Before the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, God used people, objects, and instances as examples of the type of person who He is and to show what He would do when he came to the earth (Luk 2:11).  Because our Saviour is from heaven, and the examples were earthly, they could never fully reveal His greatness.  Despite their limitations, they are recorded for our instruction (1 Cor 10:11) as they are an excellent way to understand the greatness of our Lord. For example, consider:

• David, Israel’s most celebrated King who successfully ruled over all of Israel. One day our Lord Jesus Christ will establish His own kingdom on earth that will be even bigger and more magnificent and will encompass the whole earth (Zec 14:9).
• The Ark of the Covenant was made of wood and covered with gold (Exo 25:10-11). This is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ who is our Almighty Holy God in human form (1 Ti 3:16) – there is none like him, which is why he is the only mediator between us and God (1Tim 2:5,6).
• The Passover is a one-time event celebrated yearly by a special feast. The feast was a celebration of God’s saving power and His grace and mercy (Exo 12:14).  It is a picture of an even more significant occasion, the time our Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily shed his own blood on the cross providing a way of salvation to everyone who believes (Joh 15:13). It also reminds us that trusting in Him is the only way that we can escape God’s judgement (Joh 3:16,36).

Examples like these help us grow our appreciation of how great and wonderful our God is and that is He is worthy of all honour and praise.  Our challenge is to study them more so that we can deepen our relationship with God our Saviour.

How good is the God we adore!
Our faithful, unchangeable friend:
his love is as great as his power
and knows neither measure nor end.