We read in Gal. 3:88And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. (Galatians 3:8) a very striking statement, " And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed." "THE SCRIPTURE, FORESEEING!" What a momentous statement! Who can foresee but God alone? Man may foresee a little way ahead when circumstances plainly pointing in a certain direction accumulate, but who can look down the centuries, and say what is going to happen when there are no outward circumstances foreshadowing the future? But this is what God does, and God alone can do. If the Scriptures foresee in this way, it is proof that they are inspired of God, and if inspired of God entirely trustworthy.
Let us look at a few examples sufficient to prove our point. Prophecy began very early in the history of sinful man. Before our sinning first parents were driven out of the Garden of Eden, the Lord God said to the serpent, " 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" (Gen. 3:1515And 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. (Genesis 3:15)). This is a most pregnant prophecy. It foretells the seed of the woman, the virgin birth of our Lord. Moses knew perfectly well that procreation throughout nature is effected through male agency. But he made no mistake when he wrote of the seed of the woman. He would most certainly have made a mistake unless God had guided his hand.
That the seed of the serpent should bruise the heel of the seed of the woman was seen in our Lord, the Child of the virgin mother, though "over all, God blessed forever " (Rom. 9:55Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 9:5)), being crucified on the cross. How Satan must have gloated over his seeming victory. It was short lived, for our Lord the third day rose triumphant from the dead. His heel only was bruised, as far as Satan's malevolence was concerned.
But the seed of the woman was to bruise the serpent's head; a mortal blow was to be struck. Satan must never rise again. That looks further down the ages, when Satan at last will be finally flung into the lake of fire and brimstone (Rev. 20:1010And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)). Going by the dates at the top of our Bibles this prophecy was four thousand years before any part of it was fulfilled.
Over three thousand years had rolled by, when the prophet Isaiah wrote, "Behold, a virgin [literally THE virgin] shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel" (Isa. 7:1414Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)). He enlarges on the Garden of Eden pronouncement. The seed of the woman might have been male or female. Here it is definitely said to be a Son. Further, there was no indication in Gen. 3:1515And 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. (Genesis 3:15) that the seed should be more than human. Here we are told the Son is to be named IMMANUEL, which means "GOD with us" Who told Isaiah that the Child born would be " God... manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:1616And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:16))? That must have been revelation.
Not only so, but further on in his prophecy Isaiah writes, "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace " (Isa. 9:66For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)). Inspiration could not be more manifestly seen in a passage than here. The wit of man would never have told us that a Child should be born, who should at the same time be "The Mighty God:" that a Child of days should be " The Everlasting Father." Such a statement is either the most sublime truth, or the most blasphemous folly. Which is it? I believe from the bottom of my heart that it is the sublime truth as to the glorious Person of my Redeemer.
Isaiah also wrote, seven centuries before the death of Christ, a full and exhaustive prophecy as to that great event. The Jews were willing to have a glorious triumphant Messiah, who should put their little nation at the head of all the nations, and set up a world-wide dominion, a condition of things that their carnal flesh could glory in. They could not and would not entertain the thought of a suffering Messiah. Chapter 53 presents this so vividly that there is no mistaking its meaning. It is the despair of the Jewish theologians, of the rabbis of their synagogues. Their only way out of the difficulty is to ignore it. So when they read consecutively in their roll of the Scriptures, they read Isa. 52, and then pass on to chapter 54, and ignore chapter 53. But it cannot be ignored, as they will find out in due course to their sorrow.
On the other hand, this chapter is prized very highly by the Christian community. One verse in particular puts the sacrificial, vicarious, atoning character of the death of our Lord very clearly, and in the past tense, as if it had already taken place, so sure is the Divine mind of its due occurrence. We read, " 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" (Isa. 53:55But 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. (Isaiah 53:5)). This verse alone has been the means of the conversion of vast multitudes.
Was it not the famous John Calvin who, stirred by the heroic death of Christian martyrs burned at the stake in Paris because of their belief in the Bible, took to diligently reading the Scriptures to find out the reason of their peace and confidence? As he read on he came to this very verse. The light of God's forgiving grace through the righteousness effected in the atoning death of His well beloved Son on Calvary's cross flooded his soul, and he cried out, " Ο Father, His sacrifice has appeased Thy wrath; His blood has washed away my impurities; His cross has borne my curse; His death has atoned for me." Thus John Calvin and multitudes besides have passed into peace with God.
The truth of the glorious resurrection too is seen in verse 10. We read, "When Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand." There again is the visible hall-mark of inspiration. If our Lord were put to death and there were no resurrection, the prophet could not have truly penned these words. He went on to say that though He has been brought to death, yet His days go on, that the One who died on the cross would see " of the travail of His soul, and... be satisfied" (verse 11). His resurrection is thus plainly foretold. Who could foretell all this seven centuries before it happened?
And why cannot the Jews see the necessity of a suffering Messiah? Whenever a Jew or Gentile is convicted of sin, and feels the burden of his guilt before God, he at once sees the necessity of a Redeemer, a Savior. A suffering Redeemer is our only hope of eternal blessing.
The Jews ought to have seen this, for the whole meaning of their ritual of approach to God by sacrifice, their sin offerings, their trespass offering, their burnt offerings, all were prophetic in their symbolism. For hundreds of years the Jews had this ritual before their eyes. They were familiar with the fact that on the passover night in Egypt every Hebrew dwelling was sprinkled with the blood of the lamb without blemish or spot, and that Jehovah had said, " When I see the blood, I will pass over you " (Ex. 12:1313And 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. (Exodus 12:13)). They were familiar with the necessity of sacrifice on every approach to God. "Without shedding of blood is no remission " (Heb. 9:2222And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)), is writ large over the whole of the Jewish ritual, a ritual designed by God Himself. What a wonderful preparation for the coming into the world of " the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world " (John 1:2929The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)).