To ready yourself for Tuesday’s class, please write a blog post on the following: What does Scripture mean by “fulfillment”? (Use the citation from Hosea as an example in your answer.) Second, identify anything you can see in these opening chapters of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke that addresses the elements of the Old Testament narrative that we discussed last class.
The words God spoke according to Hosea were “‘Out of Egypt I called my son’,” which at first glance is just a statement spoken in the past tense. However, this is interpreted in Matthew and by the Israelites to be something awaiting fulfillment, as if it was in the future tense. Looking at what occurred in the Old Testament allows us to understand why. In the Old Testament, God called Israel from Egypt and delivered them out of the wilderness through Moses. The subsequent conquering of nations followed by the fall of Israel leaves a certain portion of this quote incomplete. Through the prophets the Israelites gained the hope that one day God would come and unite them from the countries they were scattered in so that they may be redeemed. The Israelites are in a similar position as they were in Egypt. They are in exile and are in need of God to restore them to their former glory that we once saw in their temple, in David, in Moses, etc. Therefore, this quote applies to this situation, as the same God that controlled their exit from Egypt controls what happens now, and has the same goals for them as he once did. Therefore, from this quote, Israelites hold onto hope that God will lead them from their current place of exile. The parallels of the Old Testament continue beyond Israel’s expectations of a deliverance from their situation. For example, we see at the beginning of Luke the selection of the elect seemingly at random to help God carry out his will. Elizabeth, who was seen in good eyes by the Lord, has God appear to her saying she will bear children even though she was previously unable to. This is similar to the story of Rachel in the Old Testament, who birthed Joseph in the Old Testament. Furthermore, we see a continuation in the line of David become one of the elect. Jesus is a son of Joseph, who descends from David, which fulfills the prophecy of the next king coming from the line of David. These two things taken together paints a hopeful future for Israel as the archetypal story appears to be starting over again.
Theology 
I really enjoyed reading your comparison to the situation the Israelites face now in comparison to back in Egypt. I think it speaks to how the God that once fulfilled their hopes in exodus will show persistence deliverance of that in the New Testament, something you put really nicely in saying that the “Israelites hold onto hope that God will lead them from their current place of exile.” Not only do I agree with this, but I think there is significant evidence of God providing a final elect in order to finally fulfill the promise once made in the Old Testament.
LikeLike
I’m interested in your interpretation that the conquering of other nations leaves a part of the quote from Hosea incomplete, how do you read that? The situation of Israel as in exile, even in their own land, is a good comparison to the Old Testament, as Herod mimics the character of Pharaoh. Will God’s new deliverance for Israel give them their land back, or kick out the invaders?
LikeLike
One thing I want to ask you about from your response is about the Israelites and their intentions. In your response, you note, “The Israelites hold onto hope that God will lead them from their current place of exile.” Do you think that the Israelites truly knew that God was going to fulfill them in a way similar to the Exodus? I am wondering if the ancient Jewish people simply learned about the idea of fulfillment through the scriptures or through oral history.
LikeLike
Brendan, I thought you had a good comparison between the situation the Israelites are in now and the situation they were in while they were in Egypt. What I liked about the comparison was that you introduced the idea that the same God who directed the Israelites actions in Egypt will continue to direct their actions now.
LikeLike
One contention about the prophetic hopes and Jesus has always bothered me. One of the prophets’ hope was that the Davidic line would rule over Israel, yet Jesus does not appear to be from that line. Sure, Joseph is his father, but if Jesus is the son of G-d, he is not biologically related to Joseph. Thus, he has not biological connection to David. How do Christians justify this claim that Jesus is from David’s lineage without contradicting the claim that Jesus is the son of G-d?
LikeLike