PROOF 4: OLD TESTAMENT MODELS OF JESUS CONT. EXAMPLES OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE GOSPEL IN
THE OLD TESTAMENT AS MODELS

RUTH AS A MODEL OF GOD’S PLAN OF REDEMPTION FOR MANKIND

BACKGROUND

Ruth is a book in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It represents another proof that the God the Bible is the one and only God of the universe. It is a love story that presents the marriage of Ruth as a model of God’s redemption of mankind. It’s amazing how these models are so complete, so accurate, so insightful and so prophetic. They give us insights into the gospel and future events that we can’t get anywhere else. They can add so much to our understanding of the New Testament if we trust that God wanted us to use them in that way.

There are three laws in the Torah that are essential to an understanding of the Book of Ruth[i]. Let’s study them briefly.

  1. Law of gleaning (Deut 24:19-21, Lev 19:9-10). This law said that landowners could only go through their fields, vineyards, etc. one time per season to harvest their crops; they had to leave the remainder for widows, orphans and emigrants. This was their welfare system.
  2. Law of the Levirate marriage (Deut 25:5-10). This law said that when a married man died without children, it was the responsibility of his closest male relative to marry the widow. He was then considered the redeemer of the widow. This law was critical in preserving genealogies, which were so important to the Israelites and to God’s plan.
  3. Law of redemption (Lev 25:47-50). In Israel, land was not sold fee simple as it is in America today. It was leased for a specific period of time. If a family leased its land to someone outside the family, a kinsman could redeem the land, or buy the remaining years of the lease and return it to the family. Likewise, people could lease themselves out as servants for a specific period of time. This law made it easy to keep the land in the family and again was important to God’s plan. There are several requirements for a kinsman redeemer:
    • He must be a kinsman
    • He must be willing
    • He must be able to perform
    • He must assume all obligations

Jesus, as our kinsman redeemer met all of these requirements; he did it once for all and paid the full price.

Ruth is just a short, four chapter book . What I would like to do before studying the model presented in Ruth is to outline the book, so that it is fresh in our minds as we begin to look at the prophetic model that is presented. You might want to read this short book before proceeding.

OUTLINE OF THE BOOK OF RUTH

CHAPTER 1

  • It took place during the time of the Judges, in fact shortly after the Israelites entered the Promised Land (within 50 years or so), since the mother of Boaz was Rahab, the Amoritess who took in the two spies at Jericho (Joshua 2:1-24).
  • A famine hit Bethlehem so Naomi, her husband Elimelech and their two sons left and went to the country of Moab.
  • Their two sons married Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah.
  • The husband and both sons died within ten years of entering Moab.
  • After the deaths, things had gotten better in Bethlehem so Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem.
  • Naomi urged her two daughters-in-law to stay behind, but Ruth refused.
  • They arrived in Bethlehem just as the barley harvest was beginning (Passover time).

CHAPTER 2

  • Since Ruth was a widow, she was permitted to go out into the fields and glean after the barley harvesters. Ruth ended up in the fields of Boaz, a wealthy landowner, man of importance, and most importantly a kinsman of Naomi’s dead husband.
  • Ruth caught the eye of Boaz, and he instructed his harvesters to treat her well, even to the extent of purposely leaving stalks of grain behind for her.
  • Ruth asked Boaz why he had noticed her. He said that he had heard of what she had done for Naomi and gave her a blessing along with bread and wine.
  • At day’s end, Ruth returned to Naomi with a large amount of barley and told her about gleaning in the fields of Boaz. Naomi replied that Boaz was one of their kinsman-redeemers.
  • Ruth continued to glean in the fields of Boaz until the barley and wheat harvests were completed, and continued to live with Naomi.

CHAPTER 3

  • Naomi wanted Ruth to pursue Boaz as her kinsman-redeemer. One day when Boaz was threshing his grain on the threshing floor, Naomi instructed Ruth to bathe, perfume herself, dress up, go to the threshing floor, and when Boaz had retired for the evening, to lay down at his feet. Boaz awoke in the middle of the night and discovered Ruth at his feet. Ruth asked Boaz to spread the corner (hem) of his garment over her, thus asking for Boaz to be her kinsman redeemer. Boaz was flattered and replied that he would if he could. However, he would first have to ask a closer kinsman if he wanted to redeem Ruth.
  • The next morning Boaz gave six measures of barley to Ruth to take back to Naomi. The “six” indicated that Boaz would not rest on the seventh day until the matter was settled, just as God did not rest on the seventh day until his work was finished.

CHAPTER 4

  • Boaz was apparently a high official in the town and his office was at the city gate. He went to work the next day and waited until the nearer-kinsman came along. Boaz asked him in front of ten witnesses if he was willing to redeem the land of Naomi and Ruth. He said that he was willing to redeem the land for them. Boaz then told him that Naomi and Ruth were widows and that he would also have to marry Ruth. He said that he could not do that due to complications it would cause with his own estate.
  • As a sign of his refusal, as is Jewish law, he took off one of his sandals and gave it to Boaz. This was a sign of shame and he had to go with one shoe for a period of time to display his failure.
    Boaz then announced to the ten witnesses that his intentions were to redeem the land for Naomi and to take Ruth as his bride.
  • The witnesses blessed Boaz that his family might be like that of Perez.
    They were married and Ruth bore a son named Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who became the father or David.

