Key OT Teachings

[GWH]

In Matt. 19:4-9 Jesus alluded to God's definition of marriage in Gen. 2:24 and in Matt. 19:18-19 to the moral commandments in Exo. 20:12-16 plus Lev. 19:18, all of which are already included in the list, but it should be noted what commandment was NOT cited by Jesus: the Sabbath Law (Exo. 20:8-11). In Matt. 21:4-5 a passage is cited that is not in our list, Zech. 9:9, so it will be added.

Zech. 9:9. "O Daughter of Zion, your king comes to you righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey...
He will proclaim peace to the nations; His rule will extend from sea to sea."

It is interesting that where this prophecy is cited in Matt. 21:4-5, the phrases "righteous and having salvation"
and "He will proclaim peace to the nations" are omitted, which seems odd given their apparent significance,
which Paul stressed in Rom. 3:21-5:1 and Eph. 2:11-18.

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 21:13 Jesus cited Isa. 56:7b and alluded to Jer. 7:11, so these will be added:

Isa. 56:7b. "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."

The preceding verses in Isa. 56 say that foreigners who love the Lord and obey His covenant will be accepted, given an everlasting name (Phil. 2:9-11) and not cut off (cf. Rom. 11:11-24), whereas Jer. 7:11 condemns Jews who do not repent of sinning and making the Lord's house a den of robbers. These passages were cited by Jesus in Matt. 21:13, although he did not include the reference to all nations.

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 21:16 Jesus cited Psa. 8:2a as justification for children in the temple area shouting "Hosanna to the Son of David",
referring to himself, so it will be added.

Psa. 8:2a. "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise."

This verse is cited by Jesus in Matt. 21:16 in reply to the chief priests and teachers of the law being upset by children in the temple area shouting "Hosanna to the Son of David!" The verse refers to very young and therefore innocent children praising God, which would be by shouting "hallelujah", meaning "praise the Lord", whereas "hosanna" means "O Lord, save us", as in Psa. 118:25.

However, the children in Matt. 21:15 apparently were echoing what their parents shouted as Jesus entered Jerusalem in Matt. 21:9, "Hosanna to the Son of David!", which was an appellation for Messiah/Christ, as in Matt. 22:41-42 (cf. Matt. 12:23). In Matt. 22:43 Jesus identified Messiah as the Lord (cf. Luke 2:11).

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 21:42 Jesus cited Psa. 118:22-23 as justification for God transferring His kingdom from the Jews who reject Jesus as Messiah to people who will accept Him and produce spiritual fruit. Thus, this passage will be added:

Psa. 118:22-23. "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes."
Verse 22 is also quoted in Acts 4:11, saying that salvation is founded in no one else. Isa. 28:16 refers to the Lord's stone as the cornerstone for a sure foundation (which Peter cited in 1Pet. 2:6) but also says in Isa. 8:14 that it is a rock that causes men to stumble, (which Paul cited in Rom. 9:32).

It is tragic that the one God has ordained to be the keystone (cf. Eph. 1:9-10 & 3:6, Col. 1:18-20, Phil. 2:9-11) is rejected by many who claim to be theists, and it is ironic that this gemstone, which is the foundation and cornerstone of ultimate reality (Eph. 2:20), is the stumbling-stone (1Pet. 2:7-8) to saving faith for many souls (1Cor. 1:22-25).

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 21:29-32 Jesus cited Exo. 3:6 as evidence of the resurrection, so it will be added.

Exo. 3:6. "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Jesus cited this verse as evidence of the resurrection, indicating the power of God to make people be like angels in heaven (Matt. 21:29-32).

 

[GWH]

Oops! The previous NT passage should have been Matt. 22:29-32.

In Matt. 22:37-40 Jesus cited Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18, and in 22:44 he cited Psa. 110:1, which are already listed as key OT passages.
In Matt. 23:39 Jesus cited Psa. 118:26a, which was not yet included, but we add it now.

Psa. 118:26a. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Jesus cited this verse (in Matt. 23:39) as referring to the coming/advent of Messiah, which connects with Psa. 118:22&24 as context that must also have Messianic meaning.

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 24:15 Jesus cited Dan. 9:27, 11:31, 12:11, so these will be added to the key OT teachings.

Dan. 11:31b = 12:11b. (The army of the king of the North per v. 28 & 31a will set up) "the abomination that causes desolation."

This phrase was quoted by Jesus in Matt. 24:15 as being a sign of his coming again (Parousia) at the end of the age (Matt. 24:3) or Judgment, when the Son of Man will gather his elect (Matt. 24:30-31).

Dan. 9:25-27 says that a decree was issued to restore Jerusalem (presumably by Cyrus of Persia in 538 B.C.), but a ruler's people (army in 11:31) will destroy the city, put an end to sacrifice and offering, and "the one who causes desolation will place abominations on a wing of the temple until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 24:29 Jesus cited Isa. 13:10 (cf. Isa. 34:4), which was not in the list and will be added.

