From the beginning of the book of Genesis, Christ is introduced as the Creator God. The opening statement in Genesis 1:1 is, ‘In the beginning God…’ The word translated ‘God’ is, (El ohim), which is in plural and which introduces the aspect of the mystic plurality of God in Trinity. That is God is one being, and exists eternally as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as He reveals himself to us in the entirety of the Scriptures.
Therefore, it begs the question, who was the divine agent in creation? John 1 responds, “All things were made through Him, and without him was not anything made that was made… He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:3,10–14, ESV)” And Colossians 1:16 adds, “For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him.” Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God became Man and so was and continues to be God and Man in two distinct natures and one Person forever – this is the Agent of creation in the Godhead.
Reading on, reveals that Jesus Christ is the Seed of woman in Genesis 3:15. He will one day crush Satan and conquer the ancient dragon (Rev 12:9; 20:2). He is the serpent-crusher, Satan killer. He is the all-conquering King of kings who reigns forever in heaven and on earth and there is no one who can thwart his purposes, even Satan cannot stop him. He became curse for us (Gal. 3:13).
Adam was a type of Christ. This is something expressly stated by Paul in Romans 5:14. Vos explains what type means when he writes, “A typical thing is prospective; it relates to what will become real or applicable in the future. In the New Testament the word ‘type’ occurs only once (Rom 5:14) where Adam is said to have been a ‘type of Christ.”[1]
The Angel of the Lord is Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is first seen in the Old Testament as the person who appeared as “the Angel of the Lord” in his confrontation with Hagar (Gen 16:7). He then appeared every now and then in Genesis, for example, to Abraham (Gen 22:11,15) to Moses in the flame of fire in Exodus 3:2. These manifestations of Christ are called theophanies. These were convincing but temporary revelations of Christ’s person and work to the Old Testament saints in a human form, much before his final incarnation as a baby in the Bethlehem manger. There is no doubt that the “Angel of the LORD” is called and is addressed often as “the LORD/Yahweh” himself (Gen 12:7; 17:1; 19:1; etc.) indicating that Christophany, that is, the temporary appearance of Christ in the Old Testament, was a pointer to his incarnation
In Exodus there are many types of Christ. For example, in the story of the Passover Lamb, Christ is the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29, 36). He is the tabernacle – as Immanuel (Matt 1:23), God dwelling with his people. Poythress commenting on this matter simply states, “The Old Testament tabernacle is full of meaning because it is a symbol of the Messiah and his salvation.”[2]
In Leviticus the high priests makes sacrifices for the people. Christ being human was qualified to be our priest, for every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. (Heb. 5:1) Christ has become is the great High Priest (Heb 4:14), making the perfect sacrifice to atone for the sins of his people.
The book of Numbers is full of Christ. Just as the bronze serpent had to be lifted up in the wilderness (Num 21:9) the Lord states that the reality of this is in himself in John 3:14-15. In Numbers 12:3 Moses was very meek, but could he have been meeker than Christ? Consider that Christ’s invitation to take his yoke and learn from him for he is gentle and lowly in heart (Matt 12:29). Compare his meekness with what Paul says of him in Philippians 2:6-8.
In Deuteronomy Moses prophesied of a prophet who would come from among the Hebrews and be greater than him (Deut 18:15, 18-19) and Peter makes an inspired interpretation and conclusion that this is none other Jesus in Acts 3:22). Jesus is that Great Prophet. Who is the city of refuge (Deut 4:21) but Christ (Heb 6:18)? The cursed man must hang on a tree, in Deuteronomy 21:23 and this finds its fulfilment in Christ as Paul writes to the Galatians 3:13.
Time and space fails to write about all the types of Christ in the Pentateuch that speaks of Christ. But the reality is that all the promises of the new covenant are only found in Christ and only those in him will obtain every single blessing that he has promised.
But one more important thing to consider is the uses of the law, the Decalogue or the Ten Commandments commonly called the moral law. The law is one of the most important tools of driving us to Christ. We know that every sinner is under the condemnation of the law, since none is righteous no not one. This is because no mere man since the fall is able to perfectly obey the law of God but does continually break it in thought, word and deed. But Christ was born under the law (Gal. 4:4), he perfectly obeyed the law of God and fulfilled all righteousness. He pleased God perfectly. He obeyed God perfectly. He satisfied all the demands of the law perfectly. He fulfilled all the laws of God whether ceremonial or civil or moral. He fulfilled and obeyed them for us. So that when any sinner believes in Christ, all the righteousness of Christ is credited to him and all his sins are credited or imputed to Christ for which he died on the cross. Our inability to perfectly obey the law of God drives us to Christ for forgiveness and for righteousness. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21)
Are you in Christ? Do you believe in Him? Do you call upon his name? Have you found full forgiveness in him? Are you bound to him? He is our refuge, our Deliverer, the Captain of our salvation, the only Saviour of our souls! Run to him today and you will be eternally secure in Him!
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