The Torah is a term that is used to refer to the first five books of the Bible. So, this article will cover references to Jesus Christ in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Click a book name to be taken to that book's section:
Genesis 3:7, 21
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
After Adam and Eve fell, they made fig leaf aprons to cover their nakedness. God replaces this covering with coats of animal skins.
God replaced the aprons, because they were representative of Adam and Eve's attempt to cover their sin with their own works. The animal skins are the first appearance of the ubiquitous principal of blood atonement that God establishes in Scripture (Leviticus 17:11, Hebrews 9:22), ultimately culminating with the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ.
Genesis 3:14-15
14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Verse 15 above is called the "Protoevangelium", meaning "The first Gospel". This is because it contains the first reference to the Messiah in the Bible - the promised seed of the woman who will "bruise the head of the serpent", who is Satan (Revelation 12:9, 20:2).
This is a reference to Christ's death - in which the Devil "bruised His heel" - and resurrection, in which He undid the process of death which began here in the Garden of Eden, with the Devil (Hebrews 2:14: 1 John 3:8: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, 54-57). One day, this will be more completely realized, with the final destruction of the Devil (Ezekiel 28:13-19, Revelation 20:10), and death itself, forever (Revelation 21:4).
Also, God explicitly tells Satan that the "woman's seed" will bruise his head. The choice of "woman's seed" over "man's seed" is significant, as it alludes to the absence of an earthly father for Christ, foreshadowing the virgin birth.
Genesis 4:3-5
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
The account of Cain and Abel's offering is another pre-Mosaic testimony to the principle of blood atonement (Leviticus 17:11, Hebrews 9:22). There is indication that God communicated the requirement of sacrifice to the patriarchs even before the Law was given, as we see Noah (Genesis 7:2, 8:20-21) and Abraham (Genesis 22:2-13) perform sacrifices, and also Isaac (Genesis 26:25) and Jacob (Genesis 33:20, 35:1-7) building altars, ostensibly for sacrifices as well.
In this account, Abel was accepted before God on the basis of the blood of the lamb that he sacrificed. The crops that Cain had cultivated, just as the fig leaf aprons which his parents made, were representative of mankind attempting to merit justification through their own effort, and so he was rejected by God.
Genesis 14:18-20
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Abraham's encounter with Melchizedek is strange for a number of reasons. Unlike nearly every other important figure, we are given no indication of Melchizedek's origins. He just appears in the narrative, "the priest of the most high God".
Firstly, we are told that he is the "King of Salem", noting the shared root with "Jeru-salem", which is both the capital of physical Israel in the Old Testament, as well as the name God chooses for His eternal city (Revelation 21:2).
The word "Salem" means "peace" (Hebrews 7:2), and in Isaiah 9:6, we read that there will be a child born who is called "Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace", who will rule from the throne of David forever and ever (Isaiah 9:7). It was Jesus who secured peace and reconciliation between God and mankind (Romans 5:1, Ephesians 2:14, Colossians 1:20).
Secondly, notice that Melchizedek "brought forth bread and wine", the two symbols that Christ used as reference to His body and blood repeatedly (John 6:32-58, Matthew 26:26-29, etc.).
Thirdly, in Psalm 110, which is a Messianic Psalm that prophesies of Jesus Christ, according to Himself (Matthew 22:41-45, Mark 12:35-37, Luke 20:41-44), we read that Jesus Christ, "the Lord" of David (Psalm 110:1), is "a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4).
This is reiterated and confirmed repeatedly in the book of Hebrews, which calls Jesus Christ "a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec" many times (Hebrews 5:6, 5:10, 6:20, 7:17, 7:21).
All of this is brought together in Hebrews chapter 7 in a powerful way, in which we read that Melchizedek was "without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life" (Hebrews 7:3), that he was greater that Abraham (Hebrews 7:6-7), that he was still alive, and never died (Hebrews 7:8), and that since he was not in the line of Levi, he represented an older, everlasting priesthood (Hebrews 7:11, 7:24):
Hebrews 7:1-11
1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:
6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.
7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.
8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.
9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.
10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.
11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
Taking all of the above into account, it's likely that Melchizedek was Jesus Christ in pre-incarnate form, or if not, certainly pictured Him in a number of significant ways, most notably the non-Levitical priesthood that He would establish.
