O.T. Shepherds, 1of6

~ Abel: A Sacrificed Shepherd ~

Series Prologue  ~  There are at least five Old Testament shepherds who were clear “types” of Jesus Christ—our shepherd.  A type is like a faint image or shadow of the true item.  In each of these cases we can see parallels to our Great Shepherd. 

Sample Scripture  ~  “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, ‘I have acquired a man from the Lord.’  Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel.  Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.  Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat.  And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering.  And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.  So the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry?  And why has your countenance fallen?  If you do well, will you not be accepted?  And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.  And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.’  Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.  Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel your brother?’  He said, ‘I do not know.  Am I my brother's keeper?’ (Genesis 4:1-9).

“Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.  Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation” (Matthew 23:31-36).

Hints Of The Coming Messiah  ~  First, and foremost we see Abel as a shepherd who gave his life through shed blood.  This was done by his own brother who rejected him.  His brother Cain (a picture of Israel) was banished from his homeland and as a result wandered in other nations.  God in His grace preserved him from his enemies. 

Abel died at the hands of his own brethren.

His brethren were scattered around the world.

His brethren were divinely preserved over the centuries. 

God had marked this nation as a special people of His own.

In a future date the nation will be a special exhibit of God’s grace. 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

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Faith, 9of11

~ 5 Individuals Represent 5 Great Doctrines ~

Adam (creation)  ~  “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3). …

Abel (salvation)  ~  … “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4). ….

Enoch (translation)  ~  … “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5). …

… “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). …

Noah (condemnation)  ~  … “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Hebrews 11:7). …

Abraham (separation)  ~  … “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).

Comment  ~  Adam while not mentioned in the verse had faith.  The blood of Abel, the first mention of blood, foreshadows the blood sacrifices to come.  Enoch was translated to heaven and speaks of one being separated to heaven—representing the heavenly people (who will be called home before judgment).  Noah represents earthly people (who passed through judgment).  In Abraham we again see the concept of separation.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Christ in Genesis

~ Jesus Christ is the “Seed of the Woman” and More ~

The Bible is about Jesus Christ  ~  “Jesus said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself” (Luke 24:25-27).

Jesus Christ is found throughout the book of Genesis. Some theologians have remarked that the primary purpose of Genesis is to introduce us to Jesus Christ. Consider a few of the many examples.

Creator   ~  We know an amazing Savior—who is found in the very first verse of the Bible. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (1:1). The word translated into English as “God” is a plural word—indicating the triune God.

Confirmation of Jesus Christ as the creator occurs later in the Bible, such as: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:15-18).

“In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” John 1:1-3).

Breath of Life  ~  “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (2:7).

Adam is a Picture of Christ  ~  “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” 1 Corinthians 15:21-22).  “And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45).

Seed of the Woman  ~  “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (3:15). This has been called the proto-evangelism—the first mention in Scripture of a coming Savior.   

Abel’s Offering for Sin  ~  We learn many key things in this account (chapter 4) including that the offering must be of an innocent substitute and blood must be shed.

Interestingly enough, in the account of Cain and Abel we have representatives of all other religions and Christianity. Religions include the works of man whereas a relationship with Christ is all because of His grace. 

Notice also that Abel was the first shepherd in history and he died a violent death. 

Noah’s Ark  ~  Another picture of salvation. One of the many interesting aspects is that nothing was left up to Noah. God gave him clear instructions about all the details. Note also that the ark had one door—there was only one way in!  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). There was no fleet of arks—only one!

A major portion of Genesis (chapters 12-50) provides an account of four men: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Each foreshadows Christ and together they present a picture of the Good News of God’s salvation plan. Abraham pictures the sovereignty of God, Isaac God’s great grace, Jacob the justification which comes through faith, and Joseph our ultimate glorification because of God’s grace (c.f. Romans 8:29-30).

Isaac  ~ The account of Abraham offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice has many aspects of foreshadowing the death of Jesus Christ. Here are some examples: He was promised long before he was born. His name was given before he was born (17:19; Matthew 1:20-21). Abraham was confused when God told him about his future son (17:15-17, Matthew 1:19-20). Likewise Sarah was confused (18:10-14, Luke 1:30-31). Isaac’s birth involved a miracle.

Abraham is directed to sacrifice his only son (22:2, John 3:16). It involved a three-day journey during which time Isaac was as good as dead in Abraham’s mind—Christ was buried for three days. An important aspect here is that the entire process was between a father and his son. Isaac carried the wood (22:6, John 19:17-18). Notice that there was no conflict between father and son—Isaac was obedient and trusted his father to do what was right.

The account makes a sudden turn when a substitute lamb is offered in place of Isaac. Isaac was a sinner and an innocent lamb took his place and died on that altar. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, is our substitute. 

Comment  ~  We have only touched the surface of Christ in Genesis. Much more could be said about each of the previous examples. We have not even touched upon Joseph who is one of the clearest types (foreshadows) of Jesus Christ in all of Scripture. 

additional comment:  While on earth Jesus Christ often quoted the Scriptures including all five books of Moses. He quoted Genesis 2:24 in Matthew 19:5 and in Mark 10:7-8; He quoted Genesis 1:27 in Mark 10:6.

The Apostle Paul told us the Scriptures present many shadows of things to come but the reality is found in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:17). 

~~~ EXPLANATORY “JESUS CHRIST IN EVERY BOOK OF THE BIBLE” SERIES ~~~   

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~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW