(This post is not about a band from Chicago, but I like their logo.)
When God wants someone to hear from him, and the person really wants to hear from God, generally the two get together. God speaks mainly in our thoughts. Many of these thoughts are written down in the books that make up the Bible. Sometimes, the authors heard an audible word from God, but the vast amount of “hearing” occurs in the mind.
When people write down words from God they usually have meaning in their present context. The book of Psalms has many examples of this. King David and others who created the Psalms frequently speak to their own everyday life situations. When these words are finally written down, they become resources for God’s people in worship and study. Sometimes, these words are used in a new context when they are cited in the future. People will refer back to these words during a future key event.
Such is the case with Bible passages in the New Testament that take on a new light, usually in the life of Jesus. Look at two examples from Psalm 69.
First, Psalm 69:9.
It is zeal for your house that has consumed me; the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
This verse is quoted by the Bible writer, John, who refers back to it when Jesus drives the moneychangers out of the Temple. John 2:17:
17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
This wasn’t the context of the original passage in Psalm 69. It takes on new light in the life of Jesus. When this happens, we can call the Psalm passage a “shadow” or “shadow prophecy” of what comes afterward. A prophecy that is meaningful in the present context of the Psalm and a foreshadowing of a future event.
The second example from Psalm 69 is verse 21.
They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.
This passage is used by all four of the Gospel writers in the context of the crucifixion of Jesus. Of course no one is referring back to poison food, only sour wine (vinegar). Another shadow prophecy.