Genesis 18:1-8
1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3 And said, My LORD, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
Above, we see "the LORD" (Yahweh - יְהֹוָה) appearing unto Abraham in bodily form, alongside two angels.
And, they are not simply appearing to be in human bodies, but rather demonstrate their corporeality by washing their feet, taking shelter under a tree, eating food, and speaking with Abraham face-to-face. God is bodily speaking to Abraham throughout the entire chapter of Genesis 18.
Before Jesus Christ came, this would have been a mystery, as God states elsewhere in the Torah that no one can see His face and live (Exodus 33:20). It's reiterated in the New Testament that no one has ever seen God the Father (John 1:18, 6:46: 1 Timothy 6:16: 1 John 4:12), and yet, here is Abraham conversing with the Lord, face-to-face.
This contradiction is reconciled by the doctrine of the Trinity, which was demonstrated in the Old Testament by passages such as this one, but only revealed clearly in the New Testament. The Tri-unity of God explains how both the Father and Son can be called "Yahweh" (the Lord), and Abraham spoke face-to-face with Yahweh, and yet, no one has ever seen the Father's face.
Genesis 22:1-13
1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
The account of Abraham offering Isaac is one of the clearest pictures of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament.
Firstly, note that three times in this chapter, when speaking to Abraham, God calls Isaac "thine only son Isaac" (Genesis 22:2, 22:12, 22:16). This is significant, because Abraham already had a son named Ishmael. Yet, Ishmael is cast out, and not counted for his seed (Genesis 17:19-21, 21:10-12, Romans 9:7, Hebrews 11:17-18). Ishmael, born of Hagar the bondwoman, was to be representative of the Old Covenant, and God chose Isaac, born of Sarah the free woman, to symbolize the New Covenant (Galatians 4:22-31). And, God telling Abraham to specifically offer his "only son", is symbolic of the fact that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
Secondly, we read in the New Testament that Abraham knew that if God had allowed him to sacrifice Isaac, that He would raise Isaac from the dead, and that this would be a figure of what was to come (Hebrews 11:19). This is evidenced in the Genesis account, where Abraham, knowing what he was about to have to do, still tells his servants that he and Isaac will be returning from the mountain (Genesis 22:5).
Thirdly, Abraham takes the wood, and lays it upon Isaac (Genesis 22:6) before they go up the mountain, just as Christ had to carry His cross to Calvary (John 19:17).
Fourthly, in verse 13, Isaac's place is taken by an innocent substitute - a ram "caught in a thicket by his horns". This also pictures Jesus Christ, who had branches from thorn bushes wrapped around His head to form a mock crown (Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:17, John 19:2).
Fifthly, Abraham says "God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering" (Genesis 22:8), even though what God later gave them in place of Isaac was a ram. They are not the same animal, and a different Hebrew word is used. This is prophetic of Jesus Christ, whom John the Baptist - who was also prophesied in the Old Testament (Malachi 3:1, Exodus 23:20, Isaiah 40:3-5, Matthew 3:3, 11:10, Mark 1:2-3, Luke 3:4-6, 7:27, John 1:22-23) - called the "Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29, 1:35-36), at the very beginning of His ministry.
Genesis 32:24-30
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Above recounts Jacob wrestling with a man, who is also called "the angel" in Hosea 12:4. "Angel" means "messenger", and so does not always refer to the created beings known as "angels", but sometimes to human beings, and here in this passage, very likely, Jesus Christ.
We can infer that this is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ for a few reasons:
Joseph, one of the sons of Israel, and the main character of Genesis chapters 37-50, has a life that is noted for having a large amount of parallels to Jesus Christ:
A lot of the events in Joseph's life, which would have seemed incidental at the time, found their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Genesis 49:1, 8-12
1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
In context, Jacob is nearing the end of his life, and he gathers his children together to tell them things "which shall befall them in the last days", obviously, indicating that there is prophecy being given, which may extend far into the future.
Judah is particularly important, because Jesus Christ is "the lion of the tribe of Judah" (Revelation 5:5), something referenced in verse 9 above. Christ is descended from Judah on both sides of His family (Matthew 1:3, Luke 3:33).
