How to Read OT Prophecy from a NT Perspective

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How to Read OT Prophecy from a NT Perspective

Introduction: The Lord’s design of OT scripture is to lead us to Christ and to righteousness in Christ (Romans 10:1-4; Galatians 3:24-25). How does God do this?

• As we have mentioned many times before, God writes his own story that presents prophetic types of New Testament realities. Hebrews 10:1, “For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities…it can never make perfect those who draw near.” 
• The flaw we have often experienced in our study is seeing a NT text that states, “this was done that it might be fulfilled…” and thinking that there was a specific prophecy that exclusively spoke of the event under consideration as if there were no historical context to the original quote.
• We can illustrate this by Romans 1:16-17 “…for in it [gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘the righteous shall live by faith.’” The simple approach would be to look at the cross reference and conclude that Habakkuk 2:4 said those words and thus Paul is just reminding us that the righteous will live by faith. But reading more carefully, the quotation of Habakkuk is intended to explain how God’s righteousness is revealed from faith for faith. Simply reading, “the righteous shall live by faith,” does not explain how the gospel reveals the righteousness of God from faith for faith! The only way we can understand Paul’s point is to know the whole message of Habakkuk and how the phrase fits the prophet’s message and thus Paul’s theme in Romans.
• Another flaw in study is to not recognize that a NT writer can refer to a historical event as prophetic. This will take more explanation and is the primary point of our lesson.

