The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses

by Vern Poythress

Publisher:

P&R

, 1991

Overview

What does the Old Testament have to do with Jesus Christ? Everything.

The first five books of the Old Testament were written centuries before the birth of Jesus. Yet they intricately involve him. Here Vern S. Poythress explores Genesis through Deuteronomy, demonstrating how the sacrifices and traditions of the Hebrews graphically foreshadow Christ’s relationship with his people. Dr. Poythress also explains how the penalties of the law prefigure the destruction of sin and guilt through Jesus.

Christ himself is the key that unlocks the riches of the Old Testament. With remarkable clarity and insight, Poythress opens the door to our understanding the law of Moses and its relationship to the gospel.

Key Features

• Explores the relationship between the law of Moses and the gospel
• Examines how the penalties of the law prefigure the destruction of sin and guilt through Jesus
• Demonstrates how the sacrifices and traditions of the Hebrews foreshadow Christ’s relationship with his people

Contents

Understanding the Different Aspects of the Law

• The Challenge of the Law of Moses
• The Tabernacle of Moses
• The Sacrifices, Prefiguring the Final Sacrifice of Christ
• The Priests and the People
• General Principles for God’s Dwelling with Human Beings Prefiguring Union with Christ
• The Land of Palestine, the Promised Land
• The Law and Its Order
• The Purposes of the Tabernacle the Law, and the Promised Land:Pointing Forward to Christ
• The Punishments and Penalties of the Law Prefiguring the Destruction of Sin and Guilt through Christ

Understanding Specific Penalties of the Law

• The Principle of Penal Substitution
• Principles of Justice for the Modern State
• Just Penalties for Many Crimes
• Penalties for Sexual Crimes
• Deterrence and Rehabilitation
• A Critique of Prisons
• Our Responsibilities Toward Imperfect States
• Fulfillment of the Law in the Gospel According to Matthew
• Appendix A: False Worship in the Modern State
• Appendix B: Evaluating Theonomy
• Appendix C: Does the Greek Word Πληρόω Sometimes Mean “Confirm”?

Top Highlights

“Fourth, the tabernacle symbolized Eden, and thereby reminded the Israelites of their sinful, lost, separated condition as descendents of Adam. Entrance into Eden was barred to them. And yet they could enter in a sense, when the priest entered as their representative. Hence, the tabernacle spoke both of being lost and also of the promise of overcoming sin through a representative man, ultimately through Jesus Christ our final high priest (Hebrews 7:27–28).” (Pages 35–36)

“Thus we have a threefold task. First, we must try to understand the law of Moses on its own terms, within its own historical environment. God intended it to be heard and understood by Israelites who had recently been redeemed from Egypt. Second, we must try to understand how the New Testament completes God’s story and God’s word that He began to speak in the Old Testament. Third, we must obey and apply God’s word to ourselves and our own circumstances.” (Page 7)

“The inner and outer rooms are both covered with blue curtains and interwoven cherubim, signifying heaven. All the furnishings in the rooms are covered with gold, signifying the royal splendor of heaven. Outside in the courtyard, the altar is made of bronze, a less expensive metal, and common Israelite worshipers may enter. The courtyard is much more earthy in character. The relations between the two would doubtless suggest to Israelites their own earthiness in contrast with God’s heavenly character. Israelites are on earth and God is in heaven. God’s throne in heaven is, as it were, concealed by clouds and the visible sky, which correspond to the curtains barring the way into the two rooms.” (Page 16)

Product Details

• Title: The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses
• Author: Vern Poythress
• Publisher: P&R
• Print Publication Date: 1991
• Logos Release Date: 2020
• Pages: 422
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Typology (Theology); Law (Theology) › Biblical teaching; Jewish law
• ISBNs: 0875523757, 9780875523750
• Resource ID: LLS:SHDWCHRSTLWMSS
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T02:59:29Z

About Vern Poythress

Vern Sheridan Poythress (b. 1946) is an evangelical philosopher, theologian, and Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary where he has taught since 1976. In 1981 he was ordained as a teaching elder in the Reformed Presbyterian Church Evangelical Synod, which later merged with the Presbyterian Church in America.