Isa. 13:10. "The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light" (cf. Isa. 34:4) This passage is cited in a different order by Jesus in Matt. 24:29: "The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken."

Jesus said this would occur after the distress presaging his coming at the end of world history and before he will appear in the clouds with angels to gather his elect from the entire world. However, no one knows ahead of time when that will happen, so the faithful and wise servants will be ready by behaving in accordance with the loving will of the Lord all of the time.

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 26:2 Jesus said the Son of Man will be crucified on the Passover, described in Exo. 12 & 13, which will be added to the list of key OT teachings:

Exo. 12:1-11,23,43-51, 13:3-16. The Passover was instituted by Moses (in Exo. 12:1-11,23,43-51, 13:3-16 for the purpose of commemorating the night that the Lord killed every firstborn Egyptian person, which was the 10th plague that prompted Pharaoh finally to let the Israelites leave the country with plunder after having been there for 430 years.

In Matt. 26:2 Jesus said the Son of Man would be crucified on the Passover, which apparently occurred on a Friday that year (per Matt. 28:1). Christ's crucifixion fulfilled the purpose of the Passover (per Rom. 3:21-5:1) and was commemorated by the Lord's Supper (Matt. 26:26-28, 1Cor. 11:23-26). His resurrection (Matt. 26:32, 28:6) on the following first day of the week (Matt. 28:1) instituted the commemoration of Easter on Sunday, celebrated by believers ridding their lives of the yeast of sin (1Cor. 5:7-8) and witnessing for the Lord until He returns on Judgment Day (Matt. 28:18-20, 25:31-46).

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 26:24 Jesus predicted being betrayed by a friend as is is written, apparently referring to Psalm 41:9,
which is already included in the list of key OT teachings, so we go on to Matt. 26:31, which quotes Zech. 13:7b,
which was not listed yet, so we will add it now:

Zech. 13:7b. "...Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered...". This partial verse is cited by Jesus in Matt. 26:31 as referring to himself. Jesus added "I/God" will strike the shepherd, apparently because the first part of it said, "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!" declares the Lord Almighty. This seems to imply that the death of Messiah was God's will, which makes one wonder whether Judas will wind up in heaven.

 

[GWH]

Mal. 3:1. This prophesies the coming of “the messenger of the covenant”, who Jesus said (in Matt. 11:10) was John the Baptist.

Mal. 3:5. This verse condemns those who commit adultery, perjury and defraud or oppress the poor including workers, widows, orphans and foreigners.

 

[GWH]

In Matt. 27:9-10 Matthew cites Zech. 11:12-13 (cf. Jer. 32:6-9), in which a shepherd is paid thirty pieces of silver that he "threw into the temple" or gave to the Lord, the potter (cf. Rom. 9:21). Because Matthew connected the Zechariah passage with Judas and the potter's field purchased by the priests with the money Judas threw into the temple, it will be added to the key OT teachings.

Zech. 11:12-13. This passage is cited in Matt. 27:9-10 because it refers to a shepherd being paid thirty pieces of silver, which he "threw into the temple" or gave to the Lord, “the potter” (cf. Rom. 9:21). That incident resembles Judas throwing into the temple the thirty pieces of silver he was paid for betraying Jesus, which was used by the priests to purchase “the potter's field”.

 

[GWH]

Mal. 3:8. This verse condemns those who defraud God by withholding tithes and offerings for ministry and charity.

A tithe or 10% should be viewed as a fair share or guideline rather than a legalistic requirement, because Paul said in 2Cor. 9:7, “God loves a cheerful giver”, which applies to all aspects of our service. The proper attitude is that everything we have is God’s, so we should be good stewards and manifest His love by the way we share our blessings with others. As Paul says (in 2Cor. 8:13), God’s desire is not that others might be relieved while we are hard pressed, but that there might be equality, and Eph. 4:28 teaches that we should work to earn a living so that we will have something to share with those in need.

 

[GWH]

A song based on Genesis 1:

Master Designer

1. Cotton candy clouds, so fluffy and white,
who put you there in a sky of deep blue?
Or do you just happen to float along,
pretty and white in a sky so blue, so blue, sky so blue?

2. Tall mountain, deep valley, fast river, cool stream,
show grandeur and majesty in some grand scheme.
All of these wonders that we behold
are only a part; it cannot be told, be told, cannot be told.

3. Master Designer, whoever You are,
all of this beauty both near and far
can’t just have happened; the odds are too great:
There must be a plan; we’re not left to fate, to fate, not left to fate.

4. All of this beauty is far too convincing,
Master Designer, Your Word must be true!
Of all Your creations man is the dearest;
help me to simply believe now in You, in You, believe in You.

