Today’s reading is Genesis 11:1-13:4, Matthew 5:1-26, Psalm 5:1-12, Proverbs 1:24-28.
In our reading thus far, we have seen several references in the New Testament readings to the fulfillment of prophesies of the Old Testament. For example, Matthew 1:22-23 says, “All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: ‘Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us’” (Isaiah 7:14). In Matthew 2 we find out that Herod killing spree of all the baby boys was prophesied (Jeremiah 31:15), as was the ministry of John the Baptist (Isaiah 40:3).
For hundreds of years, God spoke through his prophets, promising that a Savior would come. The prophets told of many details that would come to pass when the Savior arrived. All of those prophecies, which we read and studied last year, were fulfilled in Jesus. Let’s take a look at a few of these prophesies, especially those related to the early scriptures of the New Testament.
Hundreds of years before, God had promised that the Savior would be in the family of King David. That is why God picked Joseph. Joseph was an ancestor of King David. (Isaiah 16:5)
God had also promised that the Savior would be fully human, yet fully righteous. The Savior would be without sin, though He was a man. That is why Jesus had to be born, not just sent down from heaven on a cloud. Jesus was fully man, but he never sinned. (Isaiah 53:1-12)
In the Old Testament, God promised that wise men from the east would bring presents to Jesus, and that is exactly what happened. (Isaiah 60:1-7, Psalm 72:10)
God promised that the Savior would be the Prince of Peace. Some people expected royalty. That is why they didn’t recognize that Jesus was the Savior. He was just a baby. But He is the Prince of Peace. We can only find true peace in our hearts when we have Jesus as our Savior. (Isaiah 9:6-7)
God told us through his prophets that King Herod would be furious about the talk of a Savior and in his anger, he would kill all the baby boys under two, thus killing the Savior. However, it was also told that an angel would warn the Savior and He would escape. And that is just what happened. Mary and Joseph took Jesus away and fled to Nazareth. So, Jesus grew up in Nazareth. This too was foretold hundreds of years before. (Hosea 11:1, Isaiah 9:1-2)
God promised that this baby, who would be born in a manger, would be the hope of the world. This baby would one day grow up and become the Savior of the world. Through His sacrifice, we can be saved and have eternal life. (Malachi 4:2)
God promised that Christ (Messiah, Anointed One) would come as Savior, taking our sins on Himself. (Isaiah 53:5-7, Daniel 9:25-26)
God promised that you could be saved if you trust and believe in Jesus. God’s greatest gift to the world—and to you—came wrapped in swaddling clothes. Will you receive the gift today? If you already have, will you trust God with the details of your life today? (Isaiah 9:6-7, John 3:16)
One of the thrilling things about studying the New Testament after a year of focusing on the Old Testament, is that we get to experience the great unfolding of the greatest, most magnificent plan ever conceived. And these fulfilled prophesies listed today only scratch the surface of what we will continue to see. The evidence is not just compelling, but it extremely detailed and irrefutable. Praise God!
