Genesis 3:15
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.

This verse is the first promise in the Bible of the coming Savior or Messiah. In this verse, God promises to send a Seed, a Son, from the woman who will kill the serpent. God goes on to promise that this Son will rule according to what God says is good, unlike Adam who did what was good in his own eyes.

Genesis 5:29
29 Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.”

Because Adam did what was good in his own eyes rather than listen to the word of the LORD, God placed curses on mankind and all the earth. Lamech, remembering the promise God made to send a Son, was looking for a Son to come forth and reverse the curses and establish rest from the curses. Lamech hoped his son would be this special Son, the Messiah, so he named him Noah, which means “rest.” Noah later proves he isn’t the Messiah, so the story continues to look for the Seed to come to reverse the curses and establish rest for mankind.

Genesis 12:2-3, 22:17-18
17 I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

God told Abram that he and his wife Sarai would have many descendants (seed). And those descendants would have many children...so many they would be like stars in the heavens. This group of people would become the nation of Israel, and through the nation of Israel, God would send the one promised Seed (Son), the Messiah who would overcome the enemy (the serpent) and bless all the nations.

Genesis 49:10
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, or the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

God had promised Abraham (formerly known as Abram) that all the world would be blessed through him because the Messiah would come through his family line. This promise was passed from Abraham to his son Isaac, and from Isaac to his son Jacob. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel and his 12 sons became the 12 tribes of Israel and Jacob’s fourth son, Judah, became the carrier of the promise. What does it mean that “The scepter shall not depart from Judah”? (A scepter is a royal wand of a king. It means that the right to rule will stay in Judah’s line until the Messiah appears and He will be King forever).

Genesis 49:24
24 But his bow remained firm, and his arms were agile, from the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel).

Since the first promise of Messiah was made in Genesis 3:15, there have been people in the story who have trusted in the promise, and others who have rejected it and joined the serpent’s team. Many of those who trusted in God’s promise were shepherds because they were raising sheep to sacrifice and call upon the name of the LORD. Abel was the first shepherd. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all of Jacob’s sons were shepherds, too. All these shepherds were looking for the promised Messiah who would come and Shepherd the people of Israel (not their sheep) and lead them to eternal life in the land, where they could be a blessing to all nations.

Exodus 12:21-22
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. 22 You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.”

The LORD told Adam and Eve that they would die on the day that they sinned against Him. But the LORD showed His character of mercy to them by killing an innocent animal in their place as a covering for them. Since then, those who trust in God’s promise sacrificed lambs to the LORD in faith while they waited for the Messiah who would, like the lamb, die in their place. In Exodus, the nation of Israel (Jacob’s descendants) was enslaved down in Egypt for over 400 years, but the LORD delivered them out through the blood of the Passover Lamb. After this, celebrating the Passover became a yearly feast for Israel to both remember how the LORD had rescued them from the bondage in Egypt and to prepare them to recognize the Messiah as the ultimate Passover Lamb sent from God to rescue all who would believe in Him.

Deuteronomy 16:18-20
18 You shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your towns which the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

In the Old Testament, the LORD set up the office of judge within Israel to ensure that the people would treat each other according to what is good in God’s eyes. The judges of the Old Testament, however, failed to judge rightly, and instead, they took bribes and mistreated the people, doing only what was good in their own eyes and causing the people to do the same. The story is looking for the Great Judge, the Messiah, who will not distort justice but will judge perfectly according to what is good in God’s eyes.

Deuteronomy 21:5
5 Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for the Lord your God has chosen them to serve Him and to bless in the name of the Lord; and every dispute and every assault shall be settled by them.

Aaron, the brother of Moses, and his descendants after him were appointed to serve as priests between the LORD and Israel. A priest’s job was to be the mediator or go-between for the LORD and the people. The priests were to teach the people what is good in God’s eyes, pray for the people before God, and offer sacrifices on behalf of themselves and all the people of Israel. However, just like the judges, the priests of the Old Testament only did what was good in their own eyes. The story is looking for the Ultimate Priest, the Messiah, who will do what is good in God’s eyes and mediate between the LORD and the people forever with the ultimate sacrifice—Himself!

Deuteronomy 17:14-15
14 When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, “I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,” 15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman.

From the beginning, God’s desire was for man to rule on His behalf, but man failed. After God made the promise to send the Messiah in Genesis 3:15, the story began to look for the man (the Seed) coming from the woman who would rule. God set kings over the nation of Israel to rule righteously over His people. The kings of Israel were not to be like the kings of the other nations who were cruel to their subjects. The kings of Israel were to represent the LORD and rule with justice and mercy. However, the kings of the Old Testament did what was good in their own eyes. The story looks for the perfect King of all kings, the Messiah, who will do what is good in God’s eyes and whose reign will never end.

Deuteronomy 18:18-19
18 I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.

Prophets were sent to the nation of Israel to reveal the word of the LORD to them. In other words, a prophet spoke on behalf of God to His people. Moses was the greatest prophet of the Old Testament who uniquely spoke to the LORD face- to-face, and therefore the words of each prophet following Moses had to match the words of Moses. The story is looking for a Prophet to come, the Messiah, who is even greater than Moses.

Psalm 18:1-2
1 I love You, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

Throughout Israel’s journey in the Bible, a Rock has been present. Jacob anointed a rock where he saw a vision of the Messiah. A special Rock provided water for Israel in the wilderness. The Rock of the LORD’s salvation was promised to shelter and protect Israel from their enemies. This Rock is the Messiah who will be anointed, will provide Israel with living water (eternal life), and will ultimately protect Israel from their enemies by crushing the serpent and his followers.

