The Gospel in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament, God is often looked as an angry god. He doesn't seem like he loves us very much. He is fed up with humanity's errors and would like to exact some righteous punishment upon sinners. Not to say that this is entirely untrue (as God does possess some righteous anger, Rom 1:18), but it's often hard to take in when also considering how God seems in the New Testament. God is often portrayed as Love, especially through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, an atoning sacrifice for the sins of man kind (John 2:2). Jesus also alludes to the Old Testament quite frequently, giving the impression that the OT and the NT are telling the same story. And in fact, the idea that God is not love in the Old Testament is very shallow.

If we look at Jacob, whose name means deceiver, we'll see a life full of wickedness. Yet, God showed favor to him. Jacob is able to underhandedly gain the birth right of the firstborn from Esau (Genesis 25:31) and even lies to his father, Isaac to gain his blessing from God (which was also meant for Esau, Genesis 27:19). Jacob deceived and lied. He sins before God in his disregard for his brother and selfishness (for himself, 1 John 2:9). But God still shows favor to him. In fact, God renames Jacob to "Israel" (Genesis 35:10). Israel is the chosen race of God (Jews in the OT), his people who are set apart, whom he blesses and embraces.

And this is the exact picture that's painted in the NT. God loves sinners, so much that he killed his Son so that they could be reborn into his family once again (John 3:16). Jacob is a sinner and deceiver, but God loves him. He's able to take this sinner and give him a new identity. No longer Jacob, but Israel. No longer a sinner but a son of God, made righteous by faith. In fact, God's love for sinners is all over OT. Even though Adam and Eve screwed up, God still cares for them (Genesis 3:21). When you see how often these guys screw up, and how often God still shows them favor and blesses them, how can you not see the gospel of Jesus Christ? He loved us when we were still sinners (Romans 5:8)!