Messianic Christology. The Prophets

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2 Born Of A Virgin Isaiah 7: And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. 2 And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. 3 Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller s field; 4 And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, 6 Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal: 7 Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. 9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah s son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. 10 Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. 13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. 17 The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria. 2

3 Born Of A Virgin In the book of Isaiah, chapters 7 12 make up one unit. This unit can be thought of as the Immanuel Unit. It receives this name because the name, Immanuel, appears in three locations (7:14, 8:8, 10). It concerns itself with the prophecies of Immanuel the coming Messiah. The occurrence in Isaiah 8:10 actually gives us the meaning of Immanuel which is God is with us. As a side note, this shows just how well the KJV has its own built in dictionary! The first prophecy we will look at in this section of Scripture will be about the birth of Immanuel. When parents named their children during this time, the meaning of the name showed the thinking of the parents. In this section, God named the child, so the meaning of the name shows the very nature of the child. As we have seen, Immanuel means God is with us and this shows the character of the child. For the Bible believing, born again, fundamental Christian, this section of Scripture is a wonderful thing. For rabbi s, the liberal scholar and even some of the so called evangelical scholars, there is controversy in this section of Scripture, namely Isaiah 7: The controversy for them arises from two areas: o The sign Being as this section of Scripture requires a short range prophecy, giving a sign to King Ahaz, how can this prophecy be fulfilled some 700 years later as described in Matthew 1:22 23? o The Hebrew word almah Does it really mean a virgin or just a young married woman? We will look at both of these controversies as an example of how to incorrectly studying the Word of God. In the section on The Sign, we will see an example of misapplying one of the four principles we looked at when starting this study. In the discussion of the Hebrew word almah we will see what happens when so called scholars attempt to correct the Bible and specifically the King James Bible. 3

4 Born Of A Virgin The Sign When we began our study we looked at four principles of studying prophetic Scripture. One of the principles, number 2 on our list, is the law of double reference. This controversy arises out of not following this principle. There are many who want to look at this portion of Scripture not using the law of double reference, but make up their own law of double fulfillment. Those who apply a rule of double fulfillment here would have us believe there is one prophecy and two outcomes to this prophecy. If this were the case, it would introduce confusion because we are dividing one prophecy into two results. As we know from Scripture, God is not the author of confusion. (1 Corinthians 14:33) What we have here are actually two prophecies contained in Isaiah 7:13 17 that meet the requirements of the rule of double reference. We shall look at this specifically a little later when we look at Isaiah 7: The Hebrew Word almah The major focus of the debate is over the word used for virgin. In Hebrew, there are 3 different words for a young woman, which the prophet Isaiah could have possibly used. Since there are three and the word chosen was almah, the scholars feel it is there duty to debate this and of course, correct the Authorized King James Version. The three words that pertain here are: 1. Na a rah Na a rah means damsel and can be used to refer to either a virgin (1 Kings 1:2) or a non-virgin (Ruth 2:6) 4

5 Born Of A Virgin 2. Betulah 3. Almah This is commonly used to refer to a virgin, exclusively. The scholars argue that if Isaiah had actually meant to say a virgin, then he would have used betulah. While it is true that betulah is often used to mean virgin, it is not always the case. For example: i. In Joel 1:8 it is used to refer to a widow. ii. In Genesis 24:16, because the word does not always mean virgin, the phrase neither had any man known her is added to clarify the word. iii. In Judges 21:12 the phrase that had known no man by lying with any male was added to give an exact meaning. Almah means a virgin, a young virgin, a virgin of marriageable age. It is used seven times in Hebrew Scripture and a fact that is agreed on is that it never refers to a married woman. i. Genesis 24:43. In this verse the word almah is translated virgin. It is used in Abraham s servant s talk with Laban concerning Rebekah. ii. Exodus 2:8. Here it is used to refer to Moses sister, Miriam, who was a virgin. iii. Psalm 68:25. The damsels here are a part of the royal procession of the King who is God in this context. It is completely unlikely that God would allow unchaste women in this procession. iv. Song of Solomon 1:3. The context here is purity in marriage. v. Song of Solomon 6:8. This time it is used in contrast to queens (or wives) and concubines. vi. Proverbs 30: The word is used here in verse 19 in contrast to an adulteress in verse 20. 5

