Prophecies About a Savior

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT PROPHECY, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of an exciting movie where the protagonist unwittingly stumbles into a perplexing set of events that trace back to some weird and ancient prophecy. Or maybe you think of a roadside psychic whose sign claims she can tell you about your future in love, business, and life (for a mere five dollars). Or maybe you think of a religious extremist who predicts the world's end in a new book and speaking tour.

Whatever you think about prophecy, it's important to understand that the Bible takes it very seriously and contains lots of it. There are seventeen prophetic books in the Old Testament; five longer ones (the "major" prophets, Isaiah through Daniel) and twelve shorter ones (the "minor" prophet, Hosea through Malachi).

So what exactly is biblical prophecy? At its heart, it's about proclaiming God's truth in a particular situation (forth-telling). Over the years, God's people (the Israelites) developed very sinful habits, like idolatry, corruption, and oppressing the poor. The prophets forcefully articulated God's standards and how he wanted his people to live.

Another aspect of biblical prophecy involves predicting God's plan for the future (foretelling). In the Old Testament, one of the most common themes of the prophetic books was a coming day of judgment, "the day of the Lord." Many prophets warned God's people that their idolatry and sin would eventually bring punishment. These prophecies came true when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took God's people into exile in 586 B.C.

Of course, the most important feature of biblical prophecy is that whether it involved forth-telling or foretelling, it was not just the words and thoughts of a man. As the apostle Peter said, "For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). A prophet was someone who spoke for God.

Another important feature of Old Testament prophecy will be the focus of our next five readings–it frequently predicted the coming of the Messiah, who would bring God's salvation to earth. We'll start by examining the first hint we get of this theme in the book of Genesis. We'll then read a few of the hundreds of specific predictions about this Anointed One scattered throughout the prophetic books. By the time we complete this section, there will be no mystery–Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled every prophecy about the coming Messiah.

Chosen People

PRAY: Heavenly Father, I ask that you make my mind sharp and my heart open as I look into your Word today.

READ: Genesis 12:1-9

REFLECT: The Bible got off to a great start; God created a perfect world, and Adam and Eve had a perfect life, but sin changed all that. Human beings quickly find themselves separated from God and trapped in a wicked world spiraling out of control (Genesis 6:5). It Sounds like today, but that's what makes Genesis 12:1-9 so significant; it marks a new beginning in God's dealings with humankind.

We don't get much background on Abram. All we know is that when he was seventy-five years old (v. 4), God told him to "leave" everything and "go" to an unknown land (v. 1). Regardless of your age, could you let go of everything to follow God's call? This willingness to abandon himself to God made Abram one of the greatest examples of faith in the Bible (Genesis 15:6).

The call of Abram was no random act of unkindness. God was putting in motion an incredible plan to reverse sin's effects and give humans a way to have close fellowship with him once again. At this point, God only summarizes what he had in mind (Genesis 12:2-3). His plan of salvation would take thousands of years to unfold fully.

The plan had two major components. The first was to create "a great nation" (v. 2) from Abram's family, who would eventually become the Israelites. It was to these people that God uniquely revealed himself over the centuries. He did it through various incredible experiences, miracles, the Ten Commandments, and the law. Through it all, the people began understanding who God was and how he wanted them to live. The second part of the plan was to "bless... all peoples on earth" (v. 3) through his chosen people. It would take thousands of years and a lot of pain and suffering, but the great blessing was Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

At this point, Abram had no idea what God had in mind. All he knew was that God said "go," so he did. It's amazing what God can accomplish through one person who is willing to trust and obey him.

APPLY: What things hold you back from wholeheartedly following God? In what area of your life do you feel God is asking you to trust him more?

PRAY: Lord, I don't want to follow you out of a sense of guilt or duty, but I want to develop a greater trust in you and your purposes for me.