The Old Testament Witness to Christ and His Kingdom, Student Workbook, SW09

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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

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. Certain characters in the OT deserve our special exegetical attention because of their critical theological significance in helping us comprehend Christ’s role as head of humanity, redeemer of his kinsmen, and warrior in God’s conquest. These characters represent the person of Adam, Joseph, and Joshua. Adam, as the federal head and source of humankind, is a special OT character type of Jesus Christ by way of contrast, that is, how he is different from the Lord who is also the federal head and source of the new redeemed humanity. Joseph, the redeemer of his kinsman, is perhaps the most prolific and “on-point” OT character type of Jesus. In ways that are both wondrous and moving, Joseph’s experience links and connects with the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Joshua, the captain of the Lord’s armies, is an OT character type of Christ whose spiritual warfare resonates with Messiah’s role as the warrior of God. While the character roles of prophet, priest, and king, and the special character types of Adam, Joseph, and Joshua are tremendously helpful in providing our OT witness to Christ, they give comprehensive not exhaustive pictures of the life and ministry of Christ. Only by linking the prefiguring in the OT to the revelation of Christ in the NT do we get the fullest picture and meaning of these roles and types together in the life and ministry of Jesus.

Restatement of the Lesson’s Thesis

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