Verse 10 is the most significant verse in the prophecy. The word "Shiloh" is a reference to the Messiah, and this foretells that Judah will be established as the kingly tribe in Israel, up until Shiloh comes. This was fulfilled in David, a descendant of Judah, who became king about 800 years after this prophecy was given, and whose descendants ruled in Israel, Jerusalem, and Judea until after Christ came, being finally expelled in 70 AD.
David himself also received promises from God that his descendants would have an everlasting throne, and never lack a king ruling in Israel (2 Samuel 7:16, Psalm 89:3-4, 89:28-37, 132:11, Jeremiah 33:17). Jesus Christ is also descended from David on both sides (Matthew 1:1, 1:6, Luke 3:31), and was the fulfillment of these promises. During His first advent, He emphasized his kingship over a heavenly kingdom (John 18:36-37), and in His second advent, He will rule as king from an earthly kingdom (Revelation 11:15, 19:15-16, 20:4-6).
Exodus 1:15-16, 22
15 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:
16 And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.
22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.
Pharaoh, in order to curb the growth of the Israelites, decrees that all male Israelite children are to be killed. As a result, Moses is hidden, and eventually, given up by his parents, and found by Pharaoh's daughter (Exodus 2:2-6).
This parallels King Herod's attempt to kill Jesus as an infant, wherein he ordered that all children born at or since the time of Jesus in or around Bethlehem should be killed (Matthew 2:16). As a result, Mary and Joseph flee to Egypt with Jesus (Matthew 2:13-15), which is where Moses was in Exodus.
Exodus 12:1-13
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying,
2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.
13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
The Passover, like Abraham offering Isaac, is one of the clearest symbols of Christ in the Old Testament.
First, note that Jesus is called the "Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" by John the Baptist (John 1:29, 1:35-36), over three years before He died. Even before the events took place, God was pointing to the fact that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Passover, as well as Abraham's prophecy regarding the Lamb of God (Genesis 22:8), as discussed in the Genesis section of this article.
Secondly, notice that the lamb was kept from the tenth day until the fourteenth day (Exodus 12:3, 12:6). This parallels Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem ("presentation of the lamb") to His crucifixion 4 days later during Passover week, proving that He was the fulfillment of this picture that had been prophesying of Him for 1,500 years. Consequently, in the New Testament, Jesus Christ is called "our Passover" (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Thirdly, the male lamb had to be spotless (Exodus 12:5), because it pictured Jesus Christ, who is sinless (2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15: 1 Peter 2:21-22: 1 John 3:5).
Fourthly, notice that the lamb's blood had to be shed, and applied to the doorpost of the house (Exodus 12:7), which saved the people inside the house. Anyone, regardless of any other circumstances, who was in that house, would be "passed over" by the Lord when He was executing deadly judgement (Exodus 12:13).
This pictures Salvation by faith alone in the Lamb, because Jesus Christ's shed blood saves us from our sin (Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14, Revelation 1:5), and anyone who puts their faith in Jesus will not come into condemnation when God is executing judgement (John 5:24), regardless of what takes place after that blood is applied.
Fifthly, none of the bones of the Passover lamb could be broken (Exodus 12:46), and the Bible is careful to mention that none of Jesus's bones were broken during His crucifixion (John 19:36), as also prophesied in Psalm 34:20.
Sixthly, the original Passover was to save the Israelite's firstborn son. This is representative of the Salvation of the Church, as the Church is spiritual Israel (Galatians 6:16, Ephesians 2:11-13, 19), and "Israel is my firstborn son" (Exodus 4:22).
A person who rejects belief in Jesus has to grapple with why the Jews did this specific tradition for over 1,500 years, before Jesus just happened to show up, and had His life culminate in the fulfillment of each detail of what they had been doing all that time, on the very date of the holiday itself.
Exodus 16:14-15
14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.
15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.
The manna coming down from Heaven was, according to Jesus Christ himself, a picture of Him:
John 6:31-35
31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Jesus Christ likens Himself to the manna, because while it gave physical life when the Israelites ate it, He gives Everlasting Life to those who believe in Him (John 6:47). He continues this theme throughout the chapter:
John 6:47-51, 57-58
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
48 I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Above, we are explicitly told three times that:
Therefore, in Christ, the carnal symbol of eating manna was given spiritual significance and symbolism. And, that symbology is a powerful proof for the doctrine of Eternal Security.
