Bible Reading Plans
- Plan One: New Testament Only
- Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
- Plan Three: New Testament + History
- Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3
Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.
Extras
Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute
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(Book Installment)
Finding Jesus in the Old Testament
Chapter 1: Who First Found Jesus in the Old Testament?
(conclusion)
FJOT!
I participate in an extended-family daily Bible study for adults that takes place by email. We all read from the same Christ-centered Bible Reading Plan, and then email the group with perspectives and insights that stood out to us. When anyone catches a glimpse of Jesus in the Old Testament, he or she will usually type out “FJOT” with an exclamation point…like we’d just found an Easter egg. Here are some examples:
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
How does an expression like “her seed” even make sense…unless it’s an allusion to a virgin birth? FJOT!
Leviticus 19:18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Who but Jesus could have found the second greatest commandment buried deep in the bowels of Leviticus!) FJOT!
Deuteronomy 18:15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.
Who else was a Jewish prophet of Moses’ stature…who was also “raised up” except Jesus? FJOT!
1 Chronicles 11:2 ”In times past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and the Lord your God said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and you shall be prince over My people Israel.’ ”
If David was a man after God’s own heart, Jesus was even more! FJOT!
Psalm 19:5 …rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
Psalm 19:6 Its rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
Whose light is as bright as the sun…and completes His course? FJOT!
Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
Was Jesus not claiming to be found in this Old Testament verse when He said in the New Testament, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14)? FJOT!
Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?
Was Jesus not claiming to be found in this Old Testament verse when He said in the New Testament, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5)? FJOT!
Ezekiel 1:26 “Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man.”
Who could be 1) on a throne, 2) that high up, 3) with the appearance of a man…but our Lord Jesus Christ? FJOT!
Ezekiel 21:27 A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.’
Does anyone seriously think that “him” in this verse refers to someone besides Jesus? FJOT!
Daniel 3:24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.”
Daniel 3:25 He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!”
Daniel 3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire.
Daniel 3:27 The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.
Who else could such a fourth man either be or be foreshadowing…but Jesus? FJOT!
Micah 2:13 “The breaker goes up before them;
They break out, pass through the gate and go out by it.
So their king goes on before them,
And the LORD at their head.”
Know any kings or lords? FJOT!
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is just and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Who is the most famous man to ever ride into Jerusalem on a donkey amid shouts of praise? FJOT!
Zechariah 14:9 And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.
What other Lord do you know that would qualify for this level of glory? FJOT!
Malachi 4:2 “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings…
The passage from Psalm 19 above spoke of “the sun,” and one from Psalm 27 spoke of “the light,” and this allusion to Jesus speaks of a sun that “rises.” All these tie together. FJOT! FJOT! FJOT!
Like a miner shouting Eureka (Greek for “I found it!”) when he sees a glint of gold in the darkness, we can shout “FJOT!” when we’re reading the Old Testament. And like a miner who has once found gold, we can find it easier once we’ve had experience finding it. Whether it is direct messianic prophecy or it’s a type, shadow, foreshadowing, copy, pattern, symbol, or other sign – there are indications of Jesus all over the Old Testament.
This is one of the reasons that rereading the Bible is so profitable. That is, we can FJOT this year a passage that we might have missed in previous years. Don’t try to FJOT too much early in your walk with the Lord. As I’ve said above, dwell in the New Testament for a sufficient period of time before trying to tackle the Old Testament. My daily Bible reading plans start you off reading the New Testament only. For most people I’d hold off on the Old Testament altogether for a year or two…or maybe three. When you do start on the Old Testament, start with Psalms, which are easier to digest than most of the Old Testament. Plus, the Psalms are the Old Testament book that the New Testament quotes most often. You can find guidance about these plans at the Daily Help page of my website.
I provide a Bible commentary on my website that covers every book of the Bible. It’s called Bible Study Notes (BSN). There’s a hashtag you’ll see sprinkled throughout it – #FJOT – verses like the ones above. In fact, just do a search on any page for [FJOT], and you’ll be able to find them one by one. I have made no attempt to catalog them all, because, for one thing, I keep discovering them. I for sure don’t know them all. But ones I’ve tagged will help you to uncover other ones on your own.
Remember: Find Jesus first in the New Testament; after that, you’re more likely to recognize Him in the Old Testament.
The Duty of a Man 