We continue our flight through the Old Testament with a bird’s eye view of the Scarlet Thread of Redemption…God’s provision for forgiveness and restored favor before Him, and final deliverance from the power of sin.
With God’s chosen family delivered from Egypt through the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, the Lord gave Moses instructions on building a tabernacle, the place where God would dwell among His people. He gave directions for holy worship and the other marvelous things we read about in the book of Leviticus…things which portray and prophesy the future sacrifice of the Son of God, Jesus.
When Moses died, Israel’s new leader, Joshua, led the people over the Jordan River to take the land God had promised to the descendants of Abraham. In Jericho, an incident happened which gave rise to the title of this series. Scouts sent by Joshua were saved by the faith and kindness of a woman called Rahab. The men of Israel promised life and safety for her and her father’s house if she would place a scarlet thread in her window where they could see it during the battle to take the city. She did this, and when Jericho fell into the hands of Joshua’s army, Rahab and her family were spared because of that scarlet line, The Scarlet Thread of Redemption.
With the conquest of the land of Canaan came the era of the Judges. The difference between a judge and a king was that a king’s son inherited the throne, but a judge was raised up in a crisis and endowed with special gifts from God during that time of need. The days of the judges ended with the birth of Samuel, a man given many roles from God: prophet, priest, and judge. At the vain and rebellious demands of the people to give them a king, God directed Samuel to anoint Saul to be king over Israel. Saul began well and carried out the mandates of heaven, but fell into gross disobedience to the will of God. The Lord then appointed a shepherd, David to be king, calling him a man after God’s own heart.
Though King David eventually fell into sin with devastating consequences, God forgave him and chose him to be the ancestor of that future Son who would sit upon His throne as king forever…Jesus. A type of that future glorious son was the actual immediate son of David, named Solomon. Solomon began his reign gloriously and triumphantly, but like his father, also fell into tragic decline. Afterward, the people of God were divided into two kingdoms: the northern part was called Israel and the southern part, Judah. Both of these kingdoms eventually fell due to continued rebellion against God. The people of the divided kingdom were taken off into captivity in Assyria and Babylon.
But from their captivity, God preserved a holy remnant of Israel who would restore worship of the true God in Jerusalem. God raised up prophets to predict the coming of a Redeemer who would save His people from their sins and to announce the everlasting hope and righteousness of God.
To be continued…
* The above is summarized from The King James Open Bible Expanded Edition (The Old Time Gospel Hour), 1333-1336, 1985 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.