Exodus 17:5-6
5 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Above, the Israelites find themselves in the wilderness where there is no water source, and so they become angered at Moses (Exodus 17:3-4). God then commands Moses to hit a rock in Horeb with his staff, and it produced a water source suitable for the various needs of millions of people (Exodus 12:37).
Firstly, this event is referenced as a symbol of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, where we read that the Israelites all drank "the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:4).
Secondly, Moses was told to "smite the rock" (Exodus 17:6), because he was picturing God the Father smiting Jesus Christ for the sins of the world:
Isaiah 53:4-6
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
After the rock is smitten, water flows out of it. This water pictures Eternal Life, which is a metaphor that the Lord used in John chapter 4:
John 4:10, 13-14
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Just as the manna paralleled Christ as the "bread of life" in the discussion above on Exodus 16:14-15, the water is also a picture of Eternal Security, and Salvation by faith alone, because while both pictures satisfied the physical needs of the Israelites, when Christ fulfilled them, they were shown to be pictures of a permanent, spiritual operation that Christ would come to offer.
In both cases, anyone who ate the bread of life never hungered again (John 6:35), and anyone who drinks the living water will never thirst again (John 4:14). A drink of water happens in a moment, and Christ likens the New Birth to that.
Therefore, Jesus is both the rock, and the living water, in this account. He was smitten for our sins, and is also the embodiment of Everlasting Life (1 John 5:20).
Exodus 20:9-11
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
In the first giving of the Ten Commandments above, God designates one day per week in which the Israelites are not allowed to work. This law of the Sabbath is given five times in Exodus alone, being reiterated in Exodus 23:12, 31:14-17, 34:21, and Exodus 35:2-3.
On the Sabbath, one could not do works as light as gathering sticks, or they would be put to death (Numbers 15:32-35). They also were forbidden from compelling others to work (Exodus 20:10).
When Jesus Christ, "The Lord of the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:8, Mark 2:28, Luke 6:5), comes, He heals frequently on the Sabbath (Matthew 8:14-17, 12:10-13, Mark 1:21-34, 3:1-6, Luke 4:31-41, 6:6-10, 13:10-17, 14:1-6, John 5:1-18, 9:1-16). This is because the Sabbath pictured our resting in Him, and the fact that this rest in Him makes us whole before God.
Trying to add works to Salvation is a violation of the symbolism of the Sabbath. Our Salvation is by grace through faith, without works (Ephesians 2:8-9), when we come to the "Lord of the Sabbath", who promises us "rest" (Matthew 11:28).
Exodus 24:7-8
7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.
8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.
Here, the Old Covenant is dedicated with "the blood of the covenant", which is sprinkled on the people. Why? Why would it be sprinkled on the people?
It was sprinkled on them, because it was picturing being covered by the blood of Christ (Revelation 1:5). The inauguration of the Old Covenant paralleled the inauguration of the New Covenant by the death of Christ, as is explained in this pertinent passage from Hebrews chapter 9:
Hebrews 9:12-22
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Just as the Old Covenant was dedicated with blood, so too is the New Covenant dedicated with blood. Therefore, the sacrificial, substitutionary death of the Messiah, completes yet another Old Testament picture, and ushered in the New Covenant - the coming of which had likewise been explicitly prophesied (Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 8:8-12).
Exodus 29:14
14 But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.
Above is the first mention of a "sin offering", which then becomes a major theme throughout the Torah (Exodus 29:36, 30:10, Leviticus 4:3, 4:8, 4:20-25, 4:29-34, Numbers 6:11-16, etc., etc.).
Here, the principal of blood sacrifice in atonement for sin is being put forth, a principal which is also stated explicitly in the Torah:
Leviticus 17:11
11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
With the advent of the New Testament, we learn that all of these sacrifices never actually took away sins, but instead were serving as a signpost to point toward the one efficacious sacrifice of the Lord Jesus:
Hebrews 10:1-12
1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Hebrews 9:12
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Therefore, in all of these sin offerings, we are to see Christ, because that is ultimately what they pictured.
Leviticus 1:10-13
10 And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish.
11 And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the Lord: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar.
12 And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
13 But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring it all, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.