EXAMPLES OF HOW RUTH IS A MODEL OF GOD’S REDEMPTION PLAN FOR MAN

The story of Ruth, Naomi and Boaz is a model or type of God’s redemption plan for mankind. In this model, the following roles are played by the characters in the book of Ruth (among others):

  • Naomi is a model of Israel
  • Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, is a model of God the Father
  • Boaz is a model of Jesus, as man’s kinsman-redeemer
  • Ruth is a model of the Gentile church
  • The harvesters are a model of Paul, Peter, John and the other early church planters
  • The Law is a model of the nearer-kinsman

It’s fascinating and mystical how the details of the story parallel the details of God’s relationship with mankind. Much of it is prophetic as well. I only spent a few hours trying to dig out these correspondences so I’m sure that there are many that I have missed. Why not try to find a few more for yourself! Following are the correspondences that I have found so far (I got some of them from Chuck Missler’s “Romance of Redemption”):
NAOMI as a model of Israel:
© Naomi and her family owned land in the promised land, but were forced to sell it and relocate to a foreign land due to a famine. © Israel was given land by God and because of its location on trade routes, etc. became wealthy. However, Israel had a famine in its relationship with God and for that reason its land was taken away and the people had to relocate to foreign lands (Luke 21:20-24)
© Naomi was the wife of Elimelech, a model of God the Father © Israel was the wife of God the Father (Jer 31:31-34)
© Naomi was widowed as the wife of Elimelech. © Israel was widowed as the wife of God the Father (Isa 54:4-10, Hos 1:2-9, 2:1-16, 3:4-5)
© Naomi returned to the promised land. © The Israeli people returned to the promised land (Isaiah 11:10-12, Ezek 20:32-38)
© Naomi’s original land was redeemed and returned to her. © Israel’s original land was redeemed and returned to her ( Ezek 36:24-25).
© Naomi received her land back shortly before the Gentile Ruth (model of the church) became the bride of Boaz (model of Christ). © It’s been 51 years now since Israel received her land back. According to the model, it will only be a short time until the church becomes Jesus’ bride.
© When Ruth (the church) became the bride of Boaz (Jesus), Naomi still had not been restored as the wife of Elimelech. © Israel will not be restored as the wife of the Father until after the Rapture, after the marriage of Jesus and the church. This will be at the end of the Tribulation period (Zech chapters 12-14, Isa chapters 60-62, esp 62:5).
ELIMELECH as a model of the Father © This is obvious from the above discussion of Naomi.
BOAZ as a model of Jesus, the Kinsman Redeemer
© Boaz was a wealthy landowner, a man of great importance, and kinsman of Elimelech (God the Father). © Jesus owns the universe, is the most important man who ever lived, and is certainly a kinsman of the Father, he is the Son.
© Boaz loved Ruth. © Jesus loves the church (Eph 5:25-27)
© Boaz instructed his harvesters to treat Ruth well, even to the extent of purposely leaving behind stalks of grain for Ruth to pick up. © Jesus instructed Paul, Peter, John, etc. through his Spirit, to leave behind grains of truth for us to pick up through the Word. Jesus himself left behind the greatest gift, his Spirit.
© Boaz gave Ruth a blessing because she had treated Naomi well. © Jesus gives a blessing to those who treat Israel well (Gen 12:2-3). He blesses the church because we treat Israel well.
© At the day’s end, Ruth returned to Naomi with a large amount of barley that she had gleaned from the fields of Boaz © We are near the day’s end, and the nations represented by the church have returned to Israel her land and many other gifts in the form of aid, things which were all taken from God’s fields.
© Boaz paid the price to redeem Naomi’s principal possession, her land that had previously been sold. © Jesus paid the price to redeem mankind’s principal possession, which had previously been sold. When Adam sold out to sin, he essentially sold his principal possession, his relationship with God. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross paid the price to redeem us from sin and he restored our relationship with God when he left his Spirit as “God in us.”
© Boaz agreed to marry a Gentile bride, Ruth. © Jesus agreed to marry a Gentile bride, the church.
© Boaz checked to see if there was another way to provide for redemption © Jesus checked with the Father to see if there was another way (Matt 26:39).
RUTH as a model of the Gentile church
© Ruth was Gentile. © The church is Gentile.
© Ruth was redeemed because of the exile of Naomi. © The church was redeemed because of the exile of Israel from God (Rom 11:11-12, 25-32).
© Ruth was redeemed because of the grace of Boaz. © Mankind was redeemed because of the grace of God (Eph 2:4-10)
© Even though Boaz loved Ruth, he had to wait for her to ask for redemption before saving her. © Even though Jesus loves the church, he has to wait for believers to ask for redemption before saving them.
© Ruth was a widow. Jewish law made provision for Ruth to be redeemed (Levirate Marriage). © The Gentiles who became the church had previously been married to idol worship. All of these idols were dead. Thus, the Gentiles were basically widows. God made provision for all mankind to be redeemed (Gal 3:22).
© Naomi urged Ruth to stay behind in her own land and not go to Israel. © Israel urged the church (and in fact persecuted the church) to stay away from Israel (Acts)
© Even though Boaz and Naomi were both Jewish, Naomi had to learn of Boaz through Ruth, a Gentile. © Even though Jesus and Israel are both Jewish, the Jews have to learn of Jesus through the Gentile church
© Boaz served Ruth bread and wine (2:14). © Jesus serves the church bread and wine (1Cor 11:23-26).
© Before meeting Boaz, Ruth washed, pefumed herself and dressed in her best clothes. © Before meeting Jesus in heaven, we must become purified (clean-Heb 9:22, 10:19-22), acceptable, and dressed in the proper clothes (Matt 22:12-14).
© The thrashing floor is often an allusion to the tribulation in the Old Testament. During this scene, Ruth was at the feet of Boaz. © The church will be with Jesus during the tribulation period (2 Thess 2:7-8).
© Ruth continued to glean in the fields of Boaz until the barley and wheat harvests were completed. © .The church will continue to glean in Jesus’ fields until the full number have come into the fold (Rom 11:25).
THE LAW as a model of the nearer-redeemer
© The original law was given through Moses. © Grace was given through Jesus (Rom 8:3-4,2 Tim 1:8-10, Eph 2:11-19)
© The law forbid marriage to a Moabite (Deut 7:2-3, 23:3). © Grace allowed a Jew to marry a Gentile.
© The law could not redeem man © Jesus could and did redeem man.
© Man was close kin to the law since he had mothered much of it. It was his child, so to speak. © Jesus was and is our near kinsman since he chose to become one of us in order to redeem us.

