The Writings<\/p>\n
1 Chronicles 17:10b\u201314
\nThe Davidic Covenant<\/p>\n
17:10b\u00a0Moreover, I tell you that the LORD will build a house for you. 11\u00a0\u201cAnd it shall come about when your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12\u00a0\u201cHe shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 13\u00a0\u201cI will be his father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. 14\u00a0\u201cBut I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.\u201d (NASB)
\n17:10b: \u05d5\u05b8\u05d0\u05b7\u05d2\u05b4\u05bc\u05d3 \u05dc\u05b8\u05da\u05b0 \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05ea \u05d9\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05e0\u05b6\u05d4\u05be\u05dc\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 11\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05be\u05de\u05b8\u05dc\u05b0\u05d0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d9\u05b8\u05de\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05dc\u05b8\u05dc\u05b6\u05db\u05b6\u05ea \u05e2\u05b4\u05dd\u05be\u05d0\u05b2\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05e7\u05b4\u05d9\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be\u05d6\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05e2\u05b2\u05da\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05e8\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05d9\u05b4\u05d4\u05b0\u05d9\u05b6\u05d4 \u05de\u05b4\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e0\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05db\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be\u05de\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u05c3 12\u00a0\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d0 \u05d9\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05e0\u05b6\u05d4\u05be\u05dc\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d9\u05b4\u05ea \u05d5\u05b0\u05db\u05b9\u05e0\u05b7\u05e0\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05e1\u05b0\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9 \u05e2\u05b7\u05d3\u05be\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd\u05c3 13\u00a0\u05d0\u05b2\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05d4\u05b0\u05d9\u05b6\u05d4\u05be\u05dc\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05d1 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d0 \u05d9\u05b4\u05d4\u05b0\u05d9\u05b6\u05d4\u05be\u05dc\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b5\u05df \u05d5\u05b0\u05d7\u05b7\u05e1\u05b0\u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0\u05be\u05d0\u05b8\u05e1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8 \u05de\u05b5\u05e2\u05b4\u05de\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9 \u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b2\u05e1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05de\u05b5\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b8\u05e0\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u05c3 14\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05de\u05b7\u05d3\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05b5\u05d9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05de\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b7\u05d3\u05be\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05db\u05b4\u05e1\u05b0\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d9\u05b4\u05d4\u05b0\u05d9\u05b6\u05d4 \u05e0\u05b8\u05db\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05e2\u05b7\u05d3\u05be\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd\u05c3<\/p>\n
SO FAR in our study, we have already encountered the Adamic Covenant, in Genesis 3:15, and the Abrahamic Covenant, in Genesis 22:18. Another of the eight covenants in Scripture which is crucial to Messianic Christology is the Davidic Covenant. This is found in two segments of Scripture. The first concentrates on David\u2019s immediate son, Solomon, and the second deals with David\u2019s distant son, Messiah.<\/p>\n
2 Samuel 7:11b\u201316<\/p>\n
The first passage is in the scroll of the Prophets, in 2 Samuel 7:11b\u201316:<\/p>\n
7:11b\u00a0The LORD also declares to you that the LORD will make a house for you. 12\u00a0\u201cWhen your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13\u00a0\u201cHe shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14\u00a0\u201cI will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 15\u00a0but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16\u00a0\u201cAnd your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.\u201d\u00a0\u2019\u00a0\u201d<\/p>\n
(NASB)<\/p>\n
This passage deals with a son who will proceed from the loins of David himself, a son who will be David\u2019s immediate successor. In verse 16 God promises David three things as part of the covenant:<\/p>\n
1. An eternal house or dynasty
\n2. An eternal kingdom
\n3. An eternal throne<\/p>\n
As immediate proof of God\u2019s faithfulness to this covenant, David\u2019s line will be maintained by a son who will build the Temple which David was not permitted to build. This, of course, will be Solomon\u2019s temple. When this son sins, as Solomon indeed did by falling into idolatry, he will be disciplined, but God\u2019s covenant love will remain with him.<\/p>\n
1 Chronicles 17:14<\/p>\n
The parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 17:10b\u201314 is very similar, yet there are significant differences. In II Samuel the son is immediate; in I Chronicles he is distant. In II Samuel the son is a sinner; in I Chronicles there is no mention of sin. In II Samuel the reference is to Solomon; in I Chronicles the reference is to Messiah.
\nThe three promises of II Samuel are repeated here, but a fourth is also added: an eternal son. \u201cI will settle him in my house forever.\u201d David\u2019s line will eventually culminate in the birth of an eternal Person whose eternality will guarantee David\u2019s dynasty, kingdom and throne forever.
\nPreviously \u201cthe seed\u201d was to be born of a woman, Abraham, Jacob and Judah. Now we are told which family within the tribe of Judah\u2014the family of David; Messiah is to be a son of David. This automatically requires that Messiah come prior to 70 A.D. since, in that year, all of Israel\u2019s genealogical records were destroyed along with the Temple by the Romans. Within a few decades of 70 A.D., it was impossible to prove who was a son of David and who was not.
\nThere is one further limitation placed upon the descent of Messiah. We are told that He will come from one of David\u2019s sons, but in Jeremiah 22:24\u201330 we are told of one family, cursed by the prophet, which was excluded. This is the family of Coniah, also known as Jeconiah or Jehoiachin. Because of the kind of man that he was in the days of Jeremiah, God pronounced a curse on him. The curse, given in Jeremiah 22:30, is that no descendant of Jeconiah will ever have the right to sit on the Throne of David. Messiah therefore had to be born a son of David but apart from Jeconiah.
\nWe are told in Matthew\u2019s Gospel that Joseph, husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a son of David via Solomon and Jeconiah. He and his children were therefore under God\u2019s curse and would never fall heir to the Throne of David. Luke\u2019s Gospel clearly gives Jesus\u2019 lineage as being via Mary back to Nathan and David and, therefore, proves the legitimacy of Jesus\u2019 claim to be Messiah. (This is discussed more fully in Appendix 4.)<\/p>\n
1 Chronicles 17:10b\u201314
\nteaches that:
\nY Messiah would be a son of David, but descended through a line other than Jechoniah.
\nY Since all tribal and genealogical records were destroyed with the temple in 70 A.D., Messiah must have come before that time.
\nY Messiah would live eternally.
\nY Messiah would be a king.<\/p>\n
Psalm 2:7\u201312
\nThe Son of God<\/p>\n
2:7\u00a0\u201cI will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, \u2018Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee. 8\u00a0\u2018Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Thy possession. 9\u00a0\u2018Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware.\u2019\u00a0\u201d 10\u00a0Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. 11\u00a0Worship the LORD with reverence, And rejoice with trembling. 12\u00a0Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! (NASB)
\n2:7\u00a0\u05d0\u05b2\u05e1\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc \u05d7\u05b9\u05e7 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b8\u05de\u05b7\u05e8 \u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u05b7\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d9\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05d3\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u05c3 8\u00a0\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d0\u05b7\u05dc \u05de\u05b4\u05de\u05b6\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d2\u05d5\u05b9\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05e0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05dc\u05b8\u05ea\u05b6\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05d7\u05bb\u05d6\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05e1\u05b5\u05d9\u05be\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5\u05c3 9\u00a0\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b9\u05e2\u05b5\u05dd \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05d1\u05b6\u05d8 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d6\u05b6\u05dc \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05db\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05e6\u05b5\u05e8 \u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05e6\u05b5\u05dd\u05c3 10\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05db\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc \u05d4\u05b4\u05d5\u05b8\u05bc\u05e1\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc \u05e9\u05b9\u05c1\u05e4\u05b0\u05d8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5\u05c3 11\u00a0\u05e2\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05d3\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be\u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d9\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05e2\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05d4\u05c3 12\u00a0\u05e0\u05b7\u05e9\u05b0\u05bc\u05c1\u05e7\u05d5\u05bc\u05be\u05d1\u05b7\u05e8 \u05e4\u05b6\u05bc\u05df\u05be\u05d9\u05b6\u05d0\u05b1\u05e0\u05b7\u05e3 \u05d5\u05b0\u05ea\u05b9\u05d0\u05d1\u05b0\u05d3\u05d5\u05bc \u05d3\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05da\u05b0 \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05be\u05d9\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05e8 \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05de\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05d8 \u05d0\u05b7\u05e4\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d0\u05b7\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be \u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05e1\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05c3<\/p>\n
THE Book of Psalms could be summarized in a single sentence as follows: \u201cThe Psalms are the poetic versions of the messages of the Law and the Prophets.\u201d The Book of Psalms is often regarded as purely devotional reading. While it is certainly very useful as such, it would be wrong to limit it to only that. The whole Book of Psalms is full of profound doctrine and deep spiritual truths couched in poetic terms.
\nThe whole of Psalm 2 deals with the Second Coming; the events before, during and after it, and in particular the Campaign of Armageddon. (This is discussed in The Footsteps Of The Messiah, pages 219, 245 and 276.) There are, however, some elements which are relevant to the First Coming, particularly in verses 7\u201312.
\nIt should be stated, first of all, that these verses cannot possibly be applied to David. While David was a great king, God never gave him authority over all the nations (verse 8), nor did he ever rule the uttermost ends of the earth. These verses speak of Messiah who, as the psalmist would have heard from the prophets, will rule over the entire world. Even Rashi admits, \u201cOur rabbis expound it as relating to King Messiah.\u201d
\nAmong the titles given to Messiah is the term \u201cSon of God.\u201d This is applied to Messiah twice in Psalm 2, in verses 7 and 12. This Messiah, who is to be king in Jerusalem and over the whole world is also, uniquely, the Son of God.
\nAs is explained in Appendix 1, the phrase \u201csons of God,\u201d in the plural, throughout the Hebrew Scriptures always applies to angels, either fallen or unfallen. The phrase \u201cSon of God,\u201d in the singular, is always and only applied to the Messiah.<\/p>\n
Psalm 2:7\u201312
\nteaches that:
\nY Messiah would be the Son of God.
\nY Messiah will be a king in Jerusalem.
\nY Messiah will also rule over the Gentiles.<\/p>\n
Psalm 16:1\u201311
\nThe Death of Messiah<\/p>\n
A Mikhtam of David.
\n16:1\u00a0Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in Thee. 2\u00a0I said to the LORD, \u201cThou art my Lord; I have no good besides Thee.\u201d 3\u00a0As for the saints who are in the earth, They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight. 4\u00a0The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied; I shall not pour out their libations of blood, Nor shall I take their names upon my lips. 5\u00a0The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; Thou dost support my lot. 6\u00a0The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. 7\u00a0I will bless the LORD who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night. 8\u00a0I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9\u00a0Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. 10\u00a0For Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay. 11\u00a0Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fulness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever. (NASB)
\n16:1\u00a0\u05de\u05b4\u05db\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05dd \u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05d5\u05b4\u05d3 \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05de\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b5\u05dc \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05be\u05d7\u05b8\u05e1\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b8\u05da\u05b0\u05c3 2\u00a0\u05d0\u05b8\u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc \u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b8\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d8\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b8\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u05c3 3\u00a0\u05dc\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8\u05be\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05d4\u05b5\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be \u05d7\u05b6\u05e4\u05b0\u05e6\u05b4\u05d9\u05be\u05d1\u05b8\u05dd\u05c3 4\u00a0\u05d9\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc \u05e2\u05b7\u05e6\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8\u05dd \u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b5\u05e8 \u05de\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05be \u05d0\u05b7\u05e1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05da\u05b0 \u05e0\u05b4\u05e1\u05b0\u05db\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9\u05d4\u05b6\u05dd \u05de\u05b4\u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05d0\u05b6\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c2\u05d0 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8\u05dd \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e4\u05b8\u05ea\u05b8\u05d9\u05c3 5\u00a0\u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05de\u05b0\u05e0\u05b8\u05ea\u05be\u05d7\u05b6\u05dc\u05b0\u05e7\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d5\u05b0\u05db\u05d5\u05b9\u05e1\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05da\u05b0 \u05d2\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05c3 6\u00a0\u05d7\u05b2\u05d1\u05b8\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e0\u05b8\u05e4\u05b0\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u05be\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e0\u05b0\u05bc\u05e2\u05b4\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05b7\u05e3\u05be \u05e0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05dc\u05b8\u05ea \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e4\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b8\u05d9\u05c3 7\u00a0\u05d0\u05b2\u05d1\u05b8\u05e8\u05b5\u05da\u05b0 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be\u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05d9\u05b0\u05e2\u05b8\u05e6\u05b8\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b7\u05e3\u05be\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d9\u05b4\u05e1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05db\u05b4\u05dc\u05b0\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8\u05d9\u05c3 8\u00a0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d5\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e0\u05b6\u05d2\u05b0\u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05ea\u05b8\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05d3 \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05d0\u05b6\u05de\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d8\u05c3 9\u00a0\u05dc\u05b8\u05db\u05b5\u05df \u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05de\u05b7\u05d7 \u05dc\u05b4\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b8\u05bc\u05d2\u05b6\u05dc \u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b7\u05e3\u05be\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05df \u05dc\u05b8\u05d1\u05b6\u05d8\u05b7\u05d7\u05c3 10\u00a0\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0\u05be\u05ea\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05d6\u05b9\u05d1 \u05e0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0\u05be\u05ea\u05b4\u05ea\u05b5\u05bc\u05df \u05d7\u05b2\u05e1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d3\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05dc\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea\u05c3 11\u00a0\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05e2\u05b5\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b9\u05e8\u05b7\u05d7 \u05d7\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05c2\u05d1\u05b7\u05e2 \u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05de\u05b8\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e0\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05e0\u05b0\u05e2\u05b4\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05e0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b7\u05d7\u05c3<\/p>\n
THE emphasis of Psalm 16:1\u20132 is that Messiah\u2019s refuge is in God, and in verse 3 that His delight is with the saints, the believing Remnant, echoing the sentiments of Zechariah 11. In verses 4\u20139, the psalmist says that God the Father will be the Messiah\u2019s total trust in life, even to the point of death (verses 10\u201311). Even in death Messiah still trusts in God. The point of the song is that even though God allows Messiah to die, yet \u201cThou wilt not abandon my soul to Sheol; neither wilt thou allow thy Holy One to undergo decay.\u201d Messiah will be resurrected back to life.<\/p>\n
Psalm 16:1\u201311
\nteaches that:
\nY Messiah would enjoy a unique relationship with God the Father. This aspect of Messiah\u2019s life is particularly emphasized in the Gospel of John.
\nY Messiah would die.
\nY Messiah would be raised back to life.<\/p>\n
Psalm 22:1\u201331
\nThe Suffering & Exaltation of Messiah<\/p>\n
For the choir director; upon Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David.
\n22:1\u00a0\u05dc\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05e0\u05b7\u05e6\u05b5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05d0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b6\u05bc\u05dc\u05b6\u05ea \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b7\u05bc\u05c1\u05d7\u05b7\u05e8 \u05de\u05b4\u05d6\u05b0\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05d5\u05b4\u05d3\u05c3<\/p>\n
22:1\u00a0My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. 2\u00a0O my God, I cry by day, but Thou dost not answer; And by night, but I have no rest. 3\u00a0Yet Thou art holy, O Thou who art enthroned upon the praises of Israel. 4\u00a0In Thee our fathers trusted; They trusted, and Thou didst deliver them. 5\u00a0To Thee they cried out, and were delivered; In Thee they trusted, and were not disappointed. 6\u00a0But I am a worm, and not a man, A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7\u00a0All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, 8\u00a0\u201cCommit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.\u201d 9\u00a0Yet Thou art He who didst bring me forth from the womb; Thou didst make me trust when upon my mother\u2019s breasts. 10\u00a0Upon Thee I was cast from birth; Thou hast been my God from my mother\u2019s womb. 11\u00a0Be not far from me, for trouble is near; For there is none to help. 12\u00a0Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. 13\u00a0They open wide their mouth at me, As a ravening and a roaring lion. 14\u00a0I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. 15\u00a0My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And Thou dost lay me in the dust of death. 16\u00a0For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. 17\u00a0I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; 18\u00a0They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots. 19\u00a0But Thou, O LORD, be not far off; O Thou my help, hasten to my assistance. 20\u00a0Deliver my soul from the sword, My only life from the power of the dog. 21\u00a0Save me from the lion\u2019s mouth; And from the horns of the wild oxen Thou dost answer me.
\n2\u00a0\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b8\u05de\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e2\u05b2\u05d6\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e8\u05b8\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05e7 \u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e2\u05b8\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05d0\u05b2\u05d2\u05b8\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u05c3 3\u00a0\u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b7\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05e7\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0 \u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05de\u05b8\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05ea\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e0\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0\u05be\u05d3\u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05c3 4\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05e7\u05b8\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05d1 \u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05d4\u05b4\u05dc\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u05c3 5\u00a0\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d8\u05b0\u05d7\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b2\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d8\u05b0\u05d7\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b7\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05e4\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05bc\u05d8\u05b5\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05c3 6\u00a0\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d6\u05b8\u05e2\u05b2\u05e7\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05d8\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05d1\u05b8\u05d8\u05b0\u05d7\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0\u05be\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05c3 7\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05e0\u05b9\u05db\u05b4\u05d9 \u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b7\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0\u05be\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d7\u05b6\u05e8\u05b0\u05e4\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea \u05d0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05d6\u05d5\u05bc\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b8\u05dd\u05c3 8\u00a0\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05e8\u05b9\u05d0\u05b7\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b4\u05d2\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05d8\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b0\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05e4\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b8\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e2\u05d5\u05bc \u05e8\u05b9\u05d0\u05e9\u05c1\u05c3 9\u00a0\u05d2\u05b9\u05bc\u05dc \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05be\u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b0\u05e4\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05bc\u05d8\u05b5\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc \u05d9\u05b7\u05e6\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dc\u05b5\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d7\u05b8\u05e4\u05b5\u05e5 \u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05c3 10\u00a0\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05be\u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d2\u05b9\u05d7\u05b4\u05d9 \u05de\u05b4\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d8\u05b6\u05df \u05de\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05d8\u05b4\u05d9\u05d7\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d3\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b4\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05c3 11\u00a0\u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d4\u05b8\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b7\u05db\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05de\u05b5\u05e8\u05b8\u05d7\u05b6\u05dd \u05de\u05b4\u05d1\u05b6\u05bc\u05d8\u05b6\u05df \u05d0\u05b4\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b8\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u05c3 12\u00a0\u05d0\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d7\u05b7\u05e7 \u05de\u05b4\u05de\u05b6\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05be\u05e6\u05b8\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e7\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4 \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05be\u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05d6\u05b5\u05e8\u05c3 13\u00a0\u05e1\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e8\u05b7\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05b7\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b8\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05df \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05c3 14\u00a0\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e6\u05d5\u05bc \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b7\u05d9 \u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05d4\u05b6\u05dd \u05d0\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d9\u05b5\u05d4 \u05d8\u05b9\u05e8\u05b5\u05e3 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e9\u05b9\u05c1\u05d0\u05b5\u05d2\u05c3 15\u00a0\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05de\u05b7\u05bc\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05e0\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e4\u05b7\u05bc\u05db\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b4\u05ea\u05b0\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d3\u05d5\u05bc \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05e2\u05b7\u05e6\u05b0\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b4\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d2 \u05e0\u05b8\u05de\u05b5\u05dd \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u05da\u05b0 \u05de\u05b5\u05e2\u05b8\u05d9\u05c3 16\u00a0\u05d9\u05b8\u05d1\u05b5\u05e9\u05c1 \u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05e9\u05c2 \u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05de\u05bb\u05d3\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e7 \u05de\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05e7\u05d5\u05b9\u05d7\u05b8\u05d9 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e4\u05b7\u05e8\u05be\u05de\u05b8\u05d5\u05b6\u05ea \u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05b5\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05c3 17\u00a0\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05e1\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05b2\u05d3\u05b7\u05ea \u05de\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b4\u05e7\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e4\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0\u05b2\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b7\u05d9 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e8\u05b7\u05d2\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05d9\u05c3 18\u00a0\u05d0\u05b2\u05e1\u05b7\u05e4\u05b5\u05bc\u05e8 \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05e2\u05b7\u05e6\u05b0\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b5\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b7\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05d8\u05d5\u05bc \u05d9\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05d5\u05bc\u05be\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05c3 19\u00a0\u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05bc\u05e7\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b0\u05d2\u05b8\u05d3\u05b7\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u05b6\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b7\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc \u05d2\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05dc\u05c3 20\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u05e7 \u05d0\u05b1\u05d9\u05b8\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b6\u05d6\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d7\u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d4\u05c3 21\u00a0\u05d4\u05b7\u05e6\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05de\u05b5\u05d7\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05d1 \u05e0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9 \u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05b7\u05bc\u05d3\u05be \u05db\u05b6\u05bc\u05dc\u05b6\u05d1 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d7\u05b4\u05d9\u05d3\u05b8\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u05c3 22\u00a0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e2\u05b5\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05de\u05b4\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d9\u05b5\u05d4 \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05e7\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05e8\u05b5\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05b2\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u05b8\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05c3<\/p>\n
22\u00a0I will tell of Thy name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise Thee. 23\u00a0You who fear the LORD, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. 24\u00a0For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Neither has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He heard. 25\u00a0From Thee comes my praise in the great assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him. 26\u00a0The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever! 27\u00a0All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship before Thee. 28\u00a0For the kingdom is the Lord\u2019s, And He rules over the nations. 29\u00a0All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep his soul alive. 30\u00a0Posterity will serve Him; It will be told of the LORD to the coming generation. 31\u00a0They will come and will declare His righteousness To a people who will be born, that He has performed it. (NASB)
\n23\u00a0\u05d0\u05b2\u05e1\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05de\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05d7\u05b8\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u05da\u05b0 \u05e7\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u05dc \u05d0\u05b2\u05d4\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b8\u05bc\u05c3 24\u00a0\u05d9\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05d6\u05b6\u05e8\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d9\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e7\u05b9\u05d1 \u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d3\u05d5\u05bc\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b0\u05d2\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc \u05de\u05b4\u05de\u05b6\u05bc\u05e0\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05d6\u05b6\u05e8\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u05c3 25\u00a0\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0\u05be\u05d1\u05b8\u05d6\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05e7\u05b7\u05bc\u05e5 \u05e2\u05b1\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea \u05e2\u05b8\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0\u05be\u05d4\u05b4\u05e1\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e8 \u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05de\u05b4\u05de\u05b6\u05bc\u05e0\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05d5\u05b0\u05bc\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05de\u05b5\u05e2\u05b7\u05c3 26\u00a0\u05de\u05b5\u05d0\u05b4\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05ea\u05b0\u05d4\u05b4\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e7\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u05dc \u05e8\u05b8\u05d1 \u05d1\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05dc\u05b5\u05bc\u05dd \u05e0\u05b6\u05d2\u05b6\u05d3 \u05d9\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d0\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u05c3 27\u00a0\u05d9\u05b9\u05d0\u05db\u05b0\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc \u05e2\u05b2\u05e0\u05b8\u05d5\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e2\u05d5\u05bc \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d3\u05b9\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d7\u05b4\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05db\u05b6\u05dd \u05dc\u05b8\u05e2\u05b7\u05e8\u05c3 28\u00a0\u05d9\u05b4\u05d6\u05b0\u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b0\u05d9\u05b8\u05e9\u05bb\u05c1\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05be\u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05d0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05e1\u05b5\u05d9\u05be\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05d4\u05b2\u05d5\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b8\u05e0\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d2\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u05c3 29\u00a0\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05bc\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u05db\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b9\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05dc \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d2\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd\u05c3 30\u00a0\u05d0\u05b8\u05db\u05b0\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b2\u05d5\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9\u05be\u05d0\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d9\u05b4\u05db\u05b0\u05e8\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05bc \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be \u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b0\u05d3\u05b5\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b8\u05e4\u05b8\u05e8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05b9 \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05d7\u05b4\u05d9\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u05c3 31\u00a0\u05d6\u05b6\u05e8\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d9\u05b7\u05e2\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05d3\u05b6\u05e0\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc \u05d9\u05b0\u05e1\u05bb\u05e4\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8 \u05dc\u05b7\u05d0\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b7\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05c3 32\u00a0\u05d9\u05b8\u05d1\u05b9\u05d0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b0\u05d9\u05b7\u05d2\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05d3\u05d5\u05bc \u05e6\u05b4\u05d3\u05b0\u05e7\u05b8\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05dd \u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05d3 \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b8\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05d4\u05c3<\/p>\n
Note that the Hebrew verse numbering is different to the English numbering for this passage.<\/p>\n
PSALM 22 is the most famous of the messianic psalms, the entire psalm being devoted to the events of the First Coming and a few aspects of the Second. The psalm divides into two main parts, the first dealing with the suffering of Messiah, followed by His exaltation in the second. The whole psalm could be viewed as a poetic version of Isaiah 53, although the psalm was in fact written before the prophecy of Isaiah.<\/p>\n
The Sufferings of the Messiah\u201422:1\u201321<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s Cry for Help\u201422:1\u20132<\/p>\n
These verses find Messiah crying out in deepest anguish. It is no accident that these are the very words that Jesus cried out while hanging on the cross. He quoted these words after a period of three hours of intense darkness. During those three hours the entire wrath of God, due to the sins of Israel and the world, was poured out upon Him. This is the one and only place in the Gospel accounts that Jesus addresses God as \u201cmy God.\u201d On every other occasion, and there are over 170 references, Jesus says \u201cFather\u201d or \u201cmy Father.\u201d It is made very clear that Jesus enjoyed a very special, unique relationship with God. On the cross, however, Jesus was dying for the sins of the world, and was experiencing a judicial relationship with God, not a paternal one; hence His cry of \u201cmy God, my God\u201d instead of \u201cmy Father, my Father.\u201d<\/p>\n
God\u2019s Past Deliverance\u201422:3\u20135<\/p>\n
These verses recount the past deliverances of God. God is fully able to deliver, yet is choosing not to.<\/p>\n
Messiah Despised\u201422:6\u20138<\/p>\n
These verses describe, in terms similar to Isaiah 53, the taunts and jibes of evil men at the suffering of Messiah. The words used here are indeed very similar to the words of ridicule used by the crowds at the crucifixion of Jesus. He is reproached, scorned, and taunted.<\/p>\n
God is Messiah\u2019s Trust\u201422:9\u201311<\/p>\n
These verses state that Messiah has trusted in God from His birth. There are references here to the mother of Messiah but, as in all other messianic prophecies, there is never any mention of a human father. Messiah would be born of a virgin as prophesied in Isaiah 7:14.<\/p>\n
Description of the Agony\u201422:12\u201318<\/p>\n
These verses describe the suffering of Messiah, and some of these words are almost quoted in the New Testament.<\/p>\n
1. Surrounded and stared at\u201422:12\u201313.<\/p>\n
2. Physical agony\u201422:14\u201317.<\/p>\n
i. I am poured out like water.
\nThis emphasizes excessive sweat.<\/p>\n
ii. All my bones are out of joint.
\nAfter the nailing on the ground, the cross would be raised to the vertical and dropped into a deep slot in the ground. The shock of this action would cause multiple dislocations.<\/p>\n
iii. My heart is like melted wax.
\nA Hebrew phrase meaning \u201ca ruptured heart,\u201d evidenced by the pouring out of blood and water.<\/p>\n
iv. My strength is dried up like a potsherd.
\nHis strength is totally gone.<\/p>\n
v. My tongue cleaves to my jaws.
\nHis tongue cleaves to the roof of His mouth, emphasizing excessive thirst. After six hours on the cross, three of them in total darkness, Jesus said, \u201cI thirst.\u201d This meant more than physical thirst. During those three hours of intense darkness, Jesus suffered the outpouring of God\u2019s wrath, the pangs of Hell itself. Jesus had previously spoken of a rich man who, after only a few moments in Hell had said, \u201cI thirst\u201d (Luke 16). Jesus\u2019 saying these same words reflects the extreme suffering of the pain of Hell which He experienced while hanging on the cross<\/p>\n
vi. They pierced my hands and my feet.
\nThe Hebrew word for piercing used here is not the same as that used in Zechariah 12:10. The word used in Zechariah means \u201cto thrust through\u201d and would be consistent with the Roman spear which pierced Jesus\u2019 side. The word used here in Psalm 22 is the word which would be used, for example, of ear piercing and would be consistent with the nailing of Jesus\u2019 hands and feet to the cross.<\/p>\n
vii. I can count all my bones.
\nHis bones are protruding.<\/p>\n
3. They divide my garments among them\u201422:18.
\nIn verse 18, Messiah\u2019s clothes are divided amongst His tormentors by the casting of lots. Once again, this was quite literally fulfilled at Jesus\u2019 crucifixion (Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34, John 19:23\u201324).<\/p>\n
All of the above must refer to Messiah since clearly none of these things ever happened to David.<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s Prayer for Help\u201422:19\u201321<\/p>\n
Verses 19\u201321 are again a cry for help from Messiah while still hanging on the cross.<\/p>\n
The Exaltation of the Messiah\u201422:22\u201331<\/p>\n
With His suffering complete, verses 22\u201331 turn and speak of Messiah\u2019s exaltation. In verse 22, Messiah will praise God in the midst of the assembly. But how, if He died in verses 1\u201321, is this possible? Clearly this can only be possible by resurrection. The rest of the psalm goes on to describe what happens after His resurrection, culminating in His Second Coming and the establishment of His kingdom.<\/p>\n
A Note on Verse 16<\/p>\n
Some wish to translate the verse as, \u201clike a lion, my hands and my feet,\u201d instead of, \u201cthey pierced my hands and my feet.\u201d The former is based on the pointing of the Masoretic text and the latter on the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew text that preceded the Masoretic text by over one thousand years, and hence closer to the original writing. While it is true that the writer uses several animal motifs in the context, the psalmist only uses animalistic terms to describe his enemies and not himself. Hence both the context and the antiquity of the Hebrew text behind the Septuagint favor the rendering of \u201cpierce.\u201d<\/p>\n
Psalm 22
\nteaches that:
\nY In extreme agony, Messiah would cry out for God\u2019s help.
\nY Messiah would be a despised and rejected individual.
\nY In the agony of death, Messiah would be stared at and mocked.