2 Samuel 7:12-13
12 When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and
I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

The LORD’s promised Messiah would be a perfect King who would rule forever according to what is good and right in God’s eyes. As the LORD began to give kings to Israel, David, a man after God’s own heart, was chosen to be king of Israel. Though David was not the Messiah because he did what was good in his own eyes, he was a man of great faith and the LORD chose to make a covenant with David. This covenant was the LORD’s promise to David that the great Messiah King would come from David’s line (seed) and would rule forever on David’s throne in Jerusalem. The story now keeps a close eye on David’s descendants as it looks for the coming Messiah.

Psalm 2:1-6
1 Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying,
3 “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

The kings of Israel were anointed with oil to set them apart as king. The word meaning “anointed” in Hebrew is where we get the word “Messiah,” and in Greek, “Christ.” Psalm 2 is one of the early passages in the Old Testament to identify the promised Seed/Son from Genesis 3:15 as the “Messiah” or “Anointed One.” In Psalm 2, the Messiah is the Son of God, the Great King who will destroy His enemies in the day of His wrath.

Psalm 16:8-10
8 I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely. 10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

The LORD promised king David that the great Messiah King would come from David’s line and rule forever from Jerusalem on David’s throne. In Psalm 16, David reflects on the coming of his future Son and prophesies about the Messiah’s death and resurrection. Because the LORD will not abandon the Messiah to the grave but instead will raise Him from the dead, David has confidence that the LORD will also raise from the dead all who believe in the Messiah.

Psalm 22:16-18
16 A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; 18 They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.

In Psalm 22, just as he did in Psalm 16, David reflects on the coming of his future Son, the Messiah, who would sit on David’s throne forever. In this Psalm, David prophesies what kind of death the Messiah would experience. The Messiah’s death would be so that it appeared the LORD had forsaken Him—His hands and feet would be pierced and His garments would be divided up by lots to His attackers. However, the LORD will hear Him and will not forsake Him, just as we read yesterday in Psalm 16.

Psalm 110:1-5
1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” 2 The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” 3 Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; in holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew. 4 The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” 5 The Lord is at Your right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath.

Psalm 110 is another reflection from David about the coming of his future Son, the Messiah. David prophesies about the future ministry of the Messiah who will sit at the right hand of God the Father and make intercession between God and His people. The Messiah will serve as a priest in this way until the Father tells Him to stand up and to come judge His enemies. This is the same judgment we read about in Psalm 2 (Day 13).

Micah 5:2
2 But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.

Micah was a prophet who wrote to Israel. Micah prophesied that the Messiah, the promised ruler (Day 9) and Shepherd of Israel (Day 5), would be born in Bethlehem, a small town in the land of Judah (Day 4), where king David was born.

Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel
Isaiah 9:6
6Forachildwillbeborntous,asonwillbegiventous;andthe government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah was a prophet who wrote to Israel to point out that their kings, the descendants of David, were evil, doing only what was good in their own eyes. Through Isaiah, the LORD promised to cut off the line of the evil kings by sending a new King, the Messiah, who would still be a son of David (Day 12), but would be born of a virgin woman in order to ensure that none of the evil kings would have a part in bringing forth the Messiah. Messiah’s name will be “Immanuel,” meaning “God is with us.”

Isaiah 35:4-6
4 Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forthinthewildernessandstreamsin theArabah.

Because of the sins of Israel and their kings (Day 18), the prophet Isaiah was given the job of making the nation spiritually blind, deaf, and lame—blind so that they could not see the work of the LORD, deaf so that they could not hear the word of the LORD, and lame so that they could not return to the LORD. Israel would remain spiritually blind, deaf, and lame until the time their discipline was complete and the evil was purged from among them. Isaiah prophesied that it would be the Messiah, Immanuel, who would come and heal Israel’s blindness, deafness, and lameness. Israel would then return to the LORD, be blessed by the LORD, and become a blessing to all the nations (Day 3).

Isaiah 53:5-6
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.

Isaiah continued to prophesy about the coming Messiah, Immanuel, who would come and heal His people so that they would serve the LORD in being a light to the nations. Here in Isaiah’s book, he prophesies that Immanuel, the suffering Servant of the LORD, would take the sins of His people upon himself and would mercifully and graciously die in their place like a lamb (Day 6). Though He would be innocent, He would take the punishment that Israel deserved.

Zechariah 9:9
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The prophet Zechariah wrote to Israel and prophesied about the coming of the Messiah, the King of Israel, who would bring peace to Israel by judging Israel’s enemies. In Zechariah 9:9, Zechariah prophesies that the great Messiah King, who will bring salvation, will arrive in Jerusalem humble and mounted on a donkey.

Zechariah 11:12-13
12 I said to them, “If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never mind!” So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. 13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord.

As Zechariah continued to predict the coming
of the great Messiah King, the great Shepherd of Israel, Zechariah prophesied that the Messiah would be betrayed for just 30 pieces of silver at the hand of a worthless shepherd.

Zechariah 14:9
9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.

Zechariah prophesied that the great Messiah King would return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem
to fight against the nations who have come against Jerusalem to wipe out Israel (just like in Psalm 2 on Day 13). Zechariah predicted that the Messiah would be victorious over the nations in that day and would make Jerusalem the center for His rule over the whole earth.

Luke 2:1-20
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of years after the promises and prophesies of the Messiah were made, a child named Jesus (meaning “the LORD saves”) was born in Bethlehem. Who is this child?

John 1
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The apostle John testified that this Jesus is the Word made flesh. In other words, it is like the words and expectations of the Old Testament prophets jumped off the page and became a person. Everything the Old Testament anticipated about the Messiah, everything we have seen in the past 23 days, is fulfilled in this one man, Jesus!