Ephesians 1:9-10 9He
made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which
He purposed in Him 10with a view to an administration
suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all
things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him
Romans 9:4-5 4who
are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the
covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises,
5whose are the fathers, and from whom is the
Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
Defining the Bible's Big Pieces
Yesterday we looked at why Christians need to know the overall pattern and themes of the Bible. Today we want to begin defining what the Bible's big pieces are and how they fit together. In the realm of biblical theology, two schools of thought have emerged that attempt to define the message and purpose of scripture. Today I just want to give the general outline of each, leaving further details for later blogs down the road.
Scripture's message is framed by God''s reign or administration of His world - i.e dispensations
The first school of thought views the Bible as unfolding God's plan for the ages. History, redemption and the world are viewed by this
school as being likened unto a house over which God administrates His providential reign. In passages like Ephesians 1:9-10, this manner of God ruling His world like a "house" is referred to as His system of administrations, stewardships or as older versions call it: "dispensations". The term "dispensation" comes from a Latin term (dispensare) that we get our word "dispense" - thus a "soap dispenser" for example dispenses soap to wash hands, dishes or whatever we may need to clean things in a home.
This school of thought - called "dispensationalism", states that it is God's system of administrations or "dispensations" that is to be our focus in discerning the message of scripture. These dispensations or administrations are closely linked to God's progress of revelation through the ages. Teachers who espouse a dispensational understanding of scripture differ on how many such "ages", "administrations" or "dispensations" are outlined through the Bible. As I see it, the Bible defines five such ages:1
1. The Beginning Age (i.e creation) Genesis 1-2 (this theme of beginnings overlaps also into Genesis 3-11)
2. The Former Age (i.e Old Testament age) Genesis 3-Malachi (the former or Old Testament Age overlaps through the Gospels)
3. The Current Age (i.e New Testament age or church age) Acts -Jude (this age overlaps from the Gospels well into the Book of Revelation up through Revelation 19)
4. The Kingdom Age (i.e Christ thousand year reign following His second coming & restoration of Israel) Revelation 20 (This Age marks the end of the current age and bridges us into the Age to come)
5. The Age to come (i.e The New Heavens and New Earth) Revelation 21-22 (This final age will last forever and is essentially when all history is complete and the final judgment has occured, with unbelievers sadly but truly cast into the lake of fire, and believers in Christ being with the Lord for eternity).
Scripture's message and theme is centered around the biblical covenants
The second school of thought sees the message and themes of scripture centered not so much around the successive ages, administrations or dispensations of God as it does around the concept of Covenant.2 A covenant in the Bible is a binding agreement made between two people. Essentially in this view, covenant is how God relates to His world and to His people in particular. Like dispensationalism, I also find this second school of thought somewhat helpful, since the idea of Covenant is quite prominent in the Bible.
Since the theme of covenant is central, this system of Bible interpretation is naturally called "Covenant theology". Passages like Romans 9:4-5 are excellent examples of how the "covenants" play a key role in discerning the Bible's big picture. For now were are not going to go into extensive detail - rather I just want to introduce to you the two fundamental covenants stated by this system. The remaining covenants of the Bible are more fully revealed, and for now will only be listed, with a fuller treatment to come in future blogs.3
1. Covenant of works - This Covenant was given originally by God to Adam and his descendants. It was graciously givn by God, and its fulfillment was dependant upon Adam's obedience or disobedience to a handful of commands. Since Adam and Eve broke those commands in Genesis 3, the covenant of works was thus broken. The Covenant of works is taken by some to be repeated in principle is the Mosaic Covenant (i.e the Covenant at Sinai or The Law). The Mosaic Covenant's main function is to point people to God's salvation by grace through faith in Christ. More on this in later blogs.
2. Covenant of Grace - Covenant theologians state that God offered a second covenant- a covenant of grace - wherein the fulfillment of the Covenant was not going to lean on man's performance, but God's. God slayed two animals in Adam and Eve's place - laying the groundwork for this covenant - forgiveness of sins through the shedding of blood. (Genesis 3:15, 20-21) Second, by grace through faith was the sole means by which Adam, Eve and any of their descendants could ever hope to be reconciled with God. These elements mark the Gospel message find their repetition in the covenants of God with Abraham and David, as well as the New Covenant.