\nY The Messiah\u2019s bones would all be pulled out of joint.
\nY The Messiah\u2019s heart would rupture.
\nY The Messiah would suffer an extreme degree of thirst.
\nY Messiah\u2019s hands and feet would be pierced.
\nY Messiah\u2019s clothing would be divided by the casting of lots.
\nY At the point of death, Messiah\u2019s trust would be in God the Father.
\nY Messiah would be resurrected.<\/p>\n
Psalm 80:17
\nThe Man of Thy Right Hand<\/p>\n
80:17\u00a0Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand, Upon the son of man whom Thou didst make strong for Thyself. (NASB)
\n80:18\u00a0\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05be\u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d9\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b6\u05da\u05b8 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05d1\u05b6\u05bc\u05df\u05be\u05d0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05dd \u05d0\u05b4\u05de\u05b7\u05bc\u05e6\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc \u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05da\u05b0\u05c3<\/p>\n
Note that the Hebrew verse numbering is different to the English numbering for this passage.<\/p>\n
THE whole of Psalm 80 deals with the national salvation of Israel just prior to the Second Coming. (See The Footsteps Of The Messiah pages 238\u2013239.) Israel is now pleading for Messiah to return, but within their prayers there is one verse\u2014verse 17\u2014which is relevant to our study of Messiah\u2019s First Coming. Verse 17 is in fact a development of the teaching of Psalm 110:1, which should really be studied first.
\nIsrael is praying to God for deliverance and in verse 17 the One they ask to come and deliver them is the One seated at God\u2019s right hand. We are told in Psalm 110 that this is the Messiah who has ascended to the right hand of God following His rejection. Psalm 110 also states that Messiah will remain there until Israel repents and asks for His return. It is this repentance which is being described in Psalm 80.
\nThe title given to Messiah in verse 17 is \u201cthe Son of Man.\u201d This is a very common messianic title in the New Testament, particularly in the Gospel of Luke.
\nTo repeat the teaching of Psalm 110:1, since the \u201cSon of Man\u201d is sitting at the right hand of God, He must be equal with God; thus we have another verse which affirms that Messiah must be a God-Man.<\/p>\n
Psalm 80:17
\nteaches that:
\nY The Messiah would be seated at the right hand of God the Father.
\nY Messiah must be equal with God to be seated at His right hand; Messiah must therefore be both God and man.<\/p>\n
Psalm 110:1\u20137
\nA Priest after the Order of Melchizedek<\/p>\n
A Psalm of David.
\n110:1\u00a0The LORD says to my Lord: \u201cSit at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet.\u201d 2\u00a0The LORD will stretch forth Thy strong scepter from Zion, saying, \u201cRule in the midst of Tine enemies.\u201d 3\u00a0Thy people will volunteer freely in the day of Thy power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Thy youth are to Thee as the dew. 4\u00a0The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, \u201cThou art a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.\u201d 5\u00a0The Lord is at Thy right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath. 6\u00a0He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country. 7\u00a0He will drink from the brook by the wayside; Therefore He will lift up His head. (NASB)
\n110:1\u00a0\u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05d5\u05b4\u05d3 \u05de\u05b4\u05d6\u05b0\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8 \u05e0\u05b0\u05d0\u05bb\u05dd \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b7\u05d0\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05d1 \u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b7\u05d3\u05be\u05d0\u05b8\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05ea \u05d0\u05b9\u05d9\u05b0\u05d1\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d4\u05b2\u05d3\u05b9\u05dd \u05dc\u05b0\u05e8\u05b7\u05d2\u05b0\u05dc\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u05c3 2\u00a0\u05de\u05b7\u05d8\u05b6\u05bc\u05d4\u05be\u05e2\u05bb\u05d6\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b7\u05d7 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05de\u05b4\u05e6\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05e8\u05b0\u05d3\u05b5\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e7\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05d1 \u05d0\u05b9\u05d9\u05b0\u05d1\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u05c3 3\u00a0\u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05e0\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d7\u05b5\u05d9\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b8 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d4\u05b7\u05d3\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05be\u05e7\u05b9\u05d3\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1 \u05de\u05b5\u05e8\u05b6\u05d7\u05b6\u05dd \u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d7\u05b8\u05e8 \u05dc\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d8\u05b7\u05dc \u05d9\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05bb\u05ea\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u05c3 4\u00a0\u05e0\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e2 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e0\u05b8\u05bc\u05d7\u05b5\u05dd \u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u05be\u05db\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05df \u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05de\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05be\u05e6\u05b6\u05d3\u05b6\u05e7\u05c3 5\u00a0\u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05d9\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05de\u05b8\u05d7\u05b7\u05e5 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd\u05be\u05d0\u05b7\u05e4\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9 \u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05db\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u05c3 6\u00a0\u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d2\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05de\u05b8\u05dc\u05b5\u05d0 \u05d2\u05b0\u05d5\u05b4\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05de\u05b8\u05d7\u05b7\u05e5 \u05e8\u05b9\u05d0\u05e9\u05c1 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05d0\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05e8\u05b7\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u05c3 7\u00a0\u05de\u05b4\u05e0\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\u05dc \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d3\u05b6\u05bc\u05e8\u05b6\u05da\u05b0 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05ea\u05b6\u05bc\u05d4 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05db\u05b5\u05bc\u05df \u05d9\u05b8\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e8\u05b9\u05d0\u05e9\u05c1\u05c3<\/p>\n
PSALM 110 falls into the fourth category of messianic prophecy mentioned in the introduction as it encompasses the entire messianic program. Within its seven short verses, it includes all four periods of the messianic program: the First Coming, the interval, the Second Coming and the Messianic Kingdom. The psalm divides into three sections or stanzas, a stanza usually being referred to as a \u201cstrophe\u201d in Hebrew poetry.<\/p>\n
Strophe One\u2014110:1\u20132<\/p>\n
Verses 1 and 2. We should note first of all that the psalmist here is David. David was king over all the Land of Israel. He established a Jewish empire by subjugating the surrounding nations and collecting tribute from them. David had no human lord; there was no authority over him except Jehovah Himself. Yet, in verse 1 of this psalm, David speaks of two lords: \u201cThe LORD [Jehovah] said to my Lord \u2026\u201d David is speaking of two personalities here\u2014Jehovah and \u201cmy Lord.\u201d But who could \u201cmy Lord\u201d be, since David had no human over-lord? The only way to understand this verse is to see Jehovah as God the Father and \u201cDavid\u2019s Lord\u201d as Messiah. It is Messiah, therefore, who is invited to sit at God\u2019s right hand. What we have here is a prophecy which was fulfilled at Jesus\u2019 ascension from earth to heaven after His resurrection, when He had completed His redemptive work and sat down at His Father\u2019s right hand.
\nImplicit within this prophecy is the concept of the God-Man. We know from 1 Kings 2:19 that anyone who sits at a king\u2019s right hand must be equal with the king. When one king made a visit of state to another king, he would sit at his host\u2019s right hand. Since Messiah is invited to sit at God\u2019s right hand, it follows that Messiah must be equal with God.
\nAs to His humanity, Messiah is to be a descendant of David, and as to His deity, He can sit at the right hand of God. He is to sit there for some period of time, \u201cUntil I make thine enemies a footstool \u2026\u201d This statement presupposes the First Coming and its rejection. The First Coming is to be in hostile circumstances and in verse 2 the enemies of verse 1 are said to be in Zion itself. Because the First Coming is rejected, Messiah is invited to sit at the right hand of God for a period of time, until His enemies subject themselves to Him. This is further developed in Psalm 80.<\/p>\n
Strophe Two\u2014110:3\u20134<\/p>\n
Here we find the change of heart looked for in the enemies of Messiah. When Messiah comes a second time, in His day of power, His people will be willing volunteers.
\nThen, in verse 4, a new and very important statement is introduced concerning Messiah: He will be a priest after the Order of Melchizedek. According to Genesis 14, a priest in the Order of Melchizedek could be both a priest and a king. This was before the time of Moses, since under the Mosaic Law this would no longer be possible. The Law of Moses laid down that all priests had to be of the Tribe of Levi and that kings had to be of the Tribe of Judah. In order for this prophecy to be fufilled, therefore, it is clear that it will be necessary for the Law of Moses and the Levitical Order to be removed.
\nThe New Testament (Hebrews 7:11\u201318) clearly teaches that with the death of Jesus, the Law of Moses was rendered inoperative by His fulfillment of it and was replaced with the Law of Christ. Under the new Law of Christ, the Order of Melchizedek is instituted in place of the Levitical Order; therefore, Messiah is indeed a priest and a king. Verse 4 states that Messiah\u2019s priesthood and kingship will be eternal.<\/p>\n
Strophe Three\u2014110:5\u20137<\/p>\n
These verses deal with the Second Coming and are outside the scope of this study.<\/p>\n
Psalm 110:1\u20137
\nteaches that:
\nY The Messiah would be both a priest and a king, after the Order of Melchizedek.
\nY Messiah would have to be both God and man. To be a priest He would have to be a man, but to sit at God\u2019s right hand He must be equal with God.
\nY Messiah\u2019s First Coming would be rejected.
\nY After His rejection, Messiah would ascend into heaven.
\nY After His ascension, Messiah would sit down at God\u2019s right hand.
\nY Messiah will return when Israel accepts Him.
\nY Messiah will rule over Israel in the Messianic Kingdom.<\/p>\n
Proverbs 30:4
\nThe Name of God\u2019s Son<\/p>\n
30:4\u00a0Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know! (NIV)
\n30:4\u00a0\u05de\u05b0\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u05be\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05de\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b5\u05bc\u05e8\u05b7\u05d3 \u05de\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b8\u05e1\u05b7\u05e3\u05be\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d7\u05b8\u05e4\u05b0\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05de\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e6\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05e8\u05be\u05de\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e9\u05b4\u05bc\u05c2\u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05de\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b5\u05e7\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05d0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05e1\u05b5\u05d9\u05be\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05de\u05b7\u05d4\u05be\u05e9\u05b0\u05bc\u05c1\u05de\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b7\u05d4\u05be\u05e9\u05b6\u05bc\u05c1\u05dd\u05be\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9 \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05ea\u05b5\u05d3\u05b8\u05e2\u05c3<\/p>\n
AMONGST the sayings of Agur in Proverbs 30 is a riddle. The riddle consists of six questions, the first four of which are rhetorical. The answers to these questions are obvious since only God Himself could accomplish these things. The fifth question is also easy since the name of God was revealed to men long before the Book of Proverbs was written. The name of God, YHVH, is often translated Jehovah. With the typographic conventions of modern translations, it is usually rendered as The LORD.
\nIt is the sixth question which is the tricky one: \u201cWhat is the name of his son?\u201d
\nIt has already been shown that the Hebrew Scriptures reveal that God has a son. This was stated twice in Psalm 2. Here it is stated again. What is not revealed, however, is the name of that son, hence the teasing \u201cif you know.\u201d At this stage of progressive revelation, no one could know His name. It is only in the New Testament that His name is revealed as Jesus\u2014\u201cand no other name is given under heaven whereby you can be saved\u201d (Acts 4:12). His name has now been revealed.<\/p>\n
Proverbs 30:4
\nteaches that:
\nY Messiah would be, uniquely, the son of God.<\/p>\n
Daniel 9:1\u201327
\nThe Messianic Timetable<\/p>\n
9:1In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans\u20142\u00a0in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3\u00a0So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4\u00a0And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, \u201cAlas, O LORD, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5\u00a0we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly, and rebelled, even turning aside from Thy commandments and ordinances. 6\u00a0\u201cMoreover, we have not listened to Thy servants the prophets, who spoke in Thy name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land. 7\u00a0\u201cRighteousness belongs to Thee, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day\u2014to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which Thou hast driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against Thee. 8\u00a0\u201cOpen shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against Thee. 9\u00a0\u201cTo the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; 10\u00a0nor have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. 11\u00a0\u201cIndeed all Israel has transgressed Thy law and turned aside, not obeying Thy voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. 12\u00a0\u201cThus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. 13\u00a0\u201cAs it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Thy truth. 14\u00a0\u201cTherefore, the LORD has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the LORD our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice. 15\u00a0\u201cAnd now, O Lord our God, who hast brought Thy people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and hast made a name for Thyself, as it is this day\u2014we have sinned, we have been wicked. 16\u00a0\u201cO Lord, in accordance with all Thy righteous acts, let now Thine anger and Thy wrath turn away from Thy city Jerusalem, Thy holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Thy people have become a reproach to all those around us. 17\u00a0\u201cSo now, our God, listen to the prayer of Thy servant and to his supplications, and for Thy sake, O Lord, let Thy face shine on Thy desolate sanctuary. 18\u00a0\u201cO my God, incline Thine ear and hear! Open Thine eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Thy name; for we are not presenting our supplications before Thee on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Thy great compassion. 19\u00a0\u201cO Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Thine own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name.\u201d 20\u00a0Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21\u00a0while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. 22\u00a0And he gave me instruction and talked with me, and said, \u201cO Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. 23\u00a0\u201cAt the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision. 24\u00a0\u201cSeventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place. 25\u00a0\u201cSo you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26\u00a0\u201cThen after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27\u00a0\u201cAnd he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.\u201d (NASB)
\n9:1\u00a0\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e0\u05b7\u05ea \u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea \u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05e8\u05b0\u05d9\u05b8\u05d5\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d1\u05b6\u05bc\u05df\u05be\u05d0\u05b2\u05d7\u05b7\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d5\u05b5\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1 \u05de\u05b4\u05d6\u05b6\u05bc\u05e8\u05b7\u05e2 \u05de\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b8\u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b7\u05da\u05b0 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05de\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea \u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u05c3 2\u00a0\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e0\u05b7\u05ea \u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea \u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05b5\u05bc\u05d0\u05dc \u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e0\u05b9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05de\u05b4\u05e1\u05b0\u05e4\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c1\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d3\u05b0\u05d1\u05b7\u05e8\u05be\u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05be\u05d9\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e0\u05b8\u05bc\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b7\u05dc\u05b9\u05bc\u05d0\u05d5\u05ea \u05dc\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u05e8\u05b0\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d9\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc\u05b7\u05dd \u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d1\u05b0\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u05c3 3\u00a0\u05d5\u05b8\u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e0\u05b7\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05be\u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b7\u05e7\u05b5\u05bc\u05e9\u05c1 \u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05e4\u05b4\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05ea\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e6\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05e9\u05b7\u05c2\u05e7 \u05d5\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05e4\u05b6\u05e8\u05c3 4\u00a0\u05d5\u05b8\u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05b0\u05e4\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b7\u05d9 \u05d5\u05b8\u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05b0\u05d5\u05b7\u05d3\u05b6\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b8\u05d0\u05b9\u05de\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0 \u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc \u05d4\u05b7\u05d2\u05b8\u05bc\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05e0\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0 \u05e9\u05b9\u05c1\u05de\u05b5\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05d7\u05b6\u05e1\u05b6\u05d3 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d0\u05b9\u05d4\u05b2\u05d1\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05e9\u05b9\u05c1\u05de\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05de\u05b4\u05e6\u05b0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u05c3 5\u00a0\u05d7\u05b8\u05d8\u05b8\u05d0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b8\u05d5\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc (\u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05e2\u05b0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc) [\u05d4\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05e2\u05b0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc] \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05e8\u05b8\u05d3\u05b0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b0\u05e1\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8 \u05de\u05b4\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05e6\u05b0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b6\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05d8\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u05c3 6\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05de\u05b7\u05e2\u05b0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05be\u05e2\u05b2\u05d1\u05b8\u05d3\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e0\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05de\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05be\u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05db\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05dc \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05e2\u05b7\u05dd \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5\u05c3 7\u00a0\u05dc\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e6\u05b0\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05e7\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b9\u05bc\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05ea \u05d4\u05b7\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05d6\u05b6\u05bc\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d1\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc\u05b7\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05b8\u05dc\u05be\u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc \u05d4\u05b7\u05e7\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b9\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b0\u05d7\u05b9\u05e7\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05db\u05b8\u05dc\u05be\u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b2\u05e8\u05b8\u05e6\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b4\u05d3\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05dd \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dd \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05de\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05de\u05b8\u05e2\u05b2\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u05be\u05d1\u05b8\u05da\u05b0\u05c3 8\u00a0\u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b8\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b9\u05bc\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05ea \u05d4\u05b7\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05b4\u05de\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05db\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b0\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05d7\u05b8\u05d8\u05b8\u05d0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b8\u05da\u05b0\u05c3 9\u00a0\u05dc\u05b7\u05d0\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05e1\u05b0\u05bc\u05dc\u05b4\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05de\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05d3\u05b0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05c3 10\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05de\u05b7\u05e2\u05b0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e7\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b8\u05dc\u05b6\u05db\u05b6\u05ea \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05e0\u05b8\u05ea\u05b7\u05df \u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b8\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d9\u05b7\u05d3 \u05e2\u05b2\u05d1\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e0\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u05c3 11\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05db\u05b8\u05dc\u05be\u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc \u05e2\u05d1\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05ea\u05b6\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e1\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b4\u05dc\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05e2\u05b7 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e7\u05b9\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b7\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05da\u05b0 \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b0\u05bc\u05c1\u05d1\u05bb\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b7\u05ea \u05de\u05b9\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d4 \u05e2\u05b6\u05d1\u05b6\u05d3\u05be\u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d7\u05b8\u05d8\u05b8\u05d0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05c3 12\u00a0\u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b8\u05bc\u05e7\u05b6\u05dd \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be (\u05d3\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05b8\u05e8\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5) [\u05d3\u05b0\u05bc\u05d1\u05b8\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9] \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8\u05be\u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05d1\u05b6\u05bc\u05e8 \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05e9\u05b9\u05c1\u05e4\u05b0\u05d8\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e4\u05b8\u05d8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05e8\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d2\u05b0\u05d3\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0\u05be\u05e0\u05b6\u05e2\u05b6\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05ea\u05b8\u05d4 \u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c1\u05de\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05e0\u05b6\u05e2\u05b6\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05ea\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd\u05c3 13\u00a0\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05bc\u05d1 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b7\u05ea \u05de\u05b9\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b5\u05ea \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05d4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d6\u05b9\u05bc\u05d0\u05ea \u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0\u05be\u05d7\u05b4\u05dc\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b8\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05d1 \u05de\u05b5\u05e2\u05b2\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05b5\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dc \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d0\u05b2\u05de\u05b4\u05ea\u05b6\u05bc\u05da\u05b8\u05c3 14\u00a0\u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e7\u05b9\u05d3 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be \u05d4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b0\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0\u05b6\u05d4\u05b8 \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05be\u05e6\u05b7\u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e7 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05be\u05de\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05e2\u05b8\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05de\u05b7\u05e2\u05b0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e7\u05b9\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05c3 15\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05e6\u05b5\u05d0\u05ea\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be\u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05de\u05b5\u05d0\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05de\u05b4\u05e6\u05b0\u05e8\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d9\u05b8\u05d3 \u05d7\u05b2\u05d6\u05b8\u05e7\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b7\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e2\u05b7\u05e9\u05c2\u05be\u05dc\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05dd \u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05d6\u05b6\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d7\u05b8\u05d8\u05b8\u05d0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05e8\u05b8\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e2\u05b0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u05c3 16\u00a0\u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9 \u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05db\u05b8\u05dc\u05be\u05e6\u05b4\u05d3\u05b0\u05e7\u05b9\u05ea\u05b6\u05da\u05b8 \u05d9\u05b8\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d1\u05be\u05e0\u05b8\u05d0 \u05d0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05de\u05b8\u05ea\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05de\u05b5\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d9\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc\u05b7\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05e8\u05be \u05e7\u05b8\u05d3\u05b0\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05da\u05b8 \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05d8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d0\u05b2\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d9\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc\u05b7\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d7\u05b6\u05e8\u05b0\u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05b8\u05dc\u05be\u05e1\u05b0\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u05c3 17\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05de\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05be\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05e4\u05b4\u05dc\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea \u05e2\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05d3\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05dc\u05be\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b2\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05e8 \u05e4\u05b8\u05bc\u05e0\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05de\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05da\u05b8 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c1\u05de\u05b5\u05dd \u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b7\u05e2\u05b7\u05df \u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9\u05c3 18\u00a0\u05d4\u05b7\u05d8\u05b5\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b7\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b8\u05d6\u05b0\u05e0\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b2\u05c1\u05de\u05b8\u05e2 (\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05e7\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u05d4) [\u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05e7\u05b7\u05d7] \u05e2\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b5\u05d4 \u05e9\u05b9\u05c1\u05de\u05b0\u05de\u05b9\u05ea\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8\u05be\u05e0\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0 \u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05de\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b6\u05d9\u05d4\u05b8 \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05e6\u05b4\u05d3\u05b0\u05e7\u05b9\u05ea\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b2\u05e0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05de\u05b7\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b2\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b8\u05e0\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05e8\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05de\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u05c3 19\u00a0\u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9 \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05de\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9 \u05e1\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05d7\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e7\u05b2\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e9\u05b5\u05c2\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b7\u05e8 \u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e0\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b7\u05d9 \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05be\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05de\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05e0\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be \u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05b6\u05bc\u05da\u05b8\u05c3 20\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05de\u05b0\u05d3\u05b7\u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05e8 \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05ea\u05b0\u05e4\u05b7\u05bc\u05dc\u05b5\u05bc\u05dc \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05ea\u05b0\u05d5\u05b7\u05d3\u05b6\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d7\u05b7\u05d8\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d7\u05b7\u05d8\u05b7\u05bc\u05d0\u05ea \u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b7\u05e4\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dc \u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05d7\u05b4\u05e0\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b4\u05e4\u05b0\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b7\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05d4\u05b7\u05e8\u05be\u05e7\u05b9\u05d3\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05c3 21\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05de\u05b0\u05d3\u05b7\u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05e8 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05e4\u05b4\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d2\u05b7\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b6\u05d7\u05b8\u05d6\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05d7\u05b4\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05de\u05bb\u05e2\u05b8\u05e3 \u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e2\u05b8\u05e3 \u05e0\u05b9\u05d2\u05b5\u05e2\u05b7 \u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u05b7\u05d9 \u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05e2\u05b5\u05ea \u05de\u05b4\u05e0\u05b0\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea\u05be\u05e2\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05d1\u05c3 22\u00a0\u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b8\u05bc\u05d1\u05b6\u05df \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b0\u05d3\u05b7\u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05e8 \u05e2\u05b4\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b9\u05bc\u05d0\u05de\u05b7\u05e8 \u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05b5\u05bc\u05d0\u05dc \u05e2\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b8\u05e6\u05b8\u05d0\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dc\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4\u05c3 23\u00a0\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05ea\u05b0\u05d7\u05b4\u05dc\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea \u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b2\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d9\u05b8\u05e6\u05b8\u05d0 \u05d3\u05b8\u05d1\u05b8\u05e8 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05d2\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05d3 \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d7\u05b2\u05de\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d0\u05b8\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05d1\u05b8\u05e8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d1\u05b5\u05df \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05de\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05d4\u05c3 24\u00a0\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d1\u05bb\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d1\u05b0\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e0\u05b6\u05d7\u05b0\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05da\u05b0 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8 \u05e7\u05b8\u05d3\u05b0\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05da\u05b8 \u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05b7\u05dc\u05b5\u05bc\u05d0 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e4\u05b6\u05bc\u05e9\u05b7\u05c1\u05e2 (\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b7\u05d7\u05b0\u05d4\u05b9\u05bc\u05dd) [\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05ea\u05b5\u05dd] (\u05d7\u05b7\u05d8\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea) [\u05d4\u05b7\u05d8\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0\u05ea] \u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05b7\u05e4\u05b5\u05bc\u05e8 \u05e2\u05b8\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05e6\u05b6\u05d3\u05b6\u05e7 \u05e2\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b7\u05d7\u05b0\u05ea\u05b9\u05bc\u05dd \u05d7\u05b8\u05d6\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05d5\u05b0\u05e0\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05de\u05b0\u05e9\u05b9\u05c1\u05d7\u05b7 \u05e7\u05b9\u05d3\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1 \u05e7\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05dd\u05c3 25\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05ea\u05b5\u05d3\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d5\u05b0\u05ea\u05b7\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05db\u05b5\u05bc\u05dc \u05de\u05b4\u05df\u05be \u05de\u05b9\u05e6\u05b8\u05d0 \u05d3\u05b8\u05d1\u05b8\u05e8 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05d1 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d9\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc\u05b7\u05dd \u05e2\u05b7\u05d3\u05be\u05de\u05b8\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7 \u05e0\u05b8\u05d2\u05b4\u05d9\u05d3 \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d1\u05bb\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d1\u05b0\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d1\u05bb\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05e9\u05b4\u05bc\u05c1\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05d1 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05e0\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e8\u05b0\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e5 \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05e6\u05d5\u05b9\u05e7 \u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b4\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd\u05c3 26\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c1\u05d1\u05bb\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05e9\u05b4\u05bc\u05c1\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05e0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05d9\u05b4\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b5\u05ea \u05de\u05b8\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05dc\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05e7\u05b9\u05bc\u05d3\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d9\u05b7\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d7\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea \u05e2\u05b7\u05dd \u05e0\u05b8\u05d2\u05b4\u05d9\u05d3 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e7\u05b4\u05e6\u05bc\u05d5\u05b4 \u05d1\u05b7\u05e9\u05b6\u05bc\u05c1\u05d8\u05b6\u05e3 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05d3 \u05e7\u05b5\u05e5 \u05de\u05b4\u05dc\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u05de\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e0\u05b6\u05d7\u05b1\u05e8\u05b6\u05e6\u05b6\u05ea \u05e9\u05b9\u05c1\u05de\u05b5\u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05c3 27\u00a0\u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b4\u05d2\u05b0\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea \u05dc\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e2\u05b7 \u05d0\u05b6\u05d7\u05b8\u05d3 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05e6\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c1\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e2\u05b7 \u05d9\u05b7\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05ea \u05d6\u05b6\u05d1\u05b7\u05d7 \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05e0\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05b7\u05e3 \u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05e7\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05e6\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05de\u05b0\u05e9\u05b9\u05c1\u05de\u05b5\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05d3\u05be\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05d7 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e0\u05b6\u05d7\u05b1\u05e8\u05b8\u05e6\u05b8\u05d4 \u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05da\u05b0 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc\u05be\u05e9\u05b9\u05c1\u05de\u05b5\u05dd\u05c3 \u05e3<\/p>\n
MORE than any other book of the Hebrew Scriptures, the writings of the Prophet Daniel confront us with evidence of the time of Messiah\u2019s coming\u2014evidence that many people would rather not see. But it is there and cannot be ignored. That Daniel was indeed a prophet is well substantiated. He accurately prophesied the rise of the Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman empires, even at a time when the Babylonian Empire, which preceded them all, was at its height. He accurately predicted the fortunes, conflicts, wars, and conspiracies of the two kingdoms of Syria and Egypt between the fracturing of the Greek Empire and the conquest by Rome. He prophesied the role of the Maccabees during this period. It is Daniel\u2019s detailed accuracy in his prophecies that has caused many critics to try to give a late date to the Book of Daniel, although no evidence has been discovered that would negate the book\u2019s composition at the time that it claims to have been written. At the very latest, the book was completed around 530 B.C.
\nThe key prophecies which are of interest in our present study are contained in verses 24\u201327 of Daniel Nine. However, it will be wise to survey the entire chapter in order to see what engendered the prophecy of when Messiah would come.<\/p>\n
The Background\u20149:1\u20132<\/p>\n
The date for Daniel\u2019s prophecy is \u201cthe first year of Darius,\u201d which means that it occurred in the year 539 B.C., about 66 or 67 years after the Jews initially went into exile to Babylonia.
\nIt was on this occasion, Daniel stated, that he was studying the Scriptures, and from these Scriptures he came to understand that the number of years for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem was almost over, since the duration was to be 70 years. Daniel mentioned that he was studying \u201cbooks,\u201d and one of them was the writings of Jeremiah; the lives of Jeremiah and Daniel did overlap to some extent. On two occasions (25:10\u201314, 29:10\u201314) Jeremiah predicted that the captivity and desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years. What other books Daniel may have been studying we cannot know with certainty. But there are some strong possibilities that he also studied the Book of Isaiah, because Isaiah actually named Cyrus as the one who would permit the Jews to return (Isaiah 44:28\u201345:1). Furthermore, there are other writings in Moses and the Prophets that spelled out some specific conditions for the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom, and Daniel may have looked at some of these as well (Leviticus 26:40\u201343; 1 Kings 8:46\u201353; Jeremiah 3:12\u201318; Hosea 5:15\u20136:3). These passages emphasize that Israel as a nation must repent and confess sin prior to the establishment of any Kingdom of the Messiah.
\nReckoning the 70 years from the year 605 B.C., when the first of three deportations went into exile, would bring the end of the 70 years to 536 B.C. Daniel realized that the captivity had only about three years to go. The city and Temple were not destroyed until 586 B.C., and if the 70 years began then, it would mean the 70 years would not end until 515 B.C. But Daniel\u2019s calculation began with 605 B.C., the first deportation\u2014not 597 B.C., the second deportation, or 586 B.C., the destruction and final deportation.
\nDaniel not only expected the captivity to end after 70 years, he also expected a final termination of any possibility of future desolations for Jerusalem; he acts as if the Messianic Kingdom was about to occur. As the Word of God was to be established on the basis of prayer, he prayed; and realizing that the prerequisite was the confession of national sin, he confessed the sins of Israel.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s Prayer\u20149:3\u201319<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s detailed prayer can be divided into two portions. The first (verses 3\u201314) is the confession of sin. Daniel acknowledged both sin and guilt which had been incurred in two ways: first by disobedience to the Law of Moses, and second by disobedience to the prophets who came after Moses. Daniel neither denied the sin of his nation nor his own sin; by the use of the pronoun \u201cwe,\u201d Daniel fully identified with all Jewish people in their sins. He did not see sin as merely a bad habit, but as something ingrained in the people that had brought on divine judgment. This disobedience to both the Law and the Prophets caused Israel, literally, \u201cconfusion of face,\u201d an idiom meaning a sense of shame. It also resulted in the need for forgiveness. Here Daniel confessed that to God belong forgiveness and mercy, and that forgiveness was needed. Daniel concluded the first part of his prayer by describing the punishment for sin and guilt. That punishment, captivity in Babylon, confirmed the words of the prophets who had predicted it and confirmed the Law of Moses which taught that divine judgment would come as a result of disobedience.