6 Born Of A Virgin vii. Isaiah 7:14. If the word almah is translated to mean a virgin in the other six uses, what reason would there be to use it with another meaning now? Since everyone agrees that almah means an unmarried woman, if the woman in Isaiah 7:14 were not a virgin, then God would be promising a sign that involved fornication and illegitimacy. God does not sanction sin in any case. He never has, does not and never will. There was no disagreement amongst the ancient Jewish writers concerning the meaning of Isaiah 7:14 referring to a virgin birth. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures was written around 200 BC. 200 years before there was any issue about Jesus being the Messiah. The Jews who wrote this lived much closer to the time of Isaiah than any of the scholars living today. The Septuagint uses the word parthenos which clearly and exclusively means a virgin. There is no doubt that this unique event that God is promising as a sign refers to the miraculous conception of a son by a girl who is still a virgin. 6

7 Born Of A Virgin The Sign The sign is one of deliverance. The events leading up to the sign given by God to Ahaz are contained in verses 1 9. The Threat to the House of David Assyria was becoming a threat to the smaller kingdoms in the Mid East area, including Syria (Aram), the northern Kingdom if Israel (Ephraim), and the southern Kingdom of Judah. Even though the kings of Israel and Syria joined forces against Assyria, they still were lacking in strength. They therefore asked Judah to join forces with them, but Ahaz, king of Judah, refused. As a result of Ahaz s denial, Israel and Syria conspired to not only dethrone Ahaz, but to take over the whole House of David. This is the gist of verse 2. They would then set up their own dynasty in Judah and have a much more favorable position against Assyria. As we shall see later, this is doomed to failure because it is an attack against the covenant God set up with David. (The Davidic Covenant 1 Chronicles 17:10-14) The Message To Ahaz Ahaz, as we see in 2 Kings 16:1 2 became king of Judah after his father, Jotham, died. He however did not do right in the eyes of God. As we see in here in Isaiah 7:2, Ahaz is very much afraid of the coming attack. Ahaz is a king that has fallen into idolatry and fears his enemies because he does not have a heart for God like David did. Although Ahaz does not have faith in God but tries to do things his own way, God, because of the covenant He made with David, is about to bring a message of hope to Ahaz through Isaiah. God has commanded Isaiah to take his son, Shearjashub, with him as he goes to bring the word of God to Ahaz. Shearjashub means a remnant shall return. The reason for taking Shearjashub will be brought out a little later. Verses 4 6 contain the message to Ahaz describing the plot and telling Ahaz not to fear this plot. 7

8 Born Of A Virgin The plot as we see consists of overthrowing Ahaz and replacing him with the son of Tabeal. If you look up the name Tabeal, you will find it means the same as the name Tabeel. Namely, God is good. What Isaiah does here is interesting, however, because just by using the letter a in place of the e at the end of Tabeel, it also then can become good for nothing. This is interesting to note because the two names are actually interchangeable, but at the same time, it brings out the idea that Syria and Israel would be replacing Ahaz with a king whose name could mean good for nothing. Any attempt to alter God s plan will be good for nothing! This is stated by God in verse 7. In verses 8 and 9, God will judge the two kings involved in this coup attempt. The Sign of Deliverance Ahaz however is idolatrous in nature and has concocted his own plan. He has shown where his trust lies and it s not in God. He has sent letters and gifts to the King of Assyria requesting help by Assyria against Syria and Israel. He has trusted more in the King of Assyria than the God of Israel. In verse 10, God speaks a second time offering Ahaz to request a sign from Him. Rejection of the Sign Ahaz, in a sense of religiosity, declines stating he won t ask of a sign from God because he refuses to tempt God. While Deuteronomy 6:16 warns the Jews about asking for a sign, this is not the case here. God is offering the sign, so Ahaz is not just asking for a sign. Ahaz doesn t want a sign because he knows it would come to pass and he would lose face with the Assyrians. 8

