“And again, he says: ‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!’ And again: ‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!’ And again, Isaiah says: ‘There shall be a root of Jesse; and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope’” (Romans 15:10-12).
The Jews divided the Old Testament into three major sections—the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. For Jesus to be correctly called the Christ, all things written in each of these portions of Scripture had to be fulfilled by Him (Luke 24:44).
To prove that the gospel’s message of salvation was for Jews and Gentiles (even though their consciences varied significantly) the inspired penman quotes from each of these major divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures.
-
The Law: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people” (Deuteronomy 32:43). Envisioned here are Jews and Gentiles rejoicing together, side by side in one body.
-
The Psalms: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples” (Psalm 117:1). Foreshadowed here are Gentiles and Jews (“all people”) worshiping the one true God.
-
The Prophets: “There shall be a root of Jesse; and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope” (Isaiah 11:10). Predicted by the Messianic prophet is a specific person with a specific genealogy wh0 shall be the Sovereign and Savior of the Gentiles.
Like the ones before, this citation of the Law, Psalms, and Prophets is conclusive proof that in Christ, the gospel, and the church Jesus built is the complete fulfillment of the Old Testament.
Everything foreshadowed, promised, and predicted in the Old Testament is fulfilled in Christ.
He is God’s beloved Son. Hear Him!