We have seen how Boaz, as kinsman-redeemer, was a model in the role that Jesus plays for us. The duties of a kinsman redeemer are listed in Luke 4:16-22. Here Jesus was in the synagogue in Nazareth and proclaimed that the scriptures that he was reading from Isaiah 61:1-2 were being fulfilled by him. If we compare what Jesus read as recorded in Luke with what is recorded in Isaiah 61, we see that Jesus left out several things from Isaiah 61. Why did he do this? Because the other things were not being fulfilled by Jesus at that time. They were prophetic and still are today. They are prophetic of Jesus Second Coming.

Again, this model parallels God’s redemption plan for mankind in an amazing fashion. Many of the parallels are my own thoughts, so be sure to check them for yourself. The next model that we will study will be the story of Jonah and the big fish.

THE SIGN OF JONAH: ANOTHER PROPHETIC OLD TESTAMENT MODEL

INTRODUCTION

We have been studying examples of New Testament teachings, including the gospel, being modeled in the Old Testament. Jonah is a short, four-chapter book in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Although short in length it is still packed with exciting models of the New Testament. We’ll see that it is both an interesting “fish” story with valuable lessons for all people while at the same time being prophetic of future events. It is another in a long series of proofs that the God of the Bible is the one and only God in the universe.

SOME INTERESTING INSIGHTS INTO THE BOOK OF JONAH

Jonah is one of the twelve books in the Old Testament characterized as “Minor Prophets,” not because they were minor in importance but because of the length of the books. Jonah is authenticated in both the Old and the New Testaments. In the Old Testament he is authenticated in 2 Kings 14:25 which indicates that Jonah was the son of Amittai (also Jonah 1:1) and was the prophet from Gath Hepher, not far from Nazareth. This reference dates Jonah as living under King Jeroboam, who reigned from 792-753 BC. Jonah is authenticated in the New Testament in Matt 12:38-41, 16:1-4 and Luke 11:29-32. In these scriptures Jesus himself authenticates Jonah. He says that the only sign that he would give to that wicked generation was the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Some other interesting things about the book of Jonah include:

  • The book of Jonah is read in Jewish synagogues on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Holy Day.
  • It is called the great missionary book of the Old Testament.
  • Both the gospel and the history of Israel are modeled in Jonah.

THE PRINCIPLE MESSAGE IN THE FISH STORY

Jonah was the first recorded Jew to be sent as a missionary to a foreign people. As such, he had a tough time understanding that God’s desire was to be God of all people of the world and not just of his “chosen people.” The book of Jonah affirms the following:

  1. God’s sovereignty because he is the Creator of everything,
  2. God’s power in that it is shown to extend to everything including people, storms, fish, vines, worms, etc., and
  3. God’s freedom in that God cannot be bound by human misconceptions

The ultimate message is that God is free to bestow his mercy on anyone and anywhere he wills; his concern and mercy extend to all creation.

Jonah is the only Biblically recorded true prophet of God to try to flee from the task that God had given him. He tried to go in the direction directly opposite to that indicated by God and hide from God. Another obvious lesson from this book is that we can run from God but we cannot hide from him. If he has chosen us, he may persecute us until we come under his will.

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL THAT IS MODELED IN JONAH?

We often speak of the “gospel.” Just what is the gospel? It is summarized for us by Paul in 1 Cor 15, sometimes called the most important chapter in the Bible. Paul says in verse 2 that we are saved by this gospel if we hold firmly to it. Paul describes this gospel in verses 3-8, as follows:

  • Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures (Ps 22, Isa 53)
  • He was buried (Jon 2:2, Isa 53:9)
  • He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures (Gen 1:9-13; 2 Ki 20:8; Ps 16:9-11; Jon 1:17, 2:10; Hos 6:2; Mt 12:39-40; Lk 24:46-47; Acts 13:32-37, 44)
  • He appeared after his resurrection to the disciples and over 500 other brothers.

Let’s discuss some of these scriptures very briefly:

  • Luke 24:46-47 – Here Jesus says that it was written that he would arise on the third day. He must have meant it was written in the Old Testament. The clearest way that this was presented in the Old Testament was through models. The one mentioned by Jesus on two recorded occasions was that of the sign of Jonah. Others include the model represented in the creation in Gen 1 and the model of the sacrifice of Isaac in Gen 22.
  • Gen 1:9-13 – In the creation God blessed two of the seven days twice. The 3rd and 6th days were given a double blessing. The 3rd day blessing represents Christ being raised from the dead and the 6th day blessing represents the creation of man and God becoming man through Christ. Orthodox Jewish weddings are held on Tuesday, the 3rd day, since it received two blessings (Jn 2:1).

As we study Jonah we’ll see that this gospel was modeled in the experience of Jonah. Before we study the prophetic models seen in Jonah we will present an outline the book so that we are very familiar with the story line. You might also want to read this short book at your leisure.

