In many and various ways God spoke to his people of old by the prophets, but now in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.
I love that quote in the Scriptures and in the order of Morning Prayer. In the last devotion I read from Yancey’s book he speaks about the power of looking back to the Old Testament. Many people have found affirmation in their faith by looking at the ways the prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled. In the NT we see Paul and others evangelizing on this basis. And Jesus himself often quoted from the Old Testament to define his mission.
Sometimes we lose that connection today. We see the Old Testament as a nice piece with some great character stories- Abraham, Jacob, Moses, etc. We’ll see some predictions about Jesus. And then we leave it behind. But think of all the grace in the Old Testament. Think of God’s choosing of Abraham. Taking a man who was likely an idol worshipper and through no merit of his own, saying, I am going to make you into a nation of believers. Think of the elaborate sacricial system that God installed, not for his own pleasure, but to help the people understand the idea of atonement, that God forgave them. Think of the Red Sea or think of God’s mercy on Ninevah. Throughout the Old Testament there are great stories of God’s grace.
But then think about how it all has to point forward to Jesus. As great as these stories are, they’re not complete. And they can only scratch the surface of that grace shown in Jesus. With God, time is kind of a relative thing. And so as we look backward, as we look at the stories of the Old Testament we see God’s grace and power, but we also see how much more powerful they are when the cross breaks across time and fulfills the past promises and stories of the Old Testament. The bloody sacrifices on the altar now find a once and for all lamb. The people serving a good king, then a bad one, then a mildly good one, now serve the heavenly king. Everything the people were yearning for in the Old now finds fulfillment in Jesus.
And we, we get to live in the light of the cross as it pulses forward. You see, the cross doesn’t just reach backwards, it pushes forward too. And it pulls with it all those stories of the Old, which we see in the light of the cross. And as you look at the world surrounding you, take a lesson, and occasionally look backward in your life as well. See how the cross has affected stories in your life. See where God has fulfilled his promises. And then hold on to those stories of your past as you walk forward into the future.
