The Tension the Old Testament Never Resolved
Who is the God of the Old Testament? The Old Testament presents a God who is both unseen and yet undeniably encountered. He is described as invisible, dwelling in unapproachable light, beyond the reach of human sight. Yet the same Scriptures recount repeated instances where He is seen, heard, approached, and even conversed with directly. This tension is not accidental, nor is it peripheral. It runs through the entire narrative of Israel.
Jacob wrestles through the night and declares that he has seen God face to face and lived (Genesis 32:30). Moses speaks with the LORD as one speaks with a friend (Exodus 33:11), even while being warned that no man can see His face and live (Exodus 33:20). The elders of Israel ascend Sinai and see the God of Israel (Exodus 24:9–11). Isaiah beholds the LORD high and lifted up, seated upon a throne (Isaiah 6:1). Ezekiel sees the likeness of the glory of the LORD (Ezekiel 1:26–28).
The Old Testament does not apologize for these encounters, nor does it explain them away. It affirms both realities at once: God is unseen, and yet God is seen. He is transcendent, and yet He is present. He dwells beyond creation, and yet He walks within it.
This tension is preserved without resolution until the New Testament opens.
John declares that no one has seen God at any time (John 1:18). Yet he immediately insists that God has been made known. The statement does not contradict the Old Testament. It interprets it. If no one has seen God, and yet God has been encountered, then the visible manifestations throughout Israel’s history must be understood as mediated revelation.
The question presses forward with increasing weight: Who was Israel actually encountering?
The Name Revealed at the Bush
The answer cannot begin anywhere but at the burning bush. In Exodus 3, when Moses asks for the name of the One sending him, God reveals Himself as “I AM.” This is not merely a title but a declaration of divine self-existence. He is not defined by creation, time, or contingency. He simply is.
This name becomes the foundation of Israel’s covenantal faith. It distinguishes the LORD from all idols. It establishes His uniqueness. It grounds His authority. Throughout the Old Testament, the name of the LORD is treated with reverence because it represents the very identity of God.
When Jesus stands in Jerusalem and declares, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58), He is not making a casual claim to antiquity. He is invoking the divine name itself. The response of His hearers confirms the weight of His words. They attempt to stone Him, not because He claimed preexistence, but because He identified Himself with the name revealed at Sinai.
Jesus does not retract the statement. He does not clarify that He speaks metaphorically. He allows the claim to stand.
The One who spoke from the bush now speaks in flesh. The full revelation of how Father and Son relate within one divine identity is explored in the mystery of the Trinity.
The Glory Isaiah Saw
Isaiah’s temple vision intensifies the matter. In Isaiah 6, the prophet sees the LORD enthroned, surrounded by seraphim declaring His holiness. The scene is one of overwhelming majesty. Isaiah identifies the One he sees as the King, the LORD of hosts.
Centuries later, John reflects on this passage while explaining Israel’s rejection of Jesus. After quoting Isaiah, he states that Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory and spoke of Him, referring explicitly to Christ (John 12:41).
This is not poetic language. It is theological interpretation. John identifies the glory Isaiah beheld as the glory of Christ. The enthroned LORD of Isaiah’s vision is not a distant precursor to Jesus. He is the One later revealed in Him.
The implication is profound. The holiness that shook the temple is the same holiness present in Galilee. The glory that filled the sanctuary now walks among men. The LORD Isaiah feared is the Christ many rejected.
The Old Testament vision was not incomplete because it lacked divinity. It was incomplete because it lacked incarnation.
The Rock in the Wilderness
The wilderness narratives reinforce this continuity. Israel is not guided by abstract providence but by the LORD Himself. He leads them by cloud and fire (Exodus 13:21). He stands upon the rock from which water flows (Exodus 17:6). He dwells among them in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:8). When they murmur, they are said to test the LORD (Exodus 17:2).
Paul revisits this narrative in 1 Corinthians 10 and makes a statement that cannot be ignored. He says that the Rock from which they drank was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). This is not a loose metaphor. It is identification.
The sustaining presence in the wilderness, the source of life-giving water, is Christ. The One who delivered Israel from Egypt and judged their unbelief is the same One now proclaimed in the gospel.
Jude echoes this when he speaks of the Lord who saved a people out of Egypt and later destroyed those who did not believe (Jude 1:5). Early manuscripts explicitly name Jesus in this context. The Redeemer and the Judge are not divided between covenants. They are one.
The wilderness was not devoid of Christ. It was filled with Him. The presence that dwelt on Zion is further unveiled in the mystery of Zion.
The Angel of the LORD and the Mystery Preserved
Throughout the Old Testament, a recurring figure appears: the Angel of the LORD. This figure speaks as God, bears the divine name, forgives transgression, and receives worship, yet is distinguished from God in heaven (Exodus 3:2–6; Isaiah 63:9).
The text does not resolve this complexity. It allows it to stand. The Angel speaks as YHWH and yet is sent by YHWH. He embodies divine presence without dissolving divine unity.
When the New Testament declares that the Son is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15) and the exact imprint of His being (Hebrews 1:3), the pattern finds clarity. The visible manifestation of the invisible God is not a created intermediary but the eternal Son.
The mystery preserved in shadow is unveiled in Christ.
Recognition Rather Than Innovation
The apostles do not present their claims as theological creativity. They present them as recognition. Psalm 102, which addresses the unchanging Creator, is applied directly to the Son in Hebrews 1. Isaiah 45, where every knee bows to the LORD, is echoed in Philippians 2 as every knee bows to Jesus.
These are not devotional flourishes. They are deliberate identifications. The apostles are not replacing the God of Israel with Jesus. They are confessing that the God of Israel has revealed Himself in Jesus.
The Old Testament tension between the unseen God and the encountered God resolves in the incarnation. The LORD who was seen, heard, and followed in Israel’s history was not a temporary manifestation awaiting replacement. He was the eternal Word, now made flesh. The God of the Old Testament had always been present in the Son. This is the heart of what the apostles proclaimed as the mystery of Christ revealed.
The Question That Remains
The evidence accumulates without forcing itself. The LORD who spoke from the bush bears the name Jesus claims. The glory Isaiah saw is identified as Christ’s. The Rock in the wilderness is said to be Christ. The Angel who bore the divine name aligns with the Son who reveals the Father.
The question is no longer speculative. It is textual.
When Israel encountered the LORD in temple, wilderness, and covenant history, whom were they encountering?
The New Testament answers with clarity. They were encountering the Son.
The LORD Israel knew has not changed. He has been unveiled.
