What does the story of Israel really mean? We will get clues as to who Christ is and what he is doing.
Genesis shows us man was made a social being.
God made us to be in communion with one another and himself – this is part of the image of God in humanity.
Sin breaks the bond of communion. It impairs the bond between man and woman.
It ruptures what a man is and what he ought to be.
All other relations are damaged: man and nature.
The murder of a brother killing within a family.
Human rehabilitation attempts at the Tower of Babel – these attempts partook of man’s rupture nature and leads to further disintegration. The only answer is to recreate the bond between God and man which is promised in Genesis 3.15. Eve would have a seed that would deal with what the serpent had done and restore it.
Recreating the bond can only be done by God: Man and Man, Man and God.
This gets us to the significance of Israel’s history. It is the story of God coming down to lift man up.
Irenaeus (~100ad) said he came down low where were we were in order to take us up high where he was.
Our God is a God that always comes down in order to lift us up.
In Israel, we see most powerfully God coming down to lift mankind up. The story of Israel is the pre-history of the incarnate Word of God. As Luther said, was forming a womb in Israel for the birth of Christ.
Israel provides a matrix for the incarnation.
Jesus said to the women at the well in regard to where we should worship: Salvation is of the Jews. Judaism was a womb for the forming of the birth of Christ.
God elected a race to be an instrument for his redemption.
You can then understand why the fury of satan would be unleashed upon these people.
Israel was the lump of clay molded by the Potter, and God is the Potter.
He uses their obedience, their disobedience.
He uses them to make the womb for Christ’s birth.
The OT story is the preparation for this child. Without the history of Israel, we would have no conceptional tools with which to grasp the Son of God. How would you understand the cross without the morning and evening sacrifices, without the Mercy Seat, without Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, etc.
A Community of Reciprocity – in which God’s Word spoken to his people would create an appropriate response from God’s people back to God (this is the nature of a loving relationship).
This was a covenant relation, set apart from other people.
God works into their existence a knowledge of the way of response that he himself would ultimately provide in Jesus.
The one that will fulfill the covenant that Israel never could (nor could we): someone was elected to fulfill that covenant on our behalf: Jesus Christ.
Two Sons: Israel and Christ
Hosea 11.1 Out of Egypt have I called my son (quoted in Matt 12.15). Matthew picks it up and quotes it when Joseph and Mary bring back Jesus to the Holy Land from Egypt.
Israel in the desert 40 years, Christ in the desert 40 days.
Prophet, Priest, King
David was a shepherd king. Mark 6.34, 9.36 Behind these verses in the concept of a shepherd king and the promise of a Messianic shepherd.
Psalm 23, Ez 13, 14, Jer 31, Is 40,
Other OT offices/images that apply to Christ in the NT.
Christ is the Lamb on the OT altar.
Christ is the tabernacle.
Christ is the temple.
Christ is the rock smitten in the wilderness.
Christ is the suffering servant (Is 53)
Christ seen by Isaiah and Abraham.
Christ is the true vine.
The NAMES of CHRIST
Christ/Messiah
Jesus
Son of Man:
Son of God: can be used in 4 different ways
Lord/Kyrios: can mean different things
Jesus as Lord
Ps 110 – Jesus as Lord
What does the story of Israel mean?
Genesis shows us that mankind was made a social being. If you don’t get fellowship one way, you will seek it another way.
This is reflective of being created in the image of God.
Sin entails a rupture between what a person IS and what they OUGHT to be. This is our ongoing battle.
The consequences of sin early on in Genesis is the murder of a brother.
The only answer is to restore the bond between God and man, which was the promise given to Eve, a seed that would deal with what the serpent had done.
Restoration of this rupture could only be done by God – condescending to our level.
That gets us to the significance of Israel’s history. The story of God coming down to lift man up.
Irenaeus said “He came down low where we were in order to take us up high where he was” (Calvin quotes this frequently)
Our God is a God that comes down in order to lift us up.
With Israel we see God coming down to lift mankind up.
The story of Israel is the prehistory of the incarnate word of God. Luther said was forming a womb in Israel for the birth of Christ.
Israel provides a matrix for the incarnation. Jesus said to the women at the well, “salvation is of the Jews”
What tools does mankind have to know God? How do finite creatures grasp the transcendent?
God does not allow our limitations as humans (and as sinners) to inhibit his purpose.
God elected a small race to be the instrument of his redemptive purpose.
You can understand why the fury of satan would be unleashed on these people.
God molds them as instruments of His revelation. Israel was the lump of clay molded by the Potter.
He uses her obedience and disobedience, the good points, the weak points, to teach them truth.
Without the history of Israel we would have no conceptual tools to grasp the sum of God. How would you understand the cross without the morning and evening sacrifices, without Is. 53 and Ps 22, and so forth.
This relationship between God and Israel is not merely intellectual or conceptual, but it is an organic relation. Binding Israel into an intimate relation with God’s being. This was a covenanted relation. The people were separated from other nations.
The concept of two sons: Israel and Christ.
Hosea 11.1: out of Egypt have I called my son (quoted in Matt 12.15 referring to Jesus)
Moses warning to Pharaoh: if you don’t stop killing my son, I will kill yours. God gave them 9 opportunities and then it was too late.
God’s eternal son comes and recapitulates: Christ/Israel in the wilderness.
Three central OT offices applied to Christ in the NT
Prophet, priest, and king.
Christ was made perfect through suffering – He entered into experiences he had previously not been through in order to go deeper than we were in order to bring us back up. Perfected, that is, to be equipped.
The Names of Christ
Son of God can be used 4 different ways.
Kurios can be mean different things.