3. Noahaic Covenant - Genesis 9
4. Abrahamic Covenant - Genesis 12, 15, 17, 22.
5. Mosaic Covenant - Exodus 19-20
6. Davidic Covenant. 2 Samuel 7:13-16.
7. New Covenant. Jeremiah 31-33; Ezekiel 36:22-38; 2 Corinthians 3 & 5. (4)
As in all systems of Bible interpretation, these two mains systems must each be judged by scripture. Both systems have their strengths and weakness. The point today is to show the reader ways in which we can begin to think of how we can fit together the Bible's pieces. May we all have a greater desire to study God's Word, know Him more and make Him know.
End Notes_______________
1. Though I did not mention this in the main body of today's blog, let the reader be aware that these five "ages" are not separate or cut off from one another. Its not like you could had told on a wrist watch or calendar when the Age of the Old Testament ended and when the Current Age had begun. The transitions between one age and the next is marked by gradual transitioning, not sudden abruptness. The Book of Acts is a prime example of this, since the Jewish believers in the Lord had to have a "dispensational upgrade" from an Old Testament anticipation of God's promises to a New Testament understanding of Christ's fulfillment of those promises.
2. In Covenant theology to say that the stress is placed upon the Covenants does not mean there is not also mention of distinct periods of progressive revelation throughout the Bible. The point on this comment is that the basis of the God's progressive revelation in scripture lies on the covenants moreso than the successive ages.
3. The reader may note that I did not mention other important covenants like the, the Priestly Covenant with Phineas in Numbers 25:10-18 and the Land Covenant with Israel in Deuteronomy 28-31. The reason being is that I am introducing this concept of Covenant theology to readers. Eventually in future blogs I may bring in these other covenants.
4. The New Covenant is revealed in Jeremiah 31-33 and Ezekiel 36:22-38 and other Old Testament passages with reference to God's promise to restore the nation of Israel. Four main promises are given in this covenant: a). Indwelling Holy Spirit b). Transformed heart c). Law of God written in the heart d). Personal Relationship with God and He with the believer. When we come to the New Testament we see Jesus asserting Himself to be the Mediator of the New Covenant. Bible scholars debate as to whether there is a separate new Covenant for the church from the Old Testament version for Israel or whether the one mentioned by Jesus is a spiritual inauguration of the one spoken of the in the Old Testament (i.e Two New Covenants or One New Covenant). Over the past fifty years, conservative biblical scholarship has more and more concluded that the New Covenant promises experienced in the New Testament church are an inauguration of the promises to be physically manifested in the future restoration of National Israel at Christ's return.
Matthew 1:17 "So all the generations from Abraham to David are
fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen
generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen
generations. "
Yesterday we began exploring the need for God's people to know how to fit together the scripture's pieces. Today I want us to consider the Bible's own testimony as to why Christians should know how it's message is framed by the ages of history, centered around God's Covenants and purposed in revealing God's glory in Jesus Christ.
Where to begin seeing the Bible put together - Matthew's Gospel
The text above is in the first chapter, of the first book of our New Testaments. Matthew was one of Jesus' disciples and the writer of the first Gospel. He under inspiration of the Holy Spirit opens the New Testament with a jog through roughly 2000 years of history. 42 generations of humanity, stretching from the sun-baked deserts of Canaanland in Abraham's day to the narrow streets of first century Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
Why does Matthew do this? To demonstrate Jesus Christ's legal right to the throne of David and prophetic identity as the seed of Abraham's promise. Matthew 1:17 fits together the Old Testament's big pieces in the following ways:
1. Matthew frames the Bible's message by noting God's plan of the ages All of redemptive history from Abraham to Jesus' day is framed by the generations of Israel that traversed their way through the ages. 42 generations, divided into three sets of 14 generations. The Old Testament age or era is viewed by Matthew in three "seasons" or "subdivisions of time": Abraham to David (over 1,100 years of time); David to the Babylonian captivity (roughly over 400 years of time) and then the Babylonian captivity up to Jesus' day (roughly 400 years of time).