 

[GWH]

Gen. 1:1-3. “God created the heavens and the earth” by saying “Let there be…”, so the supernatural world manifests the Word of God in an impersonal way. As Paul taught in Rom. 1:20, “Since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” And John says in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh [human] and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The scientific “big bang” theory regarding the origin of the universe is quite compatible with the biblical story, theorizing that just before the expansion all matter in the universe was compressed into a “singularity” of energy or “light”. However, the point of Genesis is not how the world was created or how long it took, but who created it and why. It is concerned with metaphysics rather than mere physics. There is no reason to believe that the “days” in Genesis 1 must refer to 24 hour periods, because 2Pet. 2:8 says “With the Lord a day is like a thousand [or a billion] years”, so it is permissible to believe God created the world using whatever methods taking however long scientific data seem to support.

Gen. 1:27. God created man in his own image, male and female. Here we have the equality of the sexes expressed 3,000 years ago, because the word “image” obviously refers to God’s personality rather than to sexuality. Essential equality is confirmed in Gen. 2:22 by Eve’s creation from Adam’s rib or side to be his partner rather than from his foot to be his slave.

Although all of Jesus’ twelve apostles were male, many of his disciples were female, and Paul wrote (in Gal. 3:38), “There is neither… male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In Eph. 5:21, Paul added “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Again, current scientific theory based on genetic research is that humanity descended from one couple in Africa about 50,000 years ago, which is compatible with the biblical story of Adam and Eve, which has two accounts, neither of which is meant to be scientific or historical (explaining how and when), but rather theological and moral (God is Creator and people are sinners).

 

[GWH]

Gen. 2:24. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” indicates that marriage is a spiritual union of one man and one wife, not merely a ceremony or legal contract.

Jesus quoted this verse and added “So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” (Matt. 19:4-6) The only relationship in which sexual intercourse is appropriate or moral is marriage; extramarital sex is the sin of fornication, which is akin to the sin of pornography (cf. Gal. 5:19, Rom. 1:27). Also, because divorce is wrong, the only moral option for a married couple is to work to be happy rather than be miserable and become spiritually divorced, and if happiness is not achieved, it would have been better not to marry (cf. Matt. 19:8-10).

>>>TOJ #104: Marriage is a spiritual union until death. [Matt. 19:4-6] The phrase about leaving one’s father and mother means that a man—and a woman—should be ready for marriage by attaining a sufficient degree of independence from their parents, both financial and psychological. They should be prepared to become parents themselves, even if they hope not to have a child for awhile, which means they should be rather spiritually mature, having the same love for each other as Christ has for His bride, the church.

The marital commitment is (or should be, cf. TOJ #109) signified by sexual union or becoming “one flesh” (Gen. 2:24), although it may be proper to fulfill legal and traditional expectations such as licenses and ceremonies for the purpose of avoiding being “a stumbling block to the weak” (1Cor. 8:9), who do not understand the essence of marriage. Obviously, that which must not be separated is the spiritual unity, so the sin of divorce also is a spiritual event and reality before it becomes a legal one. This realization should motivate spouses to work on the quality of their communication before serious problems develop in their relationship. (See TOJ #26.)

 

[GWH]

Gen. 3:4. The serpent contradicted God and thereby tempted Adam and Eve to commit the first sin. In Gen. 2:17, God had told Adam, who presumably told Eve, that they would die if they ate fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but the serpent introduced the option of ungodliness or functional atheism, which they chose together per Gen. 3:6-7.

The first or original sin was not eating physical fruit but rather choosing not to doubt the Devil, not to cooperate with God, and not asking God why the serpent contradicted what He had told them (Matt. 7:7). It is wise to question God in order to learn truth (2Thes. 2:10).

 

[GWH]

Gen. 3:7-13. Adam and Eve tried to cover up their crime, refusing to accept responsibility for their mistakes.

They should have confessed immediately (1John 1:9). Instead their ungodly attitude was manifested by a chain of sins, including their silly attempt to hide from God and to blame someone else--

and very likely “dysfunctional” parenting that probably contributed to the emotional disturbance (anger) in Cain that resulted in the murder of Abel

and so on and so forth through the millenniums, initiating humanity’s sinful history of “King of the Hill” (KOTH) strife.

 

[TMS]

An old testament teaching that is very important to understand salvation is the plan that God gave to Israel.

We do not need to practice these ceremonies and things but they were given to help us see or understand the plan of salvation.

The sanctuary set up was a pattern of heavenly things. The high priest was a pattern of Jesus’s ministry.

We can understand more about the heavenly things by looking at the patterns given by God.

Heb 8:2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
Heb 8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
Heb 9:23-24
23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

 

[GWH]

Isa. 42:18-21. This passage begins by rephrasing Isa. 6:9-10 and then adds that the Lord's Messiah (v.1) would magnify (KJV) his law for the sake of righteousness, which is what Jesus did in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:20).

Jesus defined hateful speech as akin to murder (Matt. 5:21-22), and lust and divorce as akin to adultery (Matt. 5:27-32). He also urged forgiveness of insults and cooperation with minor demands of those in authority when it does not transgress major morality (Matt. 5:38-42, cf. Acts 5:29). Jesus expanded divine love to include even enemies (Matt. 5:43-48, cf. Rom. 5:6-8).