Christ in the Old Testament through Christophanies
Every time I read through my Old Testament, I’m amazed again at how often Jesus Christ appears. Not only does He speak and bring all things into being in Genesis 1, He often appears in human form to walk and talk with what He has made before taking on human flesh (at incarnation). I want to pass along a list of these to you because I’m afraid we often don’t see Christ in the Old Testament as we should.
That is not a new problem. Following Jesus’ resurrection, His conversation with His followers included several rebukes and corrections. The harshest one should be one that should be echoed from this article through churches today. Listen to Him on the road to Emmaus:
“And He said to them, ‘O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:25-27).
As we read the pages of Scripture (notice, ALL the Scriptures) we find what Jesus taught them about His coming and His earthly ministry. Many of these Old Testament references to Christ are simple illusions and analogies. These are the shadows of which Christ is the substance. Even more substantive are prophecies. In these, many exact details about the coming of Christ are detailed ahead of time.
But the most substantive, to me, are these appearances. Here, the shadow takes form and shape, albeit, not yet human flesh. Many of the appearances Christ is regarded as the Angel of the Lord. With these, I personally agree with Barret (in the OT occurrences, at least), “The reference to the Angel of the Lord does not occur in every Christophany, but it is safe to say that the Angel of the Lord always refers to Christ.”[1]
So, let’s keep these in front of us as we read our Bible and marvel at our Lord Jesus walking with Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, Joshua (His name-sake!), Gideon, Isaiah and more. And let us walk with Him still now even closer, even in our heart.
I love this summary by Hodge, “The angel, who appeared to Hagar, to Abraham, to Moses, to Joshua, to Gideon, and to Manoah, who was called Jehovah and worshipped as Adonai, who claimed divine homage and exercised divine power, whom the psalmists and prophets set forth as the Son of God, as the Counsellor, the Prince of Peace, the mighty God, and whom they predicted was to be born of a virgin, and to whom every knee should bow and every tongue confess, of things in heaven and things on the earth, and things under the earth, is none other than He whom we now recognize and worship as our God and Savior Jesus Christ.”[2]
|
SOME CHRISTOPHANIES AND THEIR SUMMARIES |
||
|
Reference |
Summary |
Text |
|
Genesis 3:8 |
Jesus meets with Adam and Eve: God walks and talks with Adam and Eve in the Garden. |
“They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” |
|
Genesis 16:3-14 (Also 21:17) |
Jesus and Hagar: The Angel of the Lord meets with Hagar and encourages her - “I will bless you.” (As God). She knows she saw God. The angel blesses her. She knows she is seeing God. |
“Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. He said, ‘Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?’ And she said, ‘I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai . . .’ 10 Moreover, the angel of the Lord said to her, ‘I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.’ . . . 13Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are a God who sees’; for she said, ‘Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?’ 14Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered” (Genesis 16:7-14). |
|
Genesis 18-19 (18:1, 2, 22, 19:1 22) |
Jesus Speaks with Abraham before Destroying Sodom: The text clearly states the LORD appeared to Abraham—and the text clarifies in the appearance of a man. Repeatedly the text clarifies LORD said to him and I will return to you. At the end of the dialog the LORD departed. |
Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, 3and said, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by. . . 13And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’ 14“Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 32Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.” 33As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham the Lord departed, and Abraham returned to his place. 1Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. |
|
Genesis 22:2-16 (2, 12, 16) |
Jesus with Isaac and Abraham on the Mount: The Angel of the Lord swares by Himself – The LORD. Although this occurrence of a Christophany the “appearance” is not accurately with the eyes. Jesus is seen from heaven, and His voice and actions are seen on earth by Abraham. The text clearly makes Jesus synonymous with the LORD. |
1Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” . . . 10Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” 13Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.” 15Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,
|
|
Genesis 26:2-3, 26 |
Jesus Appears to Isaac: The LORD appeared to Isaac twice. He speaks as the LORD Himself. |
2The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. 3“Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. 24The Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, For the sake of My servant Abraham.” 25So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well. |
|
Genesis 28:12-13, 16; 35:1; Hosea 12:4-5 |
Jesus Appears in a Dream at the “Jacob’s Ladder”: Jacob dreams of a ladder to heaven. In the dream, the LORD stood above the ladder and spoke with Abraham. We believe the angels to be a literal appearing in the dream, so should we take the LORD as a literal appearing of Jesus who is the LORD. Hosea also agrees. |
12He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.16Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 1Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” “Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; He wept and sought His favor. He found Him at Bethel And there He spoke with us, 5Even the Lord, the God of hosts, The Lord is His name” (Hosea 12:4-5). |
|
Genesis 32:24-30 |
Jesus wrestles with Jacob: Jacob sees God’s face and wrestles with Him. We know that God does not appear save in Christ. Here the Lord takes on physical strength before taking on a human body. Just as He has taken on other human functions in His appearances. |
26Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” 29Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. 30So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” |
|
Exodus 3:2-6; 23:20-22
|
Jesus meets Moses: The Angel of the Lord appears in a blazing bush. Our Lord, Jesus is speaking to Moses from the flame of fire. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses hides his face for he is afraid to look at God. Angel of the Lord = God (Jesus) |
2The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 3So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” 4When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
|
|
Exodus 23:20-22 |
Jesus goes with Israel in the Wilderness: Here we have a reference to Jesus as the Angel of the Lord following the children of Israel throughout their entire wanderings. Jesus deity in the Angel of the Lord is placed in these words: “My name is in Him.” This may have been what Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians 10:4 |
“Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21“Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. 22“But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23“For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. “And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4).
