isaiah 49-55 includes vivid scenes of the servant's sufferings, predictions that find their fulfillment in Jesus' death on the cross.

Indeed this chapter reads almost like an eyewitness account of Jesus' last days on Earth, even though it was composed centuries before Christ's death ... The physical description-the Bible contains no other physical description of Jesus-is shocking. The servant "had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him" (Isaiah 53:2); he was "like one from whom people hide their faces." (Isaiah 53:3).

Healing -- A Forever-Settled Subject

By Kenneth W. Hagin

One of the paramount questions believers ask today is not whether God is able to heal, but whether He is willing to heal. Is it always God’s will to heal? The answer is, “Most assuredly, yes!”

When we want to understand God’s will about a subject, we go to God’s Word, because God’s Word is God’s will. And the Bible tells us that healing is the will of God. The Bible also tells us, “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven” (Ps. 119: 89) and “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my [Jesus’] words shall not pass away” (Luke 21:33). Healing is a forever-settled subject because God’s Word is forever settled!

A Father’s Invitation

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Ezekiel 18:25-32

Read: Ezekiel 18:25-32

Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. —Ezekiel 18:31

Bible in a Year:
Ezra 8-10

The Old Testament book of Ezekiel tells of God’s judgment on His disobedient people. The Lord called them “a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me” (2:3) and “impudent and stubborn children” (v.4). The graphic descriptions of their sin and the violent images of their coming punishment are appalling. Yet in the darkest moments of God’s lament over His people held captive in Babylon, His love shines through in His call for them to walk again on the path of life.