Vandertuin 1

Mikala Vandertuin

Mr. Bryant

Old Testament Survey A

08, May 2024

The Gospel Dawning Essay

The Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, lays the foundation for God’s ultimate

plan to redeem humanity through Christ. This plan unfolds in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,

Numbers, and Deuteronomy, and how these books foreshadow Christ’s life, death, and

resurrection. The Pentateuch is known as the foundational books of the Bible. It shows God’s

plan for humanity’s redemption through Christ while foreshadowing His life, death and

resurrection through His promises, historical events, and the prophetic symbols.

In Genesis, God is beginning to unfold His redemptive promises. Beginning with Genesis

3:15, God promises that the seed of the woman will crush the serpent’s head. Furthering God’s

promises, God makes a covenant with Abraham to continue the “seed” (NIV, Genesis 12, 15 and

17). Through Abraham’s descendants, God will make them as numerous as the stars, and through

Him, bless the nations. This seed is none other than Jesus Christ. This promise is fulfilled in

Jesus Christ, the ultimate descendant of Abraham, who brings blessing to all nations through the

gospel (Matt. 1:1; Gal. 3:8). The hope this promised seed offers the world is salvation from sin

and death, a theme that is echoed throughout the New Testament (Romans 5:12-21). Abraham is

the seed who is faithful to God and therefore God will bless him and his descendants.
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Continuing on with God’s plan, Exodus foreshadows Christ’s sacrificial death through

the Passover. In the Passover of Exodus 11-12, God saved His descendants by “taking a lamb…

And some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and lintel…”signifying God’s redeeming

plan (Exodus 12:1-7ff). The lamb saved the Israelites from the angel of death. Likewise the

blood of Christ, our Passover Lamb, saves us from eternal death by “purging out the old leaven,

that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover,

was sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7).

In Leviticus God gives instruction on the animals' blood for the atonement of our sins.

God gives us the chance to make an atonement by “the life of a creature is in the blood, and it is

the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (Leviticus 17:11). This foreshadows the atoning

work of Christ, whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:28). Matthew

26:28 states “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission

of sins (Matthew 26:28). Jesus begins a new covenant with us. He spills His blood, offers up His

body, and gives His life to cover our sins and offer us grace. He asks us to accept His sacrifice

and trust that it pays our spiritual debt and makes us holy.

Even though God is punishing His rebellious people He will also care for and fulfill His

promises. In Numbers, those who looked at the bronze serpent were healed from the deadly

snake bites (Numbers 21:4-9). Jesus refers to this event in John, explaining that just as “Moses

lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever

believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). The story of how Moses

lifted up the serpent in the wilderness is a picture of how all who believe in Jesus are saved from

sin and death.

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In Deuteronomy, God is teaching His people to be obedient while faith is nothing without

obedience. Moses prophesied that God will raise up a prophet like him from among their

brothers (Deuteronomy 18:15-22). This prophet is Jesus Christ, who, like Moses, mediates a

covenant between God and His people (Acts 3:22-23). Acts 3:22-23 states “For Moses truly said

to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren.

Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who

will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people”. God wanted His

people to obey Him and for them to separate from anyone else.

Pentateuch unfolds God’s ultimate plan to redeem humanity through Christ. From the

promise of the seed in Genesis, to the prophecy of the coming prophet in Deuteronomy, every

book points forward to Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, providing a firm foundation for the

gospel message that is fully revealed in the New Testament. There are many connections from

the Old Testament to the New Testament to show the truth of the Bible. It shows God has a plan

and purpose. The connection between the Old and New Testament shows how merciful and

loving God is. He is still a loving and merciful God who is just in the unjust world.
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Works Cited

Bible Gateway. Harper Collins Christian Publishing, Inc. , 1933,

https://www.biblegateway.com/, Accessed 9 May 2024.

BRODERICK, DAVID. “Deuteronomy in the New Testament.” The Christ-Centered

Life, DAVID BRODERICK, 13 Jan. 2022,

thechrist-centeredlife.com/resources/thought/deuteronomy-new-testament/

#:~:text=One%20direct%20promise%20of%20Deuteronomy,Moses%20speaking

%20to%20the%20Israelites.

Companion, Bible Reading. “Exodus 11 & Exodus 12.” Closer Day By Day, Ruth Chou

Simons , 29 Apr. 2010, closerdaybyday.org/exodus-11-exodus-12/.

Maddox, Micah. “33 Bible Verses about Numbers & Numerical Meanings.” Bible Study

Tools, Bible Study Tools Staff , 1 Jan. 2019, www.biblestudytools.com/topical-

verses/bible-verses-about-numbers/.

Pounds, Wil. “Abide In Christ .” Leviticus 17:11 Blood of Atonement, NavPress, 1864,

www.abideinchrist.com/messages/lev17v11.html.

Turpin, Simon. “10 New Testament Texts on Genesis 1–11.” Answers in Genesis, Ken

Ham , 7 Nov. 2020, answersingenesis.org/genesis/10-new-testament-texts-genesis-

1-11/.