Luke 24:27 – And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Yesterday, we learned how the Old Testament, including Genesis, and all of Scripture points to Jesus. Today, we will look at a few specific examples.
In Genesis 3:15, Jesus is referred to as the male seed (also translated offspring) of the woman who would crush Satan. In Galatians 3:16, Paul makes it clear that Moses was speaking of Jesus by saying, “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ.”
In Genesis 9:27, Noah prophesies that God would tent with (meaning to come and dwell with) his son Japheth. In John 1:14, we see that Jesus ultimately fulfilled this prophecy when He became a man and pitched His tent among us.
In Genesis 12:1-7, God promised Abram that he would have a singular seed/offspring that would be a blessing to all the nations of the earth. This descendant is Jesus according to Matthew 1:1-2, which says, “…the genealogy of Jesus Christ…the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers…”
In Genesis 14:18-23, Abraham encountered Melchizedek, who was the first priest in the Bible, and also the king of Salem, which is short for Jerusalem – a city that did not yet exist on earth. Since Hebrews 7:1-28 says he had no parents, no beginning or end, was a Gentile and not a Jew, and was greater than Abraham, many Bible teachers have believed that Melchizedek was actually an appearance of Jesus before His birth to Mary, as Jesus is both our High Priest and the King of Kings. While it is possible that Melchizedek was an appearance of Jesus before his birth (a Christophony), the Bible simply does not make this clear, so we cannot be dogmatic on this point, as it also may have been a man, an angel, other divine being, or a type foreshadowing Jesus Christ. In any event, we can reasonably assume that, at the very least, Melchizedek pointed to Jesus Christ.
In Genesis 15:6, we read that Abraham was counted righteous by faith in God (not human works or merit) as the pattern of salvation for all believers. Paul comments on this Scripture in Romans 4:1-5 saying, “What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture [Genesis 15:6] say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’ Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness…”
In Genesis 16:7-16, the angel (meaning messenger) of the Lord came and spoke to Hagar. She called that messenger God, and the angel did not rebuke her for worshiping Him. This indicates it was probably Jesus (before His incarnation to Mary, called a Christophony) who appeared to Hagar.
Have you learned more about how the entire Bible is about Jesus through looking at some of these sections of Genesis?
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