The previous two posts in this series covered the benefits and methods of seeing Christ in the Old Testament. To put the ideas discussed into practice, I challenged myself to find a verse in every book of the Old Testament that speaks directly of Jesus and God’s plan for redemption. These verses are either direct Messianic prophecies or Christophanies, but if those were lacking, strong typologies were listed instead. Eventually, the following 39 verses were identified:
Jesus in Every Book of the Old Testament:
•Genesis 3:15: Jesus was the Seed of the woman that bruised the serpent’s head (Matthew 1:18; Luke 10:19).
•Exodus 12:21: Jesus was our Passover Lamb sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7).
•Leviticus 16:21-22: Jesus was our scapegoat who bore our sins on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21; John 1:29; Hebrews 9:28).
•Numbers 21:8: Jesus was lifted up on a pole like the bronze serpent (John 3:14).
•Deuteronomy 18:15: Jesus was the prophet like Moses who God raised up (John 7:40; Hebrews 3:2-6).
•Joshua 5:14: Jesus was there as a Commander of the Lord’s army (Revelation 19:11-14).
•Judges 6:22: Jesus was there as the Angel of the Lord, encouraging Gideon (John 14:8-10).
•Ruth 4:6: Jesus, in His incarnation, became our Kinsman Redeemer (1 Peter 1:18; Leviticus 25; Deuteronomy 25).
•1 Samuel 2:10: Jesus is the Horn of Salvation that God raised up for us (Luke 1:69).
•2 Samuel 7:12: Jesus is the Son of David, prophesied to rule as King (Matthew 1:1).
•1 Kings 8:27: Jesus is the answer to the question, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth?” (John 1:14; John 2:19).
•2 Kings 4:43: Jesus is a prophet similar to Elisha who multiplied loaves (Mark 6:44).
•1 Chronicles 17:14: Jesus is the Son of David whose kingdom would last forever. He is both Priest and King (Matthew 1:1; Hebrews 6:20; John 1:49).
•2 Chronicles 9:22: Jesus was typified as a “Greater than Solomon” in His wisdom (Colossians 2:3; Matthew 12:42).
•Ezra 9:2: The preservation of the Holy Seed matters, because the lineage of Jesus matters (Genesis 3:15; Luke 3:23-38).
•Nehemiah 13:8: Nehemiah foreshadows Jesus cleansing the temple. (Mark 11:15-19).
•Esther 10:3: Jesus was typified by Mordecai’s exaltation from persecuted Jew to the highest position (Matthew 21:42; Revelation 20:4).
•Job 19:25: Jesus is our Living Redeemer who stood on the earth (Ephesians 1:7; Matthew 28:6).
•Psalm 22:16: Jesus was the One whose hands and feet were pierced on the cross (John 20:25).
•Proverbs 30:4: Jesus was the Son of God who descended from heaven to save us and ascended to be our advocate.
•Ecclesiastes 12:11: Jesus was the Good Shepherd who taught us the truth.
•Song of Solomon 2:4: Jesus’ love for His church was typified in Solomon’s love for his bride. (Ephesians 5:25-32).
•Isaiah 53:5: Jesus was prophesied to be the One to take our sin’s punishment (1 Peter 2:24).
•Jeremiah 23:5: Jesus was the Branch that sprang up from the line of David (Matthew 1:1).
•Lamentations 2:11: Jesus would also be in tears over Jerusalem’s condition (Luke 19:41).
•Ezekiel 34:23: Jesus is the Chief Shepherd who fed the people physically and spiritually (1 Peter 5:4; Mark 6:42).
•Daniel 9:25: Jesus was prophesied to arrive as King on the exact day He did (Nehemiah 2:1-8; John 12:12; Exodus 12:1-3).
•Hosea 11:1: Jesus was the true Son of God that was brought out of Egypt (Matthew 2:15).
•Joel 2:32: Jesus would be the name people could call on for salvation (Romans 10:13; Acts 2:21).
•Amos 9:11: Jesus was going to arrive when the tabernacle of David was repaired after the exile (Acts 15:15-17).
•Obadiah 1:21: Jesus will rule the kingdom in the Millennial Period (Revelation 11:15).
•Jonah 1:17: Jonah typified the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 12:40).
•Micah 5:2: The birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem was prophesied (Matthew 2:1).
•Nahum 1:15: The redemption secured by Jesus over our enemy is good news to bring to all (Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15).
•Habakkuk 2:4: This verse is quoted three times in the New Testament, pointing to faith in Jesus (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).
•Zephaniah 3:15: Jesus will be the King in the midst of His people during His Millennial reign (Revelation 19:16; 20:4).
•Haggai 2:23: Jesus was a descendent of Zerubbabel, fulfilling this promise (Matthew 1:12).
•Zechariah 9:9: Jesus was prophesied to arrive on a donkey (John 12:14-15).
•Malachi 3:1: Jesus had John the Baptist as a forerunner, and He Himself came suddenly to the temple (Matthew 3:1-3; Mark 11:15-19).
I hope you were edified as you explored these affirmations of Christ in the Old Testament. If you liked this particular list, you can download the slides (PDF, KEYNOTE, POWERPOINT), which include New Testament cross-references. You can also view a preaching example to see how the timing works for sharing these 39 verses in just 45 minutes (start at minute 4:15 in the video). If you’ve discovered a stronger verse for a particular book of the Bible, please share it with me!
Also, You may enjoy other posts from this series:
1. “3 Benefits of Seeing Christ in the Old Testament”
2. “10 Simple Ways to See Christ in the Old Testament”
3. “Resources for Seeing Christ in the Old Testament”
