Messianic Prophecies in the Pentateuch

There are six direct Messianic prophecies in the Pentateuch:

1. The Edenic prediction (Genesis 3:15)
2. The Noahic prediction (Genesis 9:25–27)
3. The Abrahamic prediction (Genesis 12:1–3, et. al)
4. The Judaic prediction (Genesis 49:8–12)
5. The Balaamic prediction (Numbers 24:15–19)
6. The Mosaic prediction (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18)

I will discuss two of these, the Edenic and the Noahic, at length soon, but first I will provide the text of each of the six prophecies.

1. The Edenic prediction occurs in Gen 3:15, after the Fall, within God's pronunciation of judgement on Adam and Eve.

   14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
   "Because you have done this,
   cursed are you above all livestock
   and above all beasts of the field;
   on your belly you shall go,
   and dust you shall eat
   all the days of your life.
   15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
   and between your offspring and her offspring;
   he shall bruise your head,
   and you shall bruise his heel." (ESV)

2. The Noahic prediction occurs in Gen 9:25–27 because of Ham's seeing Noah's nakedness. As a result, Noah 1) triple-curses Ham's son, Canaan, and 2) double-blesses Ham's brother, Shem.

   25 he [Noah] said,
   
   "Cursed be Canaan;
   a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers."
   
   26 He also said,
   
   "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem;
   and let Canaan be his servant.
   27 May God enlarge Japheth,
   and let him [i.e., God] dwell in the tents of Shem,
   and let Canaan be his servant."

3. The Abrahamic prediction is found in at least six places in Genesis, including 12:1–3, 7; 18:17–19; and 22:15–18. The prediction is found in these places among a number of unconditional promises that God makes to Abraham.

   1 Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.(12:1–3, 7)
   
   17 The Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him." (18:17–19)
   
   15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, "By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." (22:15–18)

4. The Judaic prediction occurs in Genesis 49:8–12, in Jacob's designating Judah, his fourth son, as the heir of the same promises made to Abraham and Isaac.

   8 "Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. 11 Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk."

5. The Balaamic prediction is found in Numbers 24:15–19.

   15 And he took up his discourse and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, 16 the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered: 17 I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. 18 Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. 19 And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities!"

6. The Mosaic prediction is found in Deuteronomy 18:15, 18.

   15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen…18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.