\nThe second part of the prayer (verses 15\u201319) is a plea for mercy. Daniel made his plea on the basis of righteousness\u2014not Israel\u2019s, but God\u2019s righteousness. He also pleaded for mercy on the basis of God\u2019s grace, for Israel did not merit mercy; but the grace of God was, and is, able to extend it anyway. Furthermore, the righteousness of God required Him to fulfill His promises, and therefore He should do so at the end of the 70-year period. The conclusion of Daniel\u2019s prayer is very dramatic: \u201cO Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Thine own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name.\u201d When Daniel asks God to \u201cnot delay,\u201d he is asking God to count the 70 years from 605 B.C. and not 597 B.C. or 586 B.C.<\/p>\n
The Arrival of Gabriel\u20149:20\u201323<\/p>\n
Then, while Daniel was presenting his supplications, he was interrupted; he apparently had intended to say more when Gabriel arrived. The interruption came \u201cabout the time of the evening offering.\u201d This refers to the daily, regular evening sacrifice that was offered while the Temple stood. Although it had not been practiced for seven decades, Daniel showed his longing for the return from captivity and for the rebuilding of the Temple by remembering the sacrifice.
\nGabriel told Daniel that the purpose of his visit was: first, to correct Daniel\u2019s misunderstanding concerning when the Messianic Kingdom would be set up; and second, to present God\u2019s revelation which contained a timetable for Messiah\u2019s First Coming.<\/p>\n
The Decree of the Seventy-Sevens\u20149:24a<\/p>\n
Gabriel\u2019s prophecy to Daniel began with the words: \u201cSeventy sevens have been decreed for your people and your holy city \u2026\u201d
\nMany English versions have translated the phrase to read seventy \u201cweeks.\u201d But this translation is not totally accurate and has caused some confusion about the meaning of the passage. Most Jews know the Hebrew for \u201cweeks\u201d because of the observance of the Feast of Weeks, and that Hebrew word is shavuot. However, the word that appears here in the Hebrew text is shavuim, which means \u201csevens.\u201d This word refers to a \u201cseven\u201d of anything with the context determining the content of the \u201cseven.\u201d It is similar to the English word \u201cdozen,\u201d which means twelve of anything based upon context.
\nIt is obvious here that Daniel had been thinking in terms of years\u2014specifically the 70 years of captivity. He had assumed that both the captivity would end after 70 years and that the kingdom would be established after those 70 years. But here Gabriel was using a play upon words in the Hebrew text, pointing out that, insofar as Messiah\u2019s Kingdom was concerned, it was not 70 \u201cyears,\u201d but 70 \u201csevens\u201d of years, or a total of 490 years (70 \u00d7 7).
\nThis period of 490 years had been \u201cdecreed\u201d for the Jewish people and for the holy city of Jerusalem. The Hebrew word translated \u201cdecreed\u201d literally means \u201cto cut off\u201d or \u201cto determine.\u201d In chapters 2, 7 and 8, God revealed to Daniel the course of future world history in which Gentiles would have a dominant role over the Jewish people. This lengthy period began with the Babylonian Empire and was to continue until the establishment of Messiah\u2019s Kingdom. For that reason, it is often referred to as the Times of the Gentiles. Now the prophet was told that a total of 490 years was to be \u201ccut out\u201d of the Times of the Gentiles. This 490-year period had been \u201cdetermined\u201d or \u201cdecreed\u201d for the accomplishment of the final restoration of Israel and the establishment of Messiah\u2019s Kingdom.
\nThe focus of the program of the Seventy Sevens was \u201cyour people and your holy city.\u201d The \u201cpeople\u201d were Daniel\u2019s people, the Jewish people; and \u201cthe city\u201d was Daniel\u2019s city, Jerusalem. Although he had spent the vast majority of his life in the city of Babylon, Jerusalem was still Daniel\u2019s city. For Jews, whether they are in the Land or outside the Land, their city is always Jerusalem\u2014not any other. It is important to note that the program of the Seventy Sevens does not concern the Gentiles or the Church; it concerns the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem. The program of the Seventy Sevens concerns both the First Coming and the Second Coming of the Messiah, but it is primarily the First Coming that will be our concern here.<\/p>\n
The Purpose of the Seventy Sevens\u20149:24b<\/p>\n
Next, Daniel was told by Gabriel that the Seventy Sevens are to accomplish six purposes. The first three are negative and undesirable elements which will be removed. The second three are positive and desirable elements to be effected.
\nThe first purpose is \u201cto finish the transgression.\u201d The Hebrew word translated \u201cto finish\u201d means \u201cto restrain firmly,\u201d \u201cto restrain completely\u201d or \u201cto bring to completion.\u201d The Hebrew word translated \u201ctransgression\u201d is a very strong word for sin and more literally means \u201cto rebel.\u201d The Hebrew text uses this word with the definite article, so it is, literally, \u201cthe transgression,\u201d or \u201cthe rebellion.\u201d The point is that some specific act of rebellion is finally going to be completely restrained and brought to an end. This act of rebellion or transgression is to come under complete control so that it will no longer flourish. Israel\u2019s apostasy is now to be firmly restrained in keeping with a similar prediction in Isaiah 59:20. Specifically, this is the rejection of the Messiah as dealt with in Isaiah 52:13\u201353:12.
\nThe second purpose of the Seventy Sevens is \u201cto make an end of sin.\u201d The Hebrew word translated \u201cto make an end\u201d literally means \u201cto seal up\u201d or \u201cto shut up in prison.\u201d It means \u201cto be securely kept, locked up, not allowed to roam at random.\u201d The Hebrew word translated as \u201csin\u201d literally means \u201cto miss the mark.\u201d It refers to sins of daily life, rather than to any specific sin. Even these sins are to be put to an end and taken away. This, too, is quite in keeping with predictions by the Prophets who proclaim that in the Messianic Kingdom, sinning would cease from Israel (Isaiah 27:9; Ezekiel 36:25\u201327; 37:23; Jeremiah 31:31\u201334).
\nThe third purpose is \u201cto make atonement for iniquity.\u201d The Hebrew word translated \u201cto make atonement\u201d is kaphar, which has the same root meaning as the word kippur, as in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The third purpose, then, is to make atonement in some way for iniquity. In fact, it is by means of this atonement that the first two purposes will also be accomplished: that of finishing the transgression and making an end of sin. The word translated \u201ciniquity\u201d refers to inward sin. This has sometimes been referred to as the sin nature, or perhaps a more common term among Jewish people would be yetzer hara, \u201cthe evil inclination.\u201d
\nThe fourth purpose of the Seventy Sevens is \u201cto bring in everlasting righteousness.\u201d This could be more literally translated \u201cto bring in an age of righteousness\u201d since the Hebrew olam is better translated as \u201cage\u201d rather than as \u201ceverlasting.\u201d This age of righteousness is to be the Messianic Kingdom spoken of in the Prophets (Isaiah 1:26; 11:2\u20135; 32:17; Jeremiah 23:5\u20136; 33:15\u201318). It is this very age that Daniel had been expecting to see established after the 70 years of captivity, but now he is told that that will only be after the 490-year period of the Seventy Sevens.
\nThe fifth purpose is \u201cto seal up vision and prophecy.\u201d Here, Daniel used a word which means \u201cto shut up.\u201d \u201cTo seal up\u201d means \u201cto cause a cessation\u201d or \u201cto completely fulfill.\u201d Thus, vision and prophecy are to be completely fulfilled. \u201cVision\u201d is a reference to oral prophecy, while \u201cprophecy\u201d refers to written prophecy. Both oral and written prophecy will cease with the final fulfillment of all revelations.
\nThe final purpose of the Seventy Sevens is \u201cto anoint the most holy place.\u201d This is a reference to the Jewish Temple which is to be rebuilt when Messiah comes. It refers to the same Temple that Daniel\u2019s contemporary, Ezekiel, described in great detail (Ezekiel 40\u201348).<\/p>\n
The Start of the Seventy Sevens\u20149:25a<\/p>\n
Daniel was clearly told when the Seventy Sevens would begin their countdown. Gabriel said, \u201cknow and discern, that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem \u2026\u201d Thus the Seventy Sevens would begin with a decree involving the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. Not everything in Persian chronology is as clear as we would like to have it, and there are still some gaps in our knowledge of history. But from what biblical and historical records we do have, there are four possible answers to the question of which decree the passage refers to.
\nOne is the Decree of Cyrus, issued somewhere between 538\u2013536 B.C., which concerned the rebuilding of the Temple (2 Chronicles 36:22\u201323; Ezra 1:1\u20134; 6:1\u20135) and of the city of Jerusalem (Isaiah 44:28; 45:13). Another option is the Decree of Darius Hystaspes (Ezra 6:6\u201312), issued in the year 521 B.C., which was a reaffirmation of the Decree of Cyrus. A third possibility is the Decree of Artaxerxes to Ezra (Ezra 7:11\u201326), issued in 458 B.C., which contained permission to proceed with the Temple service. The last option is the Decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:1\u20138), issued in the year 444 B.C. This decree specifically concerned the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem. Of these four possibilities, only the first and fourth decrees have any real validity in fulfilling the wording that Gabriel gave to Daniel. It is not necessary for our purpose here to deal with the various arguments of either option, but one thing is certain: by the year 444 B.C., the countdown of the Seventy Sevens had begun. (For those who are interested, the author\u2019s opinion can be found in Appendix 5.)<\/p>\n
The First Sixty-Nine Sevens\u20149:25b<\/p>\n
The Seventy Sevens are divided into three separate units: Seven Sevens, Sixty-two Sevens and One Seven. During the first time period of Seven Sevens, or 49 years, Jerusalem would be \u201cbuilt again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.\u201d The second block of time, Sixty-two Sevens, or a total of 434 years, immediately followed the first for a total of Sixty-nine Sevens, or 483 years. There is no implication of a gap of time between the first and second subdivision of the Seventy Sevens.
\nIt is at this point that we are told that the ending point of the Sixty-nine Sevens is to be \u201cuntil Messiah the Prince.\u201d As clearly as Daniel could have stated it, he taught that 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem had been issued, Messiah would be here on earth.
\nThe obvious conclusion is this: If Messiah was not on earth 483 years after a decree was issued to rebuild Jerusalem, then Daniel was a false prophet and his book has no business being in the Hebrew Scriptures; but if Daniel was correct and his prophecy was fulfilled, then who was the Messiah of whom he spoke?<\/p>\n
The Events Between the Sixty-Ninth and the Seventieth Seven\u20149:26<\/p>\n
Whereas the second subdivision of the Seventy Sevens was immediately to follow the first, the third subdivision was not immediately to follow the second. Daniel pointed out in verse 26 that three things would occur after this second subdivision ends and before the third one begins.
\nStepping back in time and looking ahead from Daniel\u2019s perspective in verse 26, we see first, that \u201cthe Messiah will be cut off and have nothing.\u201d The Hebrew word translated \u201ccut off\u201d is the common word used in the Mosaic Law and simply means \u201cto be killed.\u201d The implication of the term is that the Messiah would not only be killed, but also that He would die a penal death by execution. The Hebrew expression translated \u201cand have nothing\u201d has two possible meanings. It may mean \u201cnothingness,\u201d emphasizing Messiah\u2019s state at death. It can also be translated \u201cbut not for himself,\u201d and the meaning would then be that \u201cHe died for others rather than for Himself\u2014a substitutionary death.\u201d The latter meaning would be much more consistent with what the Prophets had to say about the reason for Messiah\u2019s death (e.g. Isaiah 53:1\u201312). The first three purposes of the Seventy Sevens\u2014to finish the transgression; to make an end of sin; to make atonement for iniquity\u2014have all to be accomplished by some means of atonement. The Law of Moses decreed that atonement is made by blood (Leviticus 17:11). It appears that Messiah\u2019s death, \u201cnot for himself\u201d but for others, would be the means by which Israel\u2019s transgression, sin and iniquity would be atoned for. The point of this phrase is that between the end of the second subdivision, the Sixty-ninth Seven, and before the start of the Seventieth Seven, Messiah would be killed and would die a penal, substitutionary death.
\nSecond, during this interim period it would also happen that \u201cthe people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood \u2026\u201d The city and the Temple which were to be rebuilt because of the decree by which the Seventy Sevens began, would now be destroyed; some time after the Messiah was cut off, Jerusalem and the Temple would suffer another destruction. Our knowledge of history during this period is extremely clear: the people responsible for this deed were the Romans; Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in the year 70 A.D. Based upon this verse, it is also clear that the Messiah should have both come and died prior to the year 70 A.D. If such an event did not take place, then Daniel was a false prophet. If such an event did occur, then the question must be answered, Who was that Messiah who was killed before 70 A.D.?
\nThe third thing to take note of would be, \u201ceven to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.\u201d For the remainder of the interval between the Sixty-ninth Seven and the Seventieth Seven, the Land would be characterized by war, and its resulting condition would be desolation. All this would set the stage for the final, or Seventieth, Seven.<\/p>\n
The Seventieth Seven\u20149:27<\/p>\n
From where we stand in time today, the last 7 years of Daniel\u2019s prophecy are still future, but it is with their conclusion that all six purposes of verse 24 will reach their fulfillment. The main points of the verse are as follows: first, the Seventieth Seven will begin only with the signing of a 7-year covenant or treaty between Israel and a major Gentile political leader. The pronoun \u201che\u201d in verse 27 goes back to its nearest antecedent in verse 26, which is not the Messiah but \u201cthe prince who is to come.\u201d This \u201cprince\u201d has been a topic of Daniel\u2019s earlier prophecies in chapters 7\u20138. This political leader is better known to Christians as the Antichrist. Second, in the middle of the Seventieth Seven, that is, after 3\u00bd years, this Gentile leader will break his treaty with Israel and cause a cessation of the sacrificial system. The implication here is that by this time, a Temple in Jerusalem will have been rebuilt; the sacrificial system of Moses will have been re-instituted, then be stopped by force. Third, the result of the breaking of this covenant is that that Temple will now be abominated. The \u201cabomination\u201d refers to an image or an idol. Just as it was in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes, so it will be again in the future when a Gentile ruler will abominate the Temple by means of idolatry. Fourth, the \u201cabomination\u201d is to be followed by wrath and desolation, persecution and warfare, for the remaining half of the Seventieth Seven, or the final 3\u00bd years. This is similar to the trials and tribulations the rabbis spoke of as preparation for the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom. These terrible days were referred to as \u201cthe footsteps of the Messiah,\u201d and also as \u201cthe birth-pangs of the Messiah.\u201d Once those days have run their course, the last three things predicted in verse 24 will occur. The age of righteousness will be brought in; the most holy place will be anointed; and every vision and prophecy will be fulfilled. At this point the Messianic Kingdom for which the prophet Daniel yearned will be set up.
\nObviously, the Messianic Kingdom requires the Messiah to rule as king. This means the Messiah will come after the Seventieth Seven. Yet earlier, Daniel stated that the Messiah would come and be killed after the Sixty-ninth Seven. This would appear to be a contradiction unless Daniel was speaking of two comings of the Messiah. The first time was to be after the Sixty-ninth Seven, when He would die a penal, substitutionary death for the sins of Israel and accomplish the first three purposes listed in verse 24. The second time, still future, was to be after the Seventieth Seven, when He will establish the Messianic Kingdom and accomplish the last three things of verse 24. There is also an important implication here that should not be missed: the Messiah would be killed after His First Coming, yet he would be alive at His Second Coming. The implication is that the Messiah would be resurrected from the dead after He was killed.<\/p>\n
Conclusions<\/p>\n
This dramatic prophecy features certain things in very clear and unmistakable terms. First, the Messiah was to be on earth 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. Second, after His appearance on earth, He was to be killed\u2014not for His own sins, but rather for those of others\u2014and the death He would die was to be the death of the penalty of the Law. Third, the death of the Messiah had to come sometime before Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed again; this occurred in the year 70 A.D. Fourth, some time after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and following a long period of warfare, the Seventieth Seven will commence. Once that has run its course, Messiah\u2019s Kingdom and age of righteousness will be established. For that to occur, the implication is that the Messiah who was killed would return again.
\nBut who is this Messiah? Only one man fulfills all that is required in this passage: Jesus of Nazareth. He was born into the Jewish world and proclaimed His messiahship 483 years after the decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem was issued. In the year 30 A.D., Jesus was executed by crucifixion. Daniel indicated that He would be cut off\u2014not for Himself, but rather for others. Isaiah 53 also prophesied the death of the Messiah, pointing out that He would die a substitutionary death on behalf of His people Israel. The teaching of the New Testament is that Jesus died a penal death by taking upon Himself the penalty of the Law as a substitute for His people. In keeping with Daniel 9:24, He died for the purpose of making an atonement for sins. Three days after His death, He was resurrected. Finally, the New Testament proclaims the fact that He will someday return to set up His kingdom and the age of righteousness.
\nIf Daniel was right, then Messiah came and died prior to the year 70 A.D. If Daniel was right, then there are no other options for who the Messiah is: Jesus of Nazareth. If Daniel was right, this Jesus is destined to return and to set up the Messianic Kingdom. (There is a further discussion of this prophecy in Appendix 6.)<\/p>\n
Daniel 9:24\u201327
\nteaches that:
\nY Messiah would be present 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem.
\nY Messiah would be legally executed.
\nY Messiah\u2019s death would result in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
\nY Messiah\u2019s birth and death, therefore, must both have happened prior to 70 A.D.<\/p>\n
Other Lines of Evidence<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Introduction<\/p>\n
The previous three sections of this study have dealt with the prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures in relation to the First Coming of Messiah. It has been shown that Jesus is the only person who could possibly fulfill all of these prophecies. Associated with a Christian interpretation of these Scriptures are certain doctrines which are consistently regarded under Judaism as being contrary to Hebrew Scripture and therefore wholly unacceptable to any Jew. These are:<\/p>\n
1. The belief that Messiah is God.
\n2. The belief in God as a Triune Being.<\/p>\n
These two doctrines are obviously closely related. It is only possible to believe that Messiah is God if He is considered to be one member of the Godhead. It is commonly stated that these beliefs are thoroughly un-Jewish, being the invention of Christianity and originating in the New Testament.
\nIt should be pointed out first of all that the New Testament is just as Jewish as the Old Testament, having been written entirely by Jewish men. One of the chief writers of the New Testament was Rabbi Saul, also known as the Apostle Paul, who studied under Rabban Gamaliel (Philippians 3:5\u20136, Acts 22:3).
\nAlthough it is commonly stated that any concept of plurality in the Godhead is totally alien to Judaism, there is at least one place in Jewish literature where this is not the case. The author of the Zohar sensed plurality in the Tetragrammaton, the personal name of God, and wrote:<\/p>\n
\u201cCome and see the mystery of the word YHVH: there are three steps, each existing by itself: nevertheless they are One, and so united that one cannot be separated from the other. The Ancient Holy One is revealed with three heads, which are united into one, and that head is three exalted. The Ancient One is described as being three: because the other lights emanating from him are included in the three. But how can three names be one? How three can be one can only be known through the revelation of the Holy Spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Zohar Vol. III, 288; Vol. II, 43, Hebrew editions. See also Soncino Press edition, Vol. III, 134.)<\/p>\n
Of greater importance, however, is the teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures themselves. A number of messianic prophecies have already been studied which clearly teach that Messiah would be both God and man. There are several other lines of evidence which can be explored to justify the belief in God as a triune Being. It can be shown that the doctrine of the Trinity actually originates in the Hebrew Scriptures and is merely developed and clarified in the New Testament.<\/p>\n
The Plurality of the Godhead<\/p>\n
The Plural Noun Elohim<\/p>\n
The word for \u201cGod\u201d most commonly used in Hebrew Scripture is Elohim. It is generally agreed that Elohim is a plural noun having the masculine plural ending \u201cim.\u201d The very word Elohim, used of the one true God in Genesis 1:1, is also used of false gods in Exodus 20:3 and Deuteronomy 13:2.<\/p>\n
Gen 1:1\u00a0In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NASB)<\/p>\n
Exo 20:3\u00a0\u201cYou shall have no other gods before Me. (NASB)<\/p>\n
Deu 13:2\u00a0and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, \u2018Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,\u2019 (NASB)<\/p>\n
While the use of the plural Elohim does not prove a triunity, it certainly opens the door to a doctrine of plurality in the Godhead since it is the same word that is used for the one true God as for the many false gods. This causes something of a problem for rabbis. In the siddur, the Sabbath prayer book compiled by Rabbi Hertz, it says concerning Genesis 1:1, \u201cThe plural is to denote the plentitude of might; God comprehends and unifies all the ends of eternity and infinity.\u201d The fact remains, however, that although the word does not of itself prove a plurality within the Godhead, it certainly does open the door to it.
\nIt is sometimes said that this one word had to be used in both contexts since there is no alternative in Hebrew. This is not true however; the singular form of Elohim is Eloah and is used in passages such as Deuteronomy 32:15\u201317 and Habbakuk 3:3.<\/p>\n
Deu 32:15\u00a0\u201cBut Jeshurun grew fat and kicked\u2014You are grown fat, thick, and sleek\u2014Then he forsook God who made him, And scorned the Rock of his salvation. 16\u00a0\u201cThey made Him jealous with strange gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger. 17\u00a0\u201cThey sacrificed to demons who were not God, To gods whom they have not known, New gods who came lately, Whom your fathers did not dread. (NASB)<\/p>\n
Hab 3:3\u00a0God comes from Teman, And the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His splendor covers the heavens, And the earth is full of His praise. (NASB)<\/p>\n
This singular form could have been used consistently, but it is found in only 250 places, as compared to the 2,500 instances of the plural form. The far greater use of the plural form tends to turn the argument in favor of plurality in the Godhead rather than against it.<\/p>\n
Plural Verbs Used with Elohim<\/p>\n
It is also said that while Elohim is plural, the verbs used with it are always singular when applied to the true God, and plural for false gods. The rules of Hebrew grammar require that verbs agree with the associated nouns in both gender and number. When Elohim is used for pagan gods, these rules are always followed and a plural verb is always used. When Elohim is used of the one true God, however, these rules are normally broken\u2014the plural noun Elohim is usually followed by a singular verb. While it is true that this is most often the case, it is not always the case. There are several places in the Hebrew text where Elohim, speaking of the God of Israel, is followed by a plural verb. Four examples of this are:<\/p>\n
1. Genesis 20:13
\n20:13\u00a0and it came about, when God caused me to wander from my father\u2019s house, that I said to her, \u2018This is the kindness which you will show to me: everywhere we go, say of me, \u201cHe is my brother.\u201d\u00a0\u2019\u00a0\u201d (NASB)<\/p>\n
These are the words of Abraham, a worshipper of the one true God. It literally says, \u201c\u2026 God (Elohim) they caused me to wander \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
2. Genesis 35:7
\n35:7\u00a0And he built an altar there, and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him, when he fled from his brother. (NASB)<\/p>\n
These are the words of Jacob, who also worships the one true God. It literally reads, \u201c\u2026 the Gods (Elohim) revealed themselves \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
3. 2 Samuel 7:23
\n7:23\u00a0\u201cAnd what one nation on the earth is like Thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and to do a great thing for Thee and awesome things for Thy land, before Thy people whom Thou hast redeemed for Thyself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? (NASB)<\/p>\n
Literally, \u201c\u2026 whom God (Elohim) they went to redeem for themselves \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
4. Psalm 58:11
\n58:11\u00a0And men will say, \u201cSurely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely there is a God who judges on earth!\u201d (NASB)<\/p>\n
Literally, \u201c\u2026 the Gods (Elohim) they judge on earth!\u201d<\/p>\n
These verses are just four examples of many and, again, the use of plural verbs in reference to the one true God supports the idea of plurality in the Godhead.<\/p>\n
The Word Elohim Applied to Two Divine Personalities<\/p>\n
As if to make the case for plurality even stronger, there are situations in the Hebrew Scriptures where the term Elohim is applied to two personalities in the same verse. One example is Psalm 45:6\u20137:<\/p>\n
45:6\u00a0Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom. 7\u00a0Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Thy God, has anointed Thee With the oil of joy above Thy fellows. (NASB)<\/p>\n
It should be noted that the first Elohim is being addressed and the second Elohim is the God of the first Elohim. There are two quite distinct personalities here; it is Elohim\u2019s Elohim who has set Elohim above His companions and anointed Him with the oil of joy.
\nA second example is Hosea 1:7:<\/p>\n
1:2\u00a0When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, \u201cGo, take to yourself a wife of harlotry, and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the LORD.\u201d \u2026 1:7\u00a0\u201cBut I will have compassion on the house of Judah and deliver them by the LORD their God, and will not deliver them by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.\u201d (NASB)<\/p>\n
The speaker is Elohim who says that He will have mercy on the House of Judah and will save them by the instrumentality of Jehovah, their Elohim. Elohim number 1 is promising to save Israel by means of Elohim number 2. Again we see the word Elohim used of two distinct personalities within the same passage.<\/p>\n
The Name YHVH Applied to Two Divine Personalities<\/p>\n
Not only is Elohim applied to two personalities in the same verse, but so is the very name of God, Jehovah (YHVH). One example of this is Genesis 19:24:<\/p>\n
19:24\u00a0Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven. (ASV)<\/p>\n
The first YHVH is on earth and is said to be raining down sulfur from a second YHVH who is in heaven. Two distinct persons are called YHVH in the same text.
\nA second example is Zechariah 2:8\u20139:<\/p>\n
2:8\u00a0For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: After glory hath he sent me unto the nations which plundered you; for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. 9\u00a0For, behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall be a spoil to those that served them; and ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me. (ASV)<\/p>\n
Again we have one YHVH, the speaker in these verses having been sent by another YHVH to perform a specific task.<\/p>\n
The Plural Noun Adonai<\/p>\n
Another word for God in Hebrew is Adonai, translated as \u201cLord\u201d in, for example, Psalm 110:1\u2014\u201cJehovah said to my Lord \u2026\u201d Whenever this word is used of God it is consistently in the plural, never in the singular.<\/p>\n
Plural Pronouns<\/p>\n
Another case in point regarding Hebrew grammar is God\u2019s use of plural pronouns when speaking of Himself. Mostly in Scripture God uses singular pronouns, but there are several instances of God speaking in the plural:<\/p>\n
1. Genesis 1:26
\n1:26\u00a0Then God said, \u201cLet Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.\u201d (NASB)<\/p>\n
The plurality of the Godhead is very clear here: \u201c\u2026 let us make \u2026 in our image \u2026 our likeness \u2026\u201d Jewish theology teaches that the phrase \u201clet us make\u201d in this passage refers to angels, but this cannot be the case. God alone did the work of creation and angels are not mentioned anywhere in the context. God could not have been consulting with angels or the passage would have said so, as it does in 1 Kings 22:19\u201323, where we do find God consulting the heavenly court about doing something. That is not the picture presented here. Furthermore, the phrase \u201cin our image\u201d could hardly have made reference to angels, since man was created in the image of God and not of angels.<\/p>\n
Rashi said:<\/p>\n
\u201cMan was created in the image of angels. Although angels did not help God create, he said \u2018us\u2019 to teach good manners and humility in that the greater person should also ask permission of the smaller.\u201d<\/p>\n
This quotation shows the enormous lengths that rabbis have to go to in order to avoid the concept of plurality in the Godhead.<\/p>\n
The Midrash Rabbah (8:8) on Genesis recognizes the strength of this passage and comments as follows:<\/p>\n
\u201cRabbi Samuel Bar Hanman in the name of Rabbi Jonathan said, that at the time when Moses wrote the Torah, writing a portion of it daily, when he came to the verse which says \u201cAnd Elohim said let us make man in our image, after our likeness,\u201d Moses said, \u201cMaster of the universe, why do you give herewith an excuse to the sectarians [who believe in the triunity of God].\u201d God answered Moses, \u201cYou write and whoever wants to err, let him err.\u201d
\n(Midrash Rabbah on Genesis 1:26 (New York: NOP Press, n.d.)<\/p>\n
The \u201csectarians,\u201d or heretics, mentioned here are Jewish Christians. It is obvious that the Midrash Rabbah is simply trying to get around the problem and fails to adequately explain why God refers to Himself in the plural.<\/p>\n
The Midrash Rabbah 9:9 says:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe heretics asked Rabbi Simlai how many deities created the world. He replied, \u2018If you must, enquire of the first day, as it is written \u201cFor ask now of the first days [Deuteronomy 4:32] not since the day God created (baru).\u201d What is written here but \u201cGod created (bara).\u201d\u00a0\u2019 Then they asked him a second time, \u2018Why is it written in the beginning elohim created.\u2019 He answered, \u201c\u00a0\u2018In the beginning baru elohim\u201d it is not written here but \u201cbara elohim the heavens and the earth.\u201d\u00a0\u2019 Rabbi Simlai said, \u2018Wherever you find a point supporting the heretics you find the refutation at its side.\u2019 They asked him again what is meant by \u201cAnd God said let us make man.\u201d He replied, \u2018Read what follows. Not \u201cAnd gods created (vayir baru) man\u201d is it written here but \u201cAnd God created (vayir bara).\u201d\u00a0\u2019\u00a0\u201d<\/p>\n
This deals with a discussion between Jewish Christians and a rabbi. The Jewish believers are asking the rabbi, \u201cWhy do you have these plural pronouns and nouns?\u201d The rabbi responds that it does not prove plurality because the verb that follows is always singular and not plural.<\/p>\n
In The Torah Anthology by Rabbi Yaacov Culi (Maznaim, New York, 1977) on pages 107 and 108, it says:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis must be explained since the wording is very surprising. Nonbelievers argue that there is a multiple Godhead attempting to use this verse as a proof text for their contention, since it says \u201cLet us make man\u201d in the plural. Why then did the Torah use the plural expression \u201cLet us make man\u201d? Some say that man resembles the angels so they wished to see him created right away. God announced to them and said \u201cLet us make man. Come and rejoice for I am about to create man.\u201d [it then goes on to quote Rashi as already given above.]\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, on this critical verse, Rabbi Nachmanides said that the plural denotes both God and the earth; the body came from the earth and the spirit or soul came from God.<\/p>\n
2. Genesis 3:22
\n3:22\u00a0And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever. (ASV)<\/p>\n
3. Genesis 11:6
\n11:6\u00a0And Jehovah said, Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language. And this is what they begin to do. And now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do. 7\u00a0Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another\u2019s speech. (ASV)<\/p>\n
4. Isaiah 6:8
\n6:8\u00a0And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me. (ASV)<\/p>\n
This last passage would appear contradictory with the singular \u201cI\u201d and the plural \u201cus\u201d except as viewed as a plurality (us) in a unity (I).<\/p>\n
Plural Descriptions<\/p>\n
Another point that comes out of the Hebrew is the fact that often nouns and their adjectives used in speaking of God are plural. Usually, when speaking of the one God these adjectives are singular. Sometimes, however, they are found in the plural form. Although in the Hebrew these appear as adjectives, they do not translate that way into English. Some examples of them being in the plural are as follows:<\/p>\n
1. Joshua 24:19
\n24:19\u00a0Then Joshua said to the people, \u201cYou will not be able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins. (NASB)<\/p>\n
In the Hebrew the word for \u201choly\u201d is a plural adjective; literally it reads \u201choly Gods.\u201d<\/p>\n
2. Psalm 149:2
\n149:2\u00a0Let Israel be glad in his Maker; Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King. (NASB)<\/p>\n
In the Hebrew the word for \u201cmaker\u201d is plural; literally it reads, \u201clet Israel be glad in his makers.\u201d In English the word \u201cmaker\u201d is a noun, but in Hebrew it is an adjective.<\/p>\n
3. Ecclesiastes 12:1
\n12:1\u00a0Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, \u201cI have no delight in them\u201d; (NASB)<\/p>\n
Again, this would literally read \u201cremember also your Creators,\u201d a plural adjective.<\/p>\n
4. Isaiah 54:5
\n54:5\u00a0For thy Maker is thy husband; Jehovah of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called. (ASV)<\/p>\n
In this verse, the words for \u201cmaker\u201d and \u201chusband\u201d are both plural adjectives in the Hebrew text; literally, \u201cfor thy makers is thy husbands; Jehovah of hosts is his name.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Unity of the Godhead<\/p>\n
The Shema\u2014Deuteronomy 6:4<\/p>\n
Everything which has been said so far rests firmly on the Hebrew language of the Scriptures. If we are to base our doctrine on the Scriptures alone, we have to say that on the one hand they affirm God\u2019s unity, while at the same time they tend towards the concept of a compound unity allowing for a plurality in the Godhead.
