Difference between revisions of "Messiah in Ancient Israel"
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Messiahs were not exclusively Jewish. Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, is referred to by Isaiah as a messiah. | Messiahs were not exclusively Jewish. Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, is referred to by Isaiah as a messiah. | ||
==The king as the Son of God == | |||
Psalm 2 | |||
1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? | |||
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, | |||
against the Lord and his anointed, saying, | |||
3 “Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.” | |||
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision. | |||
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, | |||
6 “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.” | |||
7 I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my son; | |||
today I have begotten you. | |||
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. | |||
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” | |||
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. | |||
11 Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling | |||
12 kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. | |||
Happy are all who take refuge in him. | |||
==The Prophecy of Nathan (2 Samuel 7:13-16) == | |||
:7:13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. 15 But I will not take[a] my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me;[b] your throne shall be established forever. | |||
==The Future Messiah== | |||
The expectation of a future, glorious messiah from the House of David is present in several prophetic text. | The expectation of a future, glorious messiah from the House of David is present in several prophetic text. | ||
Revision as of 10:52, 5 January 2017
In ancient Israel, a messiah is a king or priest traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil. The anointment is a sign of authority from God, a sign that a person has been sent for a specific mission.
Messiahs were not exclusively Jewish. Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, is referred to by Isaiah as a messiah.
The king as the Son of God
Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling
12 kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Happy are all who take refuge in him.
The Prophecy of Nathan (2 Samuel 7:13-16)
- 7:13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. 15 But I will not take[a] my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me;[b] your throne shall be established forever.
The Future Messiah
The expectation of a future, glorious messiah from the House of David is present in several prophetic text.
Isaiah
- Once he is King, leaders of other nations will look to him for guidance. (Isaiah 2:4)
- The whole world will worship the One God of Israel (Isaiah 2:11–17)
- He will be descended from King David (Isaiah 11:1) via Solomon (1 Chronicles 22:8–10, 2 Chronicles 7:18)
- The "spirit of the Lord" will be upon him, and he will have a "fear of God" (Isaiah 11:2)
- Evil and tyranny will not be able to stand before his leadership (Isaiah 11:4)
- Knowledge of God will fill the world (Isaiah 11:9)
- He will include and attract people from all cultures and nations (Isaiah 11:10)
- All Israelites will be returned to their homeland (Isaiah 11:12)
- Death will be swallowed up forever (Isaiah 25:8)
- There will be no more hunger or illness, and death will cease (Isaiah 25:8)
- All of the dead will rise again (Isaiah 26:19)
- The Jewish people will experience eternal joy and gladness (Isaiah 51:11)
- He will be a messenger of peace (Isaiah 52:7)
- Nations will recognize the wrongs they did to Israel (Isaiah 52:13–53:5)
- He will take the barren land and make it abundant and fruitful (Isaiah 51:3, Isaiah 11:6–9; cf. Amos 9:13–15, Ezekiel 36:29–30)
=Jeremiah
- The people of Israel will have direct access to the Torah through their minds and Torah study will become the study of the wisdom of the heart (Jeremiah 31:33)[12]
Ezekiel
- The ruined cities of Israel will be restored (Ezekiel 16:55)
- Weapons of war will be destroyed (Ezekiel 39:9)
Zechariah
- The peoples of the world will turn to the Jews for spiritual guidance (Zechariah 8:23)
Psalms
- He will give you all the worthy desires of your heart (Psalms 37:4)