9 Born Of A Virgin The Sign to the House of David While Isaiah has been talking to Ahaz thus far, in verse 13 Isaiah turns to the entire House of David. The word he speaks at the beginning of verse 14, not only applies to Ahaz, because of his refusal to ask for a sign from God, when it was God that was directing him to do so, but also to character or general nature of the Jewish nation throughout their history. Here however, God is speaking to the house of David. In verse 14, the Hebrew word for behold is a word that is meant to draw ones attention to an event that could be past, present or future. When it is used with the present participle, however, it always refers to a future event. It is referring not only to a future virgin birth, but also to a future conception. In other words, it is not referring to a pregnant woman about to give birth. Verse 14 speaks of a virgin conceiving. Where else in Scripture is there any hint of this happening? The only possible answer is in Genesis 3:15. While the Biblical norm is to have the lineage reckoned after the man, in this case the Messiah would be reckoned after the Seed of the woman. The reason being because He would have no human father. His would be a virgin conception and birth. The key point here is, God will not allow the House of David to be deposed or lose its identity until the birth of a virgin born son. Once again, this means that the Messiah could not be born after 70 AD, when the Temple was destroyed along with its genealogical records. The Sign to Ahaz Having seen that Isaiah 7:12 14 is a long range prophecy concerning the birth of the Messiah, a problem still exists. What about Ahaz? A prophecy of an event 700 years in the future has no direct meaning to him at this time of struggle. There is a second sign in verses that does relate to Ahaz directly. The word thou in verse 16 referring directly to Ahaz. The child being spoken of here in verse 16, is speaking of Isaiah s son. Remember, Isaiah s son is present as commanded by God. So, Isaiah is saying before his son, Shearjashub, is old enough to know the evil and choose the good, the land that Ahaz abhors will be forsaken of both her kings. This came to pass within three years, commonly believed to be 732 BC. 9

10 Born Of A Virgin Isaiah 7:14 Teaches The Messiah would be born of a girl who is a virgin. An explanation of Genesis 3:15. The Messiah would be the God-Man because His father would not be human, but His mother is. The Messiah will be a king. The Messiah must be born before the destruction of the Temple and its genealogical records in 70 AD. 10

11 The Promise Of Immanuel Isaiah 8: Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. 10 Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us. Isaiah 7 was primarily about the attack on King Ahaz, but it was also about the attack on the House of David. As we saw, any attack on the House of David would fail because of the covenant God made with David. We will look at the Davidic Covenant later in our study of the writings. The Davidic Covenant however, includes a promise from God to David that his rule and those who ruled after him would go on forever. Because of the covenant God made with David, Ahaz was given the opportunity to receive a sign from God assuring him of his security. There was also another sign offered to show God was committed to the preservation of the House of David. This commitment from God to preserve the House of David was until the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Therefore, we see that any attack on the House of David was doomed to failure. It is this point that is reaffirmed in Isaiah 8:9 10. Isaiah 8:10 reads very well when the Hebrew word for God is with us is used. Remember that word is Immanuel. So, Isaiah is saying here that any action taken against the House of David will not come to pass because of Immanuel. Until the virgin birth of Immanuel, God is promising to preserve the security and identity of the House of David. The Temple in Jerusalem and all of the genealogical records of Israel were destroyed in 70 AD. As a result, no one has been able to prove their lineage from the line of David since this time. If the promise given in Isaiah 8:10 is true, then the Messiah would have had to been born prior to 70 AD. No Messiah could have come after 70 AD. This includes Mohammad, Buddha, or anyone else who has tried to claim they are the way. So we see that this section teaches that Messiah had to be born prior to 70 AD. 11

12 Unto Us A Son Is Given Isaiah 9:6 7 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. Chapters 7 12 of Isaiah deal with various aspects of Immanuel. These two verses speak of Immanuel s origin as being both human and divine. Human Origin The first part of verse 6 speaks of Immanuel s human origin. Isaiah sees a Son, given by God and being born into the human world, specifically the Jewish world. By being born of a woman like this, Immanuel has legally entered the world. Jesus tells us in John 10:1 2, o 1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. o 2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. By being born of a woman, Immanuel is entering in by the door into the sheepfold and is the shepherd of the sheep. Divine Origin The second part of verse 6 contains four names for the Son, each with 2 parts. Each of the names is applicable to God, two of which are exclusive to God and a third which when looked at from the Hebrew language is exclusive to God. Each of these four names can also be found in other portions of Isaiah. Since the first three apply to God only, we will look at these examples. o Wonderful, Counselor (Pele-Yoeitz) There are some that argue that there should not be a comma between wonderful and counselor because of the word wonderful. In the Hebrew language, wonderful is always attributed to God and not man, but counselor can apply to either God or man. This is the third name spoken of above concerning exclusiveness to God. The KJV uses a comma and this is what is included here, also. There is a list of names given here and to join wonderful with counselor 12

