Chapter 3. The Messianic Prophecies of Divinity
The great thing about the Christian Old Testament is that it is Judaism’s canon as well. Both religions believe that the same 39 books are from God. This is significant, for if Jesus Christ can be proved to be found in the Old Testament than it is obvious that Christians didn’t just tamper with the texts, for the texts themselves have been very well preserved by a completely different religion.
Now I believe fully that the Bible is the Word of God; that the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, in their original autographs, were completely from the hand of divinity. We should try to uncover the original words as much as possible through conservative textual criticism and try to recreate them as accurately as possible through strict, literal translation. Yet even with this outlook there’s sometimes a little bit of “give” in the language (especially in Hebrew poetry), a little bit of linguistic slackness that allows translators with different agendas to turn the renderings a bit to fit their fancy. This happens a lot less than one might think, and nearly disappears altogether if the translator is very scientifically consistent in his or her renderings.
Yet because translation is so important and can often vary (especially from one religion to another), I want to justify my use of the Bible in a more thorough manner for the next two chapters. Therefore after a major Messianic quote there will be an inserted section which gives the Jewish Publication Society’s 1917 Version [JPS]. Any significant discrepancy with the translation I use will be discussed. I will try to avoid dead-end issues as much as possible, such as terms that are only slightly different. Every translation must be allowed to breathe as no version can perfectly express the original.
As for my discussing the Hebrew in the insertions, all the definitions I provide are from the bog-standard Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon unless otherwise stated. Any grammar that I mention has been double-checked by consulting the Westminster Hebrew Morphological Database.
Also, although I’m sure some readers will be very familiar with the books of the Bible, some may not be. It seems pointless to write about Messianic prophecies, highlighting the statements about the Messiah in the Old Testament while showing fulfilment in the New Testament, if there is to be confusion over which books belong to which Testament. So to rectify this, in the next two chapters the Old Testament (which was written between c. 1500 B.C. to c. 400 B.C.) quotes begin with an “[OT]” and the New Testament (written between c. A.D. 40 to c. A.D. 100) quotes begin with a “[NT].”
The Bible quotes are from the NASB unless otherwise stated.
1. Messiah as God
Let’s begin by looking at a couple of the bold, direct quotes, that state there is a divine Messiah. Judaism of course believes there shall be a Messiah, but only the Christian understands him to be a transcendent Saviour.
A. Psalm 45:6-7
[OT] Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your fellows.
[JPS: Thy throne given of God is for ever and ever; a sceptre of equity is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.]
The Hebrew literally reads “kisakha Elohim,” “your throne God…” There is no other way to literally translate this phrase, therefore the JPS just employs a bizarre grammatical construction. The person being spoken to is addressed as “God.” As we read on we see that this God has been anointed by God. Messiah (which is a term derived from Hebrew) and Christ (which is a term derived from Greek) both mean “anointed.” So here is a terrific description of the divine Messiah: the God who is anointed of God.
B. Zechariah 13:7
[OT] “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the man, My Associate,” declares the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; and I will turn My hand against [Or upon] the little ones.”
[JPS: Awake, O sword, against My shepherd, and against the man that is near unto Me, saith the LORD of hosts; smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn My hand upon the little ones.]
At first glance this verse doesn’t seem like too marvellous of a prophecy; however, it gains strength when the context is considered and when the term rendered “associate” is scrutinized. “The Shepherd” must be in reference to one of the shepherds mentioned in chapter 11 of Zechariah. Five are mentioned there, but only one is good. He is said to be commanded of God to perform a certain task: “Thus says the LORD my God, ‘Pasture the flock [doomed] to slaughter’” (11:4)… He then goes on to describe his role of obedience, but also speaks as if he himself has divine authority: “I took my staff Favor [Or Pleasantness] and cut it in pieces, to break [Or annul] my covenant which I had made with all the peoples.” (11:10). Finally, he is said to be sold for thirty pieces of silver:
<I said to them, “If it is good in your sight, give [me] my wages; but if not, never mind [Lit cease]!” So they weighed out thirty [shekels] of silver as my wages. -- Zechariah 11:12
[JPS: And I said unto them: “If ye think good, give me my hire; and if not, forbear.” So they weighed for my hire thirty pieces of silver.]
Now going back to Zechariah 13:7, this shepherd is said to be the associate of the LORD of Hosts; i.e., he is co-equal with God the Father. For this Hebrew word literally means “neighbour;” note an example…
[OT] You shall not hate your fellow countryman [Lit brother] in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but {lit, “and”} shall not incur sin because of him. -- Leviticus 19:17
To say the least, it is significant for God to call someone by this term.