\nThis idea of plurality within the Godhead is consistently rejected by Judaism despite all of the evidence discussed so far, and invariably the argument returns to Deuteronomy 6:4 as final evidence of the singular nature of God.<\/p>\n
\u201cShema Yisroel Adomi Elohenu Adonai Echad.\u201d
\n6:4\u00a0\u201cHear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! (NASB)
\nDeuteronomy 6:4, known as the Shema, has always been Israel\u2019s great confession. It is this verse more than any other which is used to affirm the fact that God is one and to contradict the concept of plurality in the Godhead. But is it a valid use of this verse?
\nIt should be pointed out, first of all, that the very words \u201cour God\u201d are actually in the plural in Hebrew\u2014literally \u201cour Gods.\u201d The main argument, however, lies in the word \u201cone,\u201d which is the Hebrew word echad. A quick glance through the verses in the Hebrew text where this word is used will show that the word echad does not mean an \u201cabsolute one,\u201d but a \u201ccompound one.\u201d
\nFor example, in Genesis 1:5, the combination of evening and morning comprise one [echad] day. In Genesis 2:24, a man and a woman come together in marriage \u201cand the two shall become one [echad] flesh.\u201d In Ezra 2:64, we are told that the whole assembly was as one [echad], though of course, it was composed of numerous people. Ezekiel 37:17 provides a rather striking example where two sticks are combined to become one [echad]. Thus, use of the word echad in Scripture shows it to be a compound unity, not an absolute unity.
\nThere is a Hebrew word which does mean an absolute unity and that is the word yachid. This word is used in numerous places with the emphasis being on the meaning of \u201conly one.\u201d If Moses had intended to teach God\u2019s absolute oneness as opposed to His compound oneness, this would have been a far more appropriate word to have used. In fact, Maimonides noted the strength of yachid and chose to use it in his \u201cThirteen Articles of Faith\u201d in place of echad. However, Deuteronomy 6:4, the Shema, does not use yachid in reference to God.<\/p>\n
The Triunity of the Godhead<\/p>\n
How Many Persons Are There?<\/p>\n
So far we have seen from the use of various plural words that there is plurality in the nature of the one true God. We have also looked at several passages where the names of God are applied to two quite distinct divine personalities.
\nThe question that therefore arises is: How many personalities exist in the Godhead? A reading of the Hebrew Scriptures shows that three, and only three, distinct personalities are ever considered divine. They are:<\/p>\n
1. The Lord YHVH
\n2. The Angel of YHVH
\n3. The Spirit of God<\/p>\n
We will now consider each of these in turn.<\/p>\n
The Lord YHVH<\/p>\n
There are numerous places in Scripture where there is reference to the first of the three divine personalities. The usage of \u201cthe Lord YHVH\u201d is so frequent that there is no need to devote further space to it; a great many of the messianic prophecies already discussed serve as examples of this.<\/p>\n
The Angel of Jehovah<\/p>\n
The Expression Malach YHVH<\/p>\n
The second divine personality is the Angel of Jehovah\u2014but who is He? The Angel of Jehovah is not to be taken as a title, but, following Hebrew grammar, it always functions as a proper name. This individual is always considered distinct from all other angels and is unique. It never appears in the plural. Nowhere in Scripture are the phrases \u201cthe angels of Jehovah\u201d or \u201cthe angels of the God,\u201d but rather there are three, and only three, different expressions which are used:<\/p>\n
1. the Angel of Jehovah\u2014Malach YHVH, always singular.
\n2. the Angel of the God\u2014Malach Ha-Elohim, always singular with the definite article.
\n3. the angels of God\u2014Malachei Elohim, plural, and is never used with a definite article.<\/p>\n
The third of these expressions is used in general terms of ordinary angels. The first two expressions are both used to describe a very special and distinct individual\u2014the Angel of Jehovah. We can see this in Judges 6:20\u201321, where the same Person is described first, in verse 20, as \u201cthe Angel of the God\u201d and then, in verse 21, as \u201cthe Angel of Jehovah.\u201d This is also brought out in Judges chapter 13; in verse 3, there is a reference to \u201cthe Angel of Jehovah\u201d and later, in verse 9, this same individual is called \u201cthe Angel of the God.\u201d
\nConsistently, throughout the Hebrew text, there is a distinction made between ordinary angels and this unique Person referred to as both \u201cthe Angel of YHVH\u201d and \u201cthe Angel of the God.\u201d The Angel of Jehovah is clearly revealed as being different in stature, nature, person and essence from ordinary angels.<\/p>\n
The Angel of Jehovah is Jehovah<\/p>\n
What the Hebrew grammar is trying to show is that this unique individual is in fact God Himself. In virtually every context in which He appears, He is referred to as both the Angel of Jehovah and Jehovah Himself. There are many examples which show this:<\/p>\n
1. Genesis 16:7\u201314
\n16:7\u00a0And the angel of Jehovah found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8\u00a0And he said, Hagar, Sarai\u2019s handmaid, whence camest thou? And whither goest thou? And she said, I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai. 9\u00a0And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. 10\u00a0And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, I will greatly multiply thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11\u00a0And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son. And thou shalt call his name Ishmael, because Jehovah hath heard thy affliction. 12\u00a0And he shall be (as) a wild ass among men. His hand (shall be) against every man, and every man\u2019s hand against him. And he shall dwell over against all his brethren. 13\u00a0And she called the name of Jehovah that spake unto her, Thou art a God that seeth. For she said, Have I even here looked after him that seeth me? 14\u00a0Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. (ASV)<\/p>\n
There are four references here to the Angel of Jehovah, in verses 7, 9, 10 and 11, but then in verse 13 the reference is to Jehovah Himself, and so she names the place \u201cYou are a God that sees.\u201d<\/p>\n
2. Genesis 22:9\u201316
\n22:9\u00a0And they came to the place which God had told him of. And Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10\u00a0And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11\u00a0And the angel of Jehovah called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here I am. 12\u00a0And he said, Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him. For now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me. 13\u00a0And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, behind (him) a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son. 14\u00a0And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh. As it is said to this day, In the mount of Jehovah it shall be provided. 15\u00a0And the angel of Jehovah called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16\u00a0and said, By myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, \u2026 (ASV)<\/p>\n
Twice here He is called the Angel of Jehovah (verses 11 and 15), but in verse 12 He is referred to as God and in verse 16 He is called Jehovah.<\/p>\n
3. Genesis 31:11\u201313
\n31:11\u00a0And the angel of God said unto me in the dream, Jacob: and I said, Here am I. 12\u00a0And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the he-goats which leap upon the flock are ringstreaked, speckled, and grizzled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. 13\u00a0I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst a pillar, where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy nativity. (ASV)<\/p>\n
In verse 11, the reference is literally to \u201cthe Angel of the God,\u201d but when He speaks in verse 13, He says, \u201cI am the God of Bethel.\u201d<\/p>\n
4. Genesis 32:24\u201330
\n32:24\u00a0And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25\u00a0And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob\u2019s thigh was strained, as he wrestled with him. 26\u00a0And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27\u00a0And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28\u00a0And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29\u00a0And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 30\u00a0And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, (said he), I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. (ASV)<\/p>\n
This is the very famous passage which describes Jacob wrestling with the Angel of Jehovah. But with whom is he really wrestling? In verse 28 it states, \u201c\u2026 for thou hast striven with God \u2026\u201d After this, in verse 30, Jacob declares, \u201cI have seen God face to face.\u201d The angel that he wrestled with is recognized to be God Himself.<\/p>\n
5. Exodus 3:1\u20135
\n3:1\u00a0Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb. 2\u00a0And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3\u00a0And Moses said, I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4\u00a0And when Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5\u00a0And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. (ASV)<\/p>\n
In verse 2, it is the Angel of Jehovah who is in the burning bush, but verse 4 says that, \u201cGod called unto him out of the midst of the bush.\u201d<\/p>\n
6. Judges 2:1
\n2:1\u00a0And the angel of Jehovah came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you \u2026 (ASV)<\/p>\n
In this verse the Angel of Jehovah claims to be responsible for the Exodus and for making the covenant with Israel. A comparison with Exodus 19:4 clearly shows that it was God Himself who was responsible for both these things; the two are synonymous.<\/p>\n
7. Judges 6:11\u201324
\n6:11\u00a0And the angel of Jehovah came, and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. 12\u00a0And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him, and said unto him, Jehovah is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. 13\u00a0And Gideon said unto him, Oh, my lord, if Jehovah is with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not Jehovah bring us up from Egypt? but now Jehovah hath cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian. 14\u00a0And Jehovah looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian: have not I sent thee? 15\u00a0And he said unto him, Oh, Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father\u2019s house. 16\u00a0And Jehovah said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. 17\u00a0And he said unto him, If now I have found favor in thy sight, then show me a sign that it is thou that talkest with me. 18\u00a0Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and lay it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again. 19\u00a0And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. 20\u00a0And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. 21\u00a0Then the angel of Jehovah put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of Jehovah departed out of his sight. 22\u00a0And Gideon saw that he was the angel of Jehovah; and Gideon said, Alas, O Lord Jehovah! forasmuch as I have seen the angel of Jehovah face to face. 23\u00a0And Jehovah said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. 24\u00a0Then Gideon built an altar there unto Jehovah, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. (ASV)<\/p>\n
Four times in this passage He is the Angel of Jehovah (verses 11, 12, 20, 21) and four times He is Jehovah Himself (verses 14, 16, 22, 23).<\/p>\n
8. Judges 13:2\u201324
\n13:2\u00a0And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. 3\u00a0And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not; but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. 4\u00a0Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: 5\u00a0for, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come upon his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. 6\u00a0Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of the angel of God, very terrible; and I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name: 7\u00a0but he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing; for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb to the day of his death. 8\u00a0Then Manoah entreated Jehovah, and said, Oh, Lord, I pray thee, let the man of God whom thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born. 9\u00a0And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her. 10\u00a0And the woman made haste, and ran, and told her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the (other) day. 11\u00a0And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am. 12\u00a0And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass: what shall be the ordering of the child, and (how) shall we do unto him? 13\u00a0And the angel of Jehovah said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware. 14\u00a0She may not eat of anything that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; all that I commanded her let her observe. 15\u00a0And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, I pray thee, let us detain thee, that we may make ready a kid for thee. 16\u00a0And the angel of Jehovah said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread; and if thou wilt make ready a burnt-offering, thou must offer it unto Jehovah. For Manoah knew not that he was the angel of Jehovah. 17\u00a0And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, What is thy name, that, when thy words come to pass, we may do thee honor? 18\u00a0And the angel of Jehovah said unto him, Wherefore askest thou after my name, seeing it is wonderful? 19\u00a0So Manoah took the kid with the meal-offering, and offered it upon the rock unto Jehovah: and (the angel) did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on. 20\u00a0For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of Jehovah ascended in the flame of the altar: and Manoah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground. 21\u00a0But the angel of Jehovah did no more appear to Manoah or to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of Jehovah. 22\u00a0And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. 23\u00a0But his wife said unto him, If Jehovah were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meal-offering at our hand, neither would he have showed us all these things, nor would at this time have told such things as these. 24\u00a0And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and Jehovah blessed him. (ASV)<\/p>\n
Nine times in this passage He is referred to as the Angel of Jehovah: in verses 3, 9, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21. But then, in verse 22, He is said to be God Himself. Note also in verse 18 that this Angel\u2019s name is \u201cWonderful.\u201d In our study of Isaiah 9:6, it was pointed out that pele, the Hebrew word for \u201cwonderful,\u201d is only used of God, never of man, or an angel. The very fact that He claims this name for Himself shows that He is not a common angel, but God Himself.<\/p>\n
Beyond the Book of Judges, the Angel of Jehovah virtually disappears from Jewish history. He only appears twice more in the Scriptures. In Isaiah 37:36, He slaughters the Assyrian army, and in the first six chapters of Zechariah, He is the One who gives Zechariah his eight visions.<\/p>\n
The Uniqueness of His Person<\/p>\n
In Isaiah 42:8, God says of Himself, \u201cI Am Jehovah; that is my name, my glory I will not give to another \u2026\u201d When we compare this statement with Exodus 23:21 we are better able to understand the unique nature of the Angel of Jehovah. In Exodus 23:20\u201323, it is God who is speaking, and He says:<\/p>\n
23:20\u00a0Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21\u00a0Take ye heed before him, and hearken unto his voice; provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgression: for my name is in him. 22\u00a0But if thou shalt indeed hearken unto his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. 23\u00a0For mine angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: and I will cut them off. (ASV)<\/p>\n
In Exodus 23:20, God says that this Angel will lead the people of Israel throughout the Exodus until they come into the Land. This is consistent with Judges 2:1, which we have already looked at.
\nIn verse 21, several commands are given. Israel is commanded to be obedient to this Angel and not to provoke Him to anger. This Angel commands the people\u2019s absolute obedience. Why? Because \u201cmy Name is in him.\u201d
\nThis Angel is very special for several reasons:<\/p>\n
1. he will not pardon your transgression (verse 21)
\nHe has the power to forgive sins; a prerogative that only God has.<\/p>\n
2. my name is in him (verse 21)
\nThe name is Jehovah, a name given only to members of the Godhead; this Angel has that name.<\/p>\n
3. There are blessings for obeying Him (verse 22)<\/p>\n
4. He is the Angel of the Exodus (verse 23)<\/p>\n
Later, in Exodus 32:34\u201335 we read that despite the warnings, the people did indeed rebel against this Angel and were punished for it.
\nHosea 12:3\u20135 also says that this Angel has the very name of God in Him. The fact that He has all four letters of God\u2019s name within His Name indicates that He is actually God Himself.
\nWhen Isaiah 63:7\u201314 describes Him as the Angel of God\u2019s presence, He is in fact the second Person of the Trinity.<\/p>\n
The Spirit of God<\/p>\n
The third major personality who is evident in the Hebrew Scriptures is the Spirit of God, often referred to simply as the Ruach Ha-Kodesh. There are many references to the Spirit of God, among which are:<\/p>\n
1. Genesis 1:2
\n1:2\u00a0And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. (NASB)<\/p>\n
2. Genesis 6:3
\n6:3\u00a0Then the LORD said, \u201cMy Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.\u201d (NASB)<\/p>\n
3. Job 33:4
\n33:4\u00a0\u201cThe Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life. (NASB)<\/p>\n
4. Psalm 51:11
\n51:11\u00a0Do not cast me away from Thy presence, And do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me. (NASB)<\/p>\n
5. Psalm 139:7
\n139:7\u00a0Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? (NASB)<\/p>\n
6. Isaiah 11:2
\n11:2\u00a0And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD \u2026 (NASB)<\/p>\n
7. Isaiah 63:10
\n63:10\u00a0But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore, He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them. (NASB)<\/p>\n
8. Isaiah 63:14
\n63:14\u00a0As the cattle which go down into the valley, The Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. So didst Thou lead Thy people, To make for Thyself a glorious name. (NASB)<\/p>\n
The Holy Spirit cannot be a mere emanation because, as can be seen in these quotations, He has all the characteristics of personality\u2014intellect, emotion and will\u2014and is considered divine.<\/p>\n
The Three Personalities in the Same Passage<\/p>\n
So then, from various sections of the Hebrew Scriptures there is a clear demonstration that three personalities are referred to as divine and as being God: the Lord YHVH, the Angel of YHVH, and the Spirit of God.
\nFurthermore, there are places in the Hebrew Scriptures where all three personalities of the Godhead are referred to in a single passage. This can be seen in Isaiah 42:1 and 61:1, but the two clearest examples are Isaiah 48:12\u201316 and Isaiah 63:7\u201314.<\/p>\n
Isaiah 48:12\u201316<\/p>\n
48:12\u00a0Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. 13\u00a0Yea, my hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spread out the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. 14\u00a0Assemble yourselves, all ye, and hear; who among them hath declared these things? He whom Jehovah loveth shall perform his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm (shall be on) the Chaldeans. 15\u00a0I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him; I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous. 16\u00a0Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; from the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord Jehovah hath sent me, and his Spirit. (ASV)<\/p>\n
In verse 12 it is God, the Creator of the earth, who is speaking. It is still God, the \u201cI Am,\u201d who is speaking in verse 16 where He says that He has been sent by another Person, Jehovah, together with a third Person\u2014the Spirit of Jehovah.
\nHere is the Triunity of God as clearly defined as the Hebrew Scriptures can make it.<\/p>\n
Isaiah 63:7\u201314<\/p>\n
63:7\u00a0I will make mention of the lovingkindness of Jehovah, (and) the praises of Jehovah, according to all that Jehovah hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindness. 8\u00a0For he said, Surely, they are my people, children that will not deal falsely: so he was their Saviour. 9\u00a0In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. 10\u00a0But they rebelled, and grieved his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, (and) himself fought against them. 11\u00a0Then he remembered the days of old, Moses (and) his people, (saying), Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit in the midst of them? 12\u00a0that caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses? that divided the waters before them, to make himself an everlasting name? 13\u00a0that led them through the depths, as a horse in the wilderness, so that they stumbled not? 14\u00a0As the cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of Jehovah caused them to rest; so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name. (ASV)<\/p>\n
In this passage Isaiah is recounting the experiences of Israel in the Exodus and the Wilderness Wanderings. In the course of these seven verses, Isaiah mentions three distinct divine personalities. These are as follows:<\/p>\n
1. In verse 7 he mentions the Lord Jehovah\u2014the first Person.
\n2. In verse 9 he mentions the Angel of His presence\u2014the second Person.
\n3. The third Person is the Holy Spirit, mentioned three times, in verses 10, 11, and 14.<\/p>\n
While often throughout the Hebrew Scriptures God refers to Himself as being the One solely responsible for Israel\u2019s redemption from Egypt, in this passage three personalities are given credit for it. There is, however, no contradiction seen here since all three comprise the unity of the one Godhead.<\/p>\n
Conclusions<\/p>\n
The Teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures<\/p>\n
The teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures, then, is that there is a plurality of the Godhead. The first Person is consistently called YHVH, while the second Person is given the names of YHVH, the Angel of YHVH and the Servant of YHVH. Consistently and without fail, the second Person is sent by the first Person. The third Person is referred to as the Spirit of YHVH or the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit. He, too, is sent by the first Person but is continually related to the ministry of the second Person.
\nIf the concept of the Triunity of God is not Jewish, then neither are the Hebrew Scriptures. Jewish believers cannot be accused of having slipped into paganism when they hold to the fact that Jesus is the divine Son of God. He is the same One of whom Moses wrote when the Lord said:<\/p>\n
23:20\u00a0Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21\u00a0Take ye heed before him, and hearken unto his voice; provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgression: for my name is in him. 22\u00a0But if thou shalt indeed hearken unto his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. 23\u00a0For mine angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: and I will cut them off. (ASV)<\/p>\n
New Testament Light<\/p>\n
In keeping with the teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament clearly recognizes that there are three Persons in the Godhead, although it becomes quite a bit more specific. The first Person is called the Father while the second is called the Son. The New Testament answers the question of Proverbs 30:4: \u201cwhat is his name, and what is his son\u2019s name, if you know?\u201d His son\u2019s name is Yeshua, Jesus. In accordance with the Hebrew Scriptures, He is sent by God to be the Messiah, but this time as a man, not as an angel. Furthermore, He is sent for a specific purpose: to die for our sins. In essence, what happened was that God became a man\u2014not that man became God\u2014in order to accomplish the work of atonement.
\nThe New Testament calls the third Person of the Godhead the Holy Spirit. Throughout the New Testament He is related to the work of the second Person, in keeping with the teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures. We see, then, that there is a continuous body of teaching in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament relating to the Triunity of God.<\/p>\n
Appendices<\/p>\n
Appendix 1<\/p>\n
The Sons of God<\/p>\n
In discussing Genesis 6:1\u20134, one of the early echoes of the promise of Genesis 3:15, it has been stated that these verses describe the intermarriage of fallen angels with human women. Because this view is contested by some, it will be necessary to study these verses in some detail and provide a justification of the interpretation which has been given.<\/p>\n
The Multiplication of Humanity\u2014Genesis 6:1<\/p>\n
6:1\u00a0Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, \u2026 (NASB)<\/p>\n
Verse 1 emphasizes the multiplication of humanity before the Flood. The Hebrew word for \u201cmen\u201d used here is generic and refers to humanity in general, including male and female. The word, as such, cannot be limited to the sons of Cain. It included both Sethites and Cainites, and both of these groups died in the Flood.
\nAnother key word found in verse 1 is \u201cdaughter,\u201d a Hebrew word that means \u201cfemales.\u201d The emphasis in the second part of verse 1, \u201cdaughters were born unto them,\u201d is on the female portion of humanity. Again, the expression cannot be limited to the female descendents of Cain, as some teach. It simply is a word that means \u201cthe female portion of the population.\u201d Verse 1 can read: \u201cMan [humanity] multiplied and daughters [females] were born unto them.\u201d The distinction in verse 1 is not between male Sethites and female Cainites, but the emphasis is on the female portion of humanity in general which would include both Cainites and Sethites.<\/p>\n
The Intermarriage\u2014Genesis 6:2<\/p>\n
\u2026 2\u00a0that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. (NASB)<\/p>\n
Verse 2 describes an intermarriage. The first key phrase is, \u201csons of God.\u201d The term \u201csons of God\u201d is a general term which means \u201cto be brought into existence by God\u2019s creative act.\u201d Because the term carries this meaning, it is used very selectively. Throughout the Old Testament the term \u201csons of God\u201d is always used of angels. This is very clear when the usages of the term are compared in the Old Testament. Elsewhere, the term is used in Job 1:6; 2:1, and 38:7. No one debates that the other places where \u201csons of God\u201d is found in the Old Testament clearly refer to angels. But some want to make Genesis 6:1\u20134 the one exception, and there is simply no warrant for making an exception here.
\nIn the New Testament the term \u201csons of God\u201d is expanded. Adam is called the son of God (Luke 3:38) because he was brought into existence by creation. Believers are called sons of God (John 1:12) because believers are considered to be a new creation (Galatians 6:15). But in Genesis, the text is dealing with a specific Hebrew expression, benei elohim, and, as it is used in the Hebrew Old Testament, it is a term that is always used of angels. The distinction in this passage, then, is not between Sethites and Cainites, but between humanity and angels. The word men here emphasizes humanity. The term \u201csons of God\u201d emphasizes angels.
\nThe second key expression in verse 2 is \u201cdaughters of men.\u201d This is a generic term for women, which includes females of both Sethites and Cainites. What the verse is saying is, \u201cthe sons of God saw the daughters of men.\u201d There is no justification for this verse to be interpreted to mean \u201cgodly males\u201d intermarried with \u201cungodly females.\u201d Would truly godly men marry ungodly females? The \u201cdaughters of men\u201d simply means womankind, and the \u201csons of God\u201d refers to angels. If the meaning is kept consistent with its usage elsewhere in the Old Testament, the passage is clearly speaking of fallen angels intermarrying with human women. This is obvious in two ways.
\nFirst, it is always a one-way intermarriage; it is always \u201csons of God\u201d marrying \u201cdaughters of men.\u201d There is no record of \u201cdaughters of God\u201d marrying \u201csons of men.\u201d If the distinction was between Sethites and Cainites, it simply would not happen this way. In human society, intermarriage occurs both ways. Today, saved males sometimes marry unsaved females, and sometimes saved females marry unsaved males. If the other claim was true, it would mean that male Sethites married female Cainites, but male Cainites never married female Sethites, which is entirely unlikely. Intermarriage would thus be confined to godly men with ungodly women, but not godly women with ungodly men. But in Genesis 6 there is only a one-way intermarriage, the \u201csons of God\u201d intermarrying with the \u201cdaughters of men.\u201d
\nSecond, the context clearly speaks of a cohabitation that is unusual and unnatural and causes the worldwide Flood. Verses 1\u20134 deal with the angelic cause of the worldwide Flood, while verses 5\u20136 deal with the human cause. Cohabitation between Sethites and Cainites would not be unusual or unnatural, while cohabitation between angels and humans would be.
\nThose who do not like this teaching object to it by quoting Matthew 22:30, claiming that this verse clearly teaches that angels are sexless:<\/p>\n
22:30\u00a0\u201cFor in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.\u201d (NASB)<\/p>\n
What Jesus said is that human beings \u201cin the resurrection\u201d and \u201cin heaven\u201d do not \u201cmarry, nor are [they] given in marriage.\u201d The angels that Jesus was speaking of are \u201cangels in heaven.\u201d The comparison is not with angels in general, but with angels \u201cin heaven.\u201d The emphasis is that in heaven, good angels neither marry nor are given in marriage. Matthew 22:30 makes the same point about human beings. Humans in heaven do not marry, nor are they given in marriage. What about humans here on earth? Humans on earth certainly do marry and are given in marriage. This is a contrast between what happens in heaven as compared to what happens here on earth. Genesis 6, however, is speaking of angels on earth. So in heaven, angels do not marry, nor are they given in marriage, and humans in heaven will not marry nor be given in marriage. But Genesis 6 discusses things happening on earth. Angels are never declared to be sexless. In fact, the male gender is always used. Matthew 22:30 teaches that angels do not procreate after their kind, meaning that angels do not give birth to other angels. But angels are always described in the masculine gender, not in the feminine, nor in the neuter. They are always masculine gender in both the Old and New Testaments. Whenever angels became visible, they always appeared as young men. Anytime an angel appeared to a person he always appeared as a young man and never a woman (Genesis 18:1\u201319:22; Mark 16:5\u20137; Luke 24:4\u20137; Acts 1:10\u201311). Matthew 22:30 cannot be used as an argument against the angelic interpretation of Genesis 6:1\u20134, because it is dealing with a situation on earth, not in heaven; nor does Matthew 22:30 teach that angels are sexless.
\nAnother question is: Why did Satan have some of his fallen angels intermarry with human women? Why bother? The reason for this can be understood by investigating the greater context of Genesis. Three chapters earlier (Genesis 3:15), the first messianic prophecy is recorded. This prophecy declared that the Messiah would be the Seed of the Woman, and this Seed would crush the head of Satan. What is happening in Genesis 6:1\u20134 is a Satanic attempt to corrupt the Seed of the Woman by having some of his angels take on human form\u2014angels always appear as young males when they take on human form\u2014and intermarry with humankind to try to corrupt the seed. Therefore, the events of Genesis 6:1\u20134 were a Satanic attempt to cancel out the prophecy of Genesis 3:15.<\/p>\n
The Result of the Intermarriage\u2014Genesis 6:3<\/p>\n
The result of this intermarriage was the judgment of God:<\/p>\n
3\u00a0Then the LORD said, \u201cMy Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.\u201d (NASB)<\/p>\n
In verse 3 God pronounced the judgment: the Holy Spirit would not continue to strive with this kind of evil forever, and God decreed the destruction of humanity to be fulfilled 120 years later. The means of the destruction would be the Flood. The purpose of the Flood was to destroy the product of the union of angels and women, discussed in the next verse.<\/p>\n
The Product of the Intermarriage\u2014Genesis 6:4<\/p>\n
4\u00a0The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. (NASB)<\/p>\n
To get a clearer concept of what this verse is saying as a whole, individual parts need to be discussed first.