13 Unto Us A Son Is Given without a comma is not necessarily correct here. Especially if wonderful applies only to God and counselor can apply to either God or man in the Hebrew language. It makes more sense to separate these with a comma in this case. This can also be found in Isaiah 25:1 and the words are not joined together, but are used as separate instances. O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. And again in Isaiah 28:29, This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working. In both instances, it is talking of God and not man. o Mighty God (El-Gibbor) Obviously a name used exclusively of God and not man. This is found in the very next chapter, also, in Isaiah 10:21 which reads, The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. What is interesting is the liberal apostate theologians who add to the word of God because they cannot accept the Messiah as Godman. The New English Bible, for example adds the phrase in Isaiah 9:6, in battle he will be Godlike In Isaiah 10:21, however, the NEB uses mighty God in it s translation. Just another reason to stick with the KJV. o Eternal Father (Avi-Ad) The literal translation if Father of Eternity. The Son who is to be born is the source of eternal life, or the Father of Eternity. This can only apply to God and not to man. 13

14 Unto Us A Son Is Given The Rule of the King Compare this with Isaiah 63:16 which says, Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting. It is plain this is referring to God. o Prince of Peace (Sar-Shalom) This is the only name that can be used for either God or man. While Isaiah 9:6 presents a person that is both God and man, Isaiah 9:7 shows us that this person is the Messiah of Israel: He is to sit upon the throne of David. Verse 7 is a reaffirmation of the Davidic Covenant. God promised David four things in the Covenant which we will look at later in this study. These four things are: 1. An eternal house or dynasty 2. An eternal kingdom 3. An eternal throne 4. An eternal son Isaiah 9:7 reconfirms that David s house, kingdom and throne will be eternally maintained by the everlasting Son. Summary The Messiah would be king. The Messiah would be both God and Man. The Messiah would have to come before 70 AD because of the requirements of the Davidic Covenant and the destruction of the Temple. 14

15 The Stem of Jesse Isaiah 11:1-2 1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; The first thing we should notice in this passage is that it starts with and. This being the case, we need to look back and see what this section is a part of. This section can be traced back to Isaiah 10:33-34 which says, 33 Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled. 34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one. We see here that God has lopped of the bough with terror in verse 33 of chapter 10. This action has caused the high ones of stature to be hewn down and the haughty have been humbled. Remember that the chapter and verse markings were added much later and that originally these were not present. Therefore, we shouldn t allow them to mess up the flow of the reading. Chapter 10 of Isaiah talks about the destruction of Assyria which had, for the most part, destroyed Israel. It had fell short though when the Assyrian army reached Jerusalem. Out of all this destruction, the Assyrian s were destroyed, but there remained a remnant of Israel. This remnant is the stem of Jesse. Isaiah 11:1 continues on to tell us that a rod shall come forth out of the stem of Jesse. This rod is David, the son of Jesse. As verse 11 continues, we find a Branch shall grow out of his roots. This will be the coming Messiah. The Assyrian army, as powerful as it was and as expertly guided by Satan as it was could not destroy the line that would produce the Messiah. Remember, Satan has been trying to destroy the line that would produce the Messiah all the way back to Cain. Chalk up another win for God and another loss for Satan! Verse 2 describes the sevenfold fullness of the Holy Spirit that will rest upon the coming Messiah. The spirit of the LORD is mentioned once and is followed by three sets of the spirit of and The following picture is a picture of the Jewish Menorah representing this section of Scripture. 15

16 The Stem of Jesse The Spirit of the LORD is the center stem and is surrounded by 3 sets of candle holders. Notice that The Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding occupy the innermost pair of candle holders. They are surrounded by the Spirit of counsel and might (listed as power here). Outside of this is the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. I thought it interesting coming from the outside towards the center shows in order to obtain wisdom and understanding we must begin with a knowledge and fear of the Lord. We must first believe that He is and then we are able to gain wisdom and understanding of the Lord because we know that these are gained only through fear of the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and Psalm 111:10 tells us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 16