So putting it all together, Zechariah states that the Messiah must be someone who is submissive to God yet equal with him; and he is to be smitten and forsaken of men, even being sold for thirty pieces of silver. Of course not only did Jesus say, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), but he was also sold for that exact price by Judas Iscariot (Matthew 26:15). Moreover, Zechariah 13:7 was applied directly in the New Testament to his arrest and to the fleeing of his disciples (Matthew 26:31).
2. The Shema
Another great quote that calls the Messiah transcendent is found in Isaiah 9. We must lead up to it a bit first by noting the significance of The Shema. It is the most important doctrinal statement of Judaism, with the chief verse being Deuteronomy 6:4…
“Shema-Yisrael-the LORD-Eloheinu-the LORD-ekhad…”
Hear Israel the LORD [is] our God, the LORD [is] one….
Compare this with the name of the Messiah given in Isaiah 9:
[OT] [Ch 8:23 in Heb] But there will be no [more] gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make [it] glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles [Or nations]. [Ch 9:1 in Heb] The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. You shall multiply the nation, you shall increase [Another reading is not increase] their [Lit the] gladness; they will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of [Lit in] harvest, as men [Lit they] rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian [Lit in the day of Midian]. For every boot of the booted warrior in the [battle] tumult, and cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest [Lit be] on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of [His] government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this. -- verses 1-7
[JPS: For is there no gloom to her that was stedfast? Now the former hath lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but the latter hath dealt a more grievous blow by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in the district of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, Thou hast increased their joy; they joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, Thou hast broken as in the day of Midian. For every boot stamped with fierceness, and every cloak rolled in blood, shall even be for burning, for fuel of fire. For a child is born unto us, a son is given unto us; and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name is called Pele-joez-el-gibbor-Abi-ad-sar-shalom [That is, Wonderful in counsel is God, the Mighty, the Everlasting Father, the Ruler of peace]; that the government may be increased, and of peace there be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it through justice and through righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts doth perform this.
There are three key differences between the Christian and Jewish translation. The first is the opening verse. This is a very difficult passage in the Hebrew. Here is a rough walk-through of it:
kee [for/because] lo [no/not] mu’aph [gloom/darkness] lamed (it’s my practice for the most part to separate prefixed conjunctions and inseparable prepositions for simplicity’s sake, unless the word is very small) [to/for] asher [that/which] mutsaq [constraint/distress] lah [to her/for her] definitive kaph [as the/like the] ayt [time] ha-rishown [the former/the first] hayqal [he made light/he treated with contempt] eretz with directional hey [towards land] Z’vuloon [Zebulun] vav [and] eretz with directional hey [towards land] Naphtali [Naphtali] vav [and] ha-akharon [the following/the subsequent] heekhbeed [he made heavy/he caused to be honoured] derek hai-yam [the way of the sea] ayver hai-yardain [the region beyond of the Jordan] G’leel hag-goyeem [Galilee of the gentiles]…
My translation would therefore be…
For [it is] not [the] gloom for which [there was] distress to her. As [in] the former time he treated with contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; even so afterwards he has caused to be honoured the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles.
The NASB is much closer to what I consider to be the literal translation. Assyria carried the Northern Kingdom away, whereas Messiah would come and bring glory.
The second major difference is the name, which I discuss below.
The last major difference brings in a very important fact about the Hebrew Old Testament. In the actual text itself sometimes there were words that the ancients couldn’t come to terms with, so they supplied a substitution. The strict consonantal original is called the ‘ketiv,’ the substitution is called the ‘qere.’ Most translations sometimes go with a ketiv or sometimes with a qere indiscriminately. Nearly all of the differences are extremely minor and don’t even change the sense, yet some are significant, such as the one here in Isaiah 9.
The NASB gives the original, the ketiv, in a footnote. The JPS doesn’t mention it at all. The real Hebrew says this for verse 4a: “you shall multiply the nation, you shall not increase the gladness”…What does this mean?
Well, Isaiah obviously had in mind the fact that the coming of Messiah would not necessarily be sweetness and light in all aspects of life. Just as women in Genesis were to increase the family through the pain of childbirth, the prophet obviously understood the pains that would come with Messianic growth. This pain at Messiah’s coming will be a major theme of Isaiah’s second section.
There is also a slightly important difference as to just what will be increased without end; i.e., is it the peace and the government? The Hebrew allows for either version.]
The above name is an area of contention between Jews and Christians. Most of Judaism’s English versions either don’t translate the name given to the Son, thus avoiding all controversy as to why the Messiah is called by such glowing terms, or some strange construction ensues, in an effort to make the name out to be a hum-drum statement describing God’s glory. The truth is found in the simple grammar. The name consists of four couplets, with one word modifying another; therefore, the Christian rendering is to be preferred.
