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The Gospel in the Old Testament

New, published 22 October 2026. What else is new

In one sentence: God drew the gospel into Israel's history before He sent it, in a lamb's blood on the door, a serpent lifted on a pole, blood behind the veil, a kinsman who buys back and a priest who lives forever, so you can see in His Son Jesus what He had been promising all along.

On the road to Emmaus Jesus began with Moses and all the Prophets and interpreted to the two disciples the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:27). Each week takes one of those pictures, and each study sorts what the New Testament states about it from what later readers have added.

The weeks

  1. Passover: When I See the Blood · Exodus 12:1-28; Exodus 12:43-49; Leviticus 23:5

    A lamb's blood on the door and judgment passing over: the substitute.

    Week 1 · about 15 minutes to read · printable group sheet

  2. As the Snake Was Lifted Up: The Bronze Serpent and the Son of Man · Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:14-15

    Look to the One lifted up and live: faith in the crucified.

    Week 2 · about 20 minutes to read · printable group sheet

  3. The Day of Atonement: Once a Year, Once for All · Leviticus 16:1-34; Leviticus 23:26-32; Hebrews 9:6-28

    Blood carried behind the veil once a year, and Christ's once-for-all sacrifice: propitiation.

    Week 3 · about 15 minutes to read · printable group sheet

  4. The Kinsman Redeemer: Boaz, Ruth, and the Right to Buy Back · Ruth 3:9-13; Ruth 4:1-17

    Boaz's right to buy back what was lost: redemption, by the Kinsman who pays with His own blood.

    Week 4 · about 20 minutes to read · printable group sheet

  5. Jesus, Priest in the Order of Melchizedek · Hebrews 7:1-28

    The priest who holds His priesthood forever and always lives to intercede for those who come to God through Him (Hebrews 7:25).

    Week 5 · about 35 minutes to read · printable group sheet