17 The Stem of Jesse There is something important to note here from verse 2, also. It is said that all seven of these spiritual characteristics will rest upon the Branch. Jesus had all seven of these spiritual traits. John 3:34 tells us that, For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. For we who are Christians, however, are given these traits with measure because we are members of the body of Christ, each with their own unique giftings. From this section of Scripture we find the following must be true of anyone who will claim to be the Messiah: o They must be born of the House of David. o Since the Branch must come from the stem of Jesse, the Messiah must be born in Bethlehem, because this is where Jesse was from. o The Messiah would be born in great poverty because the Branch is coming from the stem of Jesse. Jesus does indeed match these requirements: o His lineage can be traced back to the House of David, since both Mary and Joseph were descendants of David. o Jesus was born in Bethlehem. o According to Leviticus 12:1 8, Mary would have had to bring an offering to the Temple for her cleansing. She would have to bring a lamb and a pigeon or dove for this burnt offering. For those who were exceptionally poor, they were permitted to bring two pigeons or two doves. In Luke 2:24, we read of two pigeons or two turtledoves being brought by Mary. One final note, the number seven in Scripture signifies perfection, completeness or fullness. The sevenfold nature of the Spirit mentioned here then agrees with what we read in John 3:34. You will also find this correspondence to the seven spirits in Revelation 1:4, 3:1, 4:5 and 5:6. 17

18 The Herald of The King Isaiah 40:3 5 3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. This section will not deal personally with the Messiah, but with the one that would be the forerunner of the King. During ancient times, there would be one who would go out and clear the road of obstacles or fill in potholes before the king would make his journey. We read here that there would be a forerunner for the Messianic King, also. This passage of Scripture is prophesying the work of John the Baptist. We can see this particularly in Matthew 3:1 6, 1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 And the same John had his raiment of camel s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. To read more on this section dealing with John the Baptist, read the following sections of Scripture: o Mark 1:2 8 o Luke 1:5 80 (especially verse 76) o Luke 3:1 20 (especially verses 4 6) o John 1:6 8 o John 1:15 36 (especially verse 23) As you read these verses consider how unique John the Baptist is. Consider his miraculous birth, his lifestyle, the knowledge he had of his own ministry, etc. It s a fascinating study in and of itself. From this section of Scripture, we have learned that the Messiah would have one who would be his forerunner. The Messiah would also be King. 18

19 The Servant Of Jehovah Isaiah 42:1 6 1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. 2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. 4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. 5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: 6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; The idea of Messiah as a servant can be found throughout chapters of Isaiah. This will be the first of five investigations of the idea of Messiah as a servant we will look at. In this study we will be looking at four sections which emphasize different aspects of the one who would be Messiah. We will look at the Messiah s status, manner, way, success and mission. All of these will be summarized in those four sections which emphasize the different aspects of the Messiah. His Status Isaiah 42:1 This verse establishes four points. o He is the Servant of Jehovah When we look at the Gospels, we see that each writer dealt with a different view of the Messiah. Matthew dealt with Messiah as King, Luke dealt with Messiah as the Son of man, and John dealt with Messiah as the Son of God. When we look at the Gospel according to Mark we see the idea of Messiah as the Servant of Jehovah. He focuses on those aspects that deal with Jesus perfectly completing those prophecies that dealt with Messiah as the Servant of Jehovah, and in particular those prophecies of Isaiah. 19

20 The Servant Of Jehovah o He is Jehovah s Chosen One in whom the Soul of Jehovah delights It is interesting that there is really so little that can be found written about this statement in Isaiah 42:1. If one looks at all of the books written about the Scriptures, there is not that much that can be found concerning this statement, especially in comparison to other writings dealing with subjects that appeal to man s flesh and the desires of the flesh. This statement is echoed in the Gospels on two separate occasions and both times it is God the Father speaking! But yet, the world missed it and the Jews in particular. On two separate occasions it is recorded that God said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Once when Jesus came up out of the water after being baptized by John (Matt. 3:17, Mark 1:11, and Luke 3:22) and again when three of the disciples, Peter, John, and James, witnessed Jesus being transfigured before their eyes (Matt. 17:5, Mark 9:7, and Luke 9:35). If God gives words of prophecy like this and then confirms those words Himself, it needs to be noted and studied! o He is anointed with the Spirit We have a reaffirmation of Isaiah 11:2 here. See the study notes from Isaiah 11:2 titled The Stem of Jesse o He will benefit the Gentile nations Although Messiah would come primarily for the nation of Israel, there would be some way He would benefit the gentiles, also. Being able to look back, it is easy, or at least it should be easy, for us to see how this comes about. But for the sake of our study, this idea will be further developed in our upcoming study of Isaiah 49:6. His Manner Isaiah 42:2 Verse 2 describes Messiah s manner. Messiah would not be a street preacher. The Gospels describe Jesus as primarily teaching in the synagogues. He also would teach groups of people on hillsides. He did not go out to the people to teach, rather the people would come to him to hear what He had to say. At no time did Jesus seek attention for himself, but His reputation preceded Him. While this is the way the Messiah would be, it does not apply to us personally. There is nothing at all wrong with street preaching. The New Testament actually encourages this type of preaching and shows how the apostles did go out and preach in this manner. This was not the Messiah s way of preaching however. This is important to see because many of the liberals want to ask, What would Jesus do? But, what Jesus did is what Jesus did, it does not always 20