It’s very common in the world of theology to describe Jesus as a prophet, priest, and king, for these were the three offices in ancient Israel that sometimes came by way of “anointing,” and therefore epitomize the idea of “Messiah/Christ.” We shall consider these things in more detail later, but being aware of this makes the Isaiah 9/Deuteronomy 6 comparison to be much more poignant:
“Wonderful Counsellor” [or, “A Counselling Wonder”] matches “Hear.” The Messiah is to be the great prophet of God, hearing his words and counselling others.
“Mighty God” matches “Israel,” a name meaning, “he who prevails with God.” It is Messiah as priest that gives the Godhead leverage to transform its wrath into loving-kindness.
“Father of Eternity” obviously matches “the LORD,” and describes the Messiah as having the divine authority.
Finally there is “Prince of Peace,” which fits “the LORD is one,” as in the Son of God, the Messiah, the Godhead is fully represented [for primarily the prophet is as the Holy Spirit, the priest as the Son, the king as the Father], as it is written in the Old and New Testaments:
[OT] {Describing the advent of the Messiah} And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one. -- Zechariah 14:9; [ESV]
[JPS: And the LORD shall be King over all the earth; in that day shall the LORD be one, and His name one.]
[NT] For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form… -- Colossians 2:9
[NT] In [the] beginning was the Word {prophet}, and the Word was with [fig., in communion with] God {priest}, and the Word was God {king}. This One was in the beginning with God. -- John 1:1-2; [ALT3]
3. In the Father’s Bosom
Let’s now carry a step further the idea of the divine Messiah also being the Father’s representative. John uses an intriguing phrase when describing the Christ in his illuminating first chapter…
[NT] No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained [Him]. -- 1:18
This description, “in the bosom of the Father,” is not something John invented however; it is actually an ancient Messianic depiction.
In the book of Exodus, God in the form of an angel [who was the pre-incarnate Anointed One, as we shall see in a subsequent chapter] called to Moses from out of the burning bush. Notice the unmistakably deific description of this “Messenger” [which is the literal meaning of the term “angel”]:
[OT] The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a [Lit the] bush…When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush…Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. -- Exodus 3:2-6; portions
[JPS: And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush…And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush…Moreover He said: “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.]
It is this Angel who then gave Moses several miraculous signs to prove that his mission was from Heaven. One such sign involved the bosom of Moses:
[OT] The LORD furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then He said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” So he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was restored like [the rest of] his flesh. -- Exodus 4:6-7
[JPS: And the LORD said furthermore unto him: “Put now thy hand into thy bosom.” And he put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow. And He said: “Put thy hand back into thy bosom.” And he put his hand back into his bosom; and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
There isn’t a difference here of importance, although the reader might wonder where the word “white” comes from in the JPS. Strictly speaking it is not in the original and was probably just added by way of implication.]
A further usage insinuates that this was meant to be something more than just some random miracle:
[OT] Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? From within Your bosom, destroy {or, “complete/finish”}…You [Or You Yourself] divided the sea by Your strength; You [Or You Yourself] broke the heads of the sea monsters in [Lit on] the waters. -- Psalm 74:11-13; portions
[JPS: Why withdrawest Thou Thy hand, even Thy right hand? Draw it out of Thy bosom and consume them…Thou didst break the sea in pieces by Thy strength; Thou didst shatter the heads of the sea-monsters in the waters.
The NASB is stricter here, whereas the JPS helpfully fills in a few blanks.]
Compare this with:
[OT] Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake as in the days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not You who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon?... I have put My words in your mouth and have covered you with the shadow of My hand, to establish [Lit plant] the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, “You are My people.” -- Isaiah 51:9, 16; (many quotes could be given to prove that the “Arm of the LORD” is synonymous with the Messiah, but the most famous will have to suffice for time’s sake: “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot [Lit suckling], and like a root out of parched ground…He was pierced through [Or wounded] for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being [Or peace] [fell] upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed” [Isaiah 53:1-2a, 5]…)
[JPS: Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Art thou not it that hewed Rahab in pieces, that pierced the dragon?...And I have put My words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion: “Thou art My people.”
JPS: Who would have believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he shot up right forth as a sapling, and as a root out of a dry ground…But he was wounded because of our transgressions, he was crushed because of our iniquities: the chastisement of our welfare was upon him, and with his stripes we were healed.
The primary quote is nearly identical in both versions, but the one from Isaiah 53 is a bit different.
The very first line has a slightly differing force in each but can both be supported by the Hebrew.
A bigger difference comes in the middle, where the NASB says he comes up “before him,” and the JPS says that he “shot right forth.” The NASB seems to be the most straightforward rendering of “l’phanav” [before + him/it].]