As mentioned in the introduction to this book, a large part of Leviticus describes the sacrifices that were prescribed for the children of Israel in various circumstances. Therefore, the above passage is but one example that could have been chosen from Leviticus, which is exemplary of the symbolism of Christ in these sacrifices.
Notice that the lamb, just like the Passover lamb, had to be "a male without blemish" (Leviticus 1:10), because it was picturing the sinless Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15: 1 Peter 2:21-22: 1 John 3:5).
The blood was "sprinkled round about upon the altar" (Leviticus 1:11), one of many testaments to the Biblical doctrine of blood atonement (Leviticus 17:11, Hebrews 9:22), which culminated in the atoning death of Christ.
Finally, the fact that it was a "burnt sacrifice" (Leviticus 1:13) symbolizes the wrath of God (Hebrews 12:29, Deuteronomy 32:22) being turned to Christ on the cross (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34).
Leviticus 8:5-12
5 And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done.
6 And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.
7 And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.
8 And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim.
9 And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the Lord commanded Moses.
10 And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them.
11 And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them.
12 And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.
God instructing Moses to anoint the High Priest, Aaron, is significant for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the person being anointed - the High Priest - represented Jesus Christ, as he was to be the sole mediator between the people and God on the Day of Atonement, which is covered at length in Leviticus chapter 16. Once per year, he would go into the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle (Leviticus 16:2-3), alone, and sprinkle the blood on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:15-16).
This procedure is discussed in Hebrews chapter 9, where it is made very clear that all of these things served as a picture of what Christ was to do in Heaven:
Hebrews 9:1-12, 24-28
1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
From the above, we see how the High Priest in the Old Covenant represented Jesus Christ, though of course, the picture wasn't a perfect match, as the High Priest had to make a sin offering for his own sins as well (Leviticus 16:6, 16:11, Hebrews 7:26-29), and do the procedure every year, whereas Christ's work was perfect, and done only one time.
The fact that the office of High Priest in the Old Testament signified Christ's office is further solidified in Hebrews, where Christ is called our "High Priest" multiple times (Hebrews 2:17, 3:1, 4:14-15, 5:10, 6:20, 7:26-28, 8:1, 9:11, 10:21), often emphasizing the fact that this designates Him as our sole mediator with God the Father (1 Timothy 2:5).
Then, the significance of the "anointing" of the High Priest itself is demonstrated when looking at the fact that "Christ", which is the same as "Messiah" (John 1:41), means "anointed" (compare Psalm 2:2 with Acts 4:26). Jesus was God's "anointed", and so the vicar High Priest, Aaron, gets physically anointed with oil, as he is picturing Jesus Christ.
Finally, in what is a very clear picture of Christ, we see that the death of the High Priest had atoning, life-for-life symbolism. In Numbers 35:22-28, and Joshua 20:2-6, we read that someone who had committed manslaughter was bound to the cities of refuge, until the death of the High Priest - a very peculiar law, without the symbolic meaning that that Christ's death would later bring it. In this, we see that it was as if the avenger of blood had been satisfied by the death of the High Priest, in place of the one who did the manslaughter.
Leviticus 16:5-10, 20-25
5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:
24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.
25 And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.
In Leviticus chapter 16, the Day of Atonement is described. We learn that there were to be two goats chosen, and one would be sacrificed, with its blood sprinkled on the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle (Leviticus 16:11-19), with the other would be designated as the "scapegoat".
The High Priest would put all of the sins of Israel on the goat (Leviticus 16:21), and then the goat would be taken deep into the wilderness by a fit man, and left there. This pointed to two aspects of the Lord Jesus Christ's work.
The first parallel is the fact that Jesus Christ, like the scapegoat, "bore our sins in his own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). Similarly, the Bible says that God "hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin" (2 Corinthians 5:21), and "the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). So, just like the scapegoat, Jesus was "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), because all of our sins were placed on Him.
The exiling of the goat into the wilderness symbolized the fact that "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12). God uses distance/location elsewhere to emphasize that our sins are gone (Isaiah 38:17, Micah 7:19). It is on the basis of Christ's atonement that God promises us "their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17, Jeremiah 31:34, Isaiah 43:25).
Then, separately from the scapegoat, a sin offering was made (Leviticus 16:24-25), which once again was to be a testimony in front of all the people of the concept of blood atonement (Leviticus 17:11).