1. Old Testament Narrative Is to Be Seen as Prophetic Types of the Messiah and His People 
   1. Let’s begin by noting a number of OT metaphors that give us glimpses of NT realities: In the beginning, God created man in his image and a Garden in which he placed the man & his wife. Knowing the NT, we are able to quickly relate this picture to God’s intention to spiritually create man in his image and bring him into an eternal Garden where he will dwell with God. Therefore, we should not be surprised when we see similar metaphors/pictures of God’s eternal purposes.
   2. Here are some quick examples – first of men and women who exemplify God’s future purposes:
      1. Abraham is a man of faith in the midst of wickedness and is highlighted as an example of faith through whom salvation would come.
      2. Sarah, as a barren women illustrates that birth and life cannot come through the will and power of man.
      3. Joseph is a redeemer and savior of the world.
      4. Moses is a deliverer.
      5. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba are outcasts who are accepted into the kingdom of God.
   3. There are also metaphorical examples of OT institutions that represent NT realities:
      1. Egypt and Edom are representatives of Satan, bondage, and sin.
      2. The tabernacle/temple is a blueprint of God’s heavenly temple and the way into the presence of God.
      3. The temple is also a representation of Jesus (John 2:19, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”). Jesus was not simply referring to his body but of the fact that he would become the cornerstone of a new temple in which righteousness dwells. And thus, we also are referred to as his temple and our bodies and temples representing him.
   4. These are all examples of prophetic types that most Bible students are fairly well acquainted. But let’s notice some that are more obscure to us and give us greater depth to God’s plan.
2. Matthew’s Examples Using Typological Fulfillment 
   1. Matthew 1:18-23 How often have we read this and just said to ourselves, “Okay, Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah being born of a virgin.” But it is not that simple. When we look at the Isaiah text, it is difficult to see Jesus as the intent of the prophecy. In fact, while Matthew’s account uses the Greek word for “virgin,” the Isaiah account does not use the word for “virgin.” The NRSV even notes this difference (the word in Isaiah is translated, “young woman.” The word in Matthew is translated, “virgin.”
      1. Seeing Isaiah’s context. At the time of the prophecy, Ahaz, the wicked king of Judah, was fearful of the invasion of Syria and Israel. But Ahaz maintained his unbelief. Therefore, God told Ahaz to ask for a sign: “let it be as deep as Sheol or high as heaven” (7:11). But Ahaz refused. In spite of his refusal, God promised to give the nation (“you” plural) a sign – “a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” This sign would be confirmation that God was with the nation and it would not be utterly destroyed.
      2. Isaiah had already had one son, Shear-jashub (a remnant will return). The conception of Isaiah’s wife and birth of the sign would be another son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz (the spoil speeds, the prey hastens). His name foretold of two judgments. First on Syria and Israel and then on Judah by the hand of Assyria. However, when Assyria would come, his attack would not end in complete destruction because “God is with us” (8:10). Therefore, though the “sign” was a reminder to Israel of coming judgment because of their sins, there was hope. God would be with them and deliver them. To summarize, the sign was proof that God keeps his word and delivers his people.
      3. When we come to Matthew, we immediately see and escalation of the sign of Isaiah. Again, the overall message is that God is still with his people and will deliver a remnant. The birth of Jesus is that sign. The escalation is threefold: (1) he is born of a virgin, not just a young woman. (2) God is not just giving a miracle that he would be with the people and had not forgotten his promises, but he would literally be with them. The world would now say, God is with us. (3) God’s deliverance was not just from some threatening nations, but from all enemies, whether the nations or Satan and his spiritual forces. Romans 8:31, “If God is with us, who can be against us?” 
      4. By the way, Matthew ends his book with, “And behold I am with you even to the end of the world.”
   2. Matthew 2:13-15 Keys to understanding the implications of this text:
      1. Exodus 4:22 God referred to Israel as his son: “Israel is my firstborn son…” Hosea 11:1, from which Matthew quotes refers to God calling Israel, his son out of Egypt. Hosea goes on to condemn Israel for not recognizing their elite position with God. Israel was a bad example of a son! Note that Hosea is not thinking about Jesus or the time of Matthew’s quotation.
      2. Consider also that when Matthew quotes Hosea, he is not suggesting that Hosea 11:1 was a direct prophecy of Jesus coming out of Egypt. But Matthew is saying that Jesus coming out of Egypt is a typological fulfillment which is escalated to a greater degree in the Messiah.
      3. The message is, just as God called Israel (his disobedient son) out of Egypt and led them to new relationship, through the wilderness and into the Promised Land, so he is now bringing Jesus (the Son in whom he is well-pleased, Cf. Isaiah 9:6) out of Egypt to lead a new Exodus with a new people to a new Promised Land.
   3. Matthew 2:16-18 It would not seem that an evil deed done by a wicked ruler would have anything to do with the larger picture of the Messiah in prophecy. Bethlehem was a small town and yet the death of innocents gets the attention of Matthew who connects it with a seemingly unrelated statement by Jeremiah 600 years previous. What is even more amazing, he speaks of Herod’s murder as a fulfillment of prophecy. Notice Jeremiah’s text:
      1. Jeremiah 31:15 is the quote, but in the verses previous, God spoke of restoring a remnant of the nation after the judgments that would come upon them. But verse 15 reminds them that before their restoration there would be devastation. Israel would not learn their lesson until they were taken away into captivity. Rachel weeping for her children was a statement of the people taken away into captivity.
      2. The verses following verse 15 announces their return from captivity and ultimately God making a new covenant with them in which he would remember their sins no more. Therefore, Matthew’s use of this one verse in connection with Herod’s atrocities announces that restoration and the new covenant is now near in spite of the present tragedy.
   4. Matthew 2:6 is the one quote we did not look at because it is an example of a typical straightforward prophecy of where the Messiah would be born. However, Micah 5:2 is also a text that highlights restoration.
3. Putting It All Together 
   1. Matthew began with a new a greater sign than the one done for Ahaz. The sign to Ahaz was intended to show the people that in midst of judgment, God was with them and a remnant would be saved. The greater sign to Israel and the world was a virgin giving birth, and this time, God would literally be present and the child’s name would be Jesus (Yahweh saves), because he would save his people from their sins (not just a couple enemy nations).
   2. Matthew 2:6 announced the birthplace of the Messiah who would be a ruler and shepherd of his people.
   3. Matthew’s quotation of Hosea 11:1 was given to remind Israel that this Messiah was about to lead a new exodus, a greater exodus, by a greater deliverer, to a greater Promised Land.
   4. Matthew’s quotation of Jeremiah 31:15 used Herod’s atrocities to signal Israel that God’s new covenant restoration was now near.
   5. Just to complete the picture, Matthew gives a final fulfillment in 2:23, something spoken not a prophet, but by the prophets, “he shall be called a Nazarene.” Being called a Nazarene was title of reproach, one who was despises and rejected. Thus, Matthew warns his Jewish audience that their Messiah would not burst on the scene with great fanfare and acceptance, but instead would fit the Isaiah 53 picture of a rejected Savior.

Conclusion: We could multiply passages like the ones we have seen in Matthew. Therefore, it is critical that we do not read quickly over passages that have OT parallels with typological fulfillment. God did this so we could more fully appreciate his sovereignty over the world and history, to more fully know the beauty of his redemptive plan, and therefore to be drawn to him and love him more deeply.

Berry Kercheville