Waiting for the Messiah

Reflection

For thousands of years, the people of Israel lived with a promise.  From the time of Abraham, God chose a people and entrusted them with His Word. They were given the Law, the commandments, and the writings of the prophets. These Scriptures were carefully preserved and passed down from generation to generation. But woven throughout those writings was something more than instruction. There was a promise. 

Again and again, the prophets spoke about someone who would come a deliverer, a king, a Savior. The Hebrew word used for this promised one is Messiah, which means “the anointed one.”  The Messiah would come from the line of Abraham.  He would come through the tribe of Judah.  He would be a descendant of King David.  He would bring salvation and restore what sin had broken.  For centuries, Israel waited. 

They guarded the Scriptures. They kept the commandments. They passed down the promises, believing that one day God would send the One He had spoken about.

What many people do not realize is just how many times the coming Messiah was described in the Old Testament.   Scholars have identified over 300 prophecies pointing to the Messiah details about His birth, His life, His ministry, His suffering, and even His death.

And when Jesus appeared, something remarkable happened. 

His life fulfilled those promises.  He was born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet Micah had foretold.  He came from the lineage of David, exactly as Scripture promised. He performed miracles, taught with authority, and brought hope to the broken. Even the manner of His suffering and death had been written about centuries earlier.  When Jesus walked the earth, He wasn’t starting a new story. 

He was fulfilling the story God had been telling all along. 

That’s why, after His resurrection, Jesus opened the Scriptures to His followers and showed them that everything written in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms pointed to Him.

The Messiah Israel had been waiting for had finally come.  And His name is Jesus.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for the promises You spoke long ago through the prophets. Thank You for faithfully fulfilling those promises through Jesus. Help me see the beauty of how Your plan of salvation unfolds throughout Scripture and draw me closer to the One who came to rescue us. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. Why do you think God revealed the coming Messiah through so many prophecies?

2. How does seeing the connection between the Old Testament promises and Jesus deepen your faith?

3. What does it mean to you personally that Jesus is the Messiah God promised?

Today’s Thought

The coming of Jesus was not an accident of history it was the fulfillment of a promise God had been revealing for centuries.