|
|
Exodus 24:9 |
Jesus eats with the Elders: Following the Initiation of Israel into the Covenant with blood, Moses and 73 others see the God of Israel. It appears that God provided a banquet to eat and drink with them in the mountain. From there, Moses continued to hear directly from the Lord and the elders returned to the people. (To commit idolatry!) |
“Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. 11Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank. 12Now the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.” 13So Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14But to the elders he said, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal matter, let him approach them.”
|
|
Numbers 22:35-38 |
Jesus appears to Balaam: Many may consider this just the Angel of the Lord. And yet, the Angel states – say only the Words I give you, and Balaam says I can only say the Words God gives me. So this too appears to be a Christophany. |
24Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck her again. 26The angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left. 35But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you shall speak only the word which I tell you.” So Balaam went along with the leaders of Balak. 36When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on the Arnon border, at the extreme end of the border. 37Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not urgently send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I really unable to honor you?” 38So Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come now to you! Am I able to speak anything at all? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I shall speak.”
|
|
Joshua 5:13 |
Jesus appears to Joshua: A man is standing. He is the captain of the hosts of the LORD. This captain states that the ground on which he is standing is holy ground. This is a mirror calling to Moses at the burning bush where Moses is speaking with the LORD. |
13Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” 14He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” 15The captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
|
|
Judges 2:1-5 |
Jesus gives Israel the sad news of the broken covenant: The Angel of the LORD states that He brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and they have disobeyed the covenant between Him and them. |
1Now the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, 2and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done? 3“Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.’ ”4When the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5So they named that place Bochim; and there they sacrificed to the Lord.
|
|
Judges 6:11-14 |
Jesus appears to Gideon: The Angel of the Lord speaks as the LORD, but also I verse 14 as the conversation continues, the LORD looks at Gideon showing that the Angel of the LORD is equal to the LORD. |
11Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. 12The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” 13Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14The Lord looked at him and said, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?”
|
|
Judges 13:3-23 |
Jesus appears to Sampson’s Parents: The Angel of the Lord appears and they know they have seen God. The Angel of the Lord replies to her, “I Am.” He also states that His name is wonderful. |
3Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. 11Then Manoah arose and followed his wife, and when he came to the man he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to the woman?” And he said, “I am.” 17Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that when your words come to pass, we may honor you?” 18But the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” 22So Manoah said to his wife, “We will surely die, for we have seen God.” 23But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have let us hear things like this at this time.”
|
|
Daniel 3:24-26 |
Jesus walks with Shadrach Meshach and Abednego: The fourth one in the middle of the fire is one who like a son of the gods. This reference is not definitely Christ, but is a good assumption considering all the texts above (See also Isaiah 43:2). |
24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.” 25He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” 26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire. |
|
Isaiah 6:1-6 |
Isaiah sees Jesus at the right hand of God. This appearance is repeated in both Ezekiel and Revelation 4:2. Also most convincingly, reading the Spirit’s interpretation of this text from John 12:42 shows that these appearances (even though this is in a vision) are not merely anthropomorphisms. They are appearances of Jesus as the Second Person of the Godhead clearly declaring Who God is. |
1In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” 4And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” 6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” |
|
Ezekiel 1:26-28 |
Similar to Isaiah above. Here Christ is not coming down from above, but others are seeing Christ before He is born. And what a sight! |
26Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. 27Then I noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. 28As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.
|
|
Zechariah 3 |
Zechariah has a vision where the Angel of the Lord purifies his iniquity. |
1Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” 3Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. 4He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.” 5Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the Lord was standing by. 6And the angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, 7“Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘If you will walk in My ways and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here. 8‘Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch. 9‘For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 10‘In that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’ ” |
|
Perhaps Also |
||
|
Exodus 14:19
|
With the Pillar and Fire that went with Israel |
|
|
2 Chronicles 32:21 |
The destroying Angel. |
|
Comments
Post a Comment