\nFirst is the name Nephilim. In some translations the word Nephilim has been translated by the word \u201cgiant.\u201d People reading it picture huge human beings. But the word does not mean \u201cgiants\u201d; rather, it means \u201cfallen ones.\u201d The word does not refer to giants in the sense of huge beings, but to a race of fallen ones. The reason it was translated as \u201cgiant\u201d is because in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament made around 250 B.C., the Jewish scholars translated verse 4 by the Greek word gigentes which means \u201cTitan.\u201d Our English word \u201cgiant\u201d comes from this Greek word gigentes. But what were the Titans in Greek mythology? They were part man and part god, because they were products of gods and men. When the Jewish scholars in 250 B.C. translated the word Nephilim to Greek, they used the Greek word for Titans because they recognized this to be a union not of two types of human beings, but of angels and humans which produced a being that was neither angelic nor human. So at least the Jewish scholars of 250 B.C., who lived much closer to the time when Moses originally wrote this passage, clearly understood this to be an intermarriage between angels and human women. As a result of this union, a new race of beings called the Nephilim, a race of fallen ones, came into being. They were gigentes, they were superhuman, but not in size. They had human characteristics but were, at the same time, superhuman. They had extra capacities, both mentally and physically, though they may not have been any larger than normal human beings. It is from the events of Genesis 6:1\u20134 that the source of Greek and Roman mythologies were derived. These mythologies record how gods from Mount Olympus intermarried with human beings on earth and produced children who had superhuman characteristics, who were greater than men but less than the gods. The book of Genesis gives the true history of what really happened, while Greek and Roman mythologies give the corrupted account. In Greek and Roman mythologies the human perspective is given, and what happened is elevated to something special and glorified, but God called it sin.
\nThe second word to note in this verse is giborim, which is translated as \u201cthe mighty men \u2026 the men of renown.\u201d Again, because this was a product of fallen angels and human women, they were unique. They were the giborim. Notice that there is no mention of mighty women, which would be strange if this were a product of a normal union. After all, a normal union produces both males and females. If this were a natural union, then the product should have been mighty men and mighty women. But there are only mighty men because this is a new race of beings that is neither human nor angelic. The only way to explain the origin of the giborim is that they were the product of this union, the point of verse 4.
\nOnly by the angelic explanation of chapter 6 do other areas of biblical teaching make sense. It provides the only adequate explanation for certain statements in II Peter and Jude which will be studied next. It is a peculiar sin, it is connected to the flood, and it is different from the original fall of the angels; otherwise, all fallen angels would be permanently confined.<\/p>\n
2 Peter 2:4\u20135<\/p>\n
2:4\u00a0For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; 5\u00a0and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; \u2026 (NASB)<\/p>\n
Verse 4 gives the location of the permanently confined demons. The temporarily confined demons are found in the Abyss, but the permanently confined demons are elsewhere. The Greek word translated in this passage as \u201chell\u201d is tartarus. Tartarus is a section of Sheol or Hades where the permanently confined demons are located. Both the Abyss and Tartarus are sections of Sheol or Hades. The Abyss is for demons that are temporarily confined, but Tartarus is for demons who are permanently confined. Tartarus is referred to as \u201cpits of darkness\u201d and these angels are reserved there unto the \u201cjudgment.\u201d This will be the Great White Throne Judgment, the final judgment. This means that at no time will these angels ever be released. When the time comes, they will go directly from Tartarus to stand before the Great White Throne Judgment and then be cast into the Lake of Fire. There will never be a time when they will be free to roam\u2014they are permanently confined.
\nVerse 5 reveals the timing of their confinement: it was in conjunction with the Flood. This agrees well with the events of Genesis 6:1\u20134 which are also connected with the Flood. The purpose of the Flood was to destroy this product of fallen angels and human women. So by comparing the II Peter passage with the Genesis passage, there is good evidence to show that Genesis is not speaking about Sethites intermarrying with Cainites, but fallen angels intermarrying with human women. This is a valid conclusion just from a study of the Old Testament passages themselves. However, the New Testament also supports this particular interpretation.<\/p>\n
Jude 6\u20137<\/p>\n
6\u00a0And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day. 7\u00a0Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example, in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. (NASB)<\/p>\n
Verse 6 emphasized the fall of a select group of angels and described their fall in four statements. First, \u201cthey kept not their own principality.\u201d The word \u201cprincipality\u201d is frequently used of the angelic realm and is one of the various ranks within the angelic realm. It means that they did not remain in their position and place of rank within the Satanic cosmos. Second, they \u201cleft their proper habitation.\u201d They left the demonic-angelic sphere of operation and entered into the human sphere by taking on the form of young men and intermarrying with human women. Third, they are now \u201ckept in everlasting bonds under darkness.\u201d Here Jude mentioned the same thing as Peter, that these angels are now permanently confined. Peter also revealed the place of their confinement: Tartarus. Fourth, they are to be kept there until \u201cthe judgment of that great day.\u201d Again, Jude reaffirms Peter\u2019s statement that they are being kept in bondage until the judgment of that great day. This is the Great White Throne Judgment. Once again, it is reaffirmed that these demons will never be free to roam around but are permanently confined in Tartarus. When the time comes, they will be taken out of Tartarus to stand before the Great White Throne Judgment, and then be cast into the Lake of Fire.
\nVerse 7 deals with the nature of their sin. The key phrase is \u201cin like manner.\u201d In like manner, as Sodom and Gomorrah, they went after \u201cstrange flesh.\u201d The sin that these angels committed is similar to the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, the sexual sin of going after strange flesh. \u201cStrange flesh\u201d means sexual union that is unnatural; it goes contrary to nature. In the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, the strange flesh was homosexuality; in the case of these angels, the strange flesh was female flesh. Instead of remaining in their usual state of residence, they invaded a new state of residence, one of alien flesh, to commit gross sexual immorality. Sodom and Gomorrah and these angels have one thing in common: they are guilty of sexual sins. In the case of Sodom and Gomorrah it was homosexuality; in the case of these angels, it was intermarrying into the human sphere.
\nBy comparing the Genesis passage with the passages in II Peter and Jude, it is clear that these are angels who intermarried with human women, and not simply Sethites who intermarried with Cainites.<\/p>\n
Appendix 2<\/p>\n
Rabbinic Views of Messiah and Isaiah 53<\/p>\n
The Paradox<\/p>\n
Anyone who sets himself to the task of seeking to know what the Old Testament has to say about the coming of the Messiah soon finds himself involved with a seeming paradox. At times one even seems to be faced with an outright contradiction, for the Jewish prophets gave a twofold picture of the Messiah who was to come.
\nOn the one hand, the inquirer will find numerous predictions regarding the Messiah which portray Him as One who is going to suffer humiliation, physical harm, and finally death in a violent manner. This death was stated by the Jewish prophets to be a substitutionary death for the sins of the Jewish people. On the other hand, he will find that the Jewish prophets also spoke of the Messiah coming as a conquering king who will destroy the enemies of Israel and set up the Messianic Kingdom of peace and prosperity.
\nThis is the twofold picture the Jewish prophets gave of the Messiah. For centuries past, during the formulation of the Talmud, our rabbis made serious studies of messianic prophecies. They came up with this conclusion: The prophets spoke of two different Messiahs.
\nThe Messiah who was to come, suffer and die was termed Messiah, the Son of Joseph, Mashiach ben Yoseph. The second Messiah, who would then come following the first, was termed Messiah, the Son of David, Mashiach ben David. This one would raise the first Messiah back to life, and establish the Messianic Kingdom of peace on earth. That the Old Testament presents these two lines of messianic prophecy was something all the early rabbis recognized. The Old Testament never clearly states that there will be two Messiahs. In fact, many of the paradoxical descriptions are found side by side in the same passages in which, it seems, that only one person is meant. But for the early rabbis the two\u2014Messiahs theory seemed to be the best answer.
\nFor centuries Orthodox Judaism held the concept of two Messiahs. Since the Talmudic period, however, in the history of the Jewish people, the Son of David alone was played up in the imaginations of Jewish hearts and minds. The other messianic figure, Messiah, the Son of Joseph, the suffering one, was ignored. He was there in Jewish theology when needed to explain the suffering Messiah passages contained in the Old Testament. His existence provided an escape clause when thorny questions were raised. Otherwise, this messianic figure was largely ignored. Today, few Jews have heard of Him or know of His existence in Jewish theology of days gone by. The One that Jews today know of is the One who is to conquer: Messiah, the Son of David.<\/p>\n
The Source of the Paradox<\/p>\n
One of the major sources from which the rabbis developed their concept of the suffering Messiah, the Son of Joseph, was Isaiah 53. The present-day bone of contention regarding what the Old Testament says about the Messiah centers on this chapter. The passage speaks of a servant, the Servant of Jehovah. This Servant undergoes a great deal of suffering, ending in death. The chapter goes on to state that this suffering is a vicarious suffering, that the death is a substitutionary death for sin; He is suffering and dying for the sins of others. The passage goes on to indicate that this Servant is resurrected. The bone of contention is not so much over what the passage says, but of whom it speaks.
\nThe question today concerns of whom Isaiah was speaking. Did he prophesy concerning the Messiah here? Rabbis say that this is the Christian interpretation of this passage and not the Jewish one. The Jewish interpretation, they would say, is that Isaiah is speaking about the people of Israel, the Jewish people suffering in the Gentile world. This is the Jewish interpretation, the rabbis would say\u2014and it does not speak of the Messiah at all.
\nBut to make the passage speak of the collective body of Israel seems almost to force an interpretation. Taken by itself, the passage seems to have only one individual in mind.<\/p>\n
Rabbinic Interpretations of Isaiah 53<\/p>\n
But is this conflict merely between the Jewish interpretation and the Christian one? The history of Judaism shows otherwise. The interpretation that Isaiah 53 is referring to the Jewish people is really a recent one. The original interpretation of Isaiah 53 by Jewish rabbis has been that it is speaking of an individual\u2014the Messiah Himself. In fact, the concept of Messiah, the Son of Joseph, comes from this passage. But for a clearer idea of what the old Jewish view of Isaiah 53 was, it would be good to turn to history.
\nAmong the earliest Targums are those of Jonathan ben Uzziel dating from the first century A.D. His Targums on this passage of Isaiah begin with these words: \u201cBehold my servant Messiah shall prosper \u2026\u201d1 The Targums of Jonathan ben Uzziel were heavily quoted by the early rabbis and he was certainly considered an authority on the Jewish view of Scripture. He definitely considered the Isaiah passage to speak of Messiah. Jonathan ben Uzziel could hardly be accused of adopting the Christian interpretation. That Jonathan ben Uzziel was not alone in this interpretation becomes clear from a quotation from Rabbi Don Yitzchak Abarbanel from about 1500. While he himself did not accept the view that the Isaiah passage referred to the Messiah, he makes a dramatic admission:<\/p>\n
The first question is to ascertain to whom (this Scripture) refers: for the learned among the Nazarenes expound it of the man who was crucified in Jerusalem at the end of the second Temple and who, according to them, was the Son of God and took flesh in the virgin\u2019s womb, as is stated in their writings. But Yonathan ben Uzziel interprets it in the Thargum of the future Messiah; and this is also the opinion of our own learned men in the majority of their Midrashim \u2026 (italics added).2<\/p>\n
In spite of Abarbanel\u2019s personal view regarding this passage, he freely admits that the majority of the rabbis of the Midrashim took the passage to speak of the Messiah. He thus points out that Jonathan ben Uzziel was not alone in his opinion, but rather this was the Jewish view of the period of the Targumim and the Midrashim.
\nThe Zohar, thought to have been written either by Simon bar Yochai in the second century or by a Spanish rabbi in the thirteenth century, makes certain statements which have obvious references to the Isaiah passage:<\/p>\n
There is in the garden of Eden a palace called the Palace of the sons of sickness: this palace the Messiah then enters, and summons every sickness, every pain, and every chastisement of Israel; they all come and rest upon him. And were it not that he had thus lightened them off Israel and taken them upon himself, there had been no man able to bear Israel\u2019s chastisements for transgression of the law: and this is that which is written, \u201cSurely our sicknesses he hath carried.\u201d3<\/p>\n
The Zohar in this quotation quotes from Isaiah 53:4 and referred the passage to the Messiah Himself. The passage further makes Israel distinct from the One referred to in the Isaiah passage. Furthermore, the Zohar recognizes the vicariousness and substitutional element in the passage\u2014the Messiah is taking upon Himself the suffering due to Israel for their sins.
\nMore evidence from within the same period is provided by the Babylonian Talmud: \u201cThe Messiah\u2014what is his name?\u2026 those of the house of Rabbi Yuda the Saint say, \u2018The sick one,\u2019 as it is said, \u2018Surely he hath borne our sicknesses\u2019\u00a0\u201d (Sanhedrin 98b).4
\nLike the Zohar, the Babylonian Talmud also took the Isaiah passage to refer to the Messiah. Verse 4 is specifically applied to the person of the Messiah Himself.
\nIn Midrash Thanhumi we find:<\/p>\n
Rabbi Nahman says, The word \u201cman\u201d in the passage \u2026 refers to the Messiah, the son of David, as it is written, \u201cBehold the man whose name is Zemah\u201d; where Yonathan interprets, Behold the man Messiah; and so it is said, \u201cA man of pains and known to sickness.\u201d5<\/p>\n
The Sepher Ha-Gilgalim sees Isaiah 52:13 as referring to \u201cKing Messiah\u201d and says of Him:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe shall be high and exalted etc.,\u201d or, as our Rabbis say, \u201cHe shall be higher than Abraham, exceedingly above Adam!\u201d6<\/p>\n
The Midrash Cohen, when dealing with Isaiah 53:5, puts the following words in the mouth of Elijah the prophet. Elijah says to Messiah:<\/p>\n
\u201cBear thou the sufferings and wounds wherewith the Almighty doth chastise thee for Israel\u2019s sin;\u201d and so it is written, \u2018He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities\u2019 until the time when the end should come.7<\/p>\n
Another Midrash on this same passage states: \u201cAll the sufferings are divided into three parts. One part goes to David and the Patriarchs, another to the generation of the rebellion [rebellious Israel] and the third to King Messiah.\u201d8
\nAnother volume that takes the Isaiah passage to refer to the Messiah is the Mahsor or the Prayer Book for the Day of Atonement. One of the many prayers found in this volume is called the Musaf Prayer. It was written by Rabbi Eliezer Kalir around the seventh century A.D. Part of the prayer reads as follows:<\/p>\n
Messiah our righteousness is departed from us: horror hath seized us, and we have none to justify us. He hath borne the yoke of our iniquities, and our transgression, and is wounded because of our transgression. He beareth our sins on his shoulder, that he may find pardon for our iniquities. We shall be healed by his wound, at the time that the Eternal will create him (the Messiah) as a new creature. O bring him up from the circle of the earth. Raise him up from Seir, to assemble us the second time on Mount Lebanon, by the hand of Yinnon.9<\/p>\n
The more this Yom Kippur prayer is studied, the more interesting it becomes. The prayer voices fear that the Messiah has departed from the people, which assumes that Messiah had already come to them and has left them. Furthermore, the Messiah who has departed has suffered vicariously for the people, the sins of the people having been placed on this Messiah. Now, after suffering, the Messiah has departed from them; this is the cause of their consternation. Now, the people pray for the Messiah to come back a second time. Much of this prayer is a direct quotation from the Isaiah passage. This shows, therefore, that even as late as the seventh century, the Jewish view was still that this passage had reference to the Messiah.
\nThat this view was still the dominant one among Jewry in the tenth century is seen from the commentary of Yepheth ben \u2019Ali:<\/p>\n
As to myself, I am inclined, with Benjamin of Nehawend, to regard it as alluding to the Messiah \u2026 He (the prophet) thus gives us to understand two things: In the first instance, that the Messiah will only reach his highest degree of honor after long and severe trials; and secondly, that these trials will be sent upon him as a kind of sign, so that, if he finds himself under the yoke of misfortunes while remaining pious in his actions, he may know that he is the designated one.\u2026 The expression \u201cmy servant\u201d is applied to the Messiah as it is applied to his ancestor in the verse, \u201cI have sworn to David my servant.\u201d10<\/p>\n
This rabbi, too, recognized the passage to be in reference to the Messiah. He makes the point in accordance with the passage that the Messiah will reach His high state of glory by means of suffering.
\nJews in the eleventh century also considered the passage to speak of the Messiah. The Bereshith Rabbah of Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan states that the Holy One gave Messiah the opportunity to save souls, but to be severely chastised. We then find these words:<\/p>\n
\u2026 and forthwith the Messiah accepted the chastisements of love, as it is written, \u201cHe was oppressed, and he was afflicted.\u201d \u2026 And when Israel is sinful, the Messiah seeks for mercy upon them, as it is written, \u201cBy his stripes we were healed,\u201d and, \u201cHe carried the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.\u201d11<\/p>\n
By quoting from Isaiah 53, verses 7, 5, and 12 respectively, the Bereshith Rabbah draws certain conclusions. One is that the Messiah will save many, but that this salvation of the many is accomplished by means of His suffering. Second, the Messiah\u2019s sufferings are viewed to be vicarious in nature, for He is seen as suffering for the sins of Israel.
\nAnother rabbi from the eleventh century, Rabbi Tobiyyah ben Eliezer, in his Lechah Tova has this to say about Isaiah 52:13: \u201cAnd let his kingdom be exalted,\u201d in the days of the Messiah, of whom it is said, \u201cBehold my servant shall prosper; he will be high and exalted, and lofty exceedingly.\u201d12
\nAmong the most famous rabbis of this period was Moses ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides or the Rambam. In his writings he, too, makes the Isaiah passage refer to the Messiah:<\/p>\n
What is to be the manner of Messiah\u2019s advent, \u2026 there shall rise up one of whom none have known before, and the signs and wonders which they shall see performed by him will be the proofs of his true origin.\u2026 And Isaiah speaks \u2026 of the time when he will appear, without his father or mother or family being known \u201cHe came up as a sucker before him, and as a root out of the dry earth, etc.\u201d But the unique phenomenon attending his manifestation is, that all the kings of the earth will be thrown into terror at the fame of him \u2026 that they will lay their hands upon their mouth; in the words of Isaiah, when describing the manner in which the kings will hearken to him, \u201cAt him kings will shut their mouth; for that which had not been told them have they seen, and that which they had not heard they have perceived.\u201d13<\/p>\n
The Rambam quotes from Isaiah 53:2 and 52:15 respectively, and refers these passages to the Messiah\u2019s person. This is his view regarding the entire passage.
\nAlso from the eleventh century, an ancient Jewish writing states concerning the Messiah:<\/p>\n
\u2026 and Messiah, the son of Ephraim, will die there, and Israel will mourn for him. And afterwards the Holy One will reveal to them Messiah, the son of David, whom Israel will desire to stone, saying, Thou speakest falsely; already is the Messiah slain \u2026 and so they will despise him, as it is written, \u201cDespised and forlorn of men \u2026\u201d14<\/p>\n
The writer presents the Two Messiahs view which was the common Jewish view of his day. One Messiah, the Son of Ephraim or Joseph, will die. After his death will come the Messiah, the Son of David whom, the rabbi says, Israel will reject. He quotes from Isaiah 53:3 to prove his point.
\nDuring this time, we have for the first time in the history of Jewish theology, the idea that this passage was not in reference to the Messiah but in reference to the people of Israel. It was first propounded by Rabbi Shlomo Yizchaki, better known as Rashi.15 But since he went contrary to the traditional Jewish view concerning this passage, there was an immediate reaction by other Jewish authorities.
\nOne rabbi who reacted against the new view propounded by Rashi was Rabbi Moshe Kohen Ibn Crispin of Cordova and Toledo in Spain at about 1350:<\/p>\n
\u2026 I am pleased to interpret it, in accordance with the teaching of our Rabbis, of the King Messiah, and will be careful, so far as I am able, to adhere to the literal sense: thus, possibly, I shall be free from the forced and far-fetched interpretations of which others have been guilty.
\n\u2026 This prophecy was delivered by Isaiah at the divine command for the purpose of making known to us something about the nature of the future Messiah, who is to come and deliver Israel, and his life for the day when he arrives at discretion until his advent as a redeemer, in order that if any one should arise claiming to be himself the Messiah, we may reflect, and look to see whether we can observe in him any resemblance to the traits described here: if there is any such resemblance, then we may believe that he is the Messiah our righteousness; but if not, we cannot do so.16<\/p>\n
The \u201cforced and far-fetched\u201d interpretation that Rabbi Crispin has reference to is the interpretation of Rashi; that this does not refer to the Messiah but to the people of Israel. This rabbi reacts against this interpretation and insists that this Isaiah passage refers to Messiah; that it was written for the purpose of helping identify the Messiah so that He can be recognized when He comes.
\nIn the sixteenth century we have the words of Rabbi Saadyah Ibn Danan of Grenada, c. 1500:<\/p>\n
One of these, Rabbi Joseph ben Kaspi, was led so far as to say that those who expounded it of the Messiah, who is shortly to be revealed, gave occasion to the heretics to interpret it of Jesus. May God, however, forgive him for not having spoken the truth! Our Rabbis, the doctors of the Thalmud, deliver their opinions by the power of prophecy, possessing a tradition concerning the principles of interpretation \u2026 alludes covertly to the King Messiah.17<\/p>\n
This Rabbi also reacts against the interpretation that the Isaiah passage refers to the people of Israel. He demands that Jewish interpreters return to the Talmudic interpretation that this refers to the Messiah. He also helps to shed some light as to the reason why many were switching over to the new view. It was during this period that many debates broke out between rabbis and Christians, and the latter used Isaiah 53 to show that Jesus was the Messiah. Because of the force of their arguments, as a defense rabbis began to refer the passage to Israel.
\nAlso from the second half of the sixteenth century are the writings of Rabbi Moshe Le Sheich, or Al Shech, who was a disciple of Joseph Caro, author of the Shulchan Aruch. He, too, demanded that all Jewish interpreters return to the more traditional interpretation when he wrote: \u201c\u2026 our Rabbis with one voice accept and affirm the opinion that the prophet is speaking of the King Messiah, and we shall ourselves also adhere to the same view \u2026\u201d18
\nThe writings of Rabbi Eliyyah de Vidas are from about the same time. He wrote the following c. 1575 concerning Isaiah 53:5:<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities,\u201d the meaning of which is that since the Messiah bears our iniquities which produce the effect of his being bruised, it follows that whoso will not admit that the Messiah thus suffers for our iniquities, must endure and suffer for them himself.19<\/p>\n
This rabbi, too, refers the passage to the Messiah and states that the Messiah will suffer vicariously, for He suffers for the sins of the people. The Rabbi goes on to say that those who refuse to believe and accept the vicarious suffering for sin which the Messiah bore are doomed, according to the passage, to suffer for their own sins.
\nEven in the seventeenth century there was still reaction against Rashi\u2019s interpretation of the Isaiah passage, as the writing of Rabbi Naphtali ben Asher Altschuler (c. 1650) shows: \u201cI will now proceed to explain these verses of our own Messiah, who, God willing, will come speedily in our days! I am surprised that Rashi and Rabbi David Kimchi have not, with the Targum, applied them to the Messiah likewise.\u201d20
\nBy the nineteenth century, the new view propounded by Rashi and followed by Rabbi David Kimchi had pretty well won over the older view of the rabbis. But the victory was not total, for there was still a reaction against it. Herz Homburg, in his Korem, written in 1818, wrote: \u201cThe fact is, that it refers to the King Messiah, who will come in the latter days, when it will be the Lord\u2019s good pleasure to redeem Israel from among the different nations of the earth.\u201d21
\nTo interpret Isaiah 53 as speaking of Messiah is not non-Jewish. In fact, if we are to speak of the traditional Jewish interpretation, it would be that the passage speaks of the Messiah. The first one to expound the view that this referred to Israel rather than the Messiah was Shlomo Yizchaki, better known as Rashi (c. 1040\u20131105). He was followed by David Kimchi (1160\u20131235). But this was to go contrary to all rabbinic teaching of that day and of the preceding one thousand years. Today, Rashi\u2019s view has become dominant in Jewish and rabbinic theology. But that is not the Jewish view. Nor is it the traditional Jewish view. Those closer to the time of the original writings, and who had less contact with the Christian apologists, interpreted it as speaking of the Messiah.<\/p>\n
Appendix 3<\/p>\n
Why Did Messiah Have to Die?<\/p>\n
Since the whole concept of a dying Messiah is so foreign to modern Judaism, although it was once part of Judaism, there is a question that must be answered: Why did the Messiah have to die? In the course of answering this question, a second one arises: What is the means of redemption?
\nIf there is one theme that seems to go throughout the entire Scriptures, it is the theme of redemption by blood.<\/p>\n
According to the Old Testament<\/p>\n
Redemption became necessary when sin entered the human sphere and separated man from God. When Adam and Eve committed that first act of disobedience, sin entered and separated them from God. From that point on, the means of bridging the separation of man from God was the means of blood. This bridging of the gap is called redemption. In the history of God\u2019s dealing with His people, the means of redemption was always by blood.
\nThe redemptive element of blood begins to come into the theme of Scripture at the same time that sin does, for until sin came, no blood was necessary. We read that just as soon as man is expelled from the Garden of Eden: \u201cJehovah God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skins, and clothed them\u201d (Genesis 3:21).
\nThe skins were animal skins. The nakedness, that the element of sin now revealed, needed to be covered. But the covering required the death of several animals and so, for the first time in history, blood was shed. This provides the root meaning of the Hebrew word for atonement, which is \u201ca covering.\u201d
\nThe necessity of blood was a lesson soon learned by the sons of the first human couple. The time came for both Abel and Cain to bring their sacrifices before God. Cain offered for sacrifice the fruit of his labors in the field. The offering was vegetable, and it was bloodless. Abel brought a blood offering taken from his flock. When God passed judgment on the two types of offerings, that of Cain was rejected and that of Abel was accepted. So a lesson was taught: One cannot approach God by whatever means one chooses. It is man who sinned and offended the holy God; it is God who must do the forgiving. Therefore, it is not for man to choose the means of forgiveness but for God, and God has chosen the means to be blood. Cain had chosen to approach God in his own way, but he was rejected. Abel chose the way God demanded, and was accepted.
\nAs biblical history develops in the Book of Genesis, we find that all those with whom God was pleased came to Him by means of blood. Noah immediately offered up blood sacrifices when he left the ark. He was followed by other great men in Jewish history\u2014Abraham, Isaac, Jacob\u2014all of whom were careful to approach God by means of blood.
\nWhen Moses received the Law at Mount Sinai, the redemptive element of blood ran through the entire Law with its 613 commandments. A great summary statement for the entire Law was to be found in the third book of Moses, Leviticus 17:11:<\/p>\n
17:11\u00a0For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life. (ASV)<\/p>\n
It can easily be said that all of the Law revolves around this one statement. There are commandments which God gave in the Law that were to be obeyed. Disobedience was sin. If disobedience did take place, the means of atonement for the sin was blood. The Book of Leviticus opens by giving great detail to the different types of blood sacrifices. All these different sacrifices had the same purpose: that the Jew might be rightly related to God. All seven feasts of Israel\u2014Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles\u2014required the shedding of blood. The Yom Kippur ceremony was greatly detailed in Leviticus 16, where careful instructions were given for the shedding of blood to atone for the sins of the Jewish nation. The tabernacle and the Temple both were built to expedite and to make efficient the required shedding of blood for the atonement of the people\u2019s sins. The Holy of Holies, which contained the Shechinah Glory, the visible manifestation of the presence of God, could only be entered once a year, by only one man, the high priest. In order for him to enter, he had to have the blood of the Yom Kippur sacrifice with him, and this blood had to be sprinkled on the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the Tablets of the Law itself:<\/p>\n
15\u00a0Then shall he kill the goat of the sin\u2014offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy\u2014seat, and before the mercy\u2014seat: 16\u00a0and he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleannesses of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins: and so shall he do for the tent of meeting, that dwelleth with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. 17\u00a0And there shall be no man in the tent of meeting when he goeth in to make atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel.<\/p>\n
Leviticus 16:15\u201317 (ASV)<\/p>\n
The principle stood throughout the remainder of Old Testament history, but it was a burden to the individual. These blood sacrifices had to be repeated year in, and year out, and they had to be done in the Temple at Jerusalem. For the Jews living elsewhere in the country, miles from Jerusalem, it was a burden to come regularly\u2014a minimum of three times a year\u2014to offer their sacrifices to the Lord for the atonement of their sins. Only the faithful few, those whom the prophets referred to as the Remnant, loved God and His Law enough to do so in spite of the burden it created. Others built their own altars on mountains and hills closer to home and offered their sacrifices there. But no atonement was granted at these rival altars, and the prophets of God railed against and condemned this deviation from the Law of God. Many had failed to learn the lesson of Cain\u2014that one cannot come to God for forgiveness in any way one may choose, but one must come in the way God Himself has chosen.
\nIt was Isaiah the Prophet who first provided the hope that the day would come when the burden will be lifted. In Isaiah 53, God declared that the Suffering Servant, the Messiah, would be the sacrifice for sin:<\/p>\n
53:10\u00a0Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. 11\u00a0He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities.<\/p>\n
Isaiah 53:10\u201311 (ASV)<\/p>\n
The point of Isaiah 53 is basically this: The animal sacrifices under the Mosaic Law were intended to be of temporary duration, a temporary measure only. God\u2019s intent was for there to be one final blood sacrifice, and that would be the sacrifice of the Messiah Himself. That is why Isaiah 53 uses the same type of wording, figures and emphasis found in the Book of Leviticus. For example, the expression, \u201cthou shall make his soul an offering for sin,\u201d is a sacrificial concept. These are words that come out of the Mosaic Law itself. Also, \u201cby the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities.\u201d Not only are these words of sacrifice used generally in the Old Testament Law, but, more specifically, we read of these very terms in Leviticus 16, which is the chapter that expounds and explains all of the details regarding the Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement sacrifice.
\nThis, then, was the reason Messiah had to die: to provide the blood sacrifice for sin once and for all. No longer would the Jews be burdened with the yearly sacrifices. All a person would need to do is to accept the Messiah\u2019s death on his behalf and his sins would be forgiven. Messiah had to die to provide that atonement, for blood was the means of redemption.
