Scripture Reading: Luke 24:25-27; Heb. 11:24-26; John 12:41; 8:56; Acts 2:25-28, 30-31; 1 Cor. 7:25b, 40b
When our Lord was on the earth, He plainly stated that He could be found in the Old Testament: in the books of Moses, in the psalms of David, and in the prophetic writings. We readily admit that, in addition to the law, psalms, and prophecies in the Old Testament, there is also Christ. My question today is not, "How many places can we find Christ in the law, psalms, and prophecies?" My question is, "How can we find Christ there?" I am not asking how many passages refer to Christ, or how many passages tell us things about Him. I am asking how did He come to be in the Scriptures at all? How is this possible? He is not only spoken about in the Scriptures, He Himself is in the Scriptures. We see Christ in the law and say, "Here are the types of Christ." We see Christ in the psalms and say, "Here are the messianic psalms." We see Christ in the prophets and say, "Here are the prophecies of Christ." When we think of Christ being in the Scriptures, we think in terms of types, messianic psalms, and prophecies. But is Christ merely written about in the Word of God, or is there something beyond this? We read of Joseph and others and speak of them as being types of Christ, because there was much about their lives that was like His. But if that is all, then the manifestation of Christ in the Scriptures is very superficial. Let us look for a moment at the law, the psalms, and the prophets and see how Christ is found there.
In Genesis 4 we see Abel offering sacrifices. God did not instruct Abel to offer sacrifices. Abel just offered them spontaneously. Christ in him moved to offer in that way. Christ in him expressed Himself in that way. In Hebrews 11 we read that Moses saw Christ and esteemed the riches of Egypt as filth. When we read the law of Moses we read of goats, bulls, and other sacrificial animals, and we read of a tabernacle. But Moses did not see just these things, he saw Christ. We read of Abraham: "Your father Abraham exulted that he would see My day, and he saw it and rejoiced" (John 8:56). Abraham saw Christ.
David records his joys and sorrows; he tells us of his sighs and groanings, of his hopes and fears. We say, "Oh, how they speak of Christ!" Then we call these records messianic psalms. But these psalms are messianic psalms not only because they foretell the experiences of the Messiah, but because the Messiah Himself is in them. David wrote of his own experiences, but because it was the life of the Lord that took him through these things, the Word declares that these things were written of the Lord (see Acts 2:25-31). We touch Christ Himself in the record of David's experiences. We meet David, but we also meet Christ in David. In the messianic psalms it is extremely difficult to distinguish between the words that refer to David and the words that refer to Christ. There is no possibility of separating Christ from His people.
When we read the prophetic books, we say, "Here are prophecies that foretell of Christ; therefore, Christ can be found in the prophets." But is the manifestation of Christ in the prophets just an external matter? Is it merely objective? Many people say that the Old Testament prophets did not know Christ, and that they were merely inspired to write of Him for our sake. But was Isaiah in the dark as to the things he wrote? Our Lord says that Isaiah wrote what he wrote "because he saw His glory and spoke concerning Him" (John 12:41). No one is a prophet who does not see Christ; no one is a prophet who does not see the glory of Christ. Seeing is conditional to prophecy. It was so in the Old Testament days, and it is so today. We read of David's sighs, cries, and desires and say, "That's David!" No, that is Christ! The record of what Christ in David went through produced the messianic psalms. The same is true with all the prophecies. It was not that God gave the prophets certain knowledge and then they recorded it; rather, the life of Christ in them took them through certain experiences and they recorded them. Throughout the Old Testament we do not find just types that foreshadow Christ and prophecies that foretell of Christ. In many matters and through many persons, Christ expressed Himself, and the record of these persons makes up the Word of God.
Read 1 Corinthians 7 and note verses 12, 25, and 40. Some modernists concede that there is a divine element in the Bible. But we have to go one step beyond and say, "Praise God, there is a human element in the Bible." God speaks words from heaven, but these words pass through human channels. Every true prophet utters the words of God, but they are not just words that he has read in the Bible. They are the expression of the life of the Lord in him, and what this life has taken him through. They are words that have been burned into his very being in the furnace of experience and then spoken out. The narration of such an experience is not the speaking of mere words. Prophecy is nothing objective.
Consider the length of time it took to write the Word of God. And consider the length of time that it takes for some to prepare a sermon. It may take as long as ten years! As we look at Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, etc., we see a specific manifestation of Christ by seeing the specific way that Christ took each of these through their circumstances. If there could be a Moses or a David who was an earthen vessel to contain this heavenly treasure, we can say, "Lord, here is another earthen vessel to contain heavenly treasure." It is in this way that we receive the Word of God. It is subjective, not objective; experiential, not just intellectual.
