Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
| SEEING JESUS IN |
| Abraham |
| Promises made by God |
| Genesis 15:5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” |
| Galatians 3:16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. |
Paul makes much hay out of the singular noun in Genesis 15:5, where the Lord spoke of the seed / offspring of Abraham. (See graphic of Hebrew noun parsing below, from Blue Letter Bible website)
Of course we can interpret it, as I often have when I read this verse, as “all the offspring” or “descendants” (as the NASB translates it) of Abrahams lineage, the millions of men and women who have come into existence due to Abraham’s existence. The seed of Abraham, in this context may be understood, from Abraham’s point of view, as all the children brought into this world through both Hagar and Sarah.
Yet Paul speaks of one Seed, one Person that will be of the promise. The promise is of the Savior, and though Abraham truly is the father of many nations, this blessing pales in comparison to the blessing of his lineage, the Seed that was in focus here in the Lord’s promise to him.
Jesus Christ is the Seed, the singular Seed that is truly the source of all, for He is the Alpha and Omega, the start and the finish, the One who will have a family greater in number than the stars of the heavens!
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2 responses to “Jesus in the Old Testament – Abraham – 06”
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
John 8:58
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Amen
The connection between God’s promises to Abraham and their fulfillment in Christ is profound. It’s fascinating to consider how the singular “Seed” mentioned in Genesis points directly to Jesus, highlighting the depth of the Old Testament’s foreshadowing of Him.
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