- Theology and Identity
- Season 1
- Episode 12
- Airdate: 26 April 2024
- Please note this is a script, and not a transcript. There may be slight differences between this text and the actual broadcast.
- All Bible quotations taken from the English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016)
Audio Links:
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In this episode, we want to address some of the main theological questions related to the idea of Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures.
There are different dimensions of OT messianic theology.
One aspect of Messianic theology is eschatological. The messiah comes in the last days to conquer evil, to reward the righteous, and to establish eternal peace on earth.
Another aspect of Messianic theology is soteriological – that is, it has to do with salvation. Many passages talk about the Mesiah as the one who makes atonement for the sins of Israel, and the sins of the nations – and thus opens the way for a new level of relationship with God
And then a third aspect of messianic theology is missional.
We know that God mad a promise to Abraham that through his seed, all nations would experience the love, healing and restoration of YHWH. We know that that in order to fulfil their purpose, Israel must keep the covenant, and become the model people that God is calling them to be. We know that Israel has failed dismally. And it is in the midst of this failure that the hope of a coming Messiah takes centre stage. But the question is, how exactly does the Messiah help Israel fulfil her mission to bring healing, restoration and blessing to all families of the earth?
So these are the three points that we’ll look at today: 1) the eschatological element of Messianic theology, 2) the soteriological element and 3) the missional element.
Now as we look at these issues, I need to remind you of the methodology I’m using in this first season, as we’re working our way through the Old Testament. As much as possible, I’m trying not to read the Hebrew through the lens of the NT, or later Christian theology. Christian theologians will often encourage us to read the OT through the lens of the cross. That is, to interpret everything we read there in light of what we believe about Jesus. Now I’m not saying that that’s a bad or wrong approach to the Old Testament, but it does have its limitations. We have to remember that insomuch as we think about original intent of the authors, the Hebrew Scriptures were not written to us. They were written to people of Israel so that they might understand the will and the character of the God with whom they had established a covenant relationship. In the Old Testament, a story unfolds. And our aim in this series is to put ourselves in the shoes of the people for whom that story was being written. We want to build our concept of God around what has been revealed in that narrative, and we want to block out, as much as possible, any future events or texts with which those characters would have been unaware.
All this is to say that in order to understand the power of the narrative, we want to be conscious of what the people of Israel knew, and what they didn’t know at those various moments in time.
So whereas we as Christians read through with the awareness that this is all leading to Jesus, for the people of ancient Israel, the idea of Messiah developed much more slowly.
So let’s talk about eschatology – what does the Messiah do for humanity at the end of the ages?
In Hebrew thought, one of the key elements within messianic theology is that the Messiah re-establishes the kingdom of David on earth.
We remember that in 2nd Samuel 7, God had promised to David
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
Now whereas David thought that God was talking about Solomon, we know from what happened in the life of Solomon, he certainly wasn’t the guy. We talked about the sordid details in Solomon’s life back in episode 8.
So on a very basic level, we know for the ancient Israelites, from the time of Solomon forward, there was an expectation that someone would come from the line of David to reunite, restore and rebuild the kingdom of Israel.
As the centuries past the kingdoms of Israel and Judah spiralled deeper and deeper into sin and chaos. As we’ve noted in our last two episodes, the prophets came to help Israel understand how fall they had fallen, how deeply their sins had hurt God, and also to warn that judgment would come.
The first kingdom to fall was the Northern Kingdom of Israel, whose capital was in Samaria. In 722 BC the Assyrian king Shalmaneser the 5th swept down upon Israel, destroyed their cities, and carried them away captive to various regions of the Assyrian empire. These exiled tribes never returned, and that is what they’re often referred to as the ‘lost tribes of Israel’.
Around this same time, Isaiah the prophet was proclaiming the word of the Lord in Judah, warning the southern kingdom that the punishment that their Northern neighbours had received would soon fall upon. And this of course, happened when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem at the end of 6th C and carried the people into captivity. Isaiah predicted that that the house of David would fall, and this happened in dramatic fashion.
The last ruling king of Judah was a guy named Zedekiah. When Nebuchadenezzar made his final assault on the city, Zedekiah and his family tried to escape. They made it as far as the plains of Jericho before they were captured. The Babylonians brought Zedekiah and his sons before Nebu. Right before the eyes of their father, the 2 sons of the king were slaughtered. The Babylonians then cut out the eyes of their father, so that he would live the rest of the memory of seeing the murder of his own sons. He was then bound, and brought to Babylon.
And so, it seemed, line of David had ended in a gruesome and disturbing fashion,
But this same Isaiah who had predicted the demise of Judah 2 centuries earlier had also predicted that, miraculously, the family of David would be restored. In chapter 11 he wrote
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
Think of a dead stump. . . .