It’s not difficult to connect the dots here. God told Moses to put his hand in his bosom, and it came out leprous, unclean, and accursed. He brought it back to his bosom (why would he embrace leprosy?) and it came out normal again. The Psalmist prophetically urges the Messiah to be revealed in order to deliver his people. Isaiah takes it a step further while using similar language. Not only had this Hand of God, this Arm of the LORD, delivered the people of God in times gone by, but he would eventually become the accursed servant of Isaiah 53; moreover, it is he who truly speaks the words of the Father, and it is he who even created the world [this is the sole theme of a forthcoming section].
4. The Confusing Duality
Up to this point we have seen that the Old Testament points to a figure much more like the Christian Messiah than that of contemporary Judaism. Whereas adherents of Judaism look for a normal man to win political victories for them, the Bible actually describes a divine Saviour who also represents the Father in the fullest way possible. Sometimes in the prophetic books this duality of the Messiah shines forth strikingly; for example…
[OT] For thus says the LORD of hosts, “After glory [Or the glory] He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple [Lit pupil] of His eye. For behold, I will wave My hand over them so that they will be plunder for their slaves. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me. Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares the LORD. “Many nations will join themselves to the LORD in that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you.” -- Zechariah 2:8-11
[JPS: For thus saith the LORD of hosts who sent me after glory unto the nations which spoiled you: “Surely, he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. For, behold, I will shake My hand over them, and they shall be a spoil to those that served them;” and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me. “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be My people, and I will dwell in the midst of thee;” and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.
There are significant differences here. First, the JPS tries to join the declaration of the word of Hashem to the following pronouncement by saying, “who sent me…” The NASB stops the declaration of Hashem’s word before this, thus opening the possibility of Hashem himself saying that “He has sent me.” To put it more simply, the JPS says in effect, “Hashem, the one who sent me, says the following…” The NASB could say in effect, “Hashem says this: although I myself am this Hashem, I have also been sent by him.” The Hebrew actually favours the NASB. We’ll get to that momentarily, but consider this as well: when was Zechariah ever sent to the nations who were spoiling Israel to receive glory?
As for the Hebrew…
kee [for/because] coh [so/thus] amar [he said] Hashem ts’va’ot [Hashem of Hosts] akhar [after/behind] kavod [glory/honour] sh’lakhanee [he sent me]…
Next, know that there are no such things as quotation marks in the Hebrew, so in every version the marks are from the translator, and may or may not be correct. This is the crux of many passages in the prophets where there seems to be more than one member of the Godhead speaking. The JPS leads the reader along a certain path, but this is just their best (non-literal) guess.]
The speaker on the one hand claims to be God -- “Many nations will join themselves to the LORD in that day and will become My people” -- yet on the other hand claims to be someone distinct from God: “Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you.” A Messiah who is synonymous with the LORD is the only reasonable explanation.
5. Messiah the Creator
The Old Testament speaks of the transcendence of the Messiah not only by describing his person but also by describing his works. As we have already seen from Isaiah 51 above, the ancient Scriptures clearly state that he played an integral part in creation. Let’s examine this further…
[OT] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void [Or a waste and emptiness], and darkness was over the surface of [Lit face of] the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving [Or hovering] over the surface of [Lit face of] the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. -- Genesis 1:1-4 (this isn’t a normal Messianic prophecy, and so will not be compared; I try to leave out as many comparisons as possible so as not to weary the reader)
After stating that Jesus was the Word in verses 1-2 of his introduction, John goes on to write:
[NT] All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend [Or overpower] it. -- verses 3-5
The apostle clearly calls Messiah here the light of Genesis 1 and a Creator; but where did he get these ideas?
A. The Mysterious “Beginning”
Genesis chapter 1 and chapters 2-3 both have very intriguing/enlightening introductions [the intro to Genesis 2-3 will be covered later; also, for years I struggled over the possibility of the gap theory, not because of ridiculous misinterpretations of geology -- for fossils themselves bear irrefutable evidence to catastrophe, the cardinal sin against modern uniformitarianism -- but because of the ancient fall of Satan; however Mark 10:6-8 clearly closes the door on this theory, as Jesus Christ states that both Genesis 1 and 2 are the beginning of God’s creation]. They both describe remarkable events that summarize the successive content, all the while foreshadowing the Messiah…
In Beginning God created the heavens and the earth…
This is how the Hebrew literally reads: “In beginning,” not, “In the beginning.” There is no definite article, for a person is being esoterically referenced along with a point in time. This can be seen by way of an allegory from the book of Genesis itself and also by way of declaration through Paul in Colossians…
[OT] It came about at the time she was giving birth, that behold, there were twins in her womb. Moreover, it took place while she was giving birth, one put out a hand, and the midwife