His name isn't mentioned in the Old Testament but it is all about Jesus.
Hebrews 1:1-3 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, He has spoken to us through His Son.
God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son He created the universe. 3 The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command.
When He had cleansed us from our sins, He sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
The Bible is God's story revealing himself to us so that he can know him. Thankfully God's desire is to be known, from the beginning in the garden he revealed himself when he could have stayed obscure and mysterious if he had wanted, but that would be incredibly sad for us.
God inspired men to write his story and protect it from evil forces that would love to destroy it. Think about how many thousands of years old the earliest scrolls are and how many opportunities Satan has had to get rid of it, there were evil kings that ruled Israel without any fear of God and there were the kings of other countries that invaded Israel, Satan would have loved for those ancient manuscripts to be gone.
The Bible is God's love story and Jesus is the main focus of the story, from Genesis to Revelation, because he is the greatest display of God's love. I found two extensive list online of the ways that Jesus is revealed in the Old Testament and how Jesus is portrayed in each book of the Old Testament:
It all starts with Adam, God created Adam perfect without sin, just as Jesus is without sin, but Adam sinned, and through him sin entered the world. God tells Adam and Eve someday their great-great-great-great…. grandson will save the world from sin. He will crush the snake, and death will be conquered.
Abel showed us Jesus because he died blameless for someone else’s sin, just as Jesus died blameless for our sins. But Abel’s death cannot save us.
God sent Abraham away from a loving father into a dark world to act as a light to the rest of the world. God sent Jesus to act as a light to a dark and sinful world to show them the way back to God.
Isaac was a willing sacrifice on that altar, fully believing his father that all would be well. Jesus was a willing sacrifice for us on the cross, knowing His death paid the price once and for all for our sins.
Jacob shows us how far God will go to pursue a lost sheep. Just like the story of the prodigal son, Jacob was brought home to God.
Because of the sins of his brothers Joseph was handed over into slavery, but because of their actions Joseph was able to save his family in Egypt. Jesus was handed over to death by lies and half truths, but because of his death and resurrection we are saved from sin.
In Exodus we find the story of the Passover Lamb, and Christ is the sacrificial Lamb given for us.
Moses was called out of 40 years of wilderness to lead his people to freedom from slavery to Egypt. Jesus was called out of 40 days of wilderness to lead his people into freedom from slavery to sin.
In Leviticus we read of the high priests making sacrifices for the people, and Christ has become our High Priest, making the perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins.
In Deuteronomy Moses prophesied of a prophet who would come that would be greater than Himself. Jesus is that Great Prophet.
In the book of Joshua, Joshua met the Captain of the Lord's host. That man is Jesus Christ.
In Judges, the leaders were judges who delivered God's people, each of them typifying the Lord Jesus.
Ruth was rescued from poverty by her bridegroom Boaz. The church was rescued from their poverty of sin by its bridegroom Jesus.
Samson shows the folly of trying to do it all yourself. We can do many of the right things, but without the light of the world we cannot truly follow God.
In 2 Samuel when the king is being enthroned, the entire scene is descriptive of the Lord Jesus.
The books of Kings speak of the glory of God filling the temple and the Chronicles describe the glorious coming king, both referring to Jesus, the King of Kings.
Saul looked like the perfect king. He was handsome, he was tall, he was strong, but he did not follow God and ultimately was a weak king because of it. Jesus did not look like a king, he was common, he was a carpenter, but he is the True King.
A true king, one that pursued God and loved him with all his heart, king David pointed his people to God. Jesus was both man and God and lived a perfect life. Jesus is the perfect king of all.
Solomon shows us the folly of a church not daily relying on God. He followed God for a while, but his house was built on his own wisdom, not God’s and at the end of his reign it was washed away.
Ezra depicts Jesus as the Lord of our fathers. Job says clearly that the Redeemer is coming! Esther offers a picture of Christ interceding for His people. Christ appears time after time in the Psalms, including when David describes Him as "the Shepherd."
All the kings of Northern Israel show us what life without God is like. It’s painful, there are lies, murder, blasphemy, and more hurt. In the end a world without God falls, and the kingdom of Israel fell.
Hezekiah became king after many who had not followed God. He wanted to bring Israel back to God, and did. Jesus wanted to bring Israel back to God, and there were many Pharisees telling him it could not be done. But ultimately Jesus brought the world to God.
Jonah ran from God, which Jesus never did, but then Jonah sat in the belly of a big fish for 3 days, and preached the words of redemption just like Jesus. Jesus was dead and in a grave for 3 days, and resurrected to preach the words of life to the world.
Isaiah was given a vision of heaven and what Jesus will come to do. He tells of Jesus birth, and his eventual death and resurrection.
God called Hosea to love and marry a woman who did not love him, he stayed a faithful bridegroom, though his bride was not faithful. Jesus too has married a faithless wife, the church. Though we wander far from His love at times, Jesus will always stay faithful.
Josiah became king as a young boy. He followed God from a young age, just as Jesus showed us in Luke that He followed hard after God from a young age.
In Daniel we see Jesus ruling and triumphant. We do not see Jesus the sacrificial lamb, we see Jesus coming at the end to punish and to reward. He rules eternal and forever.
Jeremiah the weeping prophet shows us a Jesus who cries for the world’s sins. Jeremiah cries for the fate of Jerusalem, a city he loves and knows will be destroyed. Jesus hundreds of years later cries for Jerusalem as He looks at a city caught in sin and bound for judgment if they do not repent.
Ezekiel gave us Jesus’ favorite title, the Son of Man. Over and over God calls Ezekiel “Son of Man,” and Jesus called himself “Son of Man.”