OUTLINE SUMMARY OF THE BOOK OF JONAH

CHAPTER 1
God told Jonah, a prophet, to go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against the wickedness there. Nineveh was important as one of the largest, if not the largest, cities of the ancient world. Following are some facts about Nineveh:

  • It was on the eastern bank of the Tigris River.
  • It had about 120,000 men and possibly over 600,000 total population.
  • The central city was about eight miles in circumference and the total city area was about 55-60 miles in circumference.  The walls were 100 feet high, contained 1500 towers, and were wide enough to race 3 chariots side-by-side.
  • It would be destroyed by the Medes and Persians about 150 years later, in 612 BC, as prophesied by Nahum.
  • It was a very wicked city.
  • The people of Nineveh worshipped the idol Dagon, the fish god.  What a coincidence!
  • Jonah did not want to do what God told him so he decided to run away from God.  Why would he want to run away?  Jonah says later in Chapter 4 that he did it because he was afraid that Nineveh would repent and God would forgive them and not punish them for their wickedness.  Why would this concern Jonah?  He might have also had in mind that the Ninevites were known to impale the leader of cities that they captured and then skin them alive.
  • Jonah went down to the seaport at Joppa, on the Mediterranean across from Jerusalem, and boarded a ship for Tarshish.  Tarshish was apparently a major tin smelting center located in either Sardinia or southern Spain.
  • Soon after the ship got out to sea God sent a great wind and such a violent storm that the ship threatened to break up.  The sailors were so afraid that they called out to the God of Jonah.  They next threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
  • Jonah went below and fell into a deep sleep.  The Captain woke him and ask him to call on his God to save them.
  • Since the storm continued, the sailors decided to cast lots to see who was responsible.  It fell upon Jonah.  The most common speculation about how lots were cast was that two small rocks were used, one black and the other white.  One would be pulled out of a pocket, the white indicating yes and the black indicating no (black ball).  This is how priests obtained God’s will in the Old Testament (Rev 2:17).  There is no indication of lots being cast in the Bible after the sending of the Holy Spirit.
  • The sailors asked Jonah a lot of questions, including where he was from and why he was bringing such trouble on them.  He said that he was Hebrew and worshipped the God who had created the universe.  They were terrified and asked him why he was running from his God and what they should do to him to quiet the sea.  Jonah replied that they should throw him into the sea and it would be quieted, because the great storm was his fault for trying to run from God.
  • However, instead of throwing Jonah overboard the sailors tried even harder to row back to shore.  They could not and the storm grew even wilder.  The sailors then cried out to God to not punish them for killing an innocent man by throwing him overboard.
  • The sailors then threw Jonah overboard and the sea immediately grew calm.  Fearing God, they offered a sacrifice to him and made vows to him.
  • God provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

CHAPTER 2

From inside the fish Jonah prayed to God, quoting several Psalms (18:6, 86:13, 42:7, and 31:22). Jonah asked for forgiveness and said that he would keep his vows to the Lord. God then directed the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land.

CHAPTER 3

  • God went to Jonah a second time and asked him to go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim his message.
  • Jonah went into the city that was so large that a visit required three days to cross it.  On the first day Jonah proclaimed God’s message, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.”
  • The Ninevites believed God, declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least put on sackcloth.  Even the King put on sackcloth and put out a proclamation calling for a fast, prayer to God and a turning from their evil and violent ways so that they would not perish.  Sackcloth was a course, dark cloth made of goat’s hair which was worn as a sign of mourning.
  • God saw how they had turned from their evil ways, had compassion for them, and did not bring the promised destruction.

CHAPTER 4

  • Jonah was displeased and angry to the point that he asked God to take his life.  He was angered because he did not personally feel that Nineveh deserved to be forgiven even though they had repented.  He may also have been embarrassed because the destruction that he had predicted did not come about.
  • God asked Jonah if he had any right to be angry.
  • Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city.  He made a shelter and sat in the shade while waiting to see what would happen to the city.
  • God provided a vine and made it grow over Jonah to shade his head and provide comfort for him.  This made Jonah happy.  The vine may have been a Palma Christi (Castor bean plant), which had huge leaves and grew 1-2 feet per day.
  • However, the next day God provided a worm(s) which chewed the vine so that it withered.  When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head and made him faint.  He again asked God to let him die.  God again asked Jonah if he had a right to be angry about the vine.  God told Jonah that he had been angry about the vine even though he had not tended it or made it grow.  It grew up overnight and died overnight.  God closed by saying that Nineveh had a large number of people who did not know right from wrong and by asking if he should not be concerned about the great city.  Jonah was more concerned about his personal comfort and material things which did not last than he was about souls that lasted forever.

THE MIRACLES IN JONAH

There are at least ten miracles recorded in Jonah, can you find them?

THE MODELS IN JONAH

We are now ready to look at how the story of Jonah models the history of the Jewish nation and the Jewish Messiah. As I go through the model you’ll notice me switching from the Jewish nation to the Jewish Messiah and then back to the Jewish nation because this seems to fit. Also, the Jewish Messiah was part of Jewish national history, but I wanted to distinguish the study of the Messiah.
MODELING NATIONAL ISRAEL
Jonah called to go to gentiles.

Jonah was called by God to be a missionary to the gentiles. Jonah disobeyed (1:1-3). 		Jews called to go to gentiles.

The Jews were told repeatedly by God through Isaiah that they were to be a light to the gentiles (42:6, 49:6, 60:3, 62:2). The Jews disobeyed.
Jonah refuses, instead tries to go where gentile gods are made.

Jonah boarded a ship heading to the place where gods of tin may have been smelted and formed (Tarshish). Thus Jonah disobeyed God’s command to him to go to the gentiles at Nineveh to get them to turn from their idols to worship of him (1:3). 		Jews refuse, instead repeatedly turn to worship of gentile gods.

The Jews were told repeatedly by God to stay away from the gentile gods (Ex 20:4-6, 32:1-10, Isa 40:18-31, 44:9-11)
Jonah was envious.

Jonah refused to go to the gentiles because of his human nature, he knew God would show grace to them and he did not think the gentiles were worthy of grace (4:1-2). He became envious. 		The Jews were envious.

The Jews refused to go to the gentiles because of their human nature. God did this to make the Jews envious so that they might also one day be saved (Rom 11:11-12).
God intervened and made Jonah change his mind.

God miraculously intervened and wouldn’t let Jonah refuse his request. He made things so uncomfortable for Jonah that he had to eventually obey. God sent violent storms into his life (1:4-3:1). 		Prophecy says God will intervene and make Israel change her mind.