2 Comments. Leave new
April 27, 2020
Sergio, Ryan
What does the story of Israel really mean? We will get clues as to who Christ is and what he is doing.
Genesis shows us man was made a social being.
God made us to be in communion with one another and himself – this is part of the image of God in humanity.
Sin breaks the bond of communion. It impairs the bond between man and woman.
It ruptures what a man is and what he ought to be.
All other relations are damaged: man and nature.
The murder of a brother killing within a family.
Human rehabilitation attempts at the Tower of Babel – these attempts partook of man’s rupture nature and leads to further disintegration. The only answer is to recreate the bond between God and man which is promised in Genesis 3.15. Eve would have a seed that would deal with what the serpent had done and restore it.
Recreating the bond can only be done by God: Man and Man, Man and God.
This gets us to the significance of Israel’s history. It is the story of God coming down to lift man up.
Irenaeus (~100ad) said he came down low where were we were in order to take us up high where he was.
Our God is a God that always comes down in order to lift us up.
In Israel, we see most powerfully God coming down to lift mankind up. The story of Israel is the pre-history of the incarnate Word of God. As Luther said, was forming a womb in Israel for the birth of Christ.
Israel provides a matrix for the incarnation.
Jesus said to the women at the well in regard to where we should worship: Salvation is of the Jews. Judaism was a womb for the forming of the birth of Christ.
God elected a race to be an instrument for his redemption.
You can then understand why the fury of satan would be unleashed upon these people.
Israel was the lump of clay molded by the Potter, and God is the Potter.
He uses their obedience, their disobedience.
He uses them to make the womb for Christ’s birth.
The OT story is the preparation for this child. Without the history of Israel, we would have no conceptional tools with which to grasp the Son of God. How would you understand the cross without the morning and evening sacrifices, without the Mercy Seat, without Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, etc.
A Community of Reciprocity – in which God’s Word spoken to his people would create an appropriate response from God’s people back to God (this is the nature of a loving relationship).
This was a covenant relation, set apart from other people.
God works into their existence a knowledge of the way of response that he himself would ultimately provide in Jesus.
The one that will fulfill the covenant that Israel never could (nor could we): someone was elected to fulfill that covenant on our behalf: Jesus Christ.
Two Sons: Israel and Christ
Hosea 11.1 Out of Egypt have I called my son (quoted in Matt 12.15). Matthew picks it up and quotes it when Joseph and Mary bring back Jesus to the Holy Land from Egypt.
Israel in the desert 40 years, Christ in the desert 40 days.
Prophet, Priest, King
David was a shepherd king. Mark 6.34, 9.36 Behind these verses in the concept of a shepherd king and the promise of a Messianic shepherd.
Psalm 23, Ez 13, 14, Jer 31, Is 40,
Other OT offices/images that apply to Christ in the NT.
Christ is the Lamb on the OT altar.
Christ is the tabernacle.
Christ is the temple.
Christ is the rock smitten in the wilderness.
Christ is the suffering servant (Is 53)
Christ seen by Isaiah and Abraham.
Christ is the true vine.
The NAMES of CHRIST
Christ/Messiah
Jesus
Son of Man:
Son of God: can be used in 4 different ways
Lord/Kyrios: can mean different things
Jesus as Lord
Ps 110 – Jesus as Lord
May 26, 2020
Sergio, Ryan
What does the story of Israel mean?
Genesis shows us that mankind was made a social being. If you don’t get fellowship one way, you will seek it another way.
This is reflective of being created in the image of God.
Sin entails a rupture between what a person IS and what they OUGHT to be. This is our ongoing battle.
The consequences of sin early on in Genesis is the murder of a brother.
The only answer is to restore the bond between God and man, which was the promise given to Eve, a seed that would deal with what the serpent had done.
Restoration of this rupture could only be done by God – condescending to our level.
That gets us to the significance of Israel’s history. The story of God coming down to lift man up.
Irenaeus said “He came down low where we were in order to take us up high where he was” (Calvin quotes this frequently)
Our God is a God that comes down in order to lift us up.
With Israel we see God coming down to lift mankind up.
The story of Israel is the prehistory of the incarnate word of God. Luther said was forming a womb in Israel for the birth of Christ.
Israel provides a matrix for the incarnation. Jesus said to the women at the well, “salvation is of the Jews”
What tools does mankind have to know God? How do finite creatures grasp the transcendent?
God does not allow our limitations as humans (and as sinners) to inhibit his purpose.
God elected a small race to be the instrument of his redemptive purpose.
You can understand why the fury of satan would be unleashed on these people.
God molds them as instruments of His revelation. Israel was the lump of clay molded by the Potter.
He uses her obedience and disobedience, the good points, the weak points, to teach them truth.
Without the history of Israel we would have no conceptual tools to grasp the sum of God. How would you understand the cross without the morning and evening sacrifices, without Is. 53 and Ps 22, and so forth.
This relationship between God and Israel is not merely intellectual or conceptual, but it is an organic relation. Binding Israel into an intimate relation with God’s being. This was a covenanted relation. The people were separated from other nations.
The concept of two sons: Israel and Christ.
Hosea 11.1: out of Egypt have I called my son (quoted in Matt 12.15 referring to Jesus)
Moses warning to Pharaoh: if you don’t stop killing my son, I will kill yours. God gave them 9 opportunities and then it was too late.
God’s eternal son comes and recapitulates: Christ/Israel in the wilderness.
Three central OT offices applied to Christ in the NT
Prophet, priest, and king.
Christ was made perfect through suffering – He entered into experiences he had previously not been through in order to go deeper than we were in order to bring us back up. Perfected, that is, to be equipped.
The Names of Christ
Son of God can be used 4 different ways.
Kurios can be mean different things.