2. Matthew centers the Bible's message around three chief historic covenants in the Old Testament All of redemptive history centers upon the Covenants of God. Again in just looking at Matthew 1:17, we note that Matthew's opening genealogy centers upon three men. Abraham is the father of the Jewish nation, and God's covenant with him is the chief covenant of the Bible from whence all others mark their point of reference. Genesis 12, 15, 17 and 22 and over 100 other biblical references speak of Abraham. God's promise of a redeemer, a nation, the land of Israel and the bloodline leading to the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ leads to and finds their point of departure from God's Covenant with Abraham.
David is the second man in Matthew's example of putting together scripture's pieces. David of course was the greatest king of Israel. In 2 Samuel 7:13-16 God makes a covenant with David, promising him a descendant upon His throne. This promise is connected with the Covenant of Abraham, since the blessing of Abraham was not only going to be centered generally in the nation of Israel, but moreso specifically in a Person - a King. The Covenants function like a string of pearls around the neck of scripture, with the central jewel being Christ Himself. Over 40 references to God's covenant with David are found from 2 Samuel to the end of the Old Testament.
Then of course Matthew ends this verse with reference to "the Messiah". The Greek text says "Christ", from which the translation in the NASB renders it as "the Messiah". Any Jewish reader would had been rocked at that claim - since the Messiah had been anticipated by the Jews for over 400 years from the close of Malachi. As we come later on into the New Testament, we discover that Jesus Christ was to be the mediator of the New Covenant, and that the inauguration of that Covenant would usher in the third major age of scripture - the Age of Grace or Church Age.
As Matthew puts together the Bible's pieces, he shows firstly that the Bible's message is framed by the ages. Then he features Abraham and David, men who were the objects of two of the three greatest covenants of God in the Old Testament. But now what is the focus, the purpose behind the ages and covenants of the Bible? In the Old Testament, there was one other main Covenant which not only reiterates what God had promised to Abraham, but takes the promises of Abraham and predictions of the Davidic Covenant and gives them a target of fulfillment - Blessing - i.e the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31-33.
3. Matthew shows the purpose of both the ages and covenants of the Bible - Jesus Christ How was God going to bless all families of the earth (as he stated to Abraham)? Furthermore, how was He going to establish a permanent King on the throne of Jerusalem? Lastly, how was God going to usher in the New Covenant promises of a transformed heart, forgiveness of sins and the internally written law of God on the heart of the believer? All of these big questions find their answer in the remainder of Matthew's Gospel and the New Testament. That answer of course is in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Already in Christ's first coming we see the Abrahamic, David and New Covenant promises being inaugurated by Christ following his death, burial, resurrection and ascension following his first coming. However, those same three covenants have not yet been fulfilled in their entirety, and will not be finally and ultimately fulfilled until Christ's second coming.
How the Bible's big pieces unveil the God-man Jesus Christ
Touching His humanity - Jesus Christ fulfills the bloodline of Abraham, is the descendant of David's throne and the Mediator of the New Covenant. As God in human flesh, he has inaugurated His reign as the Davidic king over His church, and will return to manifest the physical earthly aspect of that reign for 1,000 years. (Revelation 20) Second, Christ will return to restore Israel, the original recipients of Abraham's promise. (Romans 11:25-26) Then finally, as mediator of the New Covenant, Christ functions as the Christian's prophet, priest and King, spiritually pouring out the New Covenant blessings on the church, with the plan of taking the current set-aside nation of Israel and pouring out those same blessings more fully on a repentant Israel at His second coming. (Zech 12:10; 2 Corinthians 5)
As you can see, one verse, Matthew 1:17 easily shows why knowing how the Bible fits together can aid the Christian in knowing the scope and significance of the Bible in its aim to reveal God's glory in Jesus Christ.
Acts 20:27 “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the
whole purpose of God.
Putting together the Bible's Big Pieces
As a child and a teenager growing up, I attended several churches. In the course of time before going off to college, I was unaware of the Bible's unifying theme and structure. Undoubtedly I'm sure it was mostly my fault, since as a typical kid I didn't pay heed to the preacher like I should have - to my shame. However, I discovered in my adult years that much preaching today has resorted to topics and relevance as the benchmarks for communciation of the scriptures. Should not the preaching of God's word result in the practical application of it - certainly! However equipping God's people with the relevant and practical tools they need to live for Him during the week should never come at the expense of the unity and purpose of the text.
