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Wednesday, July 1, 2015
MESSIAH ACCORDING TO ISAIAH - Part 3
Shalom and welcome the third installment in our series on the message of Messiah from the prince of Old Testament prophets, Isaiah. Thus far, chapter seven has shown us that the coming Messiah would be born of a virgin and given the enigmatic designation of, “God with us.” Four additional titles for this singular child are provided in chapter nine, “Wonderful counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Father of eternity” and “Prince of Peace.” Of those four designations, two pertain to status as a warrior and two are wholly inappropriate if assigned to anyone but God Himself. Curious and curiouser, as the mystery of Messiah’s identifying traits compounds. Nonetheless, with these expansive foundational titles, Isaiah explicitly emphasizes that the child’s royal destiny is to be supreme ruler over Israel.
In chapter eleven, we see that the Messiah is a descendent of David, and thereby rightful heir to the Davidic Covenantal promises. Isaiah pictures the tree of the House of David as being chopped down to the stump, in other words, having fallen on hard times. In fact, David’s royal name isn’t even used here; rather, it is that of his father, Jesse. Yet, this humble stump of the Davidic line, no matter how modest in appearance, is described as still possessing life-force and brings forth a fresh new shoot, indeed, a fruit-bearing branch, the messianic descendant of David.
Isaiah then describes the dominant characteristic of the Branch. “Branch” (Heb. netzer) is a well-worn messianic term which finds its initial Old Testament usage in this passage. He will be completely and totally dominated by the leading of God’s Spirit. This will empower the Messiah’s rule to be one of extreme righteousness and acute judgment. Furthermore, his rule extends not only over Israel, but over the nations, the Gentiles, as well. This will not be gratuitous dominance, but rather, the reign of the Messiah will be welcomed by both Jews and Gentiles.
Finally, this passage describes the time of the messianic reign to be characterized by ultimate, perfect peace. This will be a period of worldwide spiritual awareness as well as extraordinary changes within the animal kingdom concerning the abrogation of predatory instincts. The prophet indicates that Messiah will in some way be the "perfect" David who will rule with the spirit of God, in wisdom, understanding, council, strength and the fear of the Lord. He will be a righteous and faithful King who will not only rule Israel but the whole world, as the Messianic Kingdom will encompass a world transformed into a paradise on earth (11:1-10; 55:4).
Our Messiah, Jesus, arrived in the 1st century AD, a select period in history when Israel dwelt in the land without being ruled by a scion of David but, rather, under the domination of a Gentile power (Rome). By that time, the dynastic House of David had been reduced to an inglorious stump. The gospels reveal how in Jesus, the Davidic royal house was to be restored to magnificent holy grandeur.
Isaiah’s messianic message is jump-started in his collection of prophecies at the front end in three easy to remember odd-numbered chapters: 7,9, and 11. Next time we will jump ahead to the book’s second half, plunging into the deep theological and biographical waters of Isaiah’s servant songs.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
MESSIAH ACCORDING TO ISAIAH - Part 2
This month we return our attention to the prophet Isaiah for a second helping of his timeless message regarding our Messiah. In chapter 9 the prophet builds upon chapter 7’s intriguing revelation that the Messiah will be born of a virgin and given the designation, “God with us.” In an extraordinary passage filled with the imagery of expectant hope, we are told, beginning in v. 2, that, at some unspecified future point, a people living in a land so distressed that their lives are characterized as though they walked in darkness and in death’s shadow will, nonetheless, have a great light shine on them.
Isaiah identifies this brilliant light with the coming of the Messiah. The impact of His arrival will affect not only Israel, but will also have international repercussions. He will bring both joy to Israel and salvation to the nations. Many rabbis through the centuries have correctly agreed with Christians’ interpretation that this passages’ promised, future light can be identified with none other than the long-awaited Messiah (albeit while disagreeing over whether Jesus is that messianic figure).
