There is no gainsaying the fact that the Good News of Jesus (the Gospel) is communicated in the Old Testament. Jesus, after His Resurrection, taught His disciples to examine the contents of the Scriptures (ie. the Old Testament) and see all things “concerning himself” (Luke 24:25-27)..
Therefore, a diligent study of scriptures, will obviously reveal many ways that the Good News of Jesus is communicated in the Old Testament. And here are a few instances we can glean from Genesis to Malachi:
In Genesis 3:15, we are told the Seed of woman; Jesus will one day crush Satan leading to man’s redemption (cf. Galatians 4:4–5; Hebrews 2:14–15; 1 John 3:8).
Also, the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of his beloved son, Isaac in Genesis 22:1–14 typifies God’s offering of His only beloved Son for the salvation of all people in the world (John 3:16; 19:16–18; Hebrews 11:17).
Further, we see Joseph, the beloved of his father, being rejected by his brothers who attempted to get rid of him, becoming eventually God’s instrument for the temporal salvation of Joseph’s family (Genesis 37, 42 & 45). This points to Jesus Christ the beloved Son of God (Matthew 3:17) who was rejected by the leaders of His people, the Jews (John 1:11; cf. Isaiah 53:3), sold by Judas and handed over to Gentiles, the Romans (Matthew 27:3). Just as Joseph generously provides food to his family (Genesis 42:33-35), so Jesus graciously offers salvation to all mankind (John 6:34–35).
God’s intervention in sending Moses to save His people Israel from their hard bondage in Egypt (Exodus 3:7–8, 10–12) speaks of the sending of Jesus into the world to save us of our sin (Matthew 1:21).
The killing of the passover lamb (Exodus 12:3, 5–7, 13–14, 46) symbolizes Christ the sacrificial Lamb that was slaughtered for us (John 1:29;19:14, 31–36; 1 Peter 1:18–19).
The gift of manna to save the lives of God’s people in the wilderness (Exodus 16:14–15, 18) represents the eternal life given by Jesus, the Bread of Life, through His body and blood shed on the cross (John 6:5–10, 48–51).
The sacrificial system as described in Leviticus was given for Israel to make their relationship right with God (see Leviticus 16:2–6, 17, 21).
The high priests making sacrifices for the people is symbolic of Christ our High Priest who made the perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins (Romans 3:25-26; Hebrews 4:14; 9:7, 14; 10:10, 14; cf. Isaiah 53:6)
The water from the Rock in the wilderness journey (Numbers 20:2–13) is revealed in the New Testament to be the “spiritual drink” from Christ, the Rock (1 Corinthians 10:1, 4; John 4:10, 13–14; 6:35; 7:38).
Concerning the brazen serpent that Moses raised to save people’s life in Numbers 21:4–9, Jesus explains: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14–15).
The life of Ruth teaches that participation in the kingdom of God is not decided by bloodlines but by obedience to God’s will (see Ruth 1:15–2:13; cf. Matthew 12:46–50).
Boaz, the kinsman who redeemed her inheritance (Ruth 2:14-4:15), is a type of Christ’s love and redemptive power (see Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 6:20).
Job expects a future day when his Redeemer would stand upon the earth and vindicate him (Job 19:25). And King Solomon confirms that our Redeemer is strong; He will plead our cause (Proverbs 23:11)
In Psalm 32:2, David says: “Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” This speaks of imputed righteousness that is given through faith in Christ, that is, the Doctrine of Justification by Faith in Christ Jesus- a core teaching of the New Testament (see Romans 3:20; 4:2–8).
Aside from those highlighted above, we see in almost all the books of the Old Testament the the Good News of Jesus, the Gospel being communicated in one form or the other: Isaiah reports of His supernatural birth and mission on earth; Jeremiah portrays His persecution and betrayal; Joel reveals Him as the Hope of His people; Amos descrbes Him as the Judge of all nations; Obadiah heralds the coming of His eternal kingdom; Jonah pictures His death (for three days) and resurrection; Zephaniah predicts that He will be the king over Israel; Zechariah announces Him as the Messiah (Savior) who will be seen by His people riding on a colt; Malachi tells us that He is the Sun of Righteousness with healing in its wings.
So, this is how the Good News of Jesus is communicated virtually everywhere in the Old Testament as we can see.