I feel many times the church in America has been guilty of giving its people an understanding of the Bible likened unto the giving of puzzle pieces. We know that there has got to be some over arching themes or purpose, and yet in so many pulpits, our people are given one piece at a time, coming from different parts. In fact many preachers never get around to giving their people the whole puzzle, or the whole "picture on the box" so to speak.
What should be the overarching purpose of preaching and teaching
Churches should be giving their people the opportunity to have exposure to the "whole of the Bible" as well as its parts. Putting together the Bible's pieces is the chief goal of and preaching and teaching ministry. Why? Because it is by the scriptures that the Holy Spirit points the way to Jesus Christ - the point of the Bible's pieces and whole message. (Luke 24:44) As a preacher and teacher of God's Word, I need to be able to point to Him whether unfolding a verse, chapter or Bible book or take a message to summarize the whole Bible. Paul said it plainly in 2 Timothy 4:2 "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and instruction." When we consistently do this, the Holy Spirit pledges to take His word and illluminate the listener as to the relevancy and application of the text for their lives. (John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13; 1 John 2:20,27)
What benefits are there for the listener who is equipped to put together the Bible's pieces?
Acts 20:27, quoted at the beginning of today's blog, is part of the Apostle Paul's final address to the church at Ephesus. He exhorts them to be careful, be on their guard and to be faithful to Christ and His word as a church, and particularly church leaders. In Acts 20:27 he reminds the Elders of that flock that He never shrank back from giving them the whole counsel of God. He made it his point to present Christ in both the whole of scripture and its parts. So what happens when a congregation begins to understand how the Bible fits together? How does it benefit Christians to know how to fit together the Bible's pieces? Please read Acts 20:28-38 and consider the following thoughts below. I would also urge my readers to pray for their pastor in whatever church they are members, since that man of God is charged with the responsibility to watch over the souls of Christ's people. (1 Thessalonians 5:12; Hebrews 13:17)
Benefits to knowing how to fit together the Bible's pieces to see its overall message
1. More discerning Christianity. Acts 20:28-31
Paul warned the Ephesians to be on their guard (Acts 20:28) and on their alert (20:31). The only way they could to that was having had exposure to the Bible's overall message. Paul labored to do that for nearly three years at Ephesus. Despite persistent challenges that would lead to conflict in that church, Ephesus became the most influential and powerful church in the New Testament, right along side the first church ever - the church at Jerusalem.
2. More edifying Christianity. Acts 20:32
To edify means "to build up". Too often our churches are marked by discouragement, back biting and tearing down of people. Whenever we expose our people to a consistent diet of verse by verse, or chapter by chapter or book by book exposition of the Bible - God begins to show the people the grandeur and purpose of His salvation and His glory. Craving the pure milk of the word is the only antidote to complaining, bickering and "putting down" of people. (1 Peter 2:1-2) Jesus stated that Christians love for one another was to be the chief witness to the world of the validity of their faith commitment to Him. (John 13:35)
3. More unselfish Christianity. Acts 20:33-35
Whenever God's people are able to see the whole message of the Bible, as well as its parts, and when that emphasis makes it journey from the head to the heart, selflessness will be a supernatural by-product. Paul's preaching of the whole counsel of God in Acts 20:27 was not just filling these people with head knowledge. He stated that through the exposition of the scriptures He was able to reinforce the necessities of hard work, giving to the work of God and caring for one another. A selfless Christianity can only be cultivated in the presence of consistent exposure and application of the scriptures.
4. More passionate Christianity. Acts 20:36-38
As Paul was getting ready to leave these Elders, the Bible says they wept, embrace him, grieving over the fact that they would not see his face. They accompanied him to his ship. This church was far from a "classroom church" or a "group of egg heads". God's Word, presented in both its entirety and pieces, is how the Spirit of God implants the desires of God into the hearts of His people. We have got remember that the scriptures are the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16).
Isaiah 63:11 "Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses. Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them."
Yesterday we looked at how the God of glory led His people throughout the Old Testament. We focused particularly upon His manifestation as a pillar of cloud and fire, first glimpsed by Abraham through the eye of prophecy, experienced by his descendants coming out of Egypt and repeated through the prophetic memory of men like Nehemiah and Isaiah. One of the descriptions of God's leadership of His people is that of a Shepherd. Today I want us to explore this idea of the Lord as the Shepherd of Old and New Testament Revelation.
