The Old Testament Witness to Christ and His Kingdom, Mentor's Guide, MG09

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T H E O L D T E S T A M E N T W I T N E S S T O C H R I S T A N D H I S K I N G D O M

written to testify of him (e.g., John 5.39-40), then it is possible to discover a new level of intimacy and mystery of the Bible as we explore the OT with its primary purpose of displaying Jesus in mind. By means of prefiguring, typology, analogy, and prophecy, we can discover the OT’s purpose by focusing on the way in which it communicates through images, stories, characters, symbols, metaphors, and prophecies the promise of the Messiah and his work revealed plainly in the NT. Why is it important to use Christ’s and the apostles’ own method to recover the sense of the wonder of the Word of God in the OT if we are to appreciate its true value as a preparation and anticipation of Messiah?

The Promise Personalized

Segment 1: Character Types of the Prophet Ministry, Priesthood, and Kingship of Jesus

Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

The OT provides a solid and convincing witness to the life and ministry of Jesus through its character types of key figures in the history of Israel. Character types provide us with a full and rich presentation of the truth about Christ, spur great interest in the craftsmanship of the OT stories, cause us to worship God because of the richness of his salvation plan, and enable us to see the Bible as a whole, especially the connections between the testaments. This form of study requires careful attention: we must create a general outline of the character’s life, search for links and resemblances between the character and Jesus as the antitype, avoid over- concentration on details that fail to connect the type to its antitype, and seek to expand one’s knowledge of the antitype through the understanding of the type. Such studies help us gain an increased knowledge of the Scriptures, learn to communicate the Word to others at higher levels of interest, relevance, and entertainment, rediscover our wonder at the inspiration of the Scriptures, and discover a more comprehensive picture of Jesus Christ through the types. Some of the most important character types in the OT point to and illustrate the ministry of Jesus Christ in the NT in his roles as a prophet, priest, and king in the persons of Moses, Melchizedek, and David respectively. While Christ is illumined in the character types, the nature of his own roles is infinitely greater in both glory and significance.

Summary of Segment 1

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