Any ambiguity regarding the promised light source is removed by the prophet in 9:6-7, where Isaiah enumerates three notably unique qualities of the Messiah. First, the theme of the child’s birth will once again be picked up from the virgin birth promise of 7:14. Once again it is reiterated that when the messiah enters the world stage, it will be through the human birth process. He will not suddenly appear, fully mature as an adult. He will be born a child. There is no question that for Isaiah, the coming Messiah possesses the attributes of humanity.
Yet in addition to affirming the humanity of Messiah through the promise of His birth, Isaiah also reveals a second quality that demonstrates just how much more there is to the Messiah than may be initially expected. Two striking titles are attributed to the Messiah in 9:6. The child is described as both el gibbor, “Mighty God” and avi ad, “Father of Eternity.” It is hard to argue that either of these titles are ever or should ever be attributed to anyone other than the Lord Himself, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. As readers, we are forced to simply accept at face value the prophet’s stunning revelation that the Messiah will be more than merely human. In some mysterious fashion not elaborated upon by Isaiah, we see that the Messiah will share the attributes of both humanity and deity. In other words, Isaiah teaches that the coming Messiah will be both God and man.
The third notable quality Isaiah revels regards the Messiah’s royal role. The Messiah will be a rule as king. The prophet assigns two powerful descriptions to make the point. First, the child is called pele yoetz. This title should not be misunderstood as a reference to the coming Messiah’s exceptional therapeutic counseling abilities. Nor should the two words be divided into the separate designations “wonderful” and counselor” (ala the KJV). In the context of the ancient world of the Bible, to be called a “wonderful counselor” meant to be an acutely insightful warrior, capable of designing successful battle stratagems.
Isaiah’s accompanying pele yoetz as the second royal description of the Messiah is sar shalom, “Prince of Peace.” This title works in tandem with the one previously given. Through the Messiah’s exceptional ability to defeat all enemies through warfare, He is able to both make and keep the peace. In fact, the prophet’s readers are told that there will be no end to the increase of the government which will rest upon his shoulders. Isaiah is careful to specify which government is being referred to. It is the government of the united kingdom of Israel and it is from His father David's throne that the Messiah will rule. That the Messiah is a descendent of David, and thereby rightful heir to the Covenantal promises to David, will be developed in next month’s exploration of Isaiah 11:1-10.
Isaiah identifies this brilliant light with the coming of the Messiah. The impact of His arrival will affect not only Israel, but will also have international repercussions. He will bring both joy to Israel and salvation to the nations. Many rabbis through the centuries have correctly agreed with Christians’ interpretation that this passages’ promised, future light can be identified with none other than the long-awaited Messiah (albeit while disagreeing over whether Jesus is that messianic figure).
Any ambiguity regarding the promised light source is removed by the prophet in 9:6-7, where Isaiah enumerates three notably unique qualities of the Messiah. First, the theme of the child’s birth will once again be picked up from the virgin birth promise of 7:14. Once again it is reiterated that when the messiah enters the world stage, it will be through the human birth process. He will not suddenly appear, fully mature as an adult. He will be born a child. There is no question that for Isaiah, the coming Messiah possesses the attributes of humanity.
Yet in addition to affirming the humanity of Messiah through the promise of His birth, Isaiah also reveals a second quality that demonstrates just how much more there is to the Messiah than may be initially expected. Two striking titles are attributed to the Messiah in 9:6. The child is described as both el gibbor, “Mighty God” and avi ad, “Father of Eternity.” It is hard to argue that either of these titles are ever or should ever be attributed to anyone other than the Lord Himself, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. As readers, we are forced to simply accept at face value the prophet’s stunning revelation that the Messiah will be more than merely human. In some mysterious fashion not elaborated upon by Isaiah, we see that the Messiah will share the attributes of both humanity and deity. In other words, Isaiah teaches that the coming Messiah will be both God and man.