Below I'm going to list a series of texts which flow from His days of leading them as a pillar of cloud and fire as the Shepherd. As the Shepherd, we will discover how the Old Testament develops this incredible thought as foundational for understanding Jesus Christ the Shepherd of His flock - the Church, as well as the Triune God working His way through Old and New Testament revelation.
1. Psalm 23 "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3He restores my soul;He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 6Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
2. Psalm 80:1 Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
3. Isaiah 40:11-12 "Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance
and the hills in a pair of scales?"
4. Isaiah 63:11 "Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses. Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them."
5. John 10:11-15 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12“He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13“He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 14“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
6. John 16:13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He
will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative,
but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to
come.
7. 1 Peter 2:25 "For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. "
8. 1 Peter 5:4 "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory."
One Shepherding Divine nature expressed and shared by Three Divine persons
Now when you look at this string of texts, you begin to understand the connection between the Shepherd of the Old Testament and the Shepherd of the New. What we are seeing is the Father and Son sharing in the same shepherding Divine nature. Deity unrevealed is God the Father, whereas Deity revealed to us in history is God the Son and Deity revealed in us is the Holy Spirit. Let the reader be reminded that this is not three Deities, but One undivided Deity of God shared equally by Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God the Father, unseen, led His people out of Egypt.
God the Father led his people out of Egypt like a Father does a son (Deuteronomy 32:6). Whenever we see the pillar of cloud and fire, what we are seeing is an Old Testament manifestation of invisible Deity. That appearance of Deity is an Old Testament appearance of God the Son. We also see this same Eternal Deity manifested amidst the people in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament church, identified as the Third Person of the Trinity - the Holy Spirit.
God the Son came as the Good Shepherd
God the Son make visible invisible Deity. (John 14:9) In history, among His people, the Shepherd made visible in history shares in the same Divine nature as the Father in Heaven, who remained invisible. This same Son, spoken of in the Old Testament (Proverbs 30:4-5) as being Deity revealed in various manifestations throughout Old Testament history would be Deity revealed in human flesh in the New Testament Gospels. (Hebrews 1:1-3)
God The Holy Spirit was sent to guide the church
This Shepherd, as Deity revealed in human flesh, ascended into heaven after His resurrection to be seated in co-equal authority with the Father. The Holy Spirit, sent to the church in Acts 2, communicates in every Christian the presence and power of the Good Shepherd in Heaven. Through the sacred text of scripture Jesus Christ excercises His reign over His flock. By the Holy Spirit, who shares in one, undivided Divine nature with the Father and Son, we as Christians have the glory of God revealed in us. (John 14:17,23; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
For Christians, God the Good Shepherd is the Father above us, the Son among and for us and the Spirit in and through us
The Holy Spirit in us is the One who authored the Old and New Testaments. I appeal to the scriptures to hear His voice. As the Old Testament reveals, it is God the Father, Deity unseen, who gave his people His Good Spirit to be Deity revealed among them. (Psalm 143:10) The New Testament tells us that the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in the name of the Son, is Divine Deity revealed in Christians.
Thus God the Shepherd is above us as our Heavenly Father, is with us and for us as our Mediator in Heaven - the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son. (Luke 11:13; 1 John 2:1-2) Then this same undivided Divine God is Shepherding and leading every Christian internally as the indwelling Person of Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:16)
Numbers 9:16-17 So it was continuously; the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would then set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp
God Leading His people
In Genesis 15:17 we see first mention of God appearing as a flaming torch walking His way through sacrificial animals prepared by Abraham. God put Abraham into a deep sleep and predicted that His descendants would be in bondage and slavery for four hundred years. The flaming torch which Abraham saw was God as the pillar of fire who would indeed lead the people of God across the Red Sea.
No doubt it was this same God who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, telling Moses to go to Pharoah and command Pharoah to "Let my people go". (Exodus 3:1-9) In fact, when the Angel of the Lord (most likely an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ) addresses Moses, He identifies Himself initially as the "God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob". This Self-identification by God connects the events that would follow in the Exodus with the dream/vision that Abraham had back in Genesis 15 some four hundred years prior.
As God later on leads the people out of Egypt, we read these words in Exodus 13:21-22 "The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people."
