CHRIST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
by Dr. Charles L Feinberg
I t was M artin L uther who said, “There is hut one Book, and it all is written concerning Him.” The Old Testament was given really to point to Christ. It is full of Him. Because space is brief, we’ll consider just one of the many areas in the Old Testa ment which speaks of our Saviour. This is a rather unusual one because it’s not a probable place to look for a foreshadowing of Christ. I refer to the brazen serpent in Numbers 21:4-9. This incident is wonderfully illuminating, and used by men of God in the New Testament such as John 3:14, 15. Here the Messiah declares, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Will you pause for a moment, and read from your own Bible Num bers 21:4-9? It is the account to which our Lord refers. God told Moses to make a fiery serpent of bronze to be placed on a pole where the people could see it. It required a look of faith if a person had been bitten and actually is a picture of God’s redeeming grace. How clearly, vividly, and even dramatically it shows us man’s sin. Despite all the goodness of God toward the people of Israel, bringing them out of Egypt, showing His mighty hand with many miracles, still they found it within their hearts to murmur against Him. It’s always that way in the mind of the natural man. Satan seeks to as sail the goodness and love of God. He cannot tell the truth but always lies as he has from the beginning. In verse 5 of Numbers 21, we find that the people spoke against God
and against Moses. What a question they asked, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the wilder ness?” What a foolish think to ask. Even in the light of God’s marvelous, provisions, they still weren’t satis fied. Natural man has his normal trademark: “fault-finding.” This is the hallmark of the human race, starting right with Adam and Eve. Israel had asked in unbelief if God could provide a table in the wilder ness. And He did. But the sinful hearts still doubted Him to the very end. How harmless sin appears to us. It’s like letting out a little water from a dike which seems so un assuming at the beginning. But what deadly results it has! Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman showed a friend some seeds he had in the palm of his hand. He asked, “From what kind of a plant would you say these have come?” Of course, the man had no idea except to say, “They must be from something that is very small, to be so tiny.” The great evan gelist explained, “No, I’m sorry; you’re wrong. These seeds came from a plant that’s 300 feet high, 35 feet in diameter, and 105 feet in circum ference! They’re from one of the giant redwood trees of California.” He had illustrated the tremendous growing and multiplying power of something very small. And so it is with our sins. In the sixth verse, we see the punishment with fiery s e r p en t s . Many people in Israel died. Disobe dience was followed by death. Re member, God told Adam, “In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.” Disobedience to natural laws, even today, brings death in 27
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