And, recall that all of these Old Testament references ultimately looked toward the cross, because "it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins" (Hebrews 10:4), and God is a God that "will by no means clear the guilty" (Exodus 34:7, Numbers 14:18). Every time God forgave in the Old Testament, rather than being done by fiat, or capriciously, it was instead on the basis of Jesus Christ's atonement, which is outside of time, as He is the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8).
In Leviticus chapter 23, God gives the calendar for the various feast days that were to be observed throughout the year. They are:
From the above, not counting the Sabbath which was year-round, and combining the Year of Jubilee with the Day of Atonement, we can make two groups - the Spring feasts, of which there are 4, and the Fall feasts, of which there are 3 - seven in total.
The first group - the Spring feasts - are representative of Christ's first coming. The Fall feasts are representative of Christ's second coming.
Starting with the Passover, Christ was "our Passover" (1 Corinthians 5:7), was crucified during Passover week, and was the Passover "Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29, 1:35-36). The holiday of Passover is covered further in the section on Exodus 12:1-13 above, as well.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread primarily pointed to the removal of the unbiblical Jewish customs that would come to be accepted by the Jews before Christ's coming. So, when Christ arrives, He says "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees", which was their doctrine (Matthew 16:5-12, Mark 8:13-21), and hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).
This holiday, along with Passover, is also referenced in the context of "leaven" representing evil generally:
1 Corinthians 5:6-8
6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Continuing with the Spring feasts, we have the Feast of Firstfruits. This holiday was where the Jews were to bring a sheaf from their harvest to the priest, and celebrate that God had given them another year of harvest.
The "sheaf" in this case represented Jesus Christ, who was the first one to be raised from the dead in a glorified body - which is a token of the fact that all Christians will be raised from the dead in the same manner:
1 Corinthians 15:19-24
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
Therefore, this holiday finds it fulfillment in Christ's resurrection, which is a token of the resurrection that awaits Christians.
Next, there was the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits. This holiday was actually fulfilled on the day it was celebrated in the year of Christ's death and resurrection, the account of which is given in Acts chapter 2.
It was on that day that Christ's promise to send the Holy Spirit (John 14:16, Luke 24:49) was fulfilled, and the Holy Spirit's outpouring came upon Christ's disciples (Acts 2:1-4). This was when the early church really began to grow, and began the age that we are in now, which also coincides with the fact that this is the final Spring holiday. The period, then, between Spring and Fall, represents this age that we are living in right now - in between the first and second advent of the Lord.
Now, we can discuss the Fall feasts, which represent events which have not happened yet. Therefore, they take a bit more explaining than the Spring feasts do. And, while I believe my interpretations of these feasts are reasonable, because they represent the future, I acknowledge that they certainly aren't infallible.
The first Fall feast is the Feast of Trumpets. Trumpets were often used to signify danger in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 42:14, Ezekiel 33:3-6, Amos 3:6, Zephaniah 1:16, etc.), and the children of Israel would later be told to make two special trumpets (Numbers 10:1-10), which they were to blow in times of great distress, and God would save them:
Numbers 10:9
9 And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.
It's also important to note that this holiday fell on the dead center of the year - the first day of the seventh month.
This parallels the midway point of Daniel's seventieth week, in which the Antichrist will come into the temple and declare himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) - the so-called "abomination of desolation":
Daniel 9:27
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
After this event, the Antichrist will be in absolute power for 1,290 days (Daniel 12:11) - which is roughly 3.5 years. It's at this point that the Antichrist will begin to actively seek and destroy the saints:
Revelation 13:3-7
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Therefore, the Feast of Trumpets represents the Antichrist making war with the saints, in the most intense part of the Tribulation.
The Day of Atonement, ten days after the Feast of Trumpets, is a solemn feast, where the Israelites were supposed to "afflict their soul" (mourn, repent, fast):
Leviticus 23:27-32
27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.
29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.
31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
However, every 50th year, the Year of Jubilee - almost the polar opposite of the Day of Atonement - would be declared on the Day of Atonement:
Leviticus 25:8-10
8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.
Therefore, this holiday had two aspects - one of mourning, and one of jubilation.
Also, it's essential to note that on the Year of Jubilee, a trumpet would be blown to declare it (Leviticus 25:9). This links it to another event in the New Testament in which a trumpet is blown - the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16, Matthew 24:31).