21 The Servant Of Jehovah mean we are to mimic His ways. After all, Jesus will be judging the world with righteousness, we are unable to do this as Jesus would. His Way Isaiah 42:3 Verse 3 describes His characteristics Messiah will be characterized by mercy, truth, and justice. Those who come to Him for help will be accepted and treated with great tenderness. We see this in Jesus in Matthew 11:28 30 where Jesus calls those who are labor and are heavy laden. He says that He will give them rest. His Success Isaiah 42:4 Verse 4 tells that ultimately Messiah will not fail or be discouraged. There will be discouragements along the way, as we will see in our next study, but these will all be temporary. The discouragement talked about here though is oppression that cripples and this will not be the case with Messiah. As we are learning and will continue to see, all of the objectives laid out for the first coming will be met, and actually have been met through Jesus. His Mission Isaiah 42:5 6 Verses 5 and 6 teach that the coming of the Messiah will benefit two groups of people. He will be the one to fulfill the covenant promises of God to Israel. He will also be the one to bring salvation to the Gentiles. In summary, we find from this passage the following concerning the Messiah: o Messiah would be anointed by the Holy Spirit o Messiah would conduct Himself in meekness and gentleness o Although Messiah s mission would appear to have failed, it was actually a complete success. The success of His mission was hinged upon His death. o Messiah s mission included salvation to the Gentiles. 21

22 The Discouragement Of The Servant Isaiah 49: Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. 2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; 3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. 4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God. 5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength. 6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. 7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. 8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; 9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. 10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. 11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. 12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. 13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. This is the second of the five servant passages in Isaiah. We saw that Isaiah 42:1 6 introduced Messiah. This passage provides two different ideas. o The mission of the Servant. o Develops the idea in Isaiah 42 that He would bring blessing to the Gentiles. Because the nation of Israel initially rejected their Messiah, the Gentiles received the blessing of the Messiah. In spite of this, assurance is still given that the nation of Israel will accept Him. 22

23 The Discouragement Of The Servant The Servant s Discouragement Isaiah 49:1 4 These verses highlight a temporary discouragement in the life of Messiah. Verse 1 contains the words of Messiah prophetically spoken by Isaiah. He is telling us through Isaiah from His very conception He has been given a specific mission by Yahweh. The one true God. We see this in Matthew 1:21 when Joseph is told at the time of Mary s conception that he is to call His name, Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. Notice that we have a reference here to a mother and not a father. This remains consistent with the virgin birth prophesied in Isaiah 7:14. Verse 2 we see Messiah has been specifically called and equipped for His task. Verse 3 tells us that Messiah, the servant of Jehovah, will be the one in whom God will be glorified. This means that He will be the only one who will be able to completely and perfectly fulfill the Mosaic Law. Verse 4 contains the note of discouragement. Although Messiah is perfect and complete in all His ways, He will still be rejected by His people. This causes His sadness. We serve a personal God who does have emotions. Ephesians 4:30 tells us grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. We are also told in Hebrews 11:5 tells us how Enoch, because of his faith, had this testimony, that he pleased God. Again, as we saw in the previous lesson, God spoke of Jesus, as His beloved Son in whom He was well pleased. John 11:35 is the shortest verse of the Bible. It says, Jesus wept. Whether we are looking at God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit, we see God does have emotions. In spite of this discouragement, however, we are told Messiah knows his reward is with God. We see in Matthew 26:38 39 and also in Mark 14:34 36 the depth of Jesus sorrow. Nevertheless, He calls on God s will to be done. The source of this sorrow comes from Him being the Messiah come to save Israel from her sins, ministering to them for three and a half years, only to be rejected by Israel. God s Answer Isaiah 49:5 6 In verses 5 and 6, the Lord replies with words of encouragement: He begins in verse 5 by summarizing the Servant s original commission: o To bring Israel into spiritual salvation. o To gather the dispersed Israel to physical restoration. How can these objectives be met considering the fact Israel has rejected the Servant? Verse 6 shows us God giving a third objective. 23