God indicates in prophecy that he won’t let Israel refuse his request to go to the gentiles. He will make things so uncomfortable for them that they will eventually obey. This will involve miraculous intervention on his part. Rev 7:1-17 describes 144,000 Jewish missionaries going out to nations all over the world to win them to Jesus in the tribulation period.
First Old Testament missionary went out from Joppa.

Jonah, the first Old Testament Jewish missionary to the gentiles was sent from Joppa (1:3). 		First New Testament missionary went out from Joppa.

Peter, the first New Testament Jewish missionary to the gentiles also was sent from Joppa (Acts 9:36-10:48).
MODELING THE JEWISH MESSIAH
Jonah slept through violent storms on ships.

The ship’s captain didn’t understand how Jonah could possibly sleep through the storm (1:6). 		Jesus could sleep through violent storms on ships.

Jesus was calm and could sleep (Matt 8:23-27).
Gentile crew members tried unsuccessfully to save themselves by doing works.

The crew members tried every possible way to save themselves by doing works, but were not successful (1:5,13). 		Jews tried unsuccessfully to save themselves by doing works.

Man has tried to save himself through the law by doing works, but was unsuccessful. Only the saving grace of Jesus can save man (Rom 8:1-4, Gal 3:10-14, Eph 2:8-10, Rom 9:30-32, 11:7).
Gentiles woke Jonah to save them.

The crew members finally woke Jonah to get his God to quiet the storm and save them (1:6). 		Jews woke Jesus to save them.

The disciples woke Jesus, saying “Lord save us! We’re going to drown.” After he saved them they said, “What kind of man is this?”
The only way for the gentile crew members to be saved was for Jonah to voluntarily let himself be sacrificed.

Jonah was willing to voluntarily let himself be sacrificed for them (1:12). 		The only way for the world to be saved was for Jesus to voluntarily let himself be sacrificed.

Jesus was willing to voluntarily sacrifice himself for the people of the world (1 John 3:16).
Jonah was innocent.

Jonah had to be sacrificed to save the people even though he was innocent (1:14). 		Jesus was innocent.

Jesus had to be sacrificed even though he was innocent (2 Cor 5:21).
Jonah was in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights.

Jonah was in the fish (Sheol) for 3 days and 3 nights (1:17, 2:2). The Hebrew word for grave in Jon 2:2 is the same as that for Sheol, which is called Hades in the New Testament. We aren’t told, but Jonah may have died and been resurrected. 		Jesus was in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights.

Jesus was in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights (1 Cor 15:4). While there he went to Hades (Sheol) to get the Old Testament saints from Abraham’s Bosom and take them to heaven, and also to announce his victory to the lost who were there, both men and angels (Eph 4:7-10, 1 Pet 3:19).
Jonah was resurrected after 3 days.

Jonah was miraculously returned to earth and life after 3 days (2:10). 		Jesus was resurrected after 3 days.

Jesus was miraculously returned to earth and life after 3 days (Matt 28:6).
The gentiles were given 40 days to prepare.

Jonah went to Nineveh at God’s request and gave them 40 days of preparation time to yield to God or be overturned (3:4). They yielded and so after 40 days they were saved (3:10). 		The disciples were given 40 days to prepare.

There were 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. These 40 days were used as preparation time for the disciples future mission. After the 40 days they were sent out to save the whole world.
MODELING NATIONAL ISRAEL
Jonah didn’t understand.

Jonah didn’t understand why God would save the unworthy and went into a big pout. God asked Jonah if he had a right to be angry (4:1-4). 		The Jews didn’t understand.

Why haven’t and why don’t the Jews try to win the rest of the world to their God?
Jonah left the city.

Jonah left Nineveh because he didn’t understand why God would save the gentiles (4:5). 		Israel left her land.

Israel had to leave her land (70-125 AD). Jesus said it was because she didn’t understand and accept the prophecies about him, about who he was and what he was to do (Luke 19:41-44, Luke 4:16-21, Isa 61:1-3).
God provided shelter for Jonah.

God provided shelter for Jonah while he was outside of the city (4:6). 		God provided shelter for Israel.

God provided places for Israel to go (shelter) while she was outside of her land.
God took Jonah’s shelter away.

Jonah continued to pout, so God took the shelter away, leaving him unprotected from the harsh elements of the world, i.e. hot sun, wind, rain, things which can devour and kill, etc.(4:7-8). 		God occasionally took Israel’s shelter away.

Israel continued outside of God’s will, so he occasionally took her shelter away, leaving her unprotected from the harsh treatment of the world, including things which can devour and kill.
Things got very hot for Jonah.

Things got hot for Jonah and he wanted to die (4:8). 		Things got very hot for Israel.

Have things been this bad for Israel at times?
God questions Jonah’s attitude.

God asked Jonah if he had any right to be mad about God taking away his shelter. After all, it was God’s design, God’s plan and God had done all of the work to provide it (4:9-10). 		God questions Israel’s attitude.

The Jews have been scattered in nations all around the world since the late 1st and early 2nd centuries. The shelter provided in these nations was not their own doing, but from God. The message is that they should be happy with whatever God provides even though it may not be what they want.
God put Jonah in situations to help him eventually understand and accept God’s will concerning saving the gentiles and Jonah’s part in it.

God told Jonah that there were many people in Nineveh who didn’t know right from wrong. He was concerned for them and wanted to save them. Jonah had played a part in their being saved and he should be happy about it (4:11). 		God has been putting and will continue to put Israel in situations to help her understand and accept God’s will for her in the world.

Israel still sits in the hot sun pouting and doesn’t accept the part that she played in saving the world, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God indicates through prophecy that he will eventually correct this attitude and all of Israel will eventually mournfully turn to the Savior, Jesus Christ. They will then go out zealously to win the whole world to Jesus.