As the people would begin their journeys following the Exodus, God as the pillar of God and fire would continue to lead them onward to their destination. Despite their unbelief, God was ever faithful. Numbers 33 records that He lead them through over 40 starts and stops. Deuteronomy 8:2-4, written to the second generation of Israelites who came after the first generation coming out of Egypt died off, tells us this about the Lord: “You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD. 4“Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years."
Isaiah 63:11 tells us about God's leading of His people in Moses' day - "Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses. Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them"
As we come almost to the end of Old Testament History, Nehemiah writes these words about God leading His people as the pillar of cloud and fire in Nehemiah 9:19-20 "You, in Your great compassion, Did not forsake them in the wilderness; The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day, To guide them on their way, Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go. 20“You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, Your manna You did not withhold from their mouth, And You gave them water for their thirst."
What we learn of God's leading of His people
From this quick survey of God's leading of His people as the pillar of cloud and fire we can gain the following truths about God's leading of His people:
1. God led Abraham as His Sovereign Lord
2. God led His people as their Savior
3. God led His people as their Shield
4. God led His people as their Sustainer
5. God led His people as their Shepherd
John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world!
Why did John the Baptist refer to Jesus Christ as the "Lamb of God"? As with most of Jesus' titles, the Old Testament background sheds much needed light. John the Baptist was not just uttering something out of left field - he had specific reasons these words. Today's blog will hopefully aid in understanding a little bit better the significance of this title. Come with me as we journey through the scriptures to accomplish the praise of Jesus Christ - the Lamb of God.
Back to Egypt - The Passover Lamb
In Exodus 12 we see God instituting the Passover celebration on the Eve of the People of God's Exodus' from Egypt, across the Red Sea and eventual journey to Mount Sinai. Since the days of Abraham they had been in Bondage of slavery for over 400 years. After nine plagues, God was going to have the death Angel passover the land of Egypt to kill every firstborn son and animal. The point of the Passover was to exempt any household from the plague, hence when the Angel would see the blood of the passover lamb applied to the door posts and gates, the Death Angel would "Passover" the house, leaving the baby alive.
At Mount Sinai - The Prescribed Lamb
In Numbers 9 it is over 12 months after Israel's flight from Egypt. God is reminding them again of their need to celebrate the passover. God had given a secific day - the fourteenth day of Nisan, or what would correspond to our April the fourteenth. It was on that night that the passover lamb was to be roasted and eaten. In fact, Numbers 9:3 and 5 in the NASB tells us that this was to be observed at twilight or, as the Hebrew reads, "between the evenings".
Prophetic Scripture tells us of the Messiah suffering as a Lamb - i.e the Predicted Lamb
Fast forward some 700 years later to Isaiah's day. In Isaiah 53:7-10
we read this remarkable prophecy: "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His
mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a
sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His
mouth.
8By oppression and judgment He was taken
away; And as for His generation, who considered That He
was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of
my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9His grave was assigned with wicked
men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He
had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. 10But the LORD was
pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He
would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see
His offspring, He will prolong His
days, And the good pleasure of the LORD
will prosper in His hand."
At Mount Calvary - the Precious Lamb
Therefore the Lamb spoken of in the Law of God and predicted in the Prophecies of the Old Testament would come to be fulfilled in the Person of Christ. According to Mark 14:12, Jesus' crucifixion took place during the time of the Passover. In fact, He was crucified "between the evenings" of April 14 and April 15, dying three hours before sundown on Friday April 15th. Paul describes Jesus Christ as the believer's "Passover Lamb". (1 Corinthians 5:7)
The last Book of the Bible - The Praised Lamb
The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, will forever be associated with what He accomplished in His first coming. Revelation 5:6 describes Jesus as being "the Lamb who was slain". In Revelation 5:8 we see the 24 elders, most likely representative of the saints of all ages, bowing down and worshipping Christ the Lamb of God. In Revelation 5:12 we see both angels and men singing "worthy is the lamb". Then the vision of Revelation 5 concludes with the Lamb being described as sitting on a throne, equal with God the Father in power and glory.
