God made a promise to Eve in the Garden of Eden that one day one of her descendants would destroy Satan. “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.” (Genesis 3:15). Many years later, the promise was further explained to Abraham. “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (Genesis 22:18). After another thousand years, a promise came to Isaiah and all Israel, “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 7:14). “Immanuel, which translated means, God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
Before the promised one, Messiah in the Hebrew and Christ in the Greek, could come to earth, people had to be prepared. They needed to know what to look for, understand, and accept that God walked among them. By the promise to Abraham, He would be coming to all nations, not just those descending from Abraham. Therefore, the whole world had to be prepared. The description of the Messiah, who was to come as the prophet, high priest, and the king of kings, is the subject of most Old Testament books. The result of His coming is the subject of the New Testament.
The People – God promised Abraham that He would make him a great nation (Genesis 12:2). God also told Abraham that “My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you” (Genesis 17:21). The promise passed on to Abraham’s son Isaac. “I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 26:4). Jacob, son of Isaac, fathered twelve sons, each of whom became the father of a tribe in the nation of Israel. Of those sons, God selected Judah to be the one through whom Jesus Christ would eventually be born. “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples” (Genesis 49:10). The growing nation would be enslaved for 400 years (Genesis 15:13). After a time, the people would return to the land God showed to Abraham (Genesis 15:16).
The Prophet – The people grew into a great nation in Egypt and received a law to worship and live by at Mount Sinai. The prophet that God used to give the people the law was Moses from the tribe of Levi. Because the people were guilty of sin, the law provided relief by using animal sacrifices as a temporary cover for those sins. But the guilt of those sins remained. It would take a more excellent law and sacrifice to remove sin. Moses, as the prophet, said God would give another prophet to the people with commandments that the people should obey. “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. ‘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” (Deuteronomy 18:18-19).
The King – Years after Moses, the people wanted a king like the people around them. The first king to unite all the tribes of Israel wanted to build a temple to house the articles used to worship God. God told King David, of the tribe of Judah, that David’s son would build the temple and that God would build a house for David, a house where a king would set on the throne forever. “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). This offspring of David would have the authority and power to rule forever, not just one lifetime.
The High Priest – Some six hundred years after David lived, the prophet Zechariah told of a unique high priest that would come from the people. This prophecy was difficult for Israel to understand because it seemed to them that it combined the priesthood of the tribe of Levi to the king from the tribe of Judah. “Take silver and gold, make an ornate crown and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. “Then say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.”‘ (Zechariah 6:11-13).
Some people of Israel waited for a prophet, some waited for a king, and others waited for a high priest. They did not understand even though David had prophesied, “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek” (Psalms 110:4). Today, Jesus Christ is our Prophet, High Priest, and King. He is our savior, advocate, and judge of the world.
