- Picture by Paula Nash Giltner at Free Bible Images: www.gnpi.org
The Gospel in the Old Testament
Modern use of the word 'Gospel' limits its meaning to the teachings of Jesus and his apostles. The previous article, entitled 'What is the Gospel?' has defined the word in a Biblical context, telling us that the Gospel was known long before the birth of Christ. It has indicated that the message of the Gospel is consistent in the Old and New Testaments.
In this article, we will look at the fall of man and the necessity of the Gospel message. We will also endeavour to trace the thread of God's promises from the first recorded communication with Abraham, then through David and the prophets.
The Necessity of the Gospel Message
If we open the Bible at the first book and study the early chapters of Genesis we find that after man was created, God commanded him in these words:
"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
We know that following the serpent's assertion that: "Ye shall not surely die," Eve, and then Adam, ate the forbidden fruit. The man was then driven from the Garden of Eden to "till the ground from whence he was taken."
In the third chapter of Genesis, God's punishment extends to all mankind with the words:
"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground, for out of it wast thou taken, for dust thou art, and unto dust shall thou return."
If God had decided to renounce all interest in mankind, it would have ended here. Man, by his own nature, would have destroyed his race. But, though man was sinful, we know that:
"God so loved the world"
that he was determined to provide a means of salvation. To this end, God devised a plan arranged according to his purpose. This is revealed in the Bible by the message of the Gospel, the "good news" concerning God's plan.
The Promises to Abraham
The Gospel of God is the 'good news' of future blessings expressed in the promise to Abraham which the Apostle Paul described in this way:
"The Scripture. foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith. preached before the gospel unto Abraham. saying. In thee shall all nations be blessed"
Paul refers to "the blessing of Abraham". which is to come upon the nations through Jesus Christ. And so Abraham holds a very important place in relation to the unfolding of this blessing. He is the father of the nation of Israel chosen by God to carry His name and fulfil His plan for the earth and its inhabitants Paul tells us that.
"If ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise."
These words carry great meaning, for they tell us that the promises to Abraham given so long ago, are relevant to those who are children of God today. To be of Abraham's seed. we must believe in the promises made to him. We have to be obedient as he was, and must have faith in 'the seed' of Abraham. Jesus Christ. if we wish to be associated with him as 'heirs'. We become •heirs- by the act of baptism into Christ. thus demonstrating our belief in this magnificent promise.
The Biblical revelations surrounding Abraham are important for another reason. *They illustrate that the Gospel was preached to Abraham by the angel of the Lord.
But what was Abraham's background and culture?
Abraham was a direct descendant of Shem. a son of Noah. We know that Shem was a worshipper of the true God. Terah, Abraham's father. however, seems to have departed from that belief. He made his home in Ur in Chaldea. (now in Iraq) There he and his family lived for many years serving the pagan gods of Shinar. It was at this point that God appeared unto Abraham and said to him.
"Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred and come into the land which I shall show thee"
This caused the whole family to move from Ur and to journey north along the 'fertile crescent' through Mesopotamia. Terah, Abraham, Sarai. Abraham's wife and Lot, Abrahanfs nephew. obeyed the voice of the Lord and separated themselves from the idolaters of the Chaldean district of Mesopotamia. They settled briefly in Haran until the Lord appeared again to Abraham.
It was here that God said to Abraham:
"I will make of thee a great nation and I will bless thee and make thy name great. and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed."
Referring to this promise, the Apostle Paul tells us that in making it, "the Gospel was preached to Abraham." The glad tidings of blessedness to the nations will become reality. when Abraham and his descendants are renowned throughout the whole earth.
Christ - The seed of Abraham
It is important to note that Paul in writing to the disciples in Galatia about the inheritance. says,
"The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds" meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ."
The Apostle here tells us that the land of Canaan (Israel) was promised to Christ, when God said to Abraham,
"Unto thy seed will I give this land"
We must understand this fact then as a basic first principle of the Gospel of the Kingdom.
Futher promises to Abraham'
Soon after this. Lot. Abraham's nephew. separated himself from Abraham. and we are told that the Lord appeared to Abraham again, and said:
"Lift up now thine eyes. and look from the place where thou art northward. and southward, and eastward. and westward: for all the land which thou seest. to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed (plural here) as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it. and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee."
It was later, after the repetition of the promises. when Abraham had reached the age of ninety-nine, that God appeared to him, to confirm His promises. On this occasion, God talked with him, and changed his name from Abram to Abraham. as a memorial that He had made him heir of the world, by making him a father of a great multitude.
