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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Looking Forward to the Cross

The Cross of Christ is central to History. We as Christians look back to the Cross which has an effect on our lives through faith. People of the Old Testament too looked to the Cross, but they looked forward. God gave them imagery and ritual to show a shadow of the things to come.



As we approach Easter It will be good to explore how people of the Old Testament saw what God had planned.



The Sacrificial Lamb Exodus 12:21-23 (NIV)

21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23 When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. (John 1:29)



The Serpent on the Pole Numbers 21:5-9 (NIV)

5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”



6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.



8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived. ( 2 Cor 5:21)



The Cry from The Cross Ps 22:1

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from my cries of anguish? (Mark 15:34)