24 The Discouragement Of The Servant o To be a light to, and bring salvation to, the Gentile nations. Israel s rejection of the Messiah at His first coming is a part of God s plan. Therefore, it need not be a source of discouragement. It was always part of God s plan that the first two objectives be set aside for a period of time, so that salvation could also go to the Gentiles. We are in that period of time now. Once the Church is raptured, then God will continue with His objectives for the nation of Israel. It was noted in Isaiah 42:1 that the Gentiles would somehow benefit from the coming of Messiah, now we are told how. The Rejection and Exaltation of the Messiah Isaiah 49:7 The first part of Isaiah 49:7 confirms that Israel will reject the Messiah. The second part of Isaiah 49:7 tells how the rejection will be temporary and Messiah will one day be accepted. The Restoration by the Messiah Isaiah 49:8 13 In verse 8, we see the final restoration of Israel. This is after the time of the Gentiles is complete, though. The remainder of this passage of Scripture, through verse 13, goes into more detail of the restoration of Israel. Messiah will become the covenant for the people (singular, meaning Israel). This shows they have accepted Jesus as their Messiah. As a result of this acceptance, all of the Jews will be re-gathered to Israel. They will come from every part of the world. Once again, we can thank all of the scholars for creating confusion in Scripture. This is because of debate over the location called Sinim in verse 12. Some of them say it refers to China, while others refer to it as the Aswan area of Egypt. Does it matter? The Jews are all re-gathering back to Israel and this action has never been known to happen in any civilization. It has not been recorded that a group of people has been scattered across the globe from one area, and then centuries later brought back from all these areas to their original point of scattering. Summary We have learned here that Israel would reject Messiah s first coming. For a period of time, salvation by Messiah would be afforded to the Gentiles. Eventually, Israel would accept Jesus as Messiah. He will become their New Covenant. Israel s acceptance of Jesus as Messiah will result in all Jews returning to Israel from every other point on the globe. 24

25 The Training Of The Servant Isaiah 50:4 9 4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. 5 The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. 6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. 7 For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. 8 He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. 9 Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. This, the third section of Isaiah dealing with Messiah as servant, tells us of Messiah s training. We read in Luke 2:41 50 of Jesus visiting the Temple and conversing with the doctors about the Scriptures. Jesus was twelve years old at this time. If Jesus were living today, He would have had his Barmitzvah by this time and would be considered a man by the Jews of today. Luke 2:43 refers to Jesus as a child. Several facts in this section of Scripture out of Luke are revealed to us: o Jesus is a twelve year old child. o Jesus has learned enough about Scripture to amaze those learned men at the Temple. o Jesus knows that Joseph is not His father, but God the Father is! o Jesus knows that He is the Messiah. It is clear that Jesus, as man, was not all knowing. How He learned all of this is presented here in Isaiah

26 The Training Of The Servant The Servant Is Taught Isaiah 50:4 The Lord God is Messiah s teacher. In this verse there are basically three points to consider: o The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. o He wakeneth morning by morning. o He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The first point brings out a fact that the tongue of the learned, according to God, is one who knows how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. There are many who consider themselves to be learned, including the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus day. But, when you compare them against God s definition of learned shown here, it is more a fulfillment of the idea presented in Romans 1:22. The way learned is defined here is one of a disciple. The learned receives clear knowledge given from God, to then speak it to others. It has the idea of forming or molding one s behavior in accordance with a particular pattern or set of standards. The result of this principle is seen in Jesus statement in Matthew 11: Something else I found interesting is the part of the statement how to speak is only found this one time in all of the Old Testament. This really is a special verse. The part we just looked at of the learned is only found 6 times in the Old Testament. Four times in Isaiah and twice in Jeremiah. He wakeneth morning by morning and He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned can and should be taken together. Wakeneth here means to arouse to an alert level. The Servant is focused on hearing what God will say. Consider what is recorded in Mark 1:35. The whole of this verse requires that what the Servant hears and learns from God is to be used for others. It is not just for his own personal use. This we see in Jesus words in Mark 1: The Servant Has Learned Isaiah 50:5 With this verse there are a couple of facts that stand out: o The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, o I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. While verse four may have leaned towards the idea of teaching the Servant, verse five shows the Servant has learned what the Lord GOD has taught Him. We should expect this to be the case since God s Word tells us in Isaiah 55:11, So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 26

