Genesis is rife with pictures and images pointing to Jesus. Here are a few of the most prominent...
Genesis 3:15...In terms of the timeline of human history, this is the very first reference to Jesus ever recorded. Following Adam and Eve's fall to sin, God arrived issuing a series of curses (promises). One of those included the serpent, which was responsible for Adam & Eve's sin. The reference to "enmity between you and woman" has widely been recognized as a reference to Jesus - a promise that God would later do something that would result in the crushing of the serpent's head.
Genesis 12:3...Many see God's promise to Abram here as the official start of the gospel. Some call this the Great Commission of the OT. God promises that Abram, an old man already and childless, would not only have a child, but that he would be the father of a great nation. And without a doubt, all people are/can be blessed through Abram's greatest descendant: Jesus.
Genesis 14:18-20...This is kind of an odd reference to Jesus, and yet Hebrews 5:1-10 makes heavy use of a rather obscure and short passage from Genesis. According to Hebrews, Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek, the king of Salem. "Melchizedek" means "king of righteousness" and being the king of Salem, he's also the "king of peace." For the author of Hebrews, this points to Jesus' role as the one who brings about righteousness and peace for those who believe in him.
Genesis 22...The richness of chapter 22 deserves an entire series of posts all by itself. Abraham now has the son God promised. He been waiting 100 years to finally have a biological heir. God had promised to make Abraham into a great nation, and this son was the start of it all. But now God was. demanding that Abraham sacrifice his only son on a certain mountain in the region of Moriah. Long-standing (but unproven) tradition holds that the mountain God led Abraham to is what we now know as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. At one point Isaac asks where the sacrifice is, and Abraham prophetically says that "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering" (vs 8), and lo and behold that's exactly what God did, "at just the right time" (Romans 5:6). As Christians, it's virtually impossible to read the story of Isaac and not see foretelling of the sacrifice of Jesus!
There are other hints throughout Genesis, but these are some of the most glaring. As you read, keep an eye out for when and where find him. Come back here and drop a comment and let us know where else you find Jesus popping up.
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