\nAnother key issue is found in these two verses from Isaiah 53. There is a statement here that is somewhat confusing. It reads: \u201cby the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many.\u201d A more literal translation from, the Hebrew text would read like this: \u201cby the knowledge of him shall my righteous justify many.\u201d The word for \u201cknowledge\u201d is a Hebrew word that emphasizes experiential knowledge, not mere head knowledge (a knowledge of the heart, a knowledge of faith). Those who have a faith knowledge of this Servant (by the knowledge of Him, not by the knowledge of Himself), that He died for our sins, He, as a result, will justify. Justification means to be declared righteous. We cannot be declared righteous unless our sins have been atoned for. Our sins can only be atoned for by the shedding of blood; the Messiah\u2019s blood would be the final blood that would be sacrificed.<\/p>\n
According to the New Testament<\/p>\n
The Book of Hebrews in the New Testament is the counterpart of the Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament. To understand Hebrews, one must first understand Leviticus. Just as Leviticus had a central verse in 17:11 around which the entire book and the Law revolved, the Book of Hebrews also makes the very same point in its central verse, 9:22:<\/p>\n
9:22\u00a0And according to the law, I may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission. (ASV)<\/p>\n
In Leviticus 17:11 the principle was that it was the blood that made \u201catonement for the soul.\u201d In the New Testament, using different words but giving the same message, it says, \u201capart from the shedding of blood there is no remission.\u201d \u201cAll things are cleansed with blood.\u201d
\nThe Book of Hebrews was written by a Messianic Jew to a group of Jewish Messianic assemblies in Israel. It picks up the theme of Leviticus and the prophecy of Isaiah to show the superiority of the sacrifice of the Messiah. A number of passages bring these things out. Notice carefully how the author definitely has two things at the back of his mind:<\/p>\n
1. The Book of Leviticus with animal sacrifices.
\n2. Isaiah 53 with the Messiah being the final sacrifice.<\/p>\n
In Hebrews 2:16\u201318 we read as follows:<\/p>\n
2:16\u00a0For verily not to angels doth he give help, but he giveth help to the seed of Abraham. 17\u00a0Wherefore it behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18\u00a0For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted. (ASV)<\/p>\n
This passage makes the point that Messiah came as a Jew and underwent all the problems that a Jew had to go through in order that He might become a merciful and sympathetic high priest. The reason Messiah came as a Jew was so that He, too, would live under the Law and take upon Himself the burden of the Law. He could clearly sympathize with the Jewish state under the Law.
\nAnother central passage is Hebrews 4:14\u201315:<\/p>\n
4:14\u00a0Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15\u00a0For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (ASV)<\/p>\n
This passage develops further the very same point that Jesus is the sympathetic high priest, for He understands what an individual person has to undergo because He Himself underwent all these things.
\nAnother passage is Hebrews 7:22\u201325:<\/p>\n
7:22\u00a0By so much also hath Jesus become the surety of a better covenant. 23\u00a0And they indeed have been made priests many in number, because that by death they are hindered from continuing: 24\u00a0but he, because he abideth for ever, hath his priesthood unchangeable. 25\u00a0Wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (ASV)<\/p>\n
The superiority of the priesthood of Christ is pointed out by the fact of the mortality of all other priests. One high priest would serve, but sooner or later he would die; a new priest would need to be chosen to begin the cycle all over again. The life-and-death cycle proved to be a disadvantage to the old priesthood. The superiority of the priesthood of Christ is shown in that it abides eternally. For Jesus was resurrected, and by virtue of that resurrection, Jesus remains a high priest forever.
\nAnother shortcoming of the Levitical system of priesthood is found in Hebrews 7:26\u201327:<\/p>\n
7:26\u00a0For such a high priest became us, holy, guileless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27\u00a0who needeth not daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people: for this he did once for all, when he offered up himself. (ASV)<\/p>\n
This passage indicates that the sacrifices had to be repeated day in, and day out, year in, and year out. The Messiah was to be the \u201conce for all\u201d sacrifice for sin. This is what happened when Jesus came and offered up His own blood as the atonement for sin. Also, in the old order of priesthood, the high priest had to sacrifice and shed blood for his own sins first before he could sacrifice and shed blood to make atonement for the sins of the people. Since Jesus was sinless, He did not need to first atone for His own sins, but with His own blood made atonement for all who would accept it. He made atonement for the whole world, of course, but the atonement is only applied to those who would believe.
\nThe first disadvantage in the Levitical priesthood system was that the priests would eventually die. The second disadvantage of the old system is that sacrifices had to be repeated year in and year out. The third disadvantage is that the earthly priest had to atone for his own sins before he could atone for the sins of anyone else.
\nIn dealing with the priesthood we have through Jesus the Messiah, all three of the above disadvantages are rectified. Since Jesus by virtue of His resurrection now lives forever, we never have an interrupted priesthood. Second, since this is Messiah\u2019s blood\u2014innocent blood\u2014this was a one-time shedding. Never again will Jesus have to shed His blood. So another clear advantage over the Mosaic Law is that the sacrifice of the Messiah does not need to be repeated\u2014it was \u201conce and for all.\u201d The third advantage lies in the fact that whereas in the Old Testament system the earthly priest had to atone for his own sins, this was not the case with our Messiah\u2014since our Messiah is a sinless Messiah. There is no need to have Jesus first offer up a sacrifice for His own sins and then offer up a sacrifice for the sins of the others. In other words, our High Priest is a sinless priest, whereas the Levitical priesthood was a sinful priesthood.
\nThe concept of the question of why the Messiah had to die in the Book of Hebrews is kept in strict conformity with what was demanded by the Book of Leviticus and by the hope of Isaiah 53. That which the Old Testament hoped for was found in the New Testament in total fulfillment by the death of the Messiah.
\nThe superiority of Christ over all other sacrifices is pointed out in Hebrews 9:11\u201315:<\/p>\n
9:11\u00a0But Christ having come a high priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, 12\u00a0nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. 13\u00a0For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh: 14\u00a0how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15\u00a0And for this cause he is the mediator of a new covenant, that a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, they that have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. (ASV)<\/p>\n
Unlike the animal sacrifices, the sacrifice of Jesus was to bring eternal redemption rather than temporary atonement. This is the fourth distinction between the two systems. Furthermore, even after the animal sacrifice, the Jew was still conscious of his sins. Faith in the sacrifice of Jesus, however, brings a complete cleansing of the conscience of sins. This is the fifth contrast.
\nAnother passage is found in Hebrews 9:28:<\/p>\n
9:28\u00a0So Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation. (ASV)<\/p>\n
Here the twofold aspect of Messiah\u2019s career is pointed out. Jesus first came to be the sin offering for the people, just as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 needed to be. Also, just as the Suffering Servant was the One who bore the sins of many, Jesus did so through His death. Now, the verse states that Jesus will come \u201ca second time\u201d for a different purpose. The purpose of the First Coming was to die for sin. The purpose of the Second Coming will be to establish the Messianic Kingdom.
\nOnce again, a contrast is drawn between the animal sacrifices and the blood sacrifice of Jesus in Hebrews 10:1\u20134:<\/p>\n
10:1\u00a0For the law having a shadow of the good things to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect them that draw nigh. 2\u00a0Else would they not have ceased to be offered? Because the worshippers, having been once cleansed, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3\u00a0But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins year by year. 4\u00a0For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. (ASV)<\/p>\n
The animal sacrifices had to be repeated year in and year out. While these sacrifices provided temporary atonement, they never provided permanent forgiveness of sins. Rather, the yearly sacrifices served to remind the Jewish person of his sins; he knew he would have to bring another sacrifice the next year as well. The consciousness of sin was still there. But the sacrifice of Jesus was once and for all and never needed to be repeated. Acceptance of the sacrifice of Jesus does not bring temporary atonement but permanent forgiveness. By accepting the substitutionary death of Jesus for his sins, one is not continually reminded of those sins, but one receives a complete cleansing. That is why the sacrifice of Jesus is so superior to the animal sacrifices of the old system.
\nThe last passage is found in Hebrews 10:10\u201314:<\/p>\n
10:10\u00a0By which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11\u00a0And every priest indeed standeth day by day ministering and offering often times the same sacrifices, for which can never take away sins: 12\u00a0but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13\u00a0henceforth electing till his enemies be made the footstool of his feet. 14\u00a0For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (ASV)<\/p>\n
This passage again points out how the high priest had to sacrifice day in and day out, and his work was never done. The high priest is viewed as standing to indicate this unfinished ministry. But Jesus, who offered Himself as a sacrifice \u201conce and for all,\u201d is viewed as sitting at \u201cthe right hand of God,\u201d thus showing that His work is complete. Furthermore, the animal sacrifices provided a yearly atonement but never permanently took away sins. But those who accept the sacrifice of Jesus are perfected forever; their sins are permanently removed.
\nAs to the question, \u201cWhy did the Messiah have to die?\u201d according to the New Testament, the reason is twofold:<\/p>\n
1. To fulfill all Old Testament prophecies and requirements.
\n2. To bring in a permanent atonement rather than a temporary one.<\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/p>\n
The conclusion of both the Old and New Testaments is that the means of redemption was by blood, and the permanent blood sacrifice was to be the Messiah Himself. That is why the Messiah had to die according to the Old Testament. That is why Jesus did die according to the New Testament. Who killed Jesus was never the issue as far as the New Testament was concerned, for the Messiah had to die. It only became an issue years later because of anti-Semites seeking excuses to persecute the Jews. The only issue in the New Testament itself is whether one will accept the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus for himself or not.<\/p>\n
Appendix 4<\/p>\n
Christ\u2019s Right to David\u2019s Throne<\/p>\n
The question is often raised that since Jesus was not the real son of Joseph but only the son of Mary, what right does He have to sit on David\u2019s Throne? Related to the whole issue are the two genealogies found in Matthew 1:1\u201317 and Luke 3:23\u201338. If Jesus was only the son of Mary and not Joseph, why was it necessary to give Joseph\u2019s genealogy? How do we know that Luke\u2019s genealogy is that of Mary\u2019s since she is not named in that genealogy, but Joseph is? These are questions that need to be answered satisfactorily in order to provide a basis for the understanding of why Jesus could claim the Throne of David.
\nAs an introductory statement to the entire theme of this question, we might state that the purpose of Joseph\u2019s genealogy in Matthew is to show that, if Jesus really was the son of Joseph, He could not be king. The purpose of the genealogy of Mary in Luke shows why He could claim the Throne of David.
\nOf the four Gospels only two give a genealogy, the same two that deal with the birth and early life of Jesus. Mark and John do not deal with the birth of Jesus or His early life, but Matthew and Luke do, so it is natural that only these two would bother giving us a genealogy. While both Matthew and Luke give us the story of the birth of Jesus, they tell the story from two different perspectives. Matthew tells the story from Joseph\u2019s perspective, while Luke tells the story from Mary\u2019s perspective. In Matthew, Joseph plays the active role, while Mary plays the passive role. We are told what Joseph is thinking and what is going on in his mind. We are told nothing of what Mary is thinking. We read of how angels appeared to Joseph, but there is no record of angels appearing to Mary. On the other hand, when we go to Luke\u2019s Gospel we see this same story told from Mary\u2019s perspective. In the Gospel of Luke, it is Mary who plays the active role, while Joseph plays the passive role. We find the angels appearing to Mary, but no angels appearing to Joseph. We are told several times what goes on in the mind of Mary, but we are never told anything about what Joseph is thinking. From these two contexts alone, it should be very evident that the genealogy of Matthew is that of Joseph, since he writes from Joseph\u2019s perspective; whereas the genealogy of Luke is that of Mary, since he writes from Mary\u2019s perspective.
\nThe question still arises, why do we need these two genealogies, especially since Jesus was not the real son of Joseph? A very popular and common answer is this: In Matthew\u2019s Gospel we have the royal line; whereas in Luke\u2019s Gospel we have the real line. From that statement another one is developed. Some teachers say that Joseph, according to Matthew 1, was the heir apparent to David\u2019s Throne. Since Jesus was the adopted son of Joseph, He could have claimed the right to sit on David\u2019s Throne because of His adoption by Joseph. On the other hand, in Luke\u2019s Gospel we are given the real line, so that we could know that Jesus Himself was a descendant of David. Through Mary He was a member of the House of David, but He claims the right to sit on David\u2019s Throne through Joseph since he was the heir apparent. We will try to show in this study that, actually, the exact opposite is true.<\/p>\n
Christ\u2019s Genealogy According to Matthew<\/p>\n
1:1\u00a0The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.<\/p>\n
2\u00a0To Abraham was born Isaac; and to Isaac, Jacob; and to Jacob, Judah and his brothers; 3\u00a0and to Judah were born Perez and Zerah by Tamar; and to Perez was born Hezron; and to Hezron, Ram; 4\u00a0and to Ram was born Amminadab; and to Amminadab, Nahshon; and to Nahshon, Salmon; 5\u00a0and to Salmon was born Boaz by Rahab; and to Boaz was born Obed by Ruth; and to Obed, Jesse; 6\u00a0and to Jesse was born David the king.<\/p>\n
And to David was born Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah; 7\u00a0and to Solomon was born Rehoboam; and to Rehoboam, Abijah; and to Abijah, Asa; 8\u00a0and to Asa was born Jehoshaphat; and to Jehoshaphat, Joram; and to Joram, Uzziah; 9\u00a0and to Uzziah was born Jotham; and to Jotham, Ahaz; and to Ahaz, Hezekiah; 10\u00a0and to Hezekiah was born Manasseh; and to Manasseh, Amon; and to Amon, Josiah; 11\u00a0and to Josiah were born Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.<\/p>\n
12\u00a0And after the deportation to Babylon, to Jeconiah was born Shealtiel; and to Shealtiel, Zerubbabel; 13\u00a0and to Zerubbabel was born Abihud; and to Abihud, Eliakim; and to Eliakim, Azor; 14\u00a0and to Azor was born Zadok; and to Zadok, Achim; and to Achim, Eliud; 15\u00a0and to Eliud was born Eleazar; and to Eleazar, Matthan; and to Matthan, Jacob; 16\u00a0and to Jacob was born Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.<\/p>\n
17\u00a0Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the time of Christ fourteen generations.<\/p>\n
Matthew 1:1\u201317 (NASB)<\/p>\n
Matthew breaks with Jewish tradition in two ways, in that he skips names and mentions the names of women. Matthew mentions four different women in his genealogy: Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Tamar. Why does he mention these four when there are so many other prominent Jewish women he could have mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus? One thing all four women had in common was that they were all Gentile. What Matthew was doing by naming these four women and no others was to point out that one of the purposes of the coming of Jesus was to save the lost sheep of the House of Israel, but Gentiles also benefit from His coming. Three of these women were guilty of specific sexual sins: one was guilty of adultery, one was guilty of prostitution, and one was guilty of incest. Ruth herself was not guilty of any sexual sin, but she did originate from one. Being a Moabitess means she originated from an incestuous relationship between Lot and one of his daughters (Genesis 19:36\u201337). Again, Matthew begins hinting at a point he makes quite clear later, which is that the purpose of the coming of the Messiah was to save sinners. Luke, however, will follow strict Jewish law, procedure, and custom in that he will skip no names nor mention any women\u2019s names.
\nWith this background, why do we have Matthew\u2019s genealogy of Joseph anyway? Everyone agrees that Joseph was not the real father of Jesus. After the division of the kingdom at the death of Solomon, there were two basic requirements for kingship: one was applicable to the Throne of Judah in Jerusalem, while the other was applicable to the Throne of Israel in Samaria. The requirement for the Throne of Judah was that of Davidic descent. No one was allowed to sit on David\u2019s Throne unless he was a member of the House of David. For that reason, any conspiracy to do away with the House of David was doomed to failure (Isaiah 7\u20138). But the requirement to sit upon the Throne of Israel was one of prophetic sanction or divine appointment. No one was able to sit on Samaria\u2019s Throne unless he had divine appointment through prophetic sanction. Anyone who attempted to rule without prophetic sanction was assassinated (1 Kings 11:26\u201339, 15:28\u201330, 16:1\u20134, 11\u201315, 21:21\u201329; 2 Kings 9:6\u201310, 10:29\u201331, 15:8\u201312).
\nWith the background of these two Old Testament requirements for kingship and what is stated in the two genealogies, the question of Christ\u2019s right to the Throne of David can be resolved.
\nMatthew\u2019s genealogy traces the line of Joseph, the step-father of Jesus. The line is traced from Abraham (verse 2) and continues down to where we come to David and Solomon (verse 6) and then to King Jeconiah (verse 11), one of the last kings before the Babylonian Captivity. It is the person of Jeconiah, also called Coniah, or Jehoiachin, that is significant in dealing with the genealogy of Matthew because of the special curse pronounced on this person in Jeremiah 22:24\u201330:<\/p>\n
22:24\u00a0\u201cAs I live,\u201d declares the LORD, \u201ceven though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull you off; 25\u00a0and I shall give you over into the hand of those who are seeking your life, yes, into the hand of those whom you dread, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26\u00a0\u201cI shall hurl you and your mother who bore you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. 27\u00a0\u201cBut as for the land to which they desire to return, they will not return to it. 28\u00a0\u201cIs this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar? Or is he an undesirable vessel? Why have he and his descendants been hurled out And cast into a land that they had not known? 29\u00a0\u201cO land, land, land, Hear the word of the LORD! 30\u00a0\u201cThus says the LORD, \u2018Write this man down childless, A man who will not prosper in his days; For no man of his descendants will prosper Sitting on the throne of David Or ruling again in Judah.\u201d\u00a0\u2019<\/p>\n
(NASB)<\/p>\n
Because of the kind of man Jeconiah was, God, through the Prophet Jeremiah, pronounced a curse upon him. The content of this curse was that no descendant of Jeconiah would have any rights to the Throne of David.
\nIn the Matthew genealogy, it should be noted that Joseph was a direct descendant of Jeconiah (verse 16). This means then that Joseph, having the blood of Jeconiah in his veins, was not qualified to sit on David\u2019s Throne. This would also mean that no son of Joseph would have the right to claim the Throne of David. So then, if Jesus was really the son of Joseph, this would have disqualified Him from sitting upon David\u2019s Throne.
\nThe point of Matthew\u2019s genealogy then is to show why Jesus could not be king if He was really Joseph\u2019s son. For this reason, Matthew starts out with the genealogy and then proceeds with the account of the virgin birth, which from Matthew\u2019s viewpoint resolves the Jeconiah problem. So, in essence, Matthew\u2019s point is this: If Jesus was really Joseph\u2019s son, He could not claim to sit on David\u2019s Throne because of the Jeconiah curse. Then Matthew proceeds to show that Jesus was not truly Joseph\u2019s son, for He was born of the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18\u201325).<\/p>\n
Christ\u2019s Genealogy According to Luke<\/p>\n
3:23\u00a0And when He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being supposedly the son of Joseph, the son of Eli, 24\u00a0the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25\u00a0the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, 26\u00a0the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27\u00a0the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28\u00a0the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29\u00a0the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30\u00a0the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31\u00a0the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32\u00a0the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33\u00a0the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34\u00a0the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35\u00a0the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, 36\u00a0the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37\u00a0the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38\u00a0the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.<\/p>\n
Luke 3:23\u201338 (NASB)<\/p>\n
If, by Jewish law, you could not mention the name of a woman but you wished to trace a woman\u2019s line, how would you go about doing so? The answer is that you would use the name of her husband. That raises a second question. If you were to use the husband\u2019s name, suppose somebody picked up a genealogy to read, how would he know whether the genealogy is that of the husband or that of the wife since in either case it would be the husband\u2019s name that would be used? The answer to that riddle lies in a problem with the English language that does not exist with the Greek language. In English, it is not good grammar to put the word the before a proper name. We do not use a definite article \u201cthe\u201d before a proper name\u2014the Matthew, the Luke, the Mary, the John, etc. However, it is quite permissible in Greek grammar. In the Greek text of Luke\u2019s genealogy, every single name mentioned has the Greek definite article the, with one exception, and that is the name of Joseph. Joseph\u2019s name does not have the definite article the in front of it, while all the other names do. What that would mean to someone reading the original is this: When he saw the definite article missing from Joseph\u2019s name, while it was present in all the other names, it would then mean that this was not really Joseph\u2019s genealogy but rather it is Mary\u2019s genealogy.1 But in keeping with Jewish law, it was the husband\u2019s name that was used. We have two examples of this in the Old Testament: Ezra 2:61 and Nehemiah 7:63.
\nLuke\u2019s genealogy traces the line of Mary and portrays how Jesus could claim the Throne of David. Luke begins his genealogy in the reverse order of Matthew, going back from the present into the past. As the line is traced, it returns to the family of David (verses 31\u201332). However, the son of David involved in this genealogy is not Solomon, but Nathan. The important point here is that Mary was a member of the House of David, totally apart from Jeconiah. Since Jesus was Mary\u2019s son, He too was a member of the House of David, totally apart from the curse of Jeconiah.
\nOne Old Testament requirement for kingship was that of being a member of the House of David. In the days of Jeremiah there was that added requirement that one had to be a member of the House of David apart from Jeconiah. Zedekiah, who reigned after Jeconiah, was not the son of Jeconiah. In the case of Jesus, through Mary, He was a member of the House of David, totally apart from Jeconiah. In this manner He fulfilled the first requirement of the Old Testament kingship.
\nHowever, Jesus was not the only member of the House of David apart from Jeconiah. There were a number of other descendants who could claim equality with Jesus to the Throne of David, for they, too, did not have Jeconiah\u2019s blood in their veins. At this point it is important to note the second Old Testament requirement for kingship: divine appointment. Of all the members of the House of David apart from Jeconiah, only one received divine appointment. We read in Luke 1:30\u201333:<\/p>\n
1:30\u00a0And the angel said to her, \u201cDo not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31\u00a0\u201cAnd behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32\u00a0\u201cHe will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33\u00a0and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end.\u201d (NASB)<\/p>\n
On what grounds could Jesus claim the Throne of David? First, He was a member of the house of David, apart from Jechoniah; and second, He alone received divine appointment to that throne.
\nWhile Matthew\u2019s genealogy showed why Jesus could not be king if He really was Joseph\u2019s son, Luke\u2019s genealogy shows why Jesus could be king. Luke, in contrast to Matthew, does begin with the account of the virgin birth. Only later does he record the genealogy for he does not need, like Matthew, to get around the Jeconiah problem.
\nThe final question is: On what further grounds can it be said that Luke\u2019s account is actually Mary\u2019s genealogy? While there is much evidence to support this, it will be necessary to limit it to only two lines of argument.
\nFirst, the Talmud itself refers to Mary, using her Jewish name of Miriam, as the daughter of Heli.2 It is obvious, then, that in longstanding Jewish tradition Mary was recognized to be the daughter of Heli.
\nSecond, most versions translate Luke 3:23 as follows:<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
That same Greek phrase could easily be translated in a different way, however. While all the names in Luke\u2019s genealogy are preceded with the Greek definite article, the name of Joseph is not. Because of this grammatical point that same verse could be translated as follows:<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing the son (as was supposed of Joseph), the son of Heli \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
In other words, the final parenthesis could be expanded so that the verse reads that although Jesus was \u201csupposed\u201d or assumed to be the descendant of Joseph, He was really the descendant of Heli. The absence of Mary\u2019s name is quite in keeping with the Jewish practices on genealogies, and it was not unusual for a son-in-law to be listed in his wife\u2019s genealogy.<\/p>\n
Appendix 5<\/p>\n
The Starting Point of the Seventy Sevens<\/p>\n
Daniel 9 gives the clearest possible prophecy of exactly when Messiah would appear:<\/p>\n
9:24\u00a0\u201cSeventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city \u2026 25\u00a0\u201cSo you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince \u2026<\/p>\n
Daniel 9:24\u201325 (NASB)<\/p>\n
The starting point of the Seventy Sevens is given in the phrase, \u201cknow and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.\u201d Verse 24 stated that the Seventy Sevens concern not only the Jewish people but the Jewish city of Jerusalem. Now, in verse 25, it is learned that the Seventy Sevens will begin with a decree and this decree involves the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
\nThe question is, which decree is it speaking about? There are four options usually given. First is the decree of Cyrus, which was passed in 538\u2013537 B.C. It is a decree found in 2 Chronicles 36:22\u201323; Ezra 1:1\u20134 and 6:1\u20135. Insofar as these three passages speak of it, it concerns the rebuilding of the Temple, but does not actually mention the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. The second possibility is the decree of Darius Hystaspus passed in 521 B.C. and spoken of in Ezra 6:6\u201312. This one is a reaffirmation of the Cyrus decree and concerns the Temple rebuilding. The third possibility is the decree of Artaxerxes to Ezra given in 458 B.C. and mentioned in Ezra 7:11\u201326. In this decree there is permission given to proceed with the Temple service and concerns only the Temple service. The fourth possibility is the decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah that was passed in 444\u2013443 B.C., spoken of in Nehemiah 2:1\u20138. In its context it is speaking about the rebuilding of the walls.
\nOf these four possibilities, only two are really valid options: the first and the fourth, though all of them in some way or another did contribute to the building of Jerusalem. The first is the decree of Cyrus; the fourth is the decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah. Most evangelical scholars today believe that the decree Daniel is speaking of is the decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah. This was first popularized by Sir Robert Anderson in his book The Coming Prince. He carefully figured out beginning with the decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah by counting off the number of years through a formula and terminating the 483 years to the coming of the Messiah with the Triumphal Entry in the year 32 A.D. According to Sir Robert Anderson, this period began on March 14, 445 B.C. until April 6, 32 A.D. However, Sir Robert Anderson did make a few miscalculations. In light of the time of the Passover occurrences, it was impossible for the crucifixion to have occurred in the year 32 A.D. Insofar as when the Passover occurred, there are only two options in that time span and they are the years 30 and 33 A.D. Dr. Harold Horner wrote a book which corrected Sir Robert Anderson\u2019s miscalculations; he, too, begins with the decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah and begins it with March 4, 444 B.C., and terminates in March 29, 33 A.D., also with the Triumphal Entry.
\nThe problem with taking the decree found in Nehemiah to be the starting point is that nothing in the passage in Daniel requires the first Sixty-nine Sevens to end with the Triumphal Entry. It only requires it to end with the coming of the Messiah at the First Coming. It would be preferable to terminate the first Sixty-nine Sevens with the birth of the Messiah rather than the Triumphal Entry. The second problem with the Artaxerxes\/Nehemiah decree is that this is not really a decree. If Nehemiah 2:1\u20138 is read, it becomes clear that there is no decree. Instead, it is only permission to Nehemiah to rebuild the walls. Third, building on the second, rebuilding the wall is not exactly the same as actually rebuilding the city.
\nThis author\u2019s own view is that the decree of which Daniel is speaking is the decree of Cyrus. I believe this for five reasons. First, this is a real decree; it is in the actual form of a decree. Second, this is the one given within a year or so of the vision of the Seventy Sevens. The year Daniel received the Seventy Sevens vision was the same year Cyrus passed his decree. Third, this is the decree that is emphasized in Scripture. It was spoken of prophetically about 150 years before it happened by Isaiah in 44:28 and 45:1, 13. In fact, Isaiah actually named the one who would issue this decree; he named Cyrus, at least 150 years before it ever occurred. What Isaiah prophesied is recorded in fulfillment four times: 2 Chronicles 36:22\u201323; Ezra 1:1\u20134, 6:1\u20135, and 6:6\u201312. This is clearly the decree that is emphasized in Scripture. The fourth reason why I choose the decree of Cyrus is that this decree did include the rebuilding of the city. I realize that the four passages mentioned earlier did not actually mention the rebuilding of the city but only the rebuilding of the Temple. However, if Isaiah\u2019s prophecies are taken literally, it would have included the rebuilding of the city. For example, Isaiah 44:28 and 45:13 clearly mention that Cyrus would not only allow the Temple to be rebuilt, he would also allow the city to be rebuilt. Of course, it is silly to think Cyrus would allow a temple to be rebuilt and then forbid anyone to live anywhere near the Temple by not allowing the city to be rebuilt as well. The fifth reason why I think the Cyrus decree is the one of which it speaks is that it is clear from parallel passages that the Jews did rebuild the city. In fact, they rebuilt the city before Nehemiah ever came to rebuild the walls. In Haggai 1:2\u20134, seventy years before Nehemiah arrived, the Jews were already living in private homes in Jerusalem though the Temple itself had not as yet been rebuilt. Certainly they would not dare to rebuild Jerusalem if they did not have permission to do so. According to Ezra 4:12, the city was being built even in Ezra\u2019s day and Ezra preceded the time of Nehemiah. I do believe the decree of which Daniel speaks is the decree of Cyrus.
\nI realize that when our own system of chronology is compared to the Persian system of chronology, it produces an apparent 52-year gap, but this has been explained by Dr David L. Cooper in his book Messiah: His First Coming Scheduled. The details of the explanation are complex and technical and will, therefore, not be discussed here. It can, be said that the Seventy Sevens began with the issuing of the decree of Cyrus, and the first 483 years, that is the first Sixty-nine Sevens, terminated with the birth of Jesus.<\/p>\n
Appendix 6<\/p>\n
How Did the Wise Men Know?<\/p>\n
There is, in the New Testament, the account of the Wise Men\u2019s visit to the infant Jesus, recorded in the Gospel of Matthew 2:1\u201312:<\/p>\n
2:1\u00a0Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2\u00a0\u201cWhere is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him.\u201d 3\u00a0And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4\u00a0And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. 5\u00a0And they said to him, \u201cIn Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet, 6\u00a0\u2018AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER, WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.\u2019\u00a0\u201d 7\u00a0Then Herod secretly called the magi, and ascertained from them the time the star appeared. 8\u00a0And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, \u201cGo and make careful search for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, that I too may come and worship Him.\u201d 9\u00a0And having heard the king, they went their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was. 10\u00a0And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11\u00a0And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12\u00a0And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way.<\/p>\n
Matthew 2:1\u201312 (NASB)<\/p>\n
The Wise Men and the Shepherds<\/p>\n
This passage contains the record of the visit of the Magi from the east who were led there by the visibility of a star. Because of this, even some Christians have stated that there is some validity to astrology, and some have even attempted to develop a doctrine of biblical astrology.
\nAround Christmas time each year, nativity sets are erected. These nativity sets all tend to look alike. There is a baby Jesus in some type of manger, or in the lap of Mary; with Mary stands Joseph; on one side of the family of three we have shepherds, and on the other side we have three kings. Biblically, this scene is completely invalid for four reasons.