27 The Training Of The Servant Since God s Word always accomplishes what God pleases, the Servant will have learned what was taught. With a son like Jesus, this was to be accomplished. There are a few points that can be made on the second point. This portion of the verse proves the Servant is not the nation of Israel since it can hardly be said that the nation of Israel was not rebellious or had never turned away back. The book of Isaiah starts off speaking of God s anger against Israel for her rebellious spirit. The Servant here is an individual and one who will suffer at the hands of his enemies who will falsely accuse him. Verse five causes me to think of Jesus as He prepared to be handed over to his accusers. Jesus went to Gethsemane to pray. He even prayed that the cup would, if it were possible, to pass from him. But, Jesus prayed to the Father that His, the Father s, will be done and not Jesus. He was not rebellious and neither turned away back. Judas Iscariot, with malice and forethought, turned Jesus over to the Romans, but Jesus offered no physical resistance and in fact spoke up against one of the men with him when he drew his sword and cut off the high priests ear. Jesus did not turn away even when all the disciples forsook him and fled. It is also interesting to compare Isaiah 50:5 with the response of Moses to God s instruction in Exodus 4: While Moses was the meekest of men, he caused the anger of the LORD to be kindled against him for his moment of rebellion and his apparent willingness to turn away back. Moses wasn t the only one to have this trouble though. Consider others like Jonah (Jonah 1:1 3) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:9, 14) to name a couple. Jesus is the only one who matches what is prophesied here in Isaiah 50:5. See what John 8:29 says for example. Think about the times that God spoke of Jesus as the one in whom He is well pleased. The Servant Despised, Tortured, and Mocked Isaiah 50:6 This verse is one that is hard to read, but at the same time as a born again Christian I am relieved that this was accomplished by Jesus. It is hard to picture Jesus, who had no sin in him and in whom no guile was found in his mouth suffering this type of persecution so that the world could have the hope of salvation. It is safe to say that no one else could have experienced the suffering and persecution that Jesus did without a feeling of revenge coming up in them. Only one without any sin in them could accomplish this without experiencing a desire for revenge. But, if one is a Christian who goes out and actively spreads the Gospel of Jesus Christ and stands up for the Word of God, then they will also suffer persecution to 27

28 The Training Of The Servant some extent. See 2 Timothy 3:12. Jesus also warns us about this in John 15:20 amongst other places, too. John 10:17 18 records Jesus words about the love of the Father for Him and that Jesus is able to lay down his life and take it back up again. Jesus is able to do this because of what is said at the end of verse 18, This commandment have I received of my Father. I say this because this is what Jesus is able to do, not any other man! There are people out here in this day in age that claim to be men of God. Men who claim to have the power to perform miracles including the raising of the dead along with other great signs and wonders. Men who claim that if one lives a godly, faith filled life that they should not experience any problems. The only reason for problems in life according to these wolves in sheeps clothing is a lack of faith on the part of the believer. If this is the case then they make God a liar based on the passages we have read in this section. These men include the likes of Joel Osteen, Frederick KC Price, Kenneth Hagin, Rod Parsley, Morris Cuerrelo, Mike Murdock and many others. One other thing on this, consider the size of the churches of these men listed here and what Paul warns Timothy about in 2 Timothy 4:3. The Servant Knows Who Is There To Help Him Isaiah 50:7 9 Verse 7 contains an interesting statement of fact. It contains back-to-back therefore statements. The servant is putting His trust in the Lord God. Verse 6 had started off with the servant telling of how he gave his back to the smiters and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. The act of plucking of the hair off the cheeks like this was a means by which men would insult and/or put other men in their place. It was a means of exhibiting superiority over another. See the context of Nehemiah 13:25. Even with this manner of humiliation the Servant says that he will not be confounded because the Lord God will help him. The word confounded used here is the translation of the Hebrew word, kalam, which means disgraced, humiliated, put to shame. Thus we see the meaning of the first part of verse 7, For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: This leads to the second therefore statement. Because of the first therefore statement, the servant is able to make this second therefore statement. therefore have I set my face like a flint, When the Servant used the word set it indicates he intended to do this by prior planning and purpose. This shows further that the Servant was not rebellious. The word flint here speaks of the hardness and difficulty in breaking of the Servant s determination. 28