Where are the Prophecies?

Q: Why aren't these prophecies in the Old Testament? Matthew 2:23 Matthew 27: 9-10 John 2:17 Matthew 2:14-15 Matthew 1:22-23 Thanks for your time..take care.

A: I am not so certain that these prophecies aren't found earlier in the Old Testament. Matthew 2:23 says, "and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene." While it is true that the town of Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament, the use of the town's name means something more than just a geographical location. In John 1:46 Nathanael asks, with disgust, when referring to Jesus "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nazareth was a small town and its inhabitants were not thought of too highly. Therefore, it is widely believed that the use of "Nazarene" in Matthew 2:23 can be a reference to how Jesus would be despised as much as it is a reference to the His hometown. With that thought in mind Old Testament connections arise. One such prophecy can be found in the Psalms. "But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people (Psalm 22:6)." Another, and more well known, passage comes from the book of Isaiah. "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not (Isaiah 53:3)."

Matthew 27:9-10 says, "Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "They took the thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me." This passage has Old Testament ties, but they are broken up between different books and authors. It appears to be taken from Zechariah and Jeremiah, but the reference is given to the major prophet Jeremiah. In Zechariah we read, "I told them, "If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it." So they paid me thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12)." In a few places in Jeremiah we can see where part of this prophecy from Matthew 27 originated. In Jeremiah 18, 19 and 32 we have references to "the potter's house," buying "a clay jar from the potter" and purchasing a "field at Ananthoth." There are other times in scripture where Old Testament references from different writers are combined, but the major prophet is given the credit for the prophecy. For example Mark 1:2-3 quotes Malachi and Isaiah, but attributes the quotes to the major prophet Isaiah alone.

In the Gospel of John it says, "His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me (John 2:17)." John is referring directly to a passage from the Psalms in this verse. Psalm 69:9 reads, "for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me." Matthew 2:14-15 states, "So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son." This passage is a fulfillment of Hosea 11:1, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." Matthew 1:22-23 says, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us." The prophecy this passage fulfills is found in Isaiah 7:14. There is reads, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

As you can see, the roots of some of these prophecies are easier to discover then others. I would suggest that you keep doing what you are doing by asking questions. However, above all else, get some of your own resources like a concordance, Bible software, different translations and other tools like that. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into the Word of God because if He teaches you than you have been taught. Don't take my word for it, but test everything up against the Word of God and if we agree then you know the Holy Spirit has taught both of us. Jesus told His disciples "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come (John 16:12-13)." Keep in mind that if you can't find an answer right away to your question, just put a mark by it and trust that in time God will reveal the answer to you. This is an eternal journey we are on as Christians. If God revealed everything He knows to us we couldn't handle it. Look at your search for answers as God drawing you closer and closer to Him with every question you ask and every answer He reveals. God Bless you in your discovery of all you have in Him.