The third notable quality Isaiah revels regards the Messiah’s royal role. The Messiah will be a rule as king. The prophet assigns two powerful descriptions to make the point. First, the child is called pele yoetz. This title should not be misunderstood as a reference to the coming Messiah’s exceptional therapeutic counseling abilities. Nor should the two words be divided into the separate designations “wonderful” and counselor” (ala the KJV). In the context of the ancient world of the Bible, to be called a “wonderful counselor” meant to be an acutely insightful warrior, capable of designing successful battle stratagems.
Isaiah’s accompanying pele yoetz as the second royal description of the Messiah is sar shalom, “Prince of Peace.” This title works in tandem with the one previously given. Through the Messiah’s exceptional ability to defeat all enemies through warfare, He is able to both make and keep the peace. In fact, the prophet’s readers are told that there will be no end to the increase of the government which will rest upon his shoulders. Isaiah is careful to specify which government is being referred to. It is the government of the united kingdom of Israel and it is from His father David's throne that the Messiah will rule. That the Messiah is a descendent of David, and thereby rightful heir to the Covenantal promises to David, will be developed in next month’s exploration of Isaiah 11:1-10.
Monday, March 23, 2015
MESSIAH ACCORDING TO ISAIAH - Part 1
Due to the overwhelmingly favorable response we received on the last series in this column on the prophet Jeremiah, it seems appropriate to once again delve into the vast theological wealth of the prophets. This month, we begin a series based on the writings of the "prince of prophets", Isaiah; specifically what we can glean from his message concerning the Messiah. Since Isaiah is a vast and profound book, in this series we will just be touching upon some of his great Messianic themes and insights. To probe more deeply into this prophetic masterpiece would keep this series going indefinitely!
Isaiah, whose name means, "the Lord saves", lived during the time of the divided kingdom (upon Solomon's death, his kingdom split into Israel and Judah). Isaiah spent most of his ministry in Jerusalem in the southern kingdom of Judah, approximately 700 years before Christ. During his ministry the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria, and much of Isaiah's message concerns a warning to Judah that the same fate awaited them if the nation did not repent. Babylon would be the nation to lead Judah into this promised captivity.
However, the message of Isaiah does not only contain assurances of judgment and exile. The prophet is equally concerned with the promise of God's restoration and compassion. Isaiah paints a portrait of an age of peace and righteousness, not just for Israel or Judah, but throughout the whole earth. This "messianic age" will be brought about by God's unique ruler, the Messiah. It is to what the prophet tells us about this ruler that we will turn our attention.
From Isaiah's point of view, the Messiah was still yet to come. Isaiah doesn't specifically tell his contemporary readers/listeners that in seven hundred years they could expect a carpenter from Nazareth to be the Messiah but the information he provides is graphic enough for the careful and expectant watcher to recognize the promised ruler when he came.
Messiah is an English transliteration of a Hebrew word which means, "anointed one". Messiah and Christ have identical meanings. (The word "Christ" is the English transliteration of the Greek word for Messiah. Another way of referring to "Jesus Christ" is "Jesus the Messiah" or "Jesus the Anointed One".) Throughout his writings, Isaiah depicts a multi-faceted, several-dimensional mosaic of the coming Messiah's qualities. The prophet has literally saturated his work with references to Messiah. One has only to read through any few chapters to confirm this fact. We will briefly survey some of the major characteristics Isaiah furnishes.
The first clue we are given as to who the Messiah will be and what he will be like is found in 7:14. There is much debate as to how to accurately interpret this verse, and discussion as to whether the woman referred to is a virgin or not (the Hebrew word almah simply means “young woman of marriageable age,” who might or might not be married – unmarried 8th century BC Israelite maidens were assuredly virgins in a society where premarital sex was prohibited by both God’s law and Hebrew culture), whether Isaiah was speaking of a contemporary woman or someone in the far future.
However, since the context reveals that the divine sign provided by God was to be an unmistakably impressive one, I believe this passage teaches that the Messiah will be a human child born of a virgin. Of particular note, this child will be given the designation, "God with us" (Immanuel). Of course, our Messiah, Jesus is the ultimate Immanuel, "God with us." More of the Messiah according to Isaiah next time.
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