\nFirst of all, the story of the shepherds and the story of the Wise Men are separated by approximately two years. The shepherds were there when Jesus was first born. They found Jesus in a stable, lying in a manger. The Wise Men only saw the star when Jesus was first born and it took them some time to get to Jerusalem. The Wise Men and the shepherds never even met. The Matthew account makes it rather clear that Jesus was approximately two years old by the time these Wise Men appear (Matthew 2:7, 16).
\nSecond, when the Wise Men did find Jesus, they found Him in a home, not in a stable.
\nThird, it is commonly said that there were three kings. A famous Christmas song starts out with the words, \u201cWe three kings of orient are.\u201d However, we are not told how many there were. We know there had to be at least two because the word is in the plural. There may have been two or there may have been two thousand; the Bible does not specifically say. There is no clear evidence as to exactly how many there were. The reason why people think that there were three Wise Men is that they gave Jesus three different types of gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. This is no evidence at all. There could have been ten people who gave gold, or twenty who gave frankincense, or thirty who gave myrrh; the number of gifts does not indicate the number of givers.
\nFourth, Matthew never says that these men were kings. While we do not know how many there were, we do know for certain that they were not kings because the specific title they are given in the Greek text is magoy or magi which means \u201cwisemen\u201d or, more specifically, \u201castrologers.\u201d What the Matthew account states is that an unknown number of astrologers from the east arrived in Jerusalem. In the Bible the east is always the area of Mesopotamia, so there are at least two astrologers from Babylonia.
\nSuddenly, astrologers arrive in Jerusalem asking the question, \u201cWhere is he that is born King of the Jews?\u201d Did they gain this knowledge through astrology? This incident raises a number of questions. First of all, how did these men know anything about the birth of a Jewish king? Second, even knowing about the birth of a Jewish king, why would Babylonian astrologers want to come and worship him? After all, Babylonian astrologers did not worship other Jewish kings; why would they want to worship this particular king? These are important questions, and it will be necessary to study the account, together with other passages of Scripture, in order to understand and explain the events which Matthew records.<\/p>\n
The Star<\/p>\n
First of all, we will discuss the issue of the star. The basic rule of interpretation is this:<\/p>\n
When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense. Therefore take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths indicate clearly otherwise. (Dr. David L. Cooper)<\/p>\n
We should take the Bible exactly as it says unless there is some indication in the text and in the context that tells us we cannot take it literally. Five things indicate that this is not a literal star.
\nTo begin with, that this was no ordinary star is evident by the actions that this star took. The star is referred to as \u201cHis\u201d star, the King of the Jews\u2019 star, in a way that the other stars simply cannot be. This star appears and disappears. This star moves from east to west. This star moves from north to south. This star hovers over one single house in Bethlehem and points to where the Messiah is. Any literal star, as we know it, that will hover over just one house in Bethlehem will destroy this entire planet. It is very evident that this cannot be a literal star. Again, there are five things about this star which make it clear that it cannot be a physical star:<\/p>\n
1. It is the personal star of the King of the Jews.
\n2. It appears and disappears.
\n3. It moves from east to west.
\n4. It moves from north to south.
\n5. It literally hovers over one single house in Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
Obviously it must be something different\u2014but what is it?
\nThe root meaning of the Greek word for \u201cstar\u201d simply means \u201cradiance\u201d or \u201cbrilliance.\u201d By this star coming in the form of a light, what we actually have is the appearance of the Shechinah Glory rather than an astrologer\u2019s star. What is the Shechinah Glory? The Shechinah Glory is the visible manifestation of God\u2019s presence. Whenever God became visible in the Old Testament, this is referred to as the Shechinah Glory. In most cases, the Shechinah Glory came in the form of a light, fire, cloud or some combination of these three things. Over in Babylonia a light appeared, a brilliance, a radiance, that may have looked like a star from a distance and yet had actions and did things which no star can do or does do. What these Wise Men actually saw was the Shechinah Glory. When they saw this Shechinah Glory, when they saw this unusual brilliance, they deduced from it that it was a signal that the King of the Jews, the Messiah, had finally been born. (A study of the Shechinah Glory can be found in Appendix 4 of the author\u2019s The Footsteps Of The Messiah.) Keeping in mind that in ancient times the two disciplines of astronomy and astrology were not separate sciences, if anyone would recognize a new light in the heavens, it would be them.<\/p>\n
How Did the Wise Men Know about a Messianic King?<\/p>\n
Having determined that this star was not a literal star but the Shechinah Glory still does not answer all the questions. The question remains, how did the Wise Men know anything about the birth of a Jewish king? How would Gentile, Babylonian astrologers know anything about the birth of a Jewish king? Even if they did know something about births of Jewish kings, why would they want to come and worship this particular one?
\nFrom the New Testament account, all that we can deduce is the fact that Gentile, Babylonian astrologers somehow knew that the birth of the King of the Jews had taken place by means of a star-like, shining brilliance in the heavens that moved from east to west and north to south and hovered over the very house where Jesus was. To explain this, we must look to the Old Testament.
\nTo begin with, we must note that the only place in the entire Old Testament that dates Messiah\u2019s First Coming is the famous \u201cSeventy Sevens of Daniel\u201d found in Daniel 9:24\u201327. (This was studied earlier in the section on \u201cThe Writings.\u201d) Besides this, the Book of Daniel was not written in Israel but in the city of Babylon, with much of it in Aramaic, the language of the Babylonian Empire. So it was that in the city of Babylon a book was written that prophesied when Messiah was to come.
\nBut that is not all. Daniel was always associated with Babylonian astrologers (Daniel 1:19\u201320; 2:12\u201313, 47; 4:7\u20139; 5:11\u201312). Since Nebuchadnezzar did not have much spiritual discernment, he did not realize that the source of Daniel\u2019s ability was not the stars of the heavens but the God of heaven. Nevertheless, Nebuchadnezzar made Daniel the head of all the astrologers of Babylon.
\nA day came when Daniel was able to save the lives of all of the Babylonian astrologers. Nebuchadnezzar had an unusual dream. When the astrologers were unable to interpret his dream, he sentenced every one of them to execution (Daniel 2:12). Among the ones arrested were Daniel and his three friends, because from the viewpoint of the Babylonians, these four Hebrews were part of the Babylonian School of Astrology and, therefore, to be executed. But Daniel requested an audience with the king and he received it. After he received the audience with the king, Daniel did interpret the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had. When he interpreted that dream, he saved the lives of all the other astrologers. In fact, this is the way he became the head of the Babylonian School of Astrology (Daniel 2:48). As a result there is no doubt that many of these astrologers turned away from the worship of the stars and the practice of astrology and began worshipping the God of Israel. It was in this environment and in this company that Daniel penned his book, revealing the time of Messiah\u2019s coming.
\nHence, a line of Babylonian astrologers from generation to generation worshipped the true God, and having Daniel\u2019s prophecy, looked forward to the coming of the King of the Jews. From the Book of Daniel, then, we can conclude that Babylonian astrologers did know at about what time Messiah was to be born. However, the Book of Daniel says nothing about a star that would in some way announce Messiah\u2019s birth. How, then, did the astrologers know anything about a star?
\nFor this question, we must go back even earlier in the Old Testament to the prophecies of Balaam (these were studied earlier, in the section on \u201cThe Law\u201d). Balaam was hired by the king of Moab to curse the Jews. Four times Balaam tried to curse the Jews and each time God took control of his mouth; instead of cursing the Jews, he found himself blessing the Jews. In the course of his blessing of the Jews, he gave four key messianic prophecies. One of these prophecies is found in Numbers 24:17:<\/p>\n
24:17\u00a0\u201cI see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, And a scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall crush through the forehead of Moab, And tear down all the sons of Sheth. (NASB)<\/p>\n
Balaam, with much reluctance and regret, was forced by God to prophesy of the coming of the Jewish Messiah and he related that to a \u201cstar.\u201d This is not a literal star because it then says concerning this star, \u201cAnd a scepter shall rise from Israel.\u201d The \u201cstar\u201d and the \u201cscepter\u201d are one and the same. Remember, that the term \u201cscepter\u201d is a symbol of royalty, of kingship. This \u201cstar\u201d which would rise out of Jacob, is himself a king.
\nFurthermore, Balaam\u2019s occupation was that of astrology. Even more significant, he came from the city of Pethor, a city on the banks of the Euphrates River in Babylonia (Numbers 22:5; Deuteronomy 23:4).
\nWe have, therefore, a double Babylonian connection: The Book of Daniel, which spelled out how many years would transpire before the birth of the King of the Jews; and the prophecy of Balaam concerning the star and, again, Balaam was part of the Babylonian School of Astrology. Hence, the revelation of a star in relation to Messiah\u2019s birth came by way of a Babylonian astrologer who, no doubt, passed the information down to his colleagues. Centuries later, Daniel was able to expound to the Babylonian astrologers as to the time that \u201cthe star of Jacob\u201d would come.<\/p>\n
Conclusions<\/p>\n
How, then, did the Wise Men know? Not by gazing at the stars in the pseudo-science of astrology, but by the revelation of God as contained in the Scriptures, by means of the prophecies of Balaam and Daniel. The story of the Wise Men gives no validity to astrology whatsoever.
\nThe Wise Men gave to Jesus three types of gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. All of these are full of Old Testament symbolism: gold is the symbol of royalty or kingship, emphasizing that Jesus is a king; frankincense is the symbol of deity because frankincense was part of the special scent burned on the Altar of Incense within the Holy Place and the smoke penetrated into God\u2019s presence in the Holy of Holies itself, thus frankincense emphasizes Jesus is God; myrrh was associated in the Old Testament with death and embalming.
\nWhile the first line of that famous Christmas song \u201cWe three kings of orient are\u201d is not biblically accurate, the last line which says, \u201cGod and king and sacrifice\u201d certainly is. These gifts to the family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus provided them with the income to be able to escape to Egypt, live in Egypt for approximately two years, and then return to Nazareth after the death of Herod the Great.<\/p>\n
Appendix 7<\/p>\n
How the New Testament Quotes the Old Testament<\/p>\n
In reading through the New Testament, it is soon realized that the New Testament frequently quotes the Old Testament and quotes it in various ways. Because sometimes the context of the Old Testament quotation does not seem to fit the New Testament context, some have questioned the validity of the New Testament\u2019s use of the Old Testament. This will be a study to examine exactly how the New Testament does quote the Old Testament.
\nWhen the New Testament quotes the Old Testament, it does so in four different ways.1 Every Old Testament quotation found within the New Testament will always fit into one of these four categories. There is one example of each of the four ways in Matthew Two, so this will be used as the basis for explaining them.<\/p>\n
Literal Prophecy Plus Literal Fulfillment<\/p>\n
The first category is known as \u201cliteral prophecy plus literal fulfillment.\u201d The example of this first category is found in Matthew 2:5\u20136:<\/p>\n
5\u00a0And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written through the prophet, 6\u00a0And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: For out of thee shall come forth a governor, who shall be shepherd of my people Israel. (ASV)<\/p>\n
This passage in the New Testament quotes Micah 5:2. If we go back to the context of Micah 5:2 to see what the Old Testament context was talking about, we discover that it is dealing with the birth of the Messiah. The point of Micah 5:2 is that when the Messiah is born, He will be born in the town of Bethlehem in the region of Judah and nowhere else; not the Bethlehem of Galilee, and not any other town in Judah. That is the literal meaning, the literal interpretation of Micah 5:2; the Messiah, when He is born, will be born in the town of Bethlehem, within the tribal territory of Judah.
\nIn the New Testament, there is a literal fulfillment of that literal prophecy. Jesus, when He was born as the Messiah, was born in the town of Bethlehem, and no other town in the tribal region of Judah. Furthermore, He was born in Bethlehem of Judah, and not Bethlehem of Galilee. This was a literal fulfillment of Micah 5:2, by which the New Testament quotes the Old\u2014literal prophecy plus literal fulfillment. The prophecy makes only one point. When it is fulfilled in the New Testament in a perfect way, the New Testament quotes the Old.
\nAnother example of this first category is in Matthew 1:22\u201323:<\/p>\n
22\u00a0Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 23\u00a0Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us. (ASV)<\/p>\n
This is a quotation of Isaiah 7:14. The context of Isaiah 7:14 is predicting that when the Messiah is born, He will be born of a virgin. That is the literal meaning of Isaiah 7:14. In the New Testament, there is a literal fulfillment of the literal prophecy, and so the passage is quoted by the New Testament.
\nAnother example of the first category is found in Matthew 3:3, which quotes Isaiah 40:3, and in Mark 1:2, which quotes Malachi 3:1. Both the Isaiah and Malachi passages predict that before the Messiah is made known, He will be preceded by a forerunner. A forerunner will announce the soon coming of the King. This literal prophecy was fulfilled in a literal way by John the Baptist and for that reason the verses in Isaiah and Malachi were quoted by Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
\nAnother example is Luke 4:18\u201319, which quotes Isaiah 61:1\u20132. The context in the Isaiah account is speaking of the kind of ministry the Messiah was to have at His First Coming, the nature and style of His ministry. In Luke, Jesus was literally fulfilling that prophecy, so it is quoted.
\nAnother example is Matthew 4:13\u201316, which quotes Isaiah 8:22\u20139:2. The context of that prophecy is speaking of the ministry of the Messiah, whose major area of ministry will be within the tribal territories of Zebulun and Naphtali, which is the literal prophecy of Isaiah 9:1\u20132. In the New Testament, Jesus ministered primarily in these two tribal territories. Nazareth was within the tribal territory of Zebulun and Capernaum was within the tribal territory of Naphtali. He grew up in the tribal territory of Zebulun and headquartered in the tribal territory of Naphtali. In this way, the prophecy was literally fulfilled.
\nAnother example of this first category is Matthew 21:5, which quotes Zechariah 9:9. The context of Zechariah 9:9 speaks about the Messiah riding into Jerusalem upon a donkey. When Jesus, in His Triumphal Entry, rode into Jerusalem on that type of an animal, then that prophecy was literally fulfilled. Therefore, it is quoted by the New Testament.
\nAnother example is John 12:38, which quotes Isaiah 53:1. Isaiah 53:1 clearly prophesies that when the Messiah comes, He is going to be rejected by His own people. When Jesus was rejected by Israel, that was a literal fulfillment of that particular prophecy. It is quoted again in the first category of a literal prophecy plus a literal fulfillment.
\nAnother example of this first category of prophecy is to be found within the context of the death of the Messiah. In the context of the crucifixion, John 19:24 states:<\/p>\n
24\u00a0They said therefore one to another, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my garments among them, And upon my vesture did they cast lots. (ASV)<\/p>\n
John quoted Psalm 22:18, and the context of that verse speaks of the death of the Messiah. Part of the death scene is that His clothing will be taken away from Him and the tormentors will gamble for His clothes. That is the literal meaning of the prophecy of Psalm 22:18. In the New Testament, there is a literal fulfillment of this particular prophecy. When the Roman soldiers gambled for the clothing of Jesus, they fulfilled the prophecy. For that reason, John quoted that prophecy in this particular passage.
\nClosely related is another quotation found in Matthew 27:46:<\/p>\n
46\u00a0And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (ASV)<\/p>\n
Here, Matthew quoted Psalm 22:1. The context of Psalm 22:1 is speaking about the sufferings of the Messiah and the death of the Messiah. During His sufferings, He was to cry, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? When Jesus cried this, it was a direct fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy, and for that reason it was quoted in this New Testament passage.
\nThis is the first category of New Testament quotations of the Old Testament: literal prophecy plus literal fulfillment. In these cases, the Old Testament literally speaks of a specific event in the future. When that specific event is literally fulfilled in the context of the New Testament, the New Testament quotes that particular prophecy as a point-by-point fulfillment. Many of the quotations of the Old Testament in the New Testament fall into this category.<\/p>\n
Literal Plus Typical (Typology)<\/p>\n
The second category of quotations can be labeled \u201cliteral plus typical.\u201d An example of this category is found in Matthew 2:15:<\/p>\n
\u2026 15\u00a0and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt did I call my son. (ASV)<\/p>\n
If we go back to the context of Hosea 11:1, which is what this passage is quoting, we discover that it is not even a prophecy; it is speaking of a literal historical event, which was the Exodus. The background to Hosea 11:1 is Exodus 4:22\u201323. Israel, as a nation, is the son of God: Israel is my son, my firstborn. When God brought Israel out of Egypt, it is pictured by Hosea 11:1 as God bringing His son out of the land of Egypt. That is the literal meaning of Hosea 11:1. It is an historical verse dealing with an historical event, the Exodus. However, the literal Old Testament event becomes a type of a New Testament event. Now there is a more ideal Son of God, the individual Son of God, the Messianic Son of God, the Messiah Himself. When Jesus as a babe was brought out of the land of Egypt, God was again bringing His Son out of Egypt. This is a type and anti-type. The type was Israel, the national son coming out of Egypt. The anti-type is the Messianic Son of God also coming out of Egypt. This is an example of the second category\u2014literal plus typical.
\nAnother example is Matthew 15:7\u20139:<\/p>\n
7\u00a0Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 8\u00a0This people honoreth me with their lips; But their heart is far from me. 9\u00a0But in vain do they worship me, Teaching (as their) doctrines the precepts of men. (ASV)<\/p>\n
Matthew 15:7\u20139 contains a quotation of Isaiah 29:13. The context of Isaiah 29:13 is speaking of an historical event when the people were rejecting the prophetic word of Isaiah the Prophet. The literal meaning of Isaiah 29:13 deals with Israel\u2019s rejection of the Prophet. Israel\u2019s rejection of the prophetic word of the Prophet becomes a type of Israel\u2019s rejection of the prophetic word of the Messiah, and so the Old Testament is quoted.
\nAnother example is John 12:39\u201340:<\/p>\n
39\u00a0For this cause they could not believe, for that Isaiah said again, 40\u00a0He hath blinded their eyes, and he hardened their heart; Lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, And should turn, And I should heal them. (ASV)<\/p>\n
Here, John quoted Isaiah 6:10, which in context states that the prophetic message of Isaiah the Prophet will be rejected by his own people. And that is the literal meaning of this passage. Again, Israel\u2019s rejection of the prophetic word of Isaiah the Prophet now becomes a type of the rejection of the prophetic word of the Messiah. For that reason, the Old Testament verse is quoted in this particular situation.
\nAnother example in this category is found in Matthew 21:42:<\/p>\n
42\u00a0Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner; This was from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes? (ASV)<\/p>\n
This passage quotes Psalm 118:22\u201323. In the context of that Psalm account, the point which is made is that a stone which the builders did not know what to do with was rejected or set aside. Later, when they finished the building, they realized that it was the top stone, the chief stone, that was the head of the corner. That is the literal meaning of Psalm 118:22\u201323. The rejection of the stone and the acceptance of the stone becomes a type of Israel\u2019s rejection of the Messiahship of Jesus and later their acceptance of the Messiahship of Jesus.
\nOne more example of the second category is in John 19:36:<\/p>\n
36\u00a0For these things came to pass, that the scripture might be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. (ASV)<\/p>\n
Here, John quoted Exodus 12:46. In the context of Exodus 12:46, Moses was dealing with an historical event that had to do with the Passover lamb that would save the Jews from the last plague. In the process of slaughtering the lamb, then roasting and eating the lamb, the instruction was that not a bone of this Passover lamb was to be broken. That is the literal meaning of this command. The Passover lamb is a type of the Messiah, who is Christ our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7). During the process of His death by means of crucifixion, while the bones of the others were broken, the bones of this One were not broken. This was a fulfillment in a typical sense, not in a literal, prophetic sense.
\nThis is in the second category\u2014literal plus typical. The literal meaning deals with an historical event and not a prophetic event. However, that historical event becomes a type of a New Testament event and, therefore, it is quoted in that way. The Book of Hebrews uses this category frequently (the sin of Kadesh Barnea, the Tabernacle, the sacrificial system, the Aaronic Priesthood, the Melchizedekian priesthood, etc).<\/p>\n
Literal Plus Application<\/p>\n
The third category is \u201cliteral plus application.\u201d The example of this category is in Matthew 2:17\u201318:<\/p>\n
17\u00a0Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 18\u00a0A voice was heard in Ramah, Weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; And she would not be comforted, because they are not. (ASV)<\/p>\n
This time, Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31:15. In the original context, Jeremiah is speaking of an event soon to come as the Babylonian Captivity begins. As the Jewish young men were being taken away into captivity, they went by the town of Ramah. Not too far from Ramah is where Rachel was buried and she was the Old Testament symbol of Jewish motherhood. As the young Jewish men were marched toward Babylon, the Jewish mothers of Ramah came out weeping for the sons they would never see again. Jeremiah pictured this as Rachel weeping for her children; And she would not be comforted, because they are not. Rachel weeping symbolized Jewish mothers weeping. That is the literal meaning of Jeremiah 31:15. In the New Testament, because of one simple point of similarity, that verse is quoted. It is not a literal fulfillment, nor a full-scale typology, but simply an application because of one point of similarity. In the New Testament case, the one point of similarity was: Jewish mothers weeping for sons they will never see again, because Herod had slaughtered all the males of Bethlehem from the age of two years and under. Jewish mothers were again weeping for their sons. Everything else is different. In Jeremiah the event takes place at Ramah, north of Jerusalem; in Matthew it takes place in Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem. In Jeremiah the sons are still alive but are going into captivity; in Matthew the sons are dead. Because of one point of similarity, the New Testament quotes the Old Testament as an application only. Another example of this same type of quotation is found in Acts 2:16\u201321:<\/p>\n
\u2026 16\u00a0but this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel: 17\u00a0And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all flesh: And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams: 18\u00a0Yea and on My servants and on My handmaidens in those days Will I pour forth of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19\u00a0And I will show wonders in the heaven above, And signs on the earth beneath; Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: 20\u00a0The sun shall be turned into darkness. And the moon into blood, Before the day of the Lord come, That great and notable (day). 21\u00a0And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (ASV)<\/p>\n
In this passage, Peter quoted Joel 2:28\u201332. In that context, it is speaking of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the whole nation of Israel, resulting in some supernatural manifestations and causing the whole nation of Israel to be saved in preparation for the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom spoken of in the next chapter, Joel Three. The literal meaning of the Joel passage is in reference to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the whole nation of Israel, resulting in supernatural manifestations. Nothing predicted by Joel Two happened in Acts Two. For example, Joel spoke about the pouring out of the Spirit upon all Jewish flesh, which did not happen in the Book of Acts. In Acts Two, the Spirit was poured out upon twelve, or 120 at the most. Joel spoke about the sons and daughters of Israel prophesying, the young men seeing visions and the old men dreaming. None of that happened in Acts Two. No one did any prophesying, the young men did not see visions, and old men did not dream dreams. None of these are mentioned in the context of Acts Two. Furthermore, the servants of the Jewish people were to experience these same things, and there were no servants involved in the context of Acts Two. Joel spoke of climactic events in the heavens and on earth: blood, fire, pillars of smoke, with the sun turning into darkness, and the moon into blood, yet none of these things happened in Acts Two.
\nNothing predicted by Joel Two happened in Acts Two, and what did happen in Acts Two is not even mentioned in Joel Two. What did happen in Acts Two was a manifestation of the Spirit, resulting in the speaking of tongues. Joel did not mention the gift of tongues at all. Nothing that Joel Two prophesied happened in Acts Two and what did happen in Acts Two was not mentioned in the prophecy of Joel Two. What we have here is the third category of quotation\u2014literal plus application. The literal meaning of the Joel passage speaks of Israel\u2019s national salvation when the Holy Spirit-will be poured out on all Israel, resulting in Israel\u2019s national salvation in preparation for the Messianic Kingdom. Of course, that did not happen in the Book of Acts, but there was one point of similarity. That one point of similarity was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, resulting in a unique manifestation, which, in that case, was speaking in tongues. Because of one point of similarity\u2014the outpouring of the Holy Spirit\u2014the Old Testament was quoted by the New Testament as an application.
\nEnglish idiomatic expressions do the same thing. For example, we sometimes say, \u201cHe met his Waterloo.\u201d What do we mean by that? We do not mean that the man went to Waterloo in Belgium and got defeated in a battle. The expression goes back to an historical event. That historical event had to do with Napoleon, whose imperial ambitions finally collapsed with his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. Because of one point of similarity, defeat of an ambition, we often use that expression of someone whose ambitions are suddenly destroyed by some climactic event in their life. By the same usage, the New Testament, because of one point of similarity, will often quote the Old Testament.<\/p>\n
Summation<\/p>\n
The fourth category is, \u201csummation\u201d or \u201csummary.\u201d An example of the fourth category is found in Matthew 2:23.<\/p>\n
\u2026 22\u00a0and being warned of God in a dream, lie withdrew into the parts of Galilee, 23\u00a0and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, that he should be called a Nazarene. (ASV)<\/p>\n
The apparent quotation is, \u201che should be called a Nazarene,\u201d but no such statement is to be found anywhere in the Old Testament. Some have tried to connect this with Isaiah 11:1, but that connection is far-fetched. In verse 23, Matthew uses the plural term \u201cprophets,\u201d so at least two references might be expected, but there is not even one. The fourth category does not have a direct quotation from the Old Testament as with the first three, but only a summary of what the Old Testament taught. The clue is when the word \u201cprophet\u201d is used in the plural, as it is here. In the first three categories, the word \u201cprophet\u201d is, in most cases, used in the singular. In the fourth category, it is used in the plural, \u201cspoken through the prophets.\u201d The author is not quoting, but summarizing what the prophets said. In this case, the prophets said, \u201che should be called a Nazarene.\u201d
\nWhat was a Nazarene? In the first century, Nazarenes were a despised people. The term was used to reproach and to shame. This attitude is reflected in John 1:45\u201346:<\/p>\n
45\u00a0Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46\u00a0And Nathanael said unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. (ASV)<\/p>\n
Nathanael\u2019s question, \u201cCan any good thing come out of Nazareth?\u201d is a reflection of the low opinion people had of Nazarenes. People who were Nazarenes were despised and rejected. And what did the Prophets say about the Messiah? The Prophets did predict that the Messiah would be a despised and rejected individual. The specific term \u201cNazarene\u201d is a convenient way of summarizing this teaching; not a quotation as such, but a Summary.
\nAnother example of this category is Luke 18:31\u201333:<\/p>\n
31\u00a0And he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written through the prophets shall be accomplished unto the Son of man. 32\u00a0For he shall be delivered up unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and shamefully treated, and spit upon: 33\u00a0and they shall scourge and kill him: and the third day he shall rise again. (ASV)<\/p>\n
Again, note the use of the plural term \u201cprophets.\u201d What the Prophets said about the Messiah included nine things: the Messiah will go up to Jerusalem; He will fall into the hands of priests and scribes; the Jewish people will condemn Him to death; the Jewish people will turn Him over to the Gentiles; the Gentiles will mock Him; the Gentiles will spit on Him; the Gentiles will scourge Him; the Gentiles will kill Him; and, He will be resurrected on the third day. No individual prophet said all of this. No such quotation exists anywhere in the Prophets. However the Prophets, taken together, did say all of these things, so this is not a direct quotation, but a summary.
\nOne more example of this fourth category is Matthew 26:54\u201356:<\/p>\n
54\u00a0How then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? 55\u00a0In that hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a robber with swords and staves to seize me? I sat daily in the temple teaching, and ye took me not. 56\u00a0But all this is come to pass, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples left him, and fled. (ASV)<\/p>\n
Although Jesus taught them in clear language, within the Temple Compound, yet they rejected Him. This rejection is now obvious in that they are in the Garden of Gethsemane, ready to arrest Him. He said that all this has come to pass \u201cthat the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.\u201d No single prophet prophesied what was happening there, in the words that Jesus used. But the Prophets together did say that the Messiah would be rejected. He would be arrested and undergo a trial. Just one passage alone, Isaiah 53, is a good example of this. But here, Jesus is not quoting a specific prophecy, but is summarizing what the Prophets did say. In summary, the Prophets certainly did teach what Jesus is saying here. Again, this is the fourth category: summation.
\nAn example of summation in rabbinic literature can be seen in the Midrash Rabbah 63:11 where it reads:<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026 hence it is written as in the verse, \u2018And I will no more make you a reproach of famine among the nations.\u2019\u00a0\u201d<\/p>\n
Nowhere in the Old Testament is there any such verse. Nowhere can you find the words, \u201cAnd I will no more make you a reproach of famine among the nations.\u201d What we have here is a summarization of two passages, Joel 2:19 and Ezekiel 36:30.
\nJoel 2:19 says:<\/p>\n
2:19\u00a0And Jehovah answered and said unto his people, Behold, I will send you grain, and new wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations \u2026 (ASV)
\nEzekiel 36:30 says:<\/p>\n
36:30\u00a0And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye may receive no more the reproach of famine among the nations. (ASV)<\/p>\n
What the Midrash Rabbah is doing is summarizing the teaching of these two passages.<\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/p>\n
There are four categories by which the New Testament quotes the Old Testament. To determine into which category a quotation falls, the procedure is first to go back to the Old Testament to see the context of the original quotation. Once that is determined, then it can also be determined to which of the four categories the quotation belongs. If it is a point-for-point literal fulfillment, then it is literal prophecy plus literal fulfillment. If it is using an Old Testament historical account as a type, then it is literal plus typical. If there is only one point of similarity between what is happening in the Old Testament context and what is happening in the New Testament context, then it is literal plus application. If there is no direct quotation in the Old Testament, then it can be assumed to be merely a summary. Every quotation of the Old Testament in the New Testament will always fit into one of these four categories. The New Testament is very consistent in the way it quotes the Old.<\/p>\n
Appendix 8<\/p>\n
The Death of Judas Iscariot<\/p>\n
The death of Judas Iscariot is described in two places in the New Testament. The first is Matthew 27:3\u201310:<\/p>\n
27:3\u00a0Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4\u00a0saying, I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood. But they said, What is that to us? see thou (to it). 5\u00a0And he cast down the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. 6\u00a0And the chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood. 7\u00a0And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter\u2019s field, to bury strangers in. 8\u00a0Wherefore that field was called, the field of blood, unto this day. 9\u00a0Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was priced, whom (certain) of the children of Israel did price; 10\u00a0and they gave them for the potter\u2019s field, as the Lord appointed me. (ASV)<\/p>\n
The second is Acts 1:18\u201319:<\/p>\n
1:18\u00a0(Now this man obtained a field with the reward of his iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. 19\u00a0And it became known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch that in their language that field was called Akeldama, that is, The field of blood.) (ASV)<\/p>\n
Of particular relevance to the subject of Messianic Christology is Matthew 27:9. This creates an apparent problem since the Book of Jeremiah has nothing to say about thirty pieces of silver\u2014this is prophesied in Zechariah 11:1\u201317, a prophecy which has already been studied. This is not the only issue which needs to be explained however; these two passages of Scripture are frequently quoted by critics of the Bible as being contradictory. Both passages will therefore be discussed in full.<\/p>\n
Judas\u2019 Suicide<\/p>\n
In Matthew 27:3, we are told that Judas \u201crepented himself.\u201d The Greek word used in the New Testament for salvation repentance is metanoia. The Greek word used in Matthew 27:3 is metamelomai which means \u201cremorse\u201d or \u201cregret.\u201d Judas is not exercising the metanoia repentance that leads to salvation but metamelomai repentance which is simply remorse. He returns the thirty pieces of silver, which he was paid for betraying Jesus, to the Chief Priests and Elders saying, \u201cI have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood.\u201d The chief priests refuse to take the money back saying, \u201cWhat is that to us? See to that yourself!\u201d Judas then throws the coins into the Temple Sanctuary and leaves.
