See the Future in the Past

If you read the Bible, you know Jesus said the Old Testament is about Him. Sometimes He is hard to find. Unlike “Where’s Waldo,” there is no striped hat or shirt with which to spot Him.

The books of the prophets are quite amazing, and they contain documentation of the communications between God and humans before the incarnation of Christ. I was reading Habakkuk yesterday, and while it is tough to find Jesus in there, He is there. Here is the scripture found in Habakkuk 3:16-19:

I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones;

my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon

people who invade us.

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail

and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my

strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.

Within this text lies the foretelling of Christ. First, Habakkuk writes, “Yet I will quietly wait

for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us.” Habakkuk, in this prayer, is writing of the day when the Messiah arrives. The day of trouble is the day and time of Christ. Remember, these were times of trouble for the people of Israel. They craved the Savior foretold to them. The need for our Savior applies to us here in this time and place. While there are wars and rumors of wars and turmoil within our society. We, too, are quietly waiting for the return of Christ as he promised us.

Next, “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the

olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd

in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD.” In this passage, Habakkuk is praying and acknowledges that although everything may fail around him, he rejoices that the Lord is his salvation. We now know that in the day of Christ, all things are made right for those who have faith in Him.

Lastly, “I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength.” In the times of Habakkuk, salvation came through keeping the law. While Christ lived, the incarnation had not yet happened, and the sacrificial system was still in place. Habakkuk writes that salvation comes through God. It is not through the keeping of the law or sacrifices. Our strength in life comes through Christ. We are brought to Christ through His sacrifice, rejoined to God by His blood. Because of our relationship with Christ, we have escaped the prospect of hell. We have this assurance through Christ.

The Old Testament is about Jesus; you must look for Him. Thank you, God, for sending us your son as the pinnacle of your plan of redemption. Thank you, Jesus, for loving your people and sacrificing yourself in death. Your resurrection unlocked the door to heaven for your faithful. Praise to you, Lord, Jesus Christ.