PSALM 22: A SUPERNATURAL PRE-RECORDING OF CONVERSATIONS WHILE JESUS WAS ON THE CROSS

VERSE BY VERSE ANALYSIS OF PSALM 22 AND NEW TESTAMENT FULFILLMENTS

Psalm 22 is another proof of the validity of the Bible and the identify of Jesus as God; in fact God of the Jews in the Old Testament (see Ps 22:3-6 below).  This supernatural Psalm was written by David under inspiration from God ~1000 years before Jesus came to earth.  It describes Jesus being crucified almost 800 years before crucifixion came into use.  The book of Psalms, which contains this Psalm, was translated from Hebrew into Greek almost 300 years before Jesus.  There can be no doubt that this Psalm depicts Jesus on the cross about 1000 years before it happened and it gives us even more detail about some of the events than the New Testament.  This Psalm vividly describes Jesus’ feelings and his sufferings.  As a man Jesus did not want to endure the cross, but as God he knew that he had to do so.  In fact, Jesus prayed three times for God to provide some other way (Matt 26:39, 42).  I believe that every verse in this Psalm can be interpreted literally to represent some aspect of Jesus crucifixion.  We will study and analyze this Psalm in two separate ways.  First we will go through the Psalm verse by verse and identify New Testament fulfillments of the prophecies made in the original verse in Psalms.  We will add comments as we go.  Next we will approach the analysis from a very different perspective.  It seems that the Psalm is a pre-recording of conversations taking place while Jesus is on the cross.  We will attempt to identify who the speakers are and analyze what they are saying.  This will yield some very different insights and perspectives.  First we will do the verse by verse analysis and identify some New Testament fulfillments.

Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
1  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? Matt 27:46  About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"-- which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"


Luke 24:26  Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?"

1 Pet 2:24  He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

1 Pet 3:18  For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,

Heb 10:10  And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

2 Cor 5:21  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Gal 1:4  who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

Comment:  For the first time ever, Jesus felt separated from God as he became sin for us on the cross, and bore the enormous weight of the sin of the whole world, past, present and future upon himself.  Since God the Father cannot tolerate sin or be any part of sin, Jesus must have felt an enormous separation from the Father (“Why are you so far from saving me?”), and must have felt torn apart within himself as he became sin for us (2 Cor 5:21).  He did this to save us from the evil world dominated by Satan.  The physical pain endured by Jesus was almost unbearable, but it may have been almost insignificant when compared to the mental and emotional weight of the sin of the whole world and the full weight of God’s curse on sin.  Deut 21:22-23 and Gal 3:13-14 say, “cursed is he who hangs on a tree.”  Jesus was figuratively in hell for us taking our punishment as he hung on the cross.  This initiated a major change in the way in which Hades was used, as one compartment of Hades was closed and believers thereafter went directly to heaven at death.  Jesus went by Hades on his way from the cross to heaven to get the souls of the righteous being held there to take them to heaven, Eph 4:7-10  (see study of hell and Hades).  Jesus was fulfilling the complete requirement for our redemption, as he was both the (1) sacrificial lamb and (2) the scapegoat (Lev 16:1-34).  Another insight into the words of Jesus on the cross comes from John 19:28 where Jesus says that he uttered some of the words that he said on the cross in order to fulfill prophecy.  That prophecy would have included Psalm 22.

Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
2  O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. Matt 27:45  From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

Comment:  It must have seemed like an eternity, represented by switching from daylight to darkness, all within the daylight hours, as Jesus hung on the cross bearing the enormous weight of the sin of all humanity for all the ages.  Also, this may again represent Jesus hanging on the cross for the people of the world at that time who were being ineffective in their communication with God.  Changes needed to be made, so Jesus came to institute a new covenant.  Man no longer needed to go through the high priest to get to God.  They could now get to him directly, as represented by the tearing of the curtain in the temple at the very moment that Jesus died (Luke 23:45).

Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
3  Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel.  4  In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.  5  They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. Mark 1:24  "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-- the Holy One of God!"John 6:67-69"  67  You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.  68  Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  69  We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

Comment:  In these verses Jesus is hearing the voice of an inspired Jew praising him even as he hangs on the cross.

Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
6  But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. Matt 27:27-31  27  Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.  28  They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,  29  and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said.  30  They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.  31  After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

Rom 4:7  "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

1 Pet 1:18-19  18  For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers,  19  but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.I Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Comment:  In the process of death by crucifixion the blood separates into water and plasma.  This is an indication of Jesus’ death.  The water could also have been from the sac around Jesus heart, which may have ruptured due to the trauma of the crucifixion.

Comment:  In these verses Jesus is hearing the voice of an inspired Jew praising him even as he hangs on the cross.

Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
6  But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. Matt 27:27-31  27  Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.  28  They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,  29  and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said.  30  They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.  31  After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

Rom 4:7  "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

1 Pet 1:18-19  18  For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers,  19  but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.I Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Comment:  When Jesus said that he was a worm as he hung on the cross he was possibly referring to the scarlet grub.  It was squashed and its blood was used to make dye for the royal robes of the time.  Likewise, Jesus’ was squashed and his blood was symbolically used for the royal garment that covers our sins.  When Jesus returns at the Second Coming, he will be wearing a robe dipped in blood according to Rev 19:13 and his name will be “The Word of God.”  Rev 19:16 says that the following will be written on the robe “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”  Another possibly meaning could be that Jesus is thinking of the scarlet robe that had been placed on him by the soldiers as they mocked him.  This was a scarlet robe possibly dyed with the blood of a scarlet grub.  In either case, it is very symbolic of what was taking place.

Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
7        All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:  8  "He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him." Matt 27:39-44  39  Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads  40  and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"  41  In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.  42  "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.  43  He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"  44  In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him..

Comment:  The similarity of language between the prophecy and the fulfillment is striking.  In both cases they mocked him, hurled insults, shook their heads, and said “Let God rescue him.”

Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
9  Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast.  10  From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God.  11  Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.  12  Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.  13  Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me. Luke 1:13-15  13  But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.  14  He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,  15  for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.John 1:14  The Word became flesh 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.