This, like the year of Jubilee, will be a time of "liberty" for the children of God, who will receive a redeemed body like unto Christ's:
Romans 8:20-23
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
However, this event will not be jubilant for everyone. For the unsaved, this marks the beginning of God's Wrath (Revelation 6:12-17). Hence, we see both aspects of the Day of Atonement fulfilled in the Rapture - jubilation and affliction.
Further linking this with the Tribulation and the Rapture, note that this holiday is ten days after the Feast of Trumpets. This explains Christ's comment about having "tribulation ten days" in the Book of Revelation:
Revelation 2:10
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
After the "ten days", the saints will be raptured out to be with the Lord, signified by the trumpet of Jubilee/Day of Atonement.
This final Fall holiday, which occurred 5 days after the Day of Atonement, was an interesting one. A "booth" or "tabernacle" is like a makeshift shelter or a tent, and God had all the Israelites leave their houses, and essentially go camping for 7 days, to remind them of the fact that they were tent-dwellers in the desert after the exodus from Egypt, before they went into the Promised Land:
Leviticus 23:39-43
39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.
41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Above, we see that this was intended to be fun. This symbolizes the period between the Rapture and the Millennium, when Christians are in Heaven with the Lord. Notice that they were to wave "branches of palm trees" (verse 40) before the Lord. We see this in Revelation chapter 7, when all the redeemed from throughout history are with Christ in Heaven:
Revelation 7:9
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
At this point in time, like the Israelites, we have left the "Egypt" of this world, and are not yet in the "Promised Land" of the Millennium. It's an in-between stage, but yet, it's still very good.
In summary, the feast days given in Leviticus are highly significant. The Spring feasts were fulfilled on the first advent, and the Fall feasts are symbolic of the events that will occur around Christ's second coming.
Numbers 20:7-12
7 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
9 And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him.
10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
In this account, Moses is told to speak to the rock (verse 8), in order to get water. Moses loses his temper, and smites the rock (verse 11). As a result, he gets barred from the Promised Land (verse 12).
Recall back in Exodus 17:5-6 (covered in the Exodus section above) that Moses had been commanded to smite the rock in Horeb to get water, which he did. This time, he's told to speak to the rock. This is to symbolize the fact that the rock, Jesus Christ (Romans 9:33: 1 Corinthians 10:4), was going to be offered once for the sins of mankind, not on a repeated basis, as the Roman Catholic Church and others falsely teach:
Hebrews 9:25-28
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
God "smote" Jesus Christ on the cross (Isaiah 53:4-6), because He prophesied that He would "smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered" (Zechariah 13:7, Matthew 26:31, Mark 14:27, John 16:32). That was never to happen again. After Christ rose from the dead, He was to be spoken to, not smitten, and the "water of life" (Revelation 21:6, 22:17, John 4:10) would be available to as many as would want it.
God takes this symbolism so seriously, that He bars arguably the greatest man to live up to that point in history from the Promised Land for violating it.
Numbers 21:5-9
5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Here, the people complain against God, and as punishment, God sends poisonous snakes amongst them. They entreat Moses, and he intercedes to God, who tells him to make a very unusual idol - a brass serpent on a pole.
The serpent is the best animal to represent sin, being the form that Satan took in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1), and such is the form by which he is referenced, even 4,000 years later (Revelation 12:9, 20:2). It is for this reason that Jesus likened Himself to the serpent on the pole when He was crucified:
John 3:14-15
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Above, Jesus prophesied that He would be made into the embodiment of sin, signified by the serpent, on the cross, as the following verses teach:
2 Corinthians 5:21
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
1 Peter 2:24
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Jesus taking on the sins of the world completes this symbolism in a way that is undeniable, and turns what would've seemed like a puzzling story, of God essentially commissioning an idol, into an unambiguous prophecy of Christ's atoning sacrifice.
Finally, notice that all those who merely looked at the serpent would be healed. Similarly, when discussing the symbol, Jesus says that all who believe in Him have Everlasting Life (John 3:15). Salvation by simple faith alone completes the symbol beautifully, and all works Salvation religions and denominations do not. They mar, and nullify, this crystal-clear symbol.
Numbers 27:15-23
15 And Moses spake unto the Lord, saying,
16 Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,
17 Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd.
