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I became a Messianic Jew about five or six years ago (as discussed in my first blog); after feeling a lifetime of guilt about the possibility of believing in the Messiah. I never desired to read the Old Testament; perhaps it was due to a rebellion of my faith. I recently started reading it, I am happy about this as G-d is really opening my eyes to see the truth of His word. My purpose of this article is to discuss how the prophecies in the Old Testament of the Messiah have strengthened my faith in Him.
To understand the connection between the prophecies in the Old Testament and the coming of the Messiah (the first coming of the Messiah is fulfilled in the New Testament), it is important to give some background on “G-d’s people” in the Old Testament, this part may be a review to some of you, because they take center stage. G-d made a covenant with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jacob’s ten son’s and two of his grandchildren made up what is called the twelve tribes of Israel, and a large part of the Old Testament is about these tribes, the Israelites, and G-d’s promise to them they would inherit the land of Canaan (the land where Israel is today).
The Israelites did inherit the land in Canaan when they arrived (around 1250 BCE); though they were eventually split up between the House of Judah in the Southern Kingdom and the House of Israel in the Northern Kingdom. Both groups of Israelites were eventually exiled from the land of Canaan because they did not follow G-d’s commandments and committed idolatry; the House of Judah eventually returned from their exile to the land of Canaan. The House of Israel’s descendants were scattered among the nations and to this day only G-d knows their whereabouts.
G-d will bring the descendants of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob back to their land, because He keeps His promises. In the Old Testament there are many prophets speaking prophecies about the return of the descendants of the House of Israel in end times (which will fulfill G-d’s promise); and prophecies about the Messiah as a descendent of David (from the tribe of Judah) who will rule as King over the final kingdom of Heaven on Earth. The prophecy of the Messiah’s connection to David was fulfilled in the New Testament, The book of Matthew 1:1 opens with “the record of the genealogy of the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (NASB). And in the New Testament, Paul mentions that the House of Jacob (both Houses) will be restored in Israel, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is my covenant with them when I take away their sins (he is repeating the prophecy that is in the OT)” (Romans 11:26 NASB). Furthermore, in an article from the website bible.org it says, “scripture anticipates the regathering of the whole house of Israel from all the tribes. The book of Revelation even declares that in the time of the Tribulation, 12,000 will come to the Messiah and be sealed from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. And the Old Testament emphatically declares that G-d will gather Israel, after being scattered all over the earth by dispersions, from even the four corners of the earth” (“Will the Lost Tribes of Israel be found and return to Jerusalem” https://bible.org/question/will-lost-tribes-israel-be-found-and-return-jerusalem).
The Prophet Jeremiah was a prophet in the OT; he had a prophecy of G-d speaking about the return of all the tribes, including the return of the descendants of the House of Israel in end times, “I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first. I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me” (Jeremiah 33:7-8 NKJV). G-d also spoke through the prophet Ezekiel about the descendants of the House of Israel, “I will gather you from the peoples and collect you from the countries where you have been scattered and I will give the land of Israel to you. Then they will go there and remove all its loathsome things and disgusting practices, and I will give them unity of heart” (Ezekiel 11:17-19). Malachi (the last book in the OT), who is also a prophet, also speaks of G-d giving a message of promise to the tribes through him, “Return to Me and I will return to you says the L-rd of hosts” (Malachi 3:7 NKJV). These prophecies speak of G-d forgiving the descendants of the House of Israel for their sin; this is something the Messiah is prophesied to do according to the New Covenant (this will be discussed later).
Prophets in the OT also spoke, as already discussed, about the Messiah coming from the seed of King David (fulfilled in the NT); and the Messiah’s ruling over the final Kingdom of G-d. Nathan, a prophet, says to David the words of G-d, in the OT, “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, he will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-13 NKJV). Zechariah, a prophet also in the OT, was given a message by G-d regarding the Messiah’s connection to David and speaking about the Messiah ruling in the final kingdom, “Behold, the Man whose name is Branch; from His place He shall branch out. And He shall build the temple of the L-rd; He shall bear the glory, and sit and rule on His throne, so He shall be a priest on His throne” (Zechariah 6:12-13 NKJV). Branch in the OT was a name given to the Messiah.
Another reason for the prophecies in the Old Testament strengthening my faith in the Messiah is because there are prophesies in the OT about the first (these have been fulfilled) and the second coming of the Messiah (this is also written about in the NT). The prophet Isaiah of the OT gave the prophecy (it has been fulfilled) about the Messiah, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5 NKJV). Isaiah also says in the prophecy, “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7 NKJV). David also wrote a Psalm of prophecy about the Messiah (also fulfilled), “Those who hate me without a cause, are more than the hairs of my head. They are mighty who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully; Though I have stolen nothing I still must restore it” (Psalms 69:4 NKJV).
In the OT are prophecies where the Messiah is compared to a cornerstone of a building. A cornerstone is explained in architecture as the principle stone of a building; therefore the Messiah is the foundation of His people. Isaiah, in the OT, gives a prophecy of the Messiah, “Behold I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. Whoever believes will not act hastily” (Isaiah 28:16 NKJV). The prophecy in Psalm 118 of the OT prophesies about the rejection of the Messiah in the NT, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22 NKJV). The NT describes the Messiah as the foundation of a house, as such the person who listens to Him “is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation of the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house and could not shake it for it was founded on the rock” (Luke 6:48 NKJV).
In addition, the prophecies in the OT have strengthened my faith in the Messiah because they predict the coming of a New Covenant, as illustrated in the NT, where the Messiah will forgive our sins and where we can develop a relationship with G-d through Him. The author of the introduction to the Complete Jewish Bible, David H. Stern (1998; 2016), says “The Messiah did not bring the Torah to an end” and interprets Hebrews 8:6 (in the NT) to mean, “the New Covenant has been given as Torah on the basis of better promises” (p. xxxix). He concludes “this not only strengthens the theological contention that the Torah remains in force, but makes it clear that the New Covenant given through the Messiah is Torah just as much as the Sinaitic Covenant given through Moshe” (p.xxxix).
Jeremiah, a prophet of the OT, prophesies about the New Covenant when G-d says to him, “Behold the days are coming when I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the L-rd. But this is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days: I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:31-33 NKJV). G-d also said through Jeremiah, “for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will remember no more” (Jeremiah 31:34 NKJV). This prophecy speaks of end times and the return of the descendants of the House of Israel; and of forgiveness of their sins. Ezekiel, a prophet in the OT, also speaks of a New Covenant. He also prophesies of G-d’s New Covenant with the descendants of the House of Israel. G-d says through Ezekiel, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statues, and you will keep My judgements and do them” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
In summary, the Old Testament is filled with many prophesies that strengthen my faith in the Messiah (there are many more that are not listed in this blog); as they correlate with what the Messiah fulfilled in the New Testament or give prophecy to the descendants returning during the the end times, when the Messiah will come back a second time (also prophesied in the NT); and He will forgive and cleanse them of their sins. I hope my blog will give you some encouragement to read the Old Testament, if you have not already. I also hope you will find some inspiration and continue to pray for G-d to open your eyes to see the truth. I encourage you to pray, even if the Bible does not resonate with you. Know that G-d is with you and is compassionate; He will show you the way.
References
Stein, D. H. (1998;2016). The Introduction to the Complete Jewish Bible.