Comment:  Both Jesus and John the Baptist had supernatural training from birth for their missions on earth.  Bashan was the area east of the Jordan River with fertile pastures for grazing animals.  While on the cross, Jesus was surrounded by soldiers and enemies seeking to devour him, just as wild animals would surround the sheep grazing in Bashan and devour them.  God the Father had always been with Jesus, and Jesus knew that in his current situation nobody could help him except the Father.

Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
14      I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. John 19:34  Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

Comment:  In the process of death by crucifixion the blood separates into water and plasma.  This is an indication of Jesus’ death.  The water could also have been from the sac around Jesus heart, which may have ruptured due to the trauma of the crucifixion.

Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
15      My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. John 19:28-29  Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."  29  A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.

Comment:  One of the effects of crucifixion and the beatings leading up to it was severe dehydration and thirst.  Potsherd was a pottery fragment.  Pottery was formed while very wet, but it became very dry when cured.  Also, Jesus was figuratively in Hades for us as he hung on the cross taking our punishment.  Hades is described as a place where thirst cannot be quenched.

Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
16      Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. John 20:20  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Matt 27:35  When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.Also see Matt 27:39-44 above.

Comment:  Crucifixion involved piercing the hands and feet with nails.  As Jesus mentions dogs, he may have been thinking of the wild dogs that inhabited the Valley of Hinnon.  Once, when Jesus was asked what hell would be like, he mentioned the Valley of Hinnon, which was the garbage dump for Jerusalem.  There was a constant fire burning there to consume the bodies of violent criminals, the carcasses of dead animals, the waste from Jerusalem, etc.  Dogs were there fighting over the carcasses and tearing them apart.  Jesus must have felt like he was one of the carcasses being torn apart by the wild dogs.

Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
17      I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. Matt 27:35  When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Comment:  The process of crucifixion caused such pain in the joints and bones due to the severe stretching involved, that the person being crucified felt as though he could count his bones.  He could certainly feel them all, except for those in the hands and feet where nerves had been severed.

Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
18      They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. Matt 27:35  When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.John 19:23-24  23  When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.  24  "Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did.

Comment:  The process of crucifixion caused such pain in the joints and bones due to the severe stretching involved, that the person being crucified felt as though he could count his bones.  He could certainly feel them all, except for those in the hands and feet where nerves had been severed.

Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
19  But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.  20  Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.  21  Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.  22  I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.  23  You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!  24  For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. Heb 2:10-12  10  In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.  11  Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.  12  He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises."

Comment:  Was Jesus pleading for himself or for us as he hung there on the cross?   Jesus was on the cross for us.  Jesus was speaking for us when he uttered these words or prayers.  He was there on the cross for us, pleading with God that we might be delivered and rescued.  He was pleading for the deliverance of all men everywhere from the penalty of sin and Satan.  Heb 2:10-12 is speaking of this area of Psalm 22, and in fact Heb 10:12 quotes Psalm 22:24.  The author of Hebrews here credits Jesus with speaking these words in Psalm 22.  This confirms that this Psalm represents Jesus himself speaking from the cross.
When Heb 2:10 says that God made Jesus perfect through suffering, it really means that Jesus’ suffering made us perfect and holy in God’s eyes (see Heb 10:10, “we have been made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all.”).  Jesus was representing us on the cross.  This is all about sanctification.  After Jesus sacrifice, God sees us as holy when we accept Jesus and pledge our lives to him.  We are declared innocent, even though we are really guilty.  Isn’t that great!  Heb 2:11 says that we are then included in the family of God and are holy just as he is holy.  Amen!!

In verse 1 we saw Jesus ask “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”  Verse 24 gives us the answer.  God has not forsaken Jesus.  It had been God’s plan since before creation that Jesus would provide for salvation for all mankind through sacrifice of himself.  As Jesus became sin for all mankind he could not feel God’s presence, as we described above, but God had not really forsaken him.  In fact, what I believe that Jesus was pleading for was for God to accept his sacrifice of himself for our sins, once for all eternity.  Verse 24 says that God was listening to his plea for us.

Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
25  From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.  26  The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him-- may your hearts live forever.  27  All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,  28  for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.  29  All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him-- those who cannot keep themselves alive.  30  Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.  31  They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn-- for he has done it. John 19:30  When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 4:31-34  31  Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something."  32  But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."  33  Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?"  34  "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

John 17:3-4  3  Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.  4  I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

Rom 10:4  Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Gal 3:13-14  13  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."  14  He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.Heb 10:5-10  5  Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;  6  with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.  7   Then I said, 'Here I am-- it is written about me in the scroll-- I have come to do your will, O God.'"  8  First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made).  9  Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second.  10  And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Comment:  This is a forecast of several things to come after Jesus completes his mission on the cross, after “it is finished.”  This includes the birth and work of the church, the great commission, the salvation of the Gentile and the fact that all will eventually bow down before him.  Verses 25-31 tell us that because of Jesus finished work on the cross that God would keep his vows regarding man’s future.  These verses discuss what will take place for mankind because of the finished work of Jesus.

PSALM 22: A SUPERNATURAL PROPHETIC RECORDING OVER 3000 YEARS OLD

IDENTIFICATION OF SPEAKERS AND ANALYSIS OF THEIR COMMENTS

As we read Psalm 22 and study it carefully, it becomes apparent that there are several persons having a conversation while Jesus is on the cross, including Jesus, God the Father, a Jewish follower, a heckler and others.  Following is my attempt to reconstruct the conversation, identify the speakers and the audience, and provide some amplifying comments.

SPEAKER:  Jesus, representing sinful men of all ages; past, present and future,
speaking to God the Father.  In essence, Jesus became sin as he hung on the cross (2 Cor 5:21).  As such, he felt distant from God the Father.  Another insight into the words of Jesus on the cross comes from John 19:28 where Jesus says that he uttered some of the words that he said on the cross in order to fulfill prophecy.  That prophecy would have included Psalm 22.
1  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?  2    O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.