18 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;
19 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight.
20 And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.
21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.
22 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation:
23 And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.
Joshua pictures Jesus Christ here in a few significant ways.
Firstly, he is set "over the congregation". The word "church" means "congregation" (Acts 7:38, etc.). And, Christ is frequently called the head of the Church (Colossians 1:18, 2:19, Ephesians 4:15-16, 5:23-24), for instance:
Ephesians 1:22-23
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Secondly, in Numbers 27:17, Joshua is pictured as a shepherd, put over the congregation so that they are not "as sheep which have no shepherd". This parallel is emphasized by Jesus repeatedly in John 10:1-16, where He describes believers as "sheep", and famously calls Himself the "good shepherd" (John 10:11, 10:14). Beyond the passage in John chapter 10, Jesus is pictured as a shepherd repeatedly throughout the New Testament (Matthew 9:36, 26:31, Mark 6:34, 14:27, Hebrews 13:20: 1 Peter 2:25, 5:4).
Finally, the name "Joshua" is the Hebrew equivalent of the name "Jesus". "Jesus" is an English transliteration from Greek, and "Joshua" is an English transliteration of the Hebrew. Consequently, Joshua is referenced twice in the New Testament, and his name is rendered as "Jesus" (Acts 7:44-45, Hebrews 4:8).
Deuteronomy 18:15-19
15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
16 According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
17 And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
Here, Moses prophesies that there will be a prophet that God will raise up from among the Israelites, who was to be like himself.
So, what are the elements that the "Prophet like unto Moses" would need to recapitulate?
Firstly, he would need to be a mediator between God and the people. Verses 16 and 17 in the passage in question reference the event where Moses spoke to God on the mountain on behalf of the people, because they had been terrified when they had heard God speaking (Exodus 20:18-19). God says of the prophet in the passage that "(I) will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him" (Deuteronomy 18:18).
Accordingly, what we see in Jesus Christ's preaching are repeated statements that He was not putting forth His own agenda, but rather on a mission from God the Father, delivering what God the Father told Him to say (John 5:30-32, 5:36-37, 5:43, 7:16-18, 8:42, 12:49-50).
So, just as Moses spoke with the Lord "face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend" (Exodus 33:11, Numbers 12:6-8), and then reiterated that message to the Israelites, Jesus Christ had a similarly unique access to God - though of course much greater than Moses, having known Him from before the foundation of the world (John 17:24) - and then He reiterated that message in His incarnation. This role of Christ as mediator continues up to the present (1 Timothy 2:5).
Secondly, the "Prophet like unto Moses" would need to perform many miracles. This is listed alongside the requirement of knowing God face-to-face, when the "Prophet like unto Moses" is described toward the end of this same book:
Deuteronomy 34:10-12
10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,
11 In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,
12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.
Of course, Jesus was the most miraculous person to ever walk the earth. He raised the dead (Matthew 9:18-26, John 11:1-44), healed the sick and disabled (Matthew 9:1-8, 12:9-14, 12:22-23, 20:29-34, Mark 6:5, 8:22-26, etc.), walked on water (Matthew 14:22-33), controlled nature (Matthew 8:25-27), multiplied food (Matthew 14:13-21, 15:32-39), and most essentially, rose from the dead (Luke 24:36-39, etc.).
Therefore, Jesus Christ satisfied all the criteria expected of the "Prophet like unto Moses".
Also, we know that this was not an obscure prophesy, historically speaking, as we see that at the time of Christ, people were actively anticipating this prophet, and inquired of John the Baptist whether he was "that prophet":
John 1:21-25
21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?
Later, when Jesus fed the five thousand people in the wilderness, they declared Him to be "that prophet", and would have made Him a political king, which was not His mission (Hebrews 2:9), so He didn't allow them to:
John 6:14-15
14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
Much later, after Christ's death and resurrection, the fact that Jesus was this prophet is confirmed by Stephen (Acts 7:37, 7:52), and also Peter, when preaching to the Jews:
Acts 3:22-26
22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Therefore, people were anticipating this "Prophet like unto Moses" during Christ's time. He fulfilled the prophesied role of the prophet, in His work of mediation, and His abundant miracles. And, Jews accepted Him as the prophet, and used these facts to preach to other Jews.