So why should we praise Jesus Christ the Lamb of God? Why was what John the Baptist first spoke about Him so significant? Because Jesus Christ was pictured by the Passover Lamb, the Prescribed Lamb of the Mosaic Law. Secondly, Jesus Christ fulfilled the predicted Lamb prophecies of Isaiah. Thirdly, He is the Precious lamb of God who gave His life and shed His blood for you. (1 Peter 1:17-18) Then finally, He is the Praised Lamb, as revealed in Revelation. Let us praise the Lamb of God - Jesus Christ!
Numbers 8:2-3 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you mount the lamps, the seven lamps will
give light in the front of the lampstand.’” 3Aaron
therefore did so; he mounted its lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as
the LORD had commanded Moses.
Hebrews 9:11-12 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come,
He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with
hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12and not
through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the
holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
The Need for Light from the Lord provided by Christ the Lamp
Yesterday we traced the Golden Lampstand of the Tabernacle and Temple through the Old Testament to show how it pointed to the need for Light. We begin where we left off, showing how furnishings like the Golden Lampstand picture for us the Person and work of Jesus Christ. The two passages above demonstrate the validity of such an approach.
Take three Bibles and open them up to compare
It might help the reader to take three Bibles and open up the first to Numbers 8, the second to Hebrews 9 and the third for turning to multiple references. Often I tell people that though I may not be able to find Jesus Christ in every verse, yet from every verse I can get you to Jesus Christ. Numbers 8 speaks about the Priests and their ministry, beginning with the Lampstand of which we spoke about yesterday. Hebrews 9 shows the validity of using the lampstand and Tabernacle system as a way of illustrating the person and work of Jesus Christ. With the third Bible, I would invite the reader to consider the following New Testament passages that reveal Jesus Christ as the Lamp of God. Having done this, below shows what God's Word yields concerning Christ - the Lamp of God
Some remarkable parallels between the Lampstand and Jesus Christ
When we look at how the Old Testament Golden Lampstand was made, it sheds remarkable parallels on the person and work of Jesus Christ. First, according to Numbers 8:4, the lampstand was to be made out of pure gold, hammered or beaten. Jesus Christ was pure, undefiled and seperated from sinners. (Hebrews 9:14). Christ too was beaten, hammered by the wrath of God and bore the sins of many. (Isaiah 53:1-10; Hebrews 9:28)
Secondly, the lampstand in the holy place functioned to help the priests see, to make the other furnishings appear in an otherwise dark room. (Numbers 8:1-2) Likewise, Christ, the True Lamp of God, appeared in human flesh, as a High Priest of things to come. (Hebrews 9:11)
Thirdly, in Numbers 8:5-22 we see instructions for the priests to be cleansed in preparation for the ministry in the tabernacle. In Numbers 8:5, 11 and 12, we see reference to the priests being cleansed before the Lord, with a burnt offering being offered to make atonement for them. Truly this is a reminder that cleansing cannot take place apart from the blood. The revelation of the lampstand and this ritual of the cleansing and blood appear to be two different instructions from the Lord. However, when we come to the New Testament, we see the connection.
In Hebrews 9:14 we discover that only Christ, offering himself as an atoning sacrifice, can cleanse the conscience of the believer from dead works. In 1 John 1:7 we read - "but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." Thus we see the connection between Christ the Light, Christ's blood and cleansing!
Jesus Christ, the Lamp of God
With our comparison of a few verses in Numbers 8 and Hebrews 9, I hope you can begin to draw the connections between both passages. With another Bible turn to the verses I am going to list below. The remarkable thing about scripture is that it not only centers on Jesus Christ, but you can take any doctrine and with Christ trace its development from beginning to end. Below we see Jesus Christ, the Lamp of God, developed through the New Testament.
John 1:4,5 "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5The Light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."
Matthew 4:16-17 “THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO
WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH,
UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED.”
17From that time Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who
follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
John 9:5 “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”
2 Corinthians 4:6 "For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone
in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Christ."
Hebrews 1:3 "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature,
and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification
of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."
Revelation 1:20 “As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the
seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches,
and the seven lampstands are the seven churches." Christ of course is the Lord amidst His church, depicted as the Golden lampstand!
Revelations 21:22-24 "I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its
temple. 23And the city has no need of the sun or of the
moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp
is the Lamb. 24The
nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their
glory into it." Christ, the Lamb of God, is explicitely called "The Lamp"!
May you and I today walk by the Lamp of God, Jesus Christ.