So this passage written by Isaiah in the 8th C becomes one of the first passages to clearly present what the messiah will do/ Let’s look at some of the key ideas here:
Vs 2: the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him
Vs 4: with righteousness he shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth
Vs 5-9: Universal peace comes to the earth: the wolf lies down with the lamb. No one will hurt or destroy on God’s holy mountain, for the earth be full of the knowledge of theLord as the waters cover the sea.
vs 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will gather around him
vs 11-13: he will regather all the tribes , Judah and the 10 tribes of the North, from the places where they have been scattered.
So this is the final outcome. This describes the restoration of the nations that is coming, the fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham. The re-establishment of the kingdom of David on earth.
That is the eschatological work of the Messiah.
The second aspect of Messianic theology that we want look at is the soteriological work of the Messiah. That is, how he makes atonement for the sins of Israel and for the sins of the nations.
Two prophets who had a lot to say about YHWH’s coming atonement for the sins of Israel are Ezekiel and Isaiah.
If listened to the episode entitled the Broken Heart of God, then you’ll recall the graphic passage that we looked at. Ezekiel 16. Here, YHWH allegorically portrayed himself as a husband who had been deeply wounded by the sordid sexual sins of the woman that he had married. And in this allegory, that woman meant to represent Israel.
But at the end of this dark and depressing passage, Ezekiel prophesied of a time when YHWH turn the hearts of the people back to himself, and renew the covenant that he had made with them:
“For thus says the Lord God: I will deal with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant, 60 yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed . . . 62 I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, 63 that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord God.” [1]
Ezekiel 36 speaks in a similar vein
24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses.[2]
So these passages speak of a coming time of restoration and renewal for the people of Israel. But they don’t really say a lot about how this will happen. There’s not a specific mention of a messiah or a person who will be key in bringing this transformation about.
And that’s where the prophet Isaiah comes in. In Isaiah chapters 40-55 there are a series of passages where YHWH speaks of the coming a person called avdi, My Servant.
When juxtapose the servant passages with the texts we’ve seen in Ezekiel, it becomes clear that this servant is YHWH’s instrument of atonement for the people of Israel.
This is particularly clear in the famous passage that runs from 52:13 - 53:12
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. [3]
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities. [4]
What’s fascinating here is that the Servant does not only make atonement for the sins of Israel, but for all the nations.
In 52: 15 there is the imagery of cleansing the nations through his sacrificial offering
so shall he sprinkle many nations. [5]
And in chapter 49, the imagery of making atonement for both Israel and the nations is even more clear:
he says:
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth[6]
So this is the soteriological work of the Messiah. He comes as one who will turn the hearts of the people back to God. He will make atonement for their sins, and he will bring about the redemption of the nations.
So finally, let’s talk about the missional element of the Messiah.
In the passage that we just read, Isaiah spoke about the servant as a ‘light the to nations’.
But where does this leave Israel? I thought they were supposed to be light to the nations, a model people that will draw all the world to the worship of YHWH?
Does the Messiah replace Israel in this regard? Does he take over Israel’s mission because they have failed so badly. Or could it be that Israel still has the responsibility of fulfilling the promise made to Abraham? That even with the soteriological work of the messiah, Israel still has the mission of bringing salvation to the nations, and the Messiah hasn’t replaced them.
Let me illustrate what I’m getting at here. Let’s imagine that me and my five kids agree to make a gift for my wife on her birthday. One of them is going to turn a vase on the potter wheel, another will paint it, another will fire it and the others will create beautiful silk flowers to go in the vase. My job will be to coordinate and support them in the process.
But lets imagine that the whole project goes awry. Some of them drop out, others don’t’ try very hard, and along the way their all fighting and arguing with each other. So the moment comes for me as the father to step in. So the question is this, what approach do I take with my intervention? If I feel that they just don’t have the ability take on this project, should I just do it all myself? Or should I hold onto the hope that they still have a chance to do this. Maybe I should sit them down and address the problems. Perhaps some of them need some additional training, so I give some lessons. Maybe I find that some of them lack motivation , so I give them a pep talk. And then I try to figure out why they’re fighting and arguing, and I try to reconcile them.
So in the first approach, I’m just replacing them. I’m taking over the task myself and getting the job done because they weren’t able to do it on their own.
In the second approach, I’m trying to restore them and get them back on track. I still believe that they have the ability to complete this task, but they need my intervention to get the job done.
So its either replace them. Or Restore them.
So which of these options best aligns with what the OT says about the Messiah? Does the Messiah come to replace Israel, and accomplish on his own what they were unable to do? Or does he come to restore them, so that they can fulfil the purpose and mission given to them by YHWH.
