Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22)
The identity of Jesus and Israel as first-fruits could be understood from the perspective of election and sacrifice. (Genesis 4:4; Leviticus 23:9-14; 1 Corinthians 15:20) Christ as Passover and his subsequent resurrection on the feast of first-fruits is especially meaningful in this context. Israel is likewise called first-fruits of his harvest. (Jeremiah 2:3)
First-fruits lead to blessings for others. (Proverbs 3:3-10; Ezekiel 44:30) This is evident in Christ the first-fruit, the atoning sacrifice for our sins and that of the whole world. (1 John 2:2; Isaiah 61:1) It is evident in the story of Joseph and how a world was saved from starvation. And it is evident in Israel, as God promised to Abraham: “In you shall all the nations be blessed”. (Galatians 3:8 ESV)
The identity of Jesus and Israel in the role of beloved son teach us about the Father. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son Christ teaches Israel that a Father’s love for his children is enduring. Christ was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to remind them that they were still God’s children. (Matthew 15:24; Matthew 6:9)
Israel as son of God also has prophetic significance. Jesus Christ is both a son of Israel and the true vine in whom Israel had to remain. (John 15:1-8) He is the branch of Israel who bears exemplary fruit and at the same time a root. (Isaiah 11-12; Romans 11:17) Consequently we may understand Christ the son of God to be the antitypical Israel. One excellent example is found in how the Exodus of Israel foreshadowed Christ : “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt”. (Hosea 11:1; Compare Matthew 2:15)
Scriptural Wanderlust 