SPEAKER:  An enlightened Jewish follower of Jesus standing near the cross, speaking to Jesus.
3   Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel.  4    In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.  5    They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

SPEAKER:  Jesus, who covers all men’s sins with a scarlet robe dyed with his own blood, speaking back to the Jew The worm was the scarlet grub, which was crushed so that it’s blood, could be used as dye for the royal scarlet robes.
6  But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.   7    All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

SPEAKER:  A heckler standing near the cross, yelling to the crowd and anyone who will listen.

8  "He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him."

SPEAKER:  Jesus, speaking to God the Father.  Again, as Jesus hung on the cross he represented us, sinful men of all ages.  As he was crying out to God the Father to be saved, he represented us crying out to God to be saved from our sins, once for all.
9   Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast.  10   From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God.  11  Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.  12   Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.  13           Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me.  14     I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.   15    My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.  16    Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.  17    I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.   18    They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.  19    But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.  20    Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.  21    Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.  22    I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.

SPEAKER:  Jesus, speaking to the Jews standing around the cross.  Jesus was saying that all believers should praise God since God had heard his cry and had agreed to accept his sacrifice.  Therefore, no further sacrifice would ever be necessary.  Jesus had done it all, once for all.
23  You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!   24    For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

SPEAKER:  God the Father speaking to Jesus and to a large assembly.  My suspicion is that this is an assembly of angels gathered in heaven to witness this universe changing event.  That makes sense and it is what we would expect to happen for several reasons.  The cross is the major event in all of the history of the universe.  It is the event about which all of God’s plan for the universe rotates.  Those assembled in heaven would have included both the angels who followed him and the angels who followed Satan.  The Father was telling them that because of Jesus’ faithfulness he would fulfill his vows to allow the blood of Jesus to cover the sins of faithful men and thus meet the criteria for admittance into heaven.  1 Peter 3:18-20 may be telling us that at his death Jesus himself went to the angels being held in the Abyss and announced to them what he had just accomplished on the cross.  If it was announced to the angels being held in prison in the Abyss it would surely have been announced to the angels in heaven.  Satan and his angels fear Jesus because they know that he holds their future in his hands and that he can send them to the Abyss or the lake of fire at any time he feels it necessary.  They also know that he will do just this one day and the cross was something that had to happen before Jesus would do that.  It was the major event in God’s plan for the ages.  One of the things that precipitated the crucifixion was the Roman’s fear that Jesus would lead an uprising and overthrow them.  Jesus’ many miracles and his power over the people was behind their fear.  God was fulfilling his vows in front of these Roman soldiers and citizens as well as Satan’s angels in heaven.  Bothe groups had fear of Jesus.  Several spectacular phenomena accompanied Jesus death on the cross and these were clearly visible to all in the area.
25  From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.

SPEAKER:   God the Father continuing to speak to the great assembly in heaven and to Jesus.  He is saying that he will keep his word and that the following will take place, the great commission, the proclamation of the gospel to the Gentiles, the future millennial kingdom, and his acceptance into eternal life of all those who accept Jesus.  He concludes by saying in essence, “Jesus has done it, he has provided for forgiveness of sins by his one time sacrifice for all, including those in the past, present and future!”
26   The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him-- may your hearts live forever!   27   All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,   28    for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.  29    All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him-- those who cannot keep themselves alive.  30    Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.   31   They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn-- for he has done it.
It seems so obvious to me that this Psalm is truly supernatural considering all that we have seem above in our observations and analysis.  I would think that it would cause any serious reader to at least ponder whether or not Jesus might be the God that he is clearly made out to be in the Christian Bible.

JOSEPH AS A MODEL OF JESUS

I have heard that some scholars have counted over 100 incidents in the life of Joseph that model the life and gospel of Jesus.  Following are 17 mentioned by Yacov Rambsel in his book on the Yeshua codes.

  1. Jesus’ brothers, the Jews, hated him just as Joseph’s brothers hated him.
  2. Jesus’ brothers, the Jews, did not accept him just as Joseph’s brothers did not accept him.
  3. Jesus’ bothers conspired to kill him just as Joseph’s brothers conspired to kill him.
  4. Jesus was killed so that we might live just as a scapegoat was killed so that Joseph might live.
  5. Both Jesus and Joseph were taken to Egypt when they were young.
  6. Both Jesus and Joseph were incarcerated with two thieves; in each case one thief received life and the other received death.
  7. Just as all bowed to Joseph, so too will all bow to Jesus.
  8. Both the brothers of Jesus and Joseph were feeding their flocks in the wrong field (in the field of law rather than the field of grace in Jesus’ case; there is nothing wrong with the law as long as it leads one to Jesus).
  9. Both Jesus and Joseph blessed their brothers and the gentiles.
  10. Both Jesus and Joseph had authority over those in prison (Sheol or Hades in Jesus’ case).
  11. Both Jesus and Joseph were destined to become rulers.
  12. Just as everyone looked to Joseph for survival, because of the greatest famine in history (7 years), so too will everyone look to Jesus for survival because of the greatest tribulation in history (7 years).
  13. Each period of tribulation is proceeded by many signs; Josephs time of trouble and the birth pangs before the tribulation.
  14. Both Jesus and Joseph were separated from their families for an extended period of time; Joseph for 15 years and Jesus from 32 A.D. until the Rapture.
  15. Just as Joseph’s brothers were made known to the ruler (pharaoh) so too will Jesus’ brothers, the Jews, eventually be make known to the ruler (Jesus himself).
  16. Both forgave all of the sins of their brothers.
  17. Both were not recognized by their brothers; in each case they eventually reveal themselves to their brothers, Joseph when his brothers came to Egypt seeking aid in saving them from their great tribulation, the famine, and Jesus when his brothers, the Jews, come to him seeking for him to save them from the great tribulation.
Index