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
Daniel
Bones Not BROKEN
Daniel 6:24 – And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.
John 19:36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”
First off, please notice that our passage in Daniel speaks of those who plotted against Daniel suffered the breaking of all thier bones. This is one more evidence of the ferocity of the lions in the den, the same den that Daniel resided in for an entire night, and was pulled (slowly I like to think) out of the den.
Daniel suffered no physical wound or broken bone, and resided with the instrument of death through the night.
When I considered the impact of the lions breaking all the plotters bones, it reminded me of John 19:36, and how the Son of God also was spared the breaking of bones, not unlike Daniel.
Yet as the passage in John speaks of the fulfillment of Scripture in the keeping of the Messiah’s bones, I must refer to alternate Scriptures to see of the prophecy and how it fits the Messiah. The Old Testament passage that John refers to is found in Exodus 12, where Moses speaks of the preparation of the passover, and of the prohibition of breaking any bones.
Exodus 12:46 It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones.
Again, Moses reiterates this requirement for the passover lamb in Numbers.
Numbers 9:12 They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it.
In the Psalms, David speaks of the righteous being afflicted, yet not one bone would be broken.
Psalm 34:20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
Jesus was (and is) the Passover Lamb, the True and once slain Passover Lamb. There is no substitute for Him, and Daniel, by the providence and loving care of the Father was able to be like the Master in this particular instance, providing us one more glimpse into the picture of the Messiah provided in the Old Testament (and New Testament) for His people to reflect on.
May the Lamb be honored today, in our lives thoughts and actions!
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