God’s Covenant with David

In a previous post, I wrote about the Messianic expectation of the Old Testament. In that post I tried to explain how the Messianic hope developed through the centuries. However, in that post I did not explain the origin and the complexity of that hope. As one reader wrote in a comment posted on Facebook, “the concept of Messiah varied greatly from group to group among the Jews. A variety of images appear in the literature describing a Messiah figure.”

His statement is true. It was not my desire in that post to describe the “variety of images” that were present in the Messianic expectation of Israel. These various images were the pieces of the puzzle I alluded to in that post. That would be the subject of another post.

In the present post, I want to discuss the origin of the Messianic hope in the Bible without going into the development of the idea. That, in brief, was the purpose of my first post.

The Messianic hope in the Old Testament begins with God’s covenant with David and God’s promise that David’s throne would be established forever. I consider 2 Samuel 7, the text dealing with God’s covenant with David, to be one of the most important passages in the Old Testament. In this text, God promised to make a house for David, that is, God guaranteed the perpetuity of David’s kingdom by establishing an eternal dynasty for him.

In this post, I will focus on God’s promise to David. God promised that he would be a father to every descendant of David who would sit on David’s throne. I will also deal with two other passages where God’s promise was reaffirmed to a descendant of David.

2 Samuel 7:14

“I will be his father, and he will be my son.”

God’s covenant with David is a unilateral covenant in which God established a new relationship with Israel through David. The Davidic covenant was based upon God’s promise to David that his throne would be established forever. It was an unconditional covenant because it was not based on human behavior. It was God who assured David that his throne would “be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). God’s promise to David would bring stability to the monarchy and hope for the permanency of his kingdom in spite of the fact that historical events would threaten the fulfillment of God’s promises.

The promise in 2 Samuel 7:14 was not a reference to Christ and his kingdom, as many interpreters in the past and in the present have understood the passage. In the context of God’s promise to David, the one who would inherit David’s throne and build a house for God’s name would be Solomon:

12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth 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 for ever.

14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men (2 Samuel 7:12-14).

Although the promise was made to Solomon and after him, to all the sons of David who became king of Judah, none of the kings who sat on the throne of David were able to meet the divine expectations for the ideal king. When Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 B.C. and the dynasty of David came to an end, many people believed that God’s promise to David had failed. However, the people of Israel had to wait many more years, even centuries, before the people could welcome another son of David:

“Hosanna to the Son of David” (Matthew 21:9).

“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David” (Mark 11:10).

The concept of the Davidic king being the son of God helps to explain two very important texts in the Old Testament: Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 9:6.

Psalm 2:6-7

“I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you.”

Psalm 2 is a Royal Psalm that was used for the celebration of the investiture of a new king. In this psalm God affirms the son of David to be his chosen one because he continues the kingly line of David. The king was proclaimed to be God’s son on Zion, God’s holy hill. God’s words reaffirmed the selection of a descendant of David to be God’s representative on earth and the election of Jerusalem, the city of David, as the place from which the new king would rule.

The “decree of the Lord” was the royal protocol which was given to the king during the investiture ceremony. This document endowed the new king with legitimacy and authority.

The statement, “You are my son; today I have begotten you” carries two important ideas. First, the expression “You are my son” says that on the day the descendant of David was crowned king, the king developed a new relationship with Yahweh, becoming his representative on earth. The day of the king’s coronation was the day when the divine decree took effect. The idea that the king was God’s son was common in the Ancient Near East. The idea of God as the Father and the king as the son also appears in other texts in the Old Testament (cf. Psalm 89:26-27; 1 Chronicles 28:6). Thus, in Judah, the king became the son of God on the day he ascended to the throne of David.

God’s covenant with David was considered to be an eternal covenant. God promised to David that “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). The divine declaration to the new king in Psalm 2:7 served as an affirmation of the divine promise and as a renewal of God’s relationship with the house of David in the person of the new king.

Second, the expression “today I have begotten you” expresses a symbolic “new birth,” a process by which the son of David became the son of God by adoption. Adoption outside of the royal realm was common in Israel. Rachel adopted Bilhah’s son as her own son and Jacob adopted Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s sons, as his own sons (Genesis 48:5). By this process of investiture and adoption, the new Davidic king became an heir of the divine promise to David and a representative of Yahweh before the people.

God’s words in Psalm 2:7 express the adoption of a new king as God’s son the moment this descendant of David assumed the throne to carry out God’s promise to David and rule over God’s people.

Isaiah 9:6

“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

This passage, Isaiah 9:5-6 (Hebrew 9:4-5) is a hymn celebrating the coronation of a new king. The rejoicing of the people in 9:3-4 (Hebrew 9:2-3) is the result of the celebration at the enthronement of a new king who will conquer the enemies who oppressed the people.

Verse 4 describes the situation of the oppressed people: “For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.” In this verse, the oppressed people are treated like animals of burden. The people carry a heavy yoke upon their shoulders and are forced to labor hard by the rod which chastises them.

The day of the people’s redemption began the day the son of David was crowned king of Judah and ascended the throne of his father. The ascension of a new heir to the throne of David and his adoption by God was seen as the fulfillment of God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-