CHAPTER 7 PROPHECY, THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE EARLY CHURCH
There were two ways the early Chris/ans encountered Jesus. 1. The Eucharist 2. The Old Testament As early Chris/ans read the Old Testament, they did so in the light of Jesus suffering, death, and resurrec/on, and they saw Jesus on nearly every page. Do you think early Jewish ChrisBans and early genble ChrisBans viewed Jesus the same way in terms of the Old Testament?
The author says that when God cursed the serpent in Genesis it became a prophecy about Jesus who would come to crush the devil s works. What verses in Genesis equate the serpent to Satan?
The author says that when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac (reckon he forgot about Ishmael, his first born), this foreshadowed what God himself would do in giving His only son to save the world. What happened to Isaac?
The authors says that it seemed to early Chris/ans that the en/re story of God s saving work with His people Israel pointed toward this clima/c event when Jesus would come as a suffering king, laying down His life for his people. What happened to Israel? Around 740BCE Israel was conquered by the Assyrians and dispersed. No more Israel un/l 1948.
What happened to Judah or Judea? Judah was conquered by the Babylonians around 587BCE and returned to Judah around 539BCE. The Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 70CE. How do you think the Jews feel about Jesus sabsfying the prophecies in the Old Testament? Why are the warrior king prophecies in the Old Testament seemingly ignored?
The author says that most prophe/c passages are read differently by Jewish scholars than they are by New Testament writers or modern day Chris/ans. What do you think about this statement?
Read MaPhew 1:22-23 Read Isaiah 7:14 Do you believe that this is a fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah?
What is the context of the verses Isaiah? Around 735BC God talking to King Ahaz Two kings preparing to axack Judah What were the two countries preparing to apack Judah? Israel and Damascus (Syria) Read Isaiah 7:10-14
The Septuagint is a Greek transla/on of the Old Testament. Writers of the Gospels used this transla/on instead of the Hebrew version. The Greek word used in Isaiah 7:14 is parthenos which means virgin. The Hebrew word used in Isaiah 7:14 is almah which means a young woman of childbearing age who has not yet had a child, and who may be an unmarried virgin or a married young woman. It does not, in and of itself, indicate whether that woman is a virgin or not. Does the difference bother you?
The author says that early Chris/ans and New Testament writers describe the type of foreshadowing prophecy seen in Isaiah 7 and understood that Christ was a greater or deeper fulfillment of things God had done in the past. Does this help you understand this type of prophecy a bit beper?
Read Isaiah 53:1-12 Can you see how these verses would be applied to Jesus as the suffering servant? Read Isaiah 49:3 This verse points out that Israel is the suffering servant and is about the suffering Israel bore in the Babylonian destruc/on of Jerusalem and the exile. Can you see how it could be applied to both?
Isaiah is wrixen in Hebrew poetry. The author says that the power of poetry is its ability to speak to new situa/ons. Its images can be taken from the original backdrop and applied reapplied to new situa/ons. Does knowing this give you a new way to read the Bible?
The author says that to fully appreciate Isaiah, we must read it on three levels. 1. What did these words mean when Isaiah first wrote them? How were they understood by the people he was addressing? 2. How did Jesus and the early Chris/an community reapply them and reinterpret these words? What did the mean to Jesus as He was preparing for the cross? What did they mean to early Chris/ans as they reflected on the life, death and resurrec/on of Jesus? 3. What might these words mean fr my life today? What would God want me to hear from them now? Apply these to Isaiah 53:1-12
The Greek word translated fulfill can also mean complete. Many OT verses quoted in the NT were fulfilled at the /me of the prophet. Others were not predic/ve verses at all. Some verses in the OT took on new meaning in light of the life and death of Jesus. Jesus offered comple/on to the OT verses. How do you feel about Jesus complebng the OT verses?
The author says that the prophets were not primarily focused on foretelling but forth-telling. They were speaking powerfully on behalf of God to the people of their /me, offering words of comfort, challenge or cri/que. They describe a paxern of straying, suffering, redemp/on, and hope which is repeated throughout history. Is this a papern we somebmes see in our on lives?
Jesus completes all the promises of the prophets for redemp/on and hope. Do you see how Jesus completes this in your own life?