Joel describes Him as the Hope of His people. Amos tells us that Jesus is the judge of all nations. Obadiah warns of the coming eternal kingdom.
Jonah offers a picture of Jesus being dead for three days, then coming back to life to preach repentance.
Zephaniah says that He will be the king over Israel. Zachariah is the prophet who speaks of Jesus riding on a colt. Malachi is the one who calls Him the Son of Righteousness.
Abel showed us Jesus because he died blameless for someone else’s sin, just as Jesus died blameless for our sins. But Abel’s death cannot save us.
God sent Abraham away from a loving father into a dark world to act as a light to the rest of the world. God sent Jesus to act as a light to a dark and sinful world to show them the way back to God.
Isaac was a willing sacrifice on that altar, fully believing his father that all would be well. Jesus was a willing sacrifice for us on the cross, knowing His death paid the price once and for all for our sins.
Jacob shows us how far God will go to pursue a lost sheep. Just like the story of the prodigal son, Jacob was brought home to God.
Because of the sins of his brothers Joseph was handed over into slavery, but because of their actions Joseph was able to save his family in Egypt. Jesus was handed over to death by lies and half truths, but because of his death and resurrection we are saved from sin.
In Exodus we find the story of the Passover Lamb, and Christ is the sacrificial Lamb given for us.
Moses was called out of 40 years of wilderness to lead his people to freedom from slavery to Egypt. Jesus was called out of 40 days of wilderness to lead his people into freedom from slavery to sin.
In Leviticus we read of the high priests making sacrifices for the people, and Christ has become our High Priest, making the perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins.
In Deuteronomy Moses prophesied of a prophet who would come that would be greater than Himself. Jesus is that Great Prophet.
In the book of Joshua, Joshua met the Captain of the Lord's host. That man is Jesus Christ.
In Judges, the leaders were judges who delivered God's people, each of them typifying the Lord Jesus.
Ruth was rescued from poverty by her bridegroom Boaz. The church was rescued from their poverty of sin by its bridegroom Jesus.
Samson shows the folly of trying to do it all yourself. We can do many of the right things, but without the light of the world we cannot truly follow God.
In 2 Samuel when the king is being enthroned, the entire scene is descriptive of the Lord Jesus.
The books of Kings speak of the glory of God filling the temple and the Chronicles describe the glorious coming king, both referring to Jesus, the King of Kings.
Saul looked like the perfect king. He was handsome, he was tall, he was strong, but he did not follow God and ultimately was a weak king because of it. Jesus did not look like a king, he was common, he was a carpenter, but he is the True King.
A true king, one that pursued God and loved him with all his heart, king David pointed his people to God. Jesus was both man and God and lived a perfect life. Jesus is the perfect king of all.
Solomon shows us the folly of a church not daily relying on God. He followed God for a while, but his house was built on his own wisdom, not God’s and at the end of his reign it was washed away.
Ezra depicts Jesus as the Lord of our fathers. Job says clearly that the Redeemer is coming! Esther offers a picture of Christ interceding for His people. Christ appears time after time in the Psalms, including when David describes Him as "the Shepherd."
All the kings of Northern Israel show us what life without God is like. It’s painful, there are lies, murder, blasphemy, and more hurt. In the end a world without God falls, and the kingdom of Israel fell.
Hezekiah became king after many who had not followed God. He wanted to bring Israel back to God, and did. Jesus wanted to bring Israel back to God, and there were many Pharisees telling him it could not be done. But ultimately Jesus brought the world to God.
Jonah ran from God, which Jesus never did, but then Jonah sat in the belly of a big fish for 3 days, and preached the words of redemption just like Jesus. Jesus was dead and in a grave for 3 days, and resurrected to preach the words of life to the world.
Isaiah was given a vision of heaven and what Jesus will come to do. He tells of Jesus birth, and his eventual death and resurrection.
God called Hosea to love and marry a woman who did not love him, he stayed a faithful bridegroom, though his bride was not faithful. Jesus too has married a faithless wife, the church. Though we wander far from His love at times, Jesus will always stay faithful.
Josiah became king as a young boy. He followed God from a young age, just as Jesus showed us in Luke that He followed hard after God from a young age.
In Daniel we see Jesus ruling and triumphant. We do not see Jesus the sacrificial lamb, we see Jesus coming at the end to punish and to reward. He rules eternal and forever.
Jeremiah the weeping prophet shows us a Jesus who cries for the world’s sins. Jeremiah cries for the fate of Jerusalem, a city he loves and knows will be destroyed. Jesus hundreds of years later cries for Jerusalem as He looks at a city caught in sin and bound for judgment if they do not repent.
Ezekiel gave us Jesus’ favorite title, the Son of Man. Over and over God calls Ezekiel “Son of Man,” and Jesus called himself “Son of Man.”
Joel describes Him as the Hope of His people. Amos tells us that Jesus is the judge of all nations. Obadiah warns of the coming eternal kingdom.
Jonah offers a picture of Jesus being dead for three days, then coming back to life to preach repentance.
Zephaniah says that He will be the king over Israel. Zachariah is the prophet who speaks of Jesus riding on a colt. Malachi is the one who calls Him the Son of Righteousness.
Now that there are so many copies of the Bible and it has been copied into so many languages, instead of destroying the Bible, Satan's new strategy is to get us to neglect reading it and to doubt it's message when we do read it.
Satan will ask you, "Did God really say that?" We need to be "digging the word" so that we will know for sure what God said.
Thank you Lord for protecting your story and allowing us to read it and learn about you. I don't want to neglect Bible study because it is the best revelation of who you are and why I am here.
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