Picturing Theology

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P i c t u r i n g T h e o l o g y

Promise vs. Prediction The Apostolic Hermeneutic of the Old Testament Adapted from Christopher J. H. Wright

And So It Was Fulfilled: Five Scenes of Jesus’ Early Life

Commentary on the Actual Historical Context of the Old Testament Text Immanuel prophecy was given as a sign to King Ahaz in his own historical context, and does not immediately provide any A direct Messianic prediction about the birthplace of the future Governor of Israel and the nations No prediction present; Hosea reference is a prophetic allusion to the Exodus of the people of God from Egypt The OT text is a figurative picture of the mourning of Rachel (Israel) at the time of the Exile in 587 BC after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. No explicit Messianic prediction is contained in the text. Texts have relevance within their setting, but not in an explicit way to fulfill Messianic predictions sense of a long range prediction of Messianic relevance

The Old Testament Reference

Incident in Jesus’ Life

Matthew Citation

Hermeneutic Significance

The Holy Spirit provided the Apostles with divine wisdom in making connections with not only the plain Messianic predictions, but also those aspects of the history of Israel which represent in a direct way some aspect of the life and ministry of Jesus. The ability to correlate particular events of Israel to the life and ministry of Messiah Jesus is precisely the nature of the apostolic Spirit-illumined hermeneutic which coincides with divine and Spirit-inspired Scripture. We are invited to exegete the Scriptures and make correlations in the same way as the Lord and the Apostles, although our connections should never be considered normative in the same way as theirs.

Assurance to Joseph

Isa. 7.14, the Immanuel sign given to King Ahaz by Isaiah

Matt. 1.18-25

concerning the child conceived in Mary

Mic. 5.2, prophecy of the Governor and Ruler of Israel to come from Bethlehem Hos. 11.1, God’s deliverance of his people Israel, his “son,” out of Egypt at the Exodus Jer. 31.15, Jeremiah’s lament for the Israelite nation who were going into exile, into Babylonian captivity Several possible allusions in the OT, Judg. 13.5; 1 Sam. 1.11; Amos 2.10-11

Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, the city of David

Matt. 2.1-12

The escape to Egypt, and the return from there

Matt. 2.13-15

Herod’s murder of the boys in Bethlehem

Matt. 2.16-18

Jesus’ family settlement in Nazareth of Galilee

Matt. 2.19-23