Jesus in Every Book of the Old Testament

The great theologian Augustine of Hippo, when reflecting on his many discoveries of Jesus in the Old Testament, said: “He was concealed in the Old, and revealed in the New.” Rarely would I dare to improve on anything St. Augustine said, but I am not convinced that Jesus is all that hidden in the Old Testament. On the contrary, when we turn the page from Malachi into Matthew, Jesus is expected. He is clearly present in the Old Testament, as He Himself taught on multiple occasions.

Our guiding Scripture throughout this teaching series has been Luke 24:27, which was set on the backdrop of Rembrandt’s painting Supper at Emmaus. Jesus was walking with two travelers on their way to the town of Emmaus, just after His resurrection, when He pointed them back to the Old Testament and what those Scriptures had to say about Him. Luke 24:27 says: “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

In Luke 24:44, Jesus says further: “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

From Moses to the Prophets to the Psalms…from all of the Old Testament Scriptures, Jesus taught them how everything points to Him. I imagine Jesus’ conversation with the two travelers was less like revealing hidden secrets and more like connecting the dots. So rather than saying, “Concealed in the Old, revealed in the New,” I prefer to say: “Rising in the Old, Shining in the New.”

This is the text I put together to conclude our own Emmaus experience. This list is by NO MEANS comprehensive, but it is not intended to be. My prayer is that the name of Jesus will be lifted up as you read.

JESUS IN EVERY BOOK OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

In Genesis, Jesus is present in Creation, the seed of the woman who is promised to defeat sin and death, and the sacrifice who will be given in our place. (Genesis 1:26, 3:15, 22:13-14)

In Exodus, He is the Passover lamb. (Exodus 12:13)

In Leviticus, He is our High Priest.

In Numbers, He is the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.

In Deuteronomy, He is the prophet greater than Moses who will teach us how to love God with all of our heart, mind, and strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5, 18:15)

In Joshua, Jesus is the captain of the Lord’s army who brings us salvation and calls us to go and take His name with us. (Joshua 1:6-9, 5:14)

In Judges, He is the perfect judge and lawgiver.

In Ruth, He is our kinsman redeemer.

In I & II Samuel, He is the One about whom every future prophet will speak and the covenant promise from the line of David. (1 Samuel 3:19; Acts 3:24)

In Kings and Chronicles, He is our reigning King who will inherit the throne of David forever. (1 Kings 2:1-4; 1 Chronicles 17)

In Ezra and Nehemiah, He is the rebuilder and restorer of His people and the true Temple of God’s Spirit.

In Esther, He is our advocate in the face of destruction.

In Job, He is our ever-living Redeemer who walks on the waves of the sea. (Job 9:8)

In Psalms, Jesus is the True Shepherd and the One who was forsaken for our sins. (Psalms 22, 45)

In Proverbs, He is the Word, the true Wisdom of God.

In Ecclesiastes, He is our only hope for resurrection in the face of judgment.

In Song of Solomon, He is the lover of our souls.

In Isaiah, Jesus is the Suffering Servant and the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 7:14, 9:1-7, 53)

In Jeremiah, He is the righteous branch who is treated wrongly. (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

In Lamentations, He is the prophet who weeps over the sins of His people.

In Ezekiel He is the Lord who makes atonement for all who have done wrong. (Ezekiel 16:62-63)

In Daniel, Jesus is the Son of Man Who is sent by the Ancient of Days and who is with us in the fires of life. (Daniel 3:25; 7:13-14)

In Hosea, He is a forgiving husband who never stops loving His bride.

In Joel, He is the giver of the Holy Spirit. (Joel 2:28-32)

In Amos, He is the builder of the city of God.

In Obadiah, He is our deliverer on Mt. Zion. (Obadiah 1:21)

In Jonah, He is the good news that we can be saved from death. (Jonah 2:9-10, Matthew 12:38-45)

In Micah, Jesus is the ruler of all ages from Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2)

In Nahum, He is our stronghold in the day of trouble.

In Habakkuk, He is the God or our salvation

In Zephaniah, He is mighty to save. (Zephaniah 3:14-17)

In Haggai, He is the restorer of the kingdom.

In Zechariah, He is our humble king riding on a colt. (Zechariah 9:9)

And in Malachi, Jesus is the Lord who will come in His temple, the Sun of righteousness, with healing in His rays. (Malachi 3:1, 4:2)

THIS IS JESUS. He is Jehovah-Jireh – the God who provides from above; and He is Emmanuel – the God who is with us here on earth. He is the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and end. He was present in creation, and He will reign over the universe throughout all eternity. He is our Prophet, Priest, and King. And He is THE GOOD NEWS for all people – that God has opened the door for us to be made right with Him.

THIS IS JESUS. He is the Lord of ALL and has been from the Beginning.