\nThere now arises an apparent contradiction between Matthew 27:5, \u201cand he went away and hanged himself,\u201d and Acts 1:18, \u201cfalling headlong he burst asunder.\u201d To understand what is happening here we need to go back to matters of Jewish Law which applied in those days. Judas committed suicide at the end of the first night of Passover, before the first day of Passover, when the morning Passover sacrifice would be offered, of which only the Priesthood would partake. According to Jewish law, if there was a dead body in Jerusalem, then the city was to be considered defiled and the morning sacrifice could not be offered. However, Jewish law goes on to say that if the corpse is taken and cast into the Valley of Hinnom, a place of burning\u2014in Hebrew gei hinnom, from which comes the English word \u201cGehenna\u201d\u2014then the city is cleansed and the Passover can be offered up; later they can return and bury the body. With this background it is now possible to combine the Matthew and Acts accounts. When Judas hanged himself within the walls of Jerusalem, he caused the city to become defiled, thus preventing the morning Passover sacrifice from proceeding. In accordance with the law of the time, Judas\u2019 body would have been taken and thrown over the wall into the Valley of Hinnom, thereby cleansing the city. The fall of Judas\u2019 body is what is being described in Acts 1:18. Later the burial detail would have returned, gathered up his remains, and buried him.
\nWhat, then, were the Chief Priests to do with the thirty pieces of silver? Here again we see an example of rabbinic logic. In Matthew 27:6 the leaders recognize that the money was wrongfully gained. It is the \u201cprice of blood\u201d and so, in accordance with Jewish law, it cannot be accepted into the Temple treasury. Money such as this had to be disposed of in one of two ways. Either it was returned to its owner or it was to be used for the public good. In this situation, the first option was impossible since Judas was now dead, so the priests had no choice but to spend it in some way that would benefit the whole community. They purchased a field in the Valley of Hinnom\u2014the same place where Judas had \u201cburst asunder\u201d\u2014for the purpose of burying strangers. The first person to be buried there was Judas himself.
\nThe Matthew account says that the potter\u2019s field was bought by the Chief Priests, but Acts says that \u201cthis man,\u201d meaning Judas, \u201cobtained a field with the reward of his iniquity.\u201d There is no contradiction here. In accordance with the requirements of the law, the field had to be bought posthumously in the name of Judas Iscariot. It is in that sense that Judas \u201cobtained a field.\u201d Legally, the Chief Priests were merely viewed as purchasing agents. Matthew states the actual case while the account in Acts deals with the legal ramifications; the statements of Matthew and Acts are, therefore, both true.<\/p>\n
Jeremiah\u2019s Curse<\/p>\n
Another point of confusion arises in Matthew 27:9. It is this point which is of particular importance to our present study of Messianic Christology. Matthew says:<\/p>\n
9\u00a0Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was priced, whom (certain) of the children of Israel did price; 10\u00a0and they gave them for the potter\u2019s field, as the Lord appointed me. (ASV)<\/p>\n
Matthew seems to ascribe these words to Jeremiah, yet this quotation cannot be found anywhere in Jeremiah, but rather, as has already been seen, it comes from Zechariah 11:13. In what sense, then, do the events surrounding Judas\u2019 death accord with the prophecy of Jeremiah? The standard Conservative response to this is to concede that this might be a scribal error. Others assume that the name \u201cJeremiah\u201d stood for the whole prophetic section, but there is simply no evidence for this. There is, however, a better explanation.
\nTo understand this it is necessary to understand both the history of the Valley of Hinnom and also Matthew\u2019s concern with the divine judgment resulting from the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. The historical background is found in two passages of Jeremiah. The first is Jeremiah 7:31\u201334:<\/p>\n
7:31And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded not, neither came it into my mind. 32\u00a0Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that it shall no more be called Topheth, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of Slaughter: for they shall bury in Topheth, till there be no place (to bury). 33\u00a0And the dead bodies of this people shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall frighten them away. 34\u00a0Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land shall become a waste.<\/p>\n
(ASV)<\/p>\n
The second is Jeremiah 19:1\u201315:<\/p>\n
19:1Thus said Jehovah, Go, and buy a potter\u2019s earthen bottle, and (take) of the elders of the people, and of the elders of the priests; 2\u00a0and go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the gate Harsith, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee; 3\u00a0and say, Hear ye the word of Jehovah, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring evil upon thus place, which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle. 4\u00a0Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, that they knew not, they and their fathers and the kings of Judah; and have filled this place with the blood of innocents, 5\u00a0and have built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons in the fire for burnt-offerings unto Baal; which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind: 6\u00a0therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that this place shall no more be called Topheth, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of Slaughter. 7\u00a0And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies will I give to be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth. 8\u00a0And I will make this city an astonishment, and a hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof. 9\u00a0And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters; and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend, in the siege and in the distress, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their life, shall distress them. 10\u00a0Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee, 11\u00a0and shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter\u2019s vessel, that cannot be made whole again; and they shall bury in Topheth, till there be no place to bury. 12\u00a0Thus will I do unto this place, saith Jehovah, and to the inhabitants thereof, even making this city as Topheth: 13\u00a0and the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, which are defiled, shall be as the place of Topheth, even all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink-offerings unto other gods. 14\u00a0Then came Jeremiah from Topheth, whither Jehovah had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of Jehovah\u2019s house, and said to all the people: 15\u00a0Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all its towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it; because they have made their neck stiff, that they may not hear my words. (ASV)<\/p>\n
In Jeremiah 19:2, the ASV refers to \u201cthe gate Harsith,\u201d while most versions translate this as the \u201cPotsherd Gate.\u201d Today it is known as the Dung Gate. It was through this gate that waste material was taken and dumped outside the city. Included in this waste material was the broken and defiled pottery from the Temple. Items of pottery were required for many ceremonial purposes in the Temple. The use of such items was governed by many laws regarding ceremonial purity. This may be what Paul has in mind when he talks about \u201cvessels of honor\u201d as opposed to \u201cvessels of dishonor\u201d in 2 Timothy 2:20\u201321. All items of pottery required for ritual use were made within the Temple Compound so that they could be kept under scrutiny from the time of manufacture to the time of use. This enabled their purity to be clearly established and avoided contact with anything unclean outside the Temple. Any items of pottery which were imperfect or broken or unacceptable for any ceremonial reason were removed from the Temple and dumped outside, beyond the city walls. The Potsherd Gate is situated on the south wall of Jerusalem and faces into the Valley of Hinnom at the point where it runs into the Kidron Valley. The names of both Topheth in the Jeremiah passage and Akeldema in Acts are associated with the juncture of these two valleys. This is the area where rubbish was dumped.
\nIn the days of Jeremiah, the Valley of Hinnom was used by the Kings of Judah as a place for burning human sacrifices. It is from this that the concept of Gehenna comes, the Lake of Fire, a place for burning humans. Because of the sins of Israel, the Prophet Jeremiah was sent to Topheth, a particular place within the Valley of Hinnom, to pronounce a curse upon it. He declared that this specific location would become a \u201cvalley of slaughter,\u201d and they shall bury and bury \u201cuntil there be no more room for burying.\u201d Centuries later, the leaders of Israel buy a field in the Valley of Hinnom with thirty pieces of silver. They happen to buy the very area of Topheth. When they bought this particular piece of land they also purchased the curse of Jeremiah that came with it.
\nThe curse was finally fulfilled in 70 A.D. with the massive slaughter of the residents of Jerusalem by the Roman armies, who had been waiting for two years to break through the walls of the city. Suddenly the pent-up frustrations of two years were vented upon the city and, as Jeremiah had predicted, they slaughtered and slaughtered and buried and buried until there was no more room in the Valley of Hinnom for any more burials.
\nOf the four Gospel writers, it is Matthew in particular who deals with the impending judgment of 70 A.D. It is in Matthew 12 that we read of the final rejection of Jesus as the Messiah by the religious leaders. In the subsequent chapters of his Gospel, Matthew records the repeated proclamations of judgment by Jesus upon \u201cthis generation\u201d for their rejection of Him. When Matthew 27:9 refers to Jeremiah, it is not by mistake; it is entirely consistent with the recurring theme of coming judgment. What Matthew is doing here is indicating that the Jewish leaders had purchased for themselves and for the people of Jerusalem the curse which Jeremiah had pronounced upon the Valley of Hinnom and the area of Topheth. Zechariah is quoted as the prophecy of the actual purchase price: thirty pieces of silver.<\/p>\n
Appendix 9<\/p>\n
Jewish Objections to Jesus<\/p>\n
The more recent articles written by rabbis stating their objections to Jesus all judge Him on the basis of His conformity, or lack of it, to modern Judaism. Jesus is all too often judged by twentieth-century Judaism rather than first-century Judaism or Biblical Judaism. The question, however, can never be, \u201cIs Jesus the Messiah in accordance with Judaism today?\u201d Judaism today is too fragmented with messianic views ranging from, \u201cHe will come\u201d to \u201cWhat Messiah? There will be no Messiah!\u201d The fact is that most Jews today do not believe in any Messiah at all. The real issue is, \u201cIs Jesus the Messiah of Old Testament Judaism?\u201d
\nJudaism today is very different from the Judaism of the Old Testament or even the Judaism of Jesus\u2019 day. Modern Judaism is certainly not the \u201cfather of Christianity.\u201d At best it is its brother, with Biblical Judaism being the father of both. If one were to read the books of the Old Testament and compare their teachings with the Judaism of today, one could almost conclude that modern Judaism is a completely new religion! Certainly there are similarities between Judaism then and now. Yet similarities exist between various religions and they are, nevertheless, distinct one from another. The real issue is whether Jesus is the Messiah of the Old Testament. The messiahship of Jesus must stand or fall on no other criterion than His fulfillment of the messianic prophecies of the Scriptures.<\/p>\n
What Kind of God Do You Have?<\/p>\n
Some Jewish objections to the Messiahship of Jesus rest on questioning the Virgin Birth and Jesus\u2019 resurrection from the dead. Objections to these two matters are, however, not the real issue in themselves. The real issue is what kind of God one believes in. The question is not, \u201cIs such a thing as the Virgin Birth possible?\u201d Or, \u201cIs such a thing as resurrection from death possible?\u201d From the strictly human viewpoint they are not. The real question is, \u201cCan God do such things?\u201d If He cannot, He is not much of a God. But if God is God, and all that this particular title infers, includes, and indicates, He can do anything He wants to do. The only possible limits to God are the limits He places on Himself.
\nIf God is all powerful, things like the Virgin Birth and the resurrection are easy things for Him to accomplish. It is an amazing inconsistency to allow that God has created the heavens and the earth and then to doubt His ability to bring about a virgin birth. If He can create the wonder and vastness of the universe and all the complexity of the single cell, the Virgin Birth and the resurrection are very simple matters. For a Jew who believes in God, there is no reason to doubt the miracle of the Virgin Birth. The real question is, \u201cDid it happen with the birth of Jesus?\u201d The Old Testament said that it would happen with the Messiah. The New Testament said that it did happen with Jesus.<\/p>\n
Jesus Didn\u2019t Bring Peace, Did He?<\/p>\n
The most common objection one hears to the Messiahship of Jesus is this: He could not be the Messiah since He did not bring peace. Well, since He was not accepted, He could not very well bring peace, could He? Furthermore, the purpose of the Messiah\u2019s First Coming, or as the early rabbis would have it, the purpose of the coming of the first Messiah, Messiah, the Son of Joseph, was not to bring peace but to suffer and die. Peace would come through the coming of the second Messiah, Messiah, the Son of David, or as the New Testament would have it, by the Second Coming of the Messiah. The Messiahship of Jesus must first be judged on whether He did suffer and die for sin, and then on whether those who believed in Him received their justification and forgiveness of sins. That He suffered and died for the sins of Israel is the testimony of the eyewitness accounts we have in the New Testament. That Jews have been receiving and experiencing the forgiveness of their sins through faith in the substitutionary death of Jesus has been testified by many. Both Talmudic Judaism and the New Testament agree that there would be one coming of a Messiah to suffer and die, which would precede the coming of the Messiah to bring peace. The point of difference is the former\u2019s claim of two different Messiahs, and the latter\u2019s claim of one and the same person, Jesus.
\nWhile it is true that Jesus did not bring peace, that was not the purpose of the Messiah\u2019s First Coming. This is not a valid argument against His messiahship. For Jesus will yet come again and will yet bring peace.<\/p>\n
Christians Hate the Jews!<\/p>\n
Another objection to the Messiahship of Jesus is not so much an objection against Jesus Himself as it is against the way His name has been used throughout Jewish history. For have not Christians persecuted and killed Jews for centuries? Has not the cross been a symbol of death to Jews? Has not the church issued discriminatory laws against the Jews? Has not the name of Jesus been used to torch Jewish homes and bodies? Has not baptism been used in forced conversions to Christianity and as an excuse to separate Jewish children from their families? All of this is true and so is a lot more. It may be questioned whether those who perpetrated these atrocities were really Christians, but they certainly called themselves that.
\nBut is all that a valid argument against the messiahship of Jesus Himself? Can Jesus be held responsible for the way in which His name has been used or misused by those who profess to follow Him?
\nIn the post-Maccabean period, a man by the name of John Hyrcanus became the ruler of Israel. Israel at that time was fighting for independence from those who would take it from her, such as the Hellenistic Syrians. Among John Hyrcanus\u2019 many acts of war was forcing people to convert to Judaism\u2014if they did not, they were killed. When he captured the Greek cities, the residents were given the choice of converting to Judaism or dying by the sword. The entire Edomite nation, then known as the Idumeans, were forcefully converted to Judaism; many who refused died by the sword. Many acts of atrocity were thus committed in the name of Judaism.
\nNow suppose that many of those who lost their families and loved ones by these tactics began going on an all out campaign against Moses, whom they would consider the founder of Judaism. Suppose, because of all these acts of forced conversion and death, the Greeks and Edomites rejected all that Moses had to say. Suppose that Judaism would be rejected because of the horrible things perpetrated in its name. This would all be unfair, for just because John Hyrcanus used the name of Moses and killed in the name of Judaism did not mean that Moses or Judaism itself taught that such things ought to be done. Indeed, it would be very unfair to reject Judaism strictly on the grounds of the way some used the name of Judaism to accomplish their own desire.
\nIn more recent history, an Orthodox Jew assassinated Yitzchak Rabin, the Prime Minister of Israel, in the name of Judaism. Is Moses to be rejected because of what a fanatic did in the name of Judaism? Obviously not!
\nBy the same token, it would be very wrong to reject the messiahship of Jesus strictly on the grounds of the way some have used His name. For Jesus and the New Testament do not sanction such acts against the Jews. The New Testament, which taught the Gentiles that \u201csalvation is of the Jews\u201d (John 4:22), forbade the persecution of the Jews. So if some, who erroneously called themselves Christians, used the name of Jesus for their own selfish war against the Jews, it still did not make it a Christ-like action. For if the Jesus of the New Testament is the true Jesus, such actions are as foreign to His character as could be possible. Hence, the messiahship of Jesus must be based on who He claimed to be. Does He fit the mold of the Messiah of the Old Testament? He must be accepted or rejected on this ground alone, not by teachings that were clouded or perverted by those who sought a pretense to persecute the Jews.<\/p>\n
Theological Objections<\/p>\n
Theological objections to Jesus by rabbinic authorities have so repeatedly attacked the same areas as to become stereotyped. These will usually center on the question of the virgin birth, the claim of Jesus to be the Son of God, and the fact that Jews cannot believe that a man can become God. Objections to the Virgin Birth have already been dealt with, in the study of Isaiah 7:14. The kind of God one believes in is still an issue.
\nAs to the claim of Jesus to be the Son of God, one objection reads like this:<\/p>\n
The New Testament knows Jesus as the son of God and as Messiah. Judaism, however, does not acknowledge a son of God who was set apart and elevated above other human beings. The Jewish conviction is that all men are equal before God and no mortal can claim divinity.<\/p>\n
Here is an example of how the Messiahship of Jesus is judged purely on the basis of modern Judaism. Jesus could not be the Messiah, the writer says, since Judaism does not acknowledge a Son of God to begin with. The writer would have been more honest had he said that Judaism, as he knows it\u2014which is only modern Judaism\u2014does not acknowledge a Son of God. In the case of Reform Judaism, there would be no Messiah to begin with. The writer effectively ignores centuries of Jewish theological treatments that certainly do view the Messiah as being a Son of God. Had the writer taken the time to look at the early rabbinic interpretations of Psalm 2, it would have taught him not to make such a rash statement. The Old Testament, which is the basis of Judaism, did teach that God would have a Son. That Son is the Messiah Himself. The issue is not whether or not Judaism acknowledges it. The issue is whether the Bible teaches it, and the Old Testament certainly teaches it loud and clear.
\nAnd of course, Jews cannot believe that any man could become God and that is why Jews cannot accept Jesus. To begin with, the fact that a man cannot become God is very true; no man can claim divinity. This is where modern Judaism has misconstrued the teachings of the New Testament. The New Testament never claimed that Jesus was a man who became God. This is heresy! This goes contrary to Judaism, of any form: biblical, rabbinic or otherwise, and it also goes contrary to the Christian faith. Neither the New Testament nor Jesus ever taught that there was a man who became God.
\nThe New Testament claims the reverse: It was God who became a man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. If God became a man, this man would certainly be superior to other men. He would now be the God-Man. Certainly Judaism does not dare claim that God cannot become a man if He wanted to. The God of Biblical Judaism is all powerful: God can do anything He wants to. If there is anything God cannot do, He is less than God. So the real question is: \u201cDid God choose to become a man?\u201d Not, \u201cCan He?\u201d The claim is that God became a man. It is amazing how so many rabbinic writings about Jesus refuse to discuss this very point and insist on discussing how a man could become God.
\nOther common objections also miss the real point. One such objection is the fact that Jesus forgave sins, which is something only God can do. Again this is true\u2014only God can forgive sins. But if Jesus is the God-Man, God who became a man, the forgiving of sins would be part of the authority of this God-Man.
\nAnother objection of this nature centers around the fact that Jesus performed His miracles in His own name. This objection, as voiced by one Jewish writer, runs as follows:<\/p>\n
The Hebrew prophets too, performed miracles; but they stressed that they did so as God\u2019s instruments. When Elijah revived the son of the widow, he did not say that he had wrought that miracle as Jesus did on a similar occasion.<\/p>\n
First of all, it might be said that many times Jesus claimed that He was doing His miracles by the power and authority of the Spirit of God. It is true that the prophets did miracles and gave God the credit, but again, Messiah was not going to be just another man or just another prophet. Rabbinic theories taught that the Messiah, because He had the name of God Himself, will be able to do things in His own name. That is why the Messiah kept playing such a prominent role in rabbinic theology. That is why the Jewish people throughout the centuries before modern liberalism crept into Judaism, continually looked forward to the coming of the Jewish Messiah. The Messiah would have such authority and such power that He would be able to accomplish great things in His own name. Jesus claimed to be that Messiah and so should, in fact, have been able to do those things in His own name. As the author above admits, Jesus did accomplish those things in His own name. By doing so in His own name, He substantiates His messiahship rather than disproving it.<\/p>\n
Poor Research<\/p>\n
Other Jewish objections to Jesus show some very poor research with regard to what the New Testament is saying. One example reads like this: \u201cJudaism \u2026 is committed to a good life and discourages asceticism. Jesus, however, claimed that His kingdom was not of this world: He pointed to poverty as the mark of piety.\u201d
\nThe fact is that Jesus discouraged asceticism. He did encourage moderation in all things. The very purpose of the coming of Jesus was to provide enjoyment of life. Jesus said: \u201cI have come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly\u201d (John 10:10). He never at any time made poverty the mark of piety. He often talked against the false use of riches, but He never made wealth itself a sin nor poverty a virtue. The message of Christ was not: \u201cBe good now so you can go to heaven later.\u201d His message was: \u201cGet right with God so you can enjoy the kind of life God wants you to enjoy now, as well as heaven later.\u201d
\nAnother example involving poor research of the New Testament is one that reads as follows: \u201cJudaism exalts the family, integrated into a larger community. Jesus applauded celibacy and disparaged family ties as a barrier to religious dedication.\u201d
\nActually, Jesus did not encourage celibacy. This type of life, Jesus said, was just for the very few; it was not a mark of higher spirituality. His main point was correct priorities. His teaching was this: Every person must put God first and his family second. This is hardly going contrary to Judaism.
\nNot only do some objections show poor research of the New Testament, they also show poor research of the Old Testament, as is clear in the following case:<\/p>\n
The Hebrew Bible emphasized unity of mankind and the prophets spoke as God\u2019s messengers to all nations and not primarily to his own people. Jesus, however, emphasized that he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He refused to heal the daughter of a Canaanite woman. Judaism does not discriminate against non-Jews.<\/p>\n
One wonders if this writer ever read the Old Testament or even knows about his own Judaism. Judaism forbids intermarriage, and that is a form of discrimination against non-Jews. Furthermore, the prophets emphasized no such things as the writer claims. By far, the great majority of the Hebrew prophets did not give their messages to Gentiles but exclusively to the Jewish people. Over and over again, the prophets stressed the point that the Jews are God\u2019s people in a peculiar way and distinct from the Gentiles. There were messages that were for the Gentile nations, but these were invariably messages of judgment because of Gentile mistreatment of the Jewish people. One need only read the Prophets through one time to see this.
\nThe writer is also wrong about Jesus\u2019 dealings with the Canaanite woman. Jesus did not refuse to heal the daughter; in fact, he goes right ahead and does heal the daughter! (Matthew 15:21\u201328.) The point that Jesus wanted to make to the Canaanite woman was that the Messiah\u2019s task was primarily to make Himself known to the Jews, not the Gentiles. Gentiles would also be blessed, but nevertheless, Messiah\u2019s first priority was to the Jewish people. The same is true with the Jewish prophets.
\nIt would be futile to go on and on, for many of the objections to the Messiahship of Jesus are based on preconceived notions as to what the New Testament claims rather than on what it actually states. The theological questions can best be answered after determining the kind of God one believes in. Is God limited as to what He can do or can He do anything in accordance with His power? Then it can be asked: Did God become a man in Jesus or did He not? The Old Testament, not modern Judaism, must be the standard by which it is decided whether Jesus is the Messiah or not. This is a question that no individual can honestly answer unless he makes his own personal investigation. Rejection on the basis of preconceived notions, because of the way one has been led to believe, is to be dishonest with oneself.<\/p>\n
The Majority and the Minority<\/p>\n
A different kind of objection is raised over and over again: If Jesus was the Messiah, why don\u2019t the rabbis believe in Him? Or it may be stated like this: If Jesus is the Messiah, how come very few Jews believe this? The implication here is that something cannot be true for the Jew unless most rabbis or most Jewish people accept it to be true. In other words, the implication is that truth is determined by majority vote.
\nHowever, truth is not determined by majority vote. If something is true, it is going to be true if everybody believes it, or if nobody believes it. Even if everybody believes that the earth is flat and it is possible to fall off the edge of the earth, it will still not make it true. Truth just cannot be determined that way. Truth is something that is absolute; it never changes. It is irrelevant how many people believe the truth. It is still true because of what it is in itself.
\nBut some will say that if the Jewish religious leaders have rejected something, it certainly cannot be true religiously speaking, at least not for the Jews. If Jesus really was the Messiah, maybe not all Jews would have believed, but certainly a great many should have, especially Jewish leaders. As a matter of fact, a great many of the Jews did believe that Jesus was the Messiah, including Jewish leaders. No, it was not the majority. The majority rejected His Messiahship. But a great many did accept His Messiahship. Again, just because the majority did not accept Jesus as the Messiah, does not disqualify Him from being the One.
\nAs we look at our sacred history, we will discover over and over again that it was always the minority of Jews who obeyed the revelation of God. The prophets called the small group of believers the Remnant of Israel. It was always the Remnant of Israel that accepted what God has to say through His prophets. The majority by and large has always rejected it, including the religious leaders of that day.
\nLet\u2019s look at an example that comes from the time of Elijah the Prophet. As we look into the life of Elijah the Prophet in the First Book of the Kings, chapter 19, we find Elijah very depressed because the people would not return to the God of Israel and worship Him. Elijah\u2019s depression caused him to run away to Mount Sinai, wishing he could die.<\/p>\n
19:9\u00a0Then he came there to a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, \u201cWhat are you doing here, Elijah?\u201d 10\u00a0And he said, \u201cI have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, torn down Thine altars and killed Thy prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.\u201d 11\u00a0So He said, \u201cGo forth, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.\u201d And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12\u00a0And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. 13\u00a0And it came about when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, \u201cWhat are you doing here, Elijah?\u201d 14\u00a0Then he said, \u201cI have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, torn down Thine altars and killed Thy prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.\u201d 15\u00a0And the LORD said to him, \u201cGo, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; 16\u00a0and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17\u00a0\u201cAnd it shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. 18\u00a0\u201cYet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.\u201d<\/p>\n
1 Kings 19:9\u201318 (NASB)<\/p>\n
So completely was the nation of Israel given over to idolatry in Elijah\u2019s day, that Elijah feels that he is all alone (verses 10 and 14). But God answers him and says: \u201cYet will I leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him\u201d (verse 18).
\nThe answer of God to Elijah is that there are seven thousand others besides himself that have stayed true to the God of Israel. Now notice: of the hundreds of thousands of Jews living in the nation of Israel in Elijah\u2019s day, only seven thousand believed the Prophet Elijah. Certainly here, the majority of the Jewish leaders were wrong and, again, it was the Remnant who believed.
\nWhen we come to the Major Prophets, we find the same thing to be true. Even Isaiah, the prince of all the prophets, said in his very first chapter:<\/p>\n
1:9\u00a0Unless the LORD of hosts Had left us a few survivors, We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah.<\/p>\n
Isaiah 1:9 (NASB)<\/p>\n
Isaiah, too, recognized that there is only a Remnant, a small minority of Jewish people which obeys the prophets. The majority are in disobedience. Isaiah also testifies that if it was not for this Remnant, God would have been so disgusted with Israel that He would have destroyed us completely as He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. The same thing could be said for the other prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel. All these prophets had to constantly go against the greater majority over and over again, trying to maintain the truth of God.
\nRabbi Saul, who was a Jewish believer from the first century, recognized that the very same thing was happening in his day. It was the minority of Jews who were accepting the Messiah Jesus. In one of his letters to a congregation in Rome, he recounts the story of Elijah and applies the story to his day. He says:<\/p>\n
11:2\u00a0God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 3\u00a0\u201cLORD, THEY HAVE KILLED THY PROPHETS, THEY HAVE TORN DOWN THINE ALTARS, AND I ALONE AM LEFT, AND THEY ARE SEEKING MY LIFE.\u201d 4\u00a0But what is the divine response to him? \u201cI HAVE KEPT for Myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL.\u201d 5\u00a0In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God\u2019s gracious choice.<\/p>\n
Romans 11:2\u20135 (NASB)<\/p>\n
Rabbi Saul explains that what was happening in his day and is happening today is what has always happened in Jewish history. The majority have always been disobedient to the revelation of the God of Israel. The minority, the Remnant, have always believed. Rabbi Saul goes on to say that the Messianic Jews are the believing Remnant of Israel today.
\nThis type of truth, the truth of God, cannot be determined by the majority. So the answer is: So what if the majority of the rabbis and Jewish people do not accept Jesus as their Messiah? It does not change the fact that He is the Messiah.<\/p>\n
The Logic of It All<\/p>\n
But often the objection is raised that it is not logical, it is not Jewish to believe in Jesus. Well, that depends on the issue of who Jesus really is. Now suppose Jesus really is the Messiah. For the sake of argument, let the premise be allowed that He is the Messiah. Surely, then, the most natural, Jewish thing to do is to believe in Him\u2014that is logical enough. If Jesus is the Messiah, it is Jewish to believe in Jesus. And believing in Jesus, if He is the Messiah, makes a Jewish person, not less Jewish, but more Jewish. That actually makes him a completed Jew, because he has the relationship that the first Jew had, a relationship with God by faith.
\nMany objections raised are often fronts for a real objection that is not often voiced: the fear that if one who is Jewish accepts Jesus, he will cease to be a Jew. This is a real Jewish fear: He will cease to be a Jew and become a Gentile. Yet those Jews who do believe in Jesus firmly maintain that Jesus did not destroy their Jewishness.<\/p>\n
Appendix 10<\/p>\n
Table of Messianic Prophecies<\/p>\n
The table below summarizes all of the messianic prophecies which have been studied.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Writings 1 Chronicles 17:10b\u201314 The Davidic Covenant 17:10b\u00a0Moreover, I tell you that the LORD will build a house for you. 11\u00a0\u201cAnd it shall come about when your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who shall be of … <\/p>\n