Happy Lord’s Day, dear friends!

If you are like me, the more you read and understand God’s Word, the more amazing it becomes. One of those amazing things is how intricately God weaves together accounts of the Old Testament that vividly come alive in the New Testament! That is true particularly when revealing Jesus Christ! So many Old Testament characters serve to introduce us to a Savior who is so complete and adequate in every way.

Such is the case, as we take a look at Joseph and David through the lens of the Old Testament, revealing Jesus Christ in the New Testament! Have a blessed day as you meditate on these thoughts and passages:

"David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock at Bethlehem.... Then Jesse said to David his son, 'Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers. Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them.' ... Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, 'Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle'" (1 Sam 17:14-15, 17-18, 28). My doctoral mentor often said, "We cannot begin to understand the New Testament's use of the Old Testament until we begin to understand the Old Testament's use of the Old Testament." The author of Samuel has clearly grasped David's redemptive significance in the light of the story of Joseph, and so he tells of David's rise to power in parallel terms. David, like Joseph, is the beloved younger son who tends his father's sheep (Gen 37:2; 1 Sam 17:12, 14-15). David, like Joseph is sent out by his father to check on the welfare of his older brothers (Gen 37:14; 1 Sam 17:18, 22). Finally, David, like Joseph, is scorned by his older brothers because he speaks about his God-destined greatness (Gen 37:8; 1 Sam 17:28). The author of Samuel is teaching us to read the story about Joseph in Genesis as signs of things to come. By doing so, the author of Samuel is also teaching us how to read his story about David as well! No wonder the New Testament writers saw in the stories about Joseph (compare Mark 12:7 with Gen 37:20-21) and the psalms of David (compare Matt 27:35-46 with Psalm 22:1-22) prophetic parallels to Jesus! In doing so, these New Testament authors were reading these stories precisely as God had intended them to be read. "Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law" (Psa 119:18).

Aren’t God and His Word amazing!