Apologetics: Mediators Before Christ.

Throughout the Bible, one of the things we see quite often is the theme of the need of a mediator between man and God. The most obvious example of this, of course, is Christ himself, but there was foreshadowing of the need for a perfect mediator (Christ) in the Old Testament as well. So, let’s explore some of those examples today.

#1: Abraham

I’m starting with Abraham because, while the argument could be made that Adam was the first mediator, Abraham was less passive. His role was to be the father of a great nation and involved direct communication and covenant-making which set the foundation for later events. His mediation was done through obedience and faith in God, and he even went so far as to ask God to spare Sodom if there were even a whopping ten people living there who were righteous. Because of this faithfulness, Paul credits in him in Galatians 3:16 for laying the groundwork for Christ as the ultimate mediator.

#2: Moses

Moses is the most obvious and prominent example of a mediator in the Old Testament. He spoke to God directly, led the Israelites out of Egypt, received the revelation at Sinai, and interceded for the Israelites constantly when they were being disobedient (especially in the case of the Golden Calf disaster).

#3: The Priests

The Levites were the tribe of Israel whose job it was to serve as priests. Starting with Aaron and his sons, they were the ones who took care of the Tabernacle and offered sacrifices and offerings and performed rituals to atone for Israel’s sins.

#4: The Prophets

The prophets were the ones who came later in the OT who delivered the messages that God gave them to the people that needed to hear them (the Israelites, rulers, other peoples, etc.). The prophets make up most of the Old Testament and interestingly foreshadow the coming of Christ – the ultimate, permanent mediator – quite a bit.

Until next time,

M.J.