he emerged from his portrait -- part 2

The Word for today:
Exodus 3:1-4:17

mark this: Exodus 1:5-7
All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

Yesterday, we saw that the major elements of the Old Testament serve as pictures of Christ to come. The law, the sacrificial system, the offerings, the feasts, the promises, the covenants, the Tabernacle, and the Temple all serve as prophetic pictures of the Messiah.

But the most detailed picture of the Son to come has been gestating in Genesis and is ready to emerge in the opening verses of Exodus! Jesus himself will emerge from this "picture" in the opening verses of the New Testament.

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Genesis concentrated on individuals--Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph. But as the page turns to Exodus, the nation Israel--numbering in the millions--walks onto the page:
All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them. (Exodus 1:5-7)

The Bible will follow this nation all the way to Bethlehem, where, as promised, a child (Son of Man) was born, a son (Son of God) was given (1). Scripture then follows Him all the way to the cross, where prophecy turns into performance, where "water turns into wine."

Fifty days after the cross, at Pentecost, the focus of scripture turns to His body, the church. Scripture will follow his body until an event (yet to come) called the Rapture of the church, when the church will exit the scene.

After the Rapture, scripture re-directs its attention to the nation Israel.

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Out of Egypt have I called my son. (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:15)

The first seven chapters of Matthew show Jesus reliving Israel's history.  Pharaoh (Exodus) and Herod (Matthew) both sought to destroy the covenant mediator by slaughtering male babies. As Moses escaped Pharaoh, Jesus escapes Herod. As Israel went into Egypt and is then called out of Egypt, Jesus enters Egypt and is then called out of Egypt.

What happened to Israel after they escaped Egypt? According to the Apostle Paul, they were baptized in the Red Sea. In Matthew 3, Jesus is baptized in the Jordan.

After Israel passed through the sea they were led by a cloud into the wilderness to be tested. The cloud was a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 4, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested.

In Matthew 5 - 7, Jesus ascends a mountain and gives his people his law, a higher law than the Law of Moses. Then He comes down the mountain and fulfills it, all of it.

The nation Israel, in the Old Testament, was God's son, but only in the collective sense. They could speak of "our Father," but not "my Father." The many children of Israel represented one Son to come, who would issue from them.

On the cross of Jesus Christ, one Son represented many children. Each of those in Christ is, individually, a child of God (see John 1:12). So we can call Him what Jesus calls Him: Abba ("Daddy"), Father. This is a name of intimate communion between a child and his Dad. Jesus spoke it in His loneliest hour, while facing Golgotha from Gethsemane (2).

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(1) Isaiah 9:6; (2)See Galatians 4:4-7; cf. Mark 14:36 and Romans 8:15.