God said:
"Behold, my covenant is with thee. and thou shalt be a father of many nations Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram. but thy name shall be Abraham: for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful. and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee. and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee. and to thy seed after thee. the land wherein thou art a stranger. all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."
The promises renewed to Isaac and Jacob
After Abraham died. God appeared unto his son Isaac at the time he had decided to go down into Egypt. He said to Isaac:
"Go not down into Egypt: dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of. Sojourn in this land. and I will be with thee. and will bless thee; for unto thee and unto thy seed I will give all these countries and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven. and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice. and kept my charge. my commandments. my statutes, and my laws."
And so it was with Isaac's son Jacob: God appeared to him in a vision while he was travelling to Haran :
"And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of."
To both Isaac and Jacob, God promised that at some time in the future, He would give the land or countries to them and their descendants and to a special descendant, which is none other than Christs and that through Christ, all nations would be blessed.
- Jerusalem - The City of David
The promises to David
David was the second king of Israel and, we read concerning him that he was a
"man after mine own heart"
God had ordered Samuel to anoint him King over Israel. In this way David became the Lord's anointed, and when he ascended the throne, he ruled the nation as God's king. We learn that in the early part of his reign, he fought a number of battles to subdue the enemies of Israel, which was at length completed and God gave him rest from all his enemies. It was at this point that David decided to build a magnificent temple to house the ark of the covenant. However, the plan did not meet with God-s approval and so Nathan the prophet was instructed to go and tell David not to build God a house but that:
"He [God] will make thee an house."
The following verses explain what God meant by this:
"And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels. and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; . ...And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee, thy throne shall be established for ever."
It has been suggested that this promise was fulfilled by David's natural son Solomon. He was indeed king of Israel after his father and he did build a beautiful temple to honour God. However, Solomon's throne was not established for ever, nor was it seen by David. These parts of the promise point to the future, and to a greater Son of David.
The Message of the Prophets
The Old Testament prophets were men raised up when the people of Israel had turned away from God. fteir message was twofold:
- warnings relating to local and current conditions
- predictions concerning God's purpose in the future.
It is when we examine the prophecies about those things which predicted God's purpose in the future, (i.e. about the return of Jesus and the establishment of His Kingdom), that the Gospel message is clearly seen. Fifteen Old Testament prophets speak of the fulfilment of God's plan. Only Jonah's message is confined to his specific time and place. Isaiah and Daniel both foretold the birth of Jesus.
Isaiah's predictions about Jesus concern not only his birth, but his ministry, his death and his future kingship.
Isaish's Message
Isaiah refers to the covenant made to David as
"an everlasting covenant... even the sure mercies of David."
For this covenant to come alive and to be fulfilled will require a king to reign over the everlasting kingdom. Again Isaiah tells us,
"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
This passage is quoted by Luke, when the angel appeared unto Mary and she received the promise of the birth of Jesus.)
Isaiah confirms to us the reality of this future kingdom in these words:
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor - The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it. and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever."
This further confirms the Covenant that God made with David, that he would have a greater son to rule upon his throne, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
Later in Isaiah's prophecy, we are given a word picture of the kingdom and the peacefulness of that future age. We learn from Isaiah that there will be a
"... new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered."
The peace and contentment that will exist on the earth will be unprecedented. The prophet concludes this chapter by demonstrating how peaceful that state will be when he says,
"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain saith the Lord."
Other Prophetic Messages
The prophet Jeremiah confirms the future order of things that were promised to the house of Israel and Judah. His message also substantiates the covenant made with David, emphasising that:
"In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgement and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness."
The prophet Daniel confirms the Gospel message in his God-given interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream:
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."
Later he tells us that:
"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him."
The prophecy of Micah confirms all of the foregoing and tells how the nations will worship God in that future age. He wrote:
"But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."
There is then a common thread linking the teachings of the Old Testament. The promises made to Abraham. Isaac, Jacob and David and the prophets, reveal to us the 'Gospel' or 'good news' in the Old Testament. God does have a plan for this earth and for mankind.
That plan centres on Jesus as the future king, ruling over the whole earth at peace. As the following article shows. this theme is continued in the New Testament in the teaching of Christ and the Apostles which also tells us how we. as individuals, can have a part in that time of blessing to come when the kingdom of God is established on the earth.
Based on the "Light on The Gospel" special issue in 4 parts:
- Light on the Gospel - what is the Gospel
- Light on the Gospel in the Old Testament
- Light on the Gospel in the New Testament
- Light on the Gospel and YOU
Next article (part 3) is Light on the Gospel in the New Testament
Author Norman Grey,
Country Ontario, Canada
Source Light on a New World special edition: "The Gospel"
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