THE GOD-MAN, PROPHESIED
What is the one thing, above everything, that God can use to authenticate His message?
Prophecy!
Isaiah 46:10 NLT
[10] “Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.”
Among many other themes, the Bible is full of prophecy, even to a detailed unfolding of history in the Book of Daniel centuries before it happened.
The greatest prophetic theme in Scripture is the story of the Messiah, from the first promise in Genesis 3…
Genesis 3:15 NIV
[15] “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
…to the final reassurance, in Revelation, that He is coming again,
Revelation 22:20 NIV
[20] “He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
Google says…
“While the exact number varies depending on interpretation, most scholars agree that there are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament that are believed to be fulfilled by Jesus as the Messiah. Some even suggest the number could be closer to 400 or more. These prophecies cover various aspects of Jesus’ life, including his birth, ministry, death, and resurrection.”
Let’s examine a few of these prophecies to catch glimpses of the Messiah, this God-man, Jesus, that come into full view when He came.
Isaiah’s prophecies, among many others, give us a picture of the Messiah, first, as a son who was also God, but God in human form.
Isaiah 9:6 NLT
[6]”For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
So, the prophetic picture is of a Father and Son in a perfect relationship, but a son who is also fully God. This is not about God becoming the biological father of Jesus. Since Jesus is also God, an idea like this is absurd. This is about the relationship Jesus had with the Father in His earthly interlude, typifying the true relationship of a father and son, i.e., perfect unity through authority and submission. Together, they would carry out a daring plan…
The writer to the Hebrews reveals the reason for His human nature…
Hebrews 2:17 NLT
[17] “Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.”
Hebrews 5:7-9 NIV
[7] “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. [8] Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered [9] and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him…”
Jesus testified to this Father-Son relationship, specifically by His attitude of submission and obedience to the Father’s will in every detail, even to His suffering and death.
John 8:28-29 NIV
[28] So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. [29] The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”
Among the many prophetic glimpses of the Messiah, too many to touch on here, let’s examine Isaiah’s “Servant Songs” which flesh out our prophetic picture of the God-man, Yahweh’s servant, who perfectly carried out God’s will on earth.
Google says,
“The Servant Songs in Isaiah are four poetic passages in the Book of Isaiah (42:1-4, 49:1-6, 50:4-9, and 52:13-53:12) that describe a figure called the “Servant of the Lord”. These passages depict the Servant’s calling, identity, suffering, and ultimate triumph. While some scholars also include Isaiah 61:1-3, the four main songs are the most commonly recognized.”
- His calling
Isaiah 49:1-2 NIV
[1] “Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. [2] He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.”
His was not a random birth but a unique and specially designed person, formed in the womb of a virgin, God and man in one body, to accomplish a special purpose which would be revealed in His coming…
- His identity
Isaiah 49:5 NIV
[5]” And now the Lord says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength…”
This God-man, in His earthly existence, assumed the role of a servant. He was under the authority and control of His Father, and to Him He submitted with perfect obedience. He came, first, to restore Israel, God’s wayward son, to the Father.
- His character
Isaiah 42:1-4 NIV
[1] “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. [2] He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. [3] A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; [4] he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”
The character and role of this servant were in perfect harmony, to reveal God’s true name, only a hint in the Old Covenant…Father! No other man-made god can come near to the Person Jesus revealed by His words and deeds, gracious merciful, tender, and loving!
- His mission
Isaiah 49:5-6 NIV
[5] And now the Lord says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength— [6] he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
Restore! Messiah’s role was to restore…every broken part of God’s perfect creation and plan, first, His own people and then the nations, to the fellowship and purpose of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- His suffering
Isaiah 50:4-7 NIV
[4] “The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. [5] The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. [6] I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. [7] Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.”
Isaiah 52:13-15 NIV
[13] “See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. [14] Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness— [15] so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.”
Isaiah 53:1-9 NIV
[1] “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? [2] He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. [3] He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. [4] Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. [5] But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. [6] We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. [7] He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. [8] By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. [9] He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.”
What a comprehensive description of the suffering of the God-man, far more detailed than any eyewitness account in the New Testament! What the prophet saw in spiritual vision, Jesus suffered in realtime experience. No need to record it again. Suffering was the only way to pay the debt of sin, to win the war over the sinful nature, and to reconcile a broken and corrupted humanity to a holy God…and so He suffered!
- His victory
Isaiah 53:10-12 NIV
[10] “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. [11] After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. [12] Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Paul translates Isaiah’s vision into the God-man’s reward…
Philippians 2:9-11 NLT
[9]” Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The Servant’s reward was twofold… a personal victory that gained Him all the spoils of war, and a title that gave Him authority over all the powers of heaven and earth.
Isaiah adds another detail to his four servant songs which complete his prophetic picture of the Messiah.
- His anointing
Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV
[1] “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, [2] to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, [3] and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”
The servant achieved what He came to do…to undo the consequences of human rebellion and to restore the abundant life He promised to give and, most of all, to shine the light on the glory of the real God who accomplished what He set out to do.
There are many other details in Isaiah’s prophecies, as well as a mosaic of other prophecies throughout the Old Testament, that form a comprehensive blueprint of the one God promised. The prophets saw Him but did not fully understand what they had seen.
1 Peter 1:10-12 NIV
[10] “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, [11] trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. [12] It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.”
It was left to the apostles and the gospel writers to place the blueprint of prophecy over the person of Jesus, and to find a perfect match.
2 Peter 1:16, 19 NIV
[16] “For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty…
[19] We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
Jesys Himself affirmed to two disciples after His resurrection, that the Scriptures they knew were His own story told through the writings of the prophets.
Luke 24:25-27 NIV
[25] “He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” [27] And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”
Without enlarging on the witness of Scripture itself, we have a picture of Jesus in the Old Testament so detailed and so accurate that all it took was for Jesus to come in person to live it out, one day and one detail at a time.
So, as Matthew proclaimed, time after time in his gospel, “… That the Scripture might be fulfilled…”
Google says,
“In Matthew’s Gospel, the phrase “that the Scripture might be fulfilled” emphasizes how Jesus’s actions and experiences align with and fulfill Old Testament prophecies. It signifies that Jesus’s life and ministry were not random events, but rather the culmination of God’s plan as revealed in the Scriptures.”
So, dear reader, we have, written in God’s own Word under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the greatest of all affirmations that Jesus was who He said He was, is who He says He is, and provides an utterly reliable recored of His life, death, resurrection, and ascension as predicted in the Scriptures. He is the God-man, promised and sent to redeem and restore.
To be continued…