There definitely are some passages that suggest that YHWH is taking the matter into his own hands.
Isa 63:5 for example says:
I looked, but there was no one to help;
I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold;
so my own arm brought me salvation,
and my wrath upheld me. [7]
Here, there is a sense that Israel was completely unable to become that model people, they are unable to be the fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham, so YHWH sends his servant, the Messiah, to do for Israel what they could never for themselves. The Messiah replaces Israel.
But – that’s not the complete story. Other passages in Isaiah suggest the people of Israel aren’t just playing a passive role in the establishment of the messianic kingdom.
In Isaiah 60, for example, YHWH speaks to the people of Israel saying:
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
3 And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.
4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from afar,
and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and exult,
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you. [8]
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
2 The nations shall see your righteousness,
and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.
3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. [9]
The key point here is that YHWH does not just bypass the people of Israel in order to fulfil the promise he made to Abraham. Remember what he had said to Abraham in Gen 12– I will bless you and make your name great, so that will be a blessing.
In this approach, that plan has not changed. God will bring blessing to the nations, but that can only happen through the descendents of Abraham, the people of Israel. So the Messiah cannot and does not bring salvation and restoration to the nations alone. He first must bless and restore and bless Israel, and then through Israel he blesses and restores the nations.
So back to the questions we asked at the beginning, does the Messiah replace Israel or does he restore Israel. Does the Messiah take Israels project and do the work on his own? Or does the Messiah come to build up and heal Israel so that they can go do the task on their own?
In my view, and you may have guessed this from the beginning, is that it’s a little bit of both.
Its something like this: Israel alone can bring salvation to the nations, but Israel cannot bring salvation to the nations alone.
What we’ve seen in the OT narrative is that many people in Israel tried to keep the covenant, and throughout the biblical history of Israel, many individuals did keep the covenant. But on the whole, the 12 tribes of Israel failed and failed again.
So this left YHWH with a problem. In order to fulfil the promise that the made to Abrham, blessing to the nations must come through the seed of Abraham. Theres no way around this. But again, Israel as a nation is a total complete failure. So where does YHWH turn? The answer is the Messiah.
The Messiah first comes to turn the heart of Israel back to their God. Then together, the Messiah and the redeemed of Israel collaborate together to bring the blessing of God to the nations. And voila, the promise to Abraham is fulfilled.
Now, let’s reflect a bit on all of this. The title of this podcast is Theology and Identity. What I’m trying to understand in this particular series is how the ancient Hebrew understanding of God shaped the way that the view themselves.
So if I were an ancient Hebrew, living lets say in the time of Isaiah, this is what I might say about Theology and Identity.
First of all, I would reach the obvious conclusion that there’s something deeply wrong with me, and wrong with people in general. Looking back over the history of my nation, I would have to acknowledge that when presented with the path of life or the path of death, covenant faithfulness or rebellion – the natural instinct of my people has been to choose the path of rebellion.
At the same time, however, I would have to acknowledge that my God YHWH is deeply invested in me and my community. Despite the fact that we’ve that we’ve failed him again and again. And that we’ve been punished for it severely, he’s not giving up on us. I have the deep sense that he loves me and that he has an emotional need to be in relationship with me. He has a calling and a purpose for my nation, and he is absolutely determined that one way or another this plan is going to be fulfilled.
For me, imagining myself to be an ancient Hebrew, then the meaning of the Messiah is twofold: he deals with the problem of my sin and failure, while at the same time upholding the dignity of my personhood, the dignity of my community, and the incredible calling that we have. After he redeems and restores my people, he invites me to work in partnership with him to fulfil his purposes on the earth. He is the redemptive agent of God at the same time that he is the missional activator of Israel.
In conclusion, let me share some thoughts on what this might mean for us today.
What I see here is that the spirituality of the Hebrew Scriptures drives us toward authentic partnership with God. He has chosen to work through people in order to accomplish his purposes on earth. Could he have designed the world in such a way that the accomplishment of his will and purposes was solely in his own hands. Of course. But the message of the Hebrew Scriptures is that this is not the world that he chose to create. What I see in the OT is that he wants to work through us. And to fulfil the specific promises that he’s made to humanity, he needs to work through us. And so ancient Hebrew spirituality is not a groveling in worthlessness and helplessness. Nor is it the spirituality of a person who can do things entirely on her own. Some form of deism. It’s a spirituality of relational intimacy, of friendship, of deep connectedness and collaboration between humanity and God so that his purposes may be fulfilled on the earth.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eze 16:59–63.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eze 36:24–29.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 53:4–6.
[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 53:10–11.
[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 52:15.
[6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 49:6.
[7] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 63:5.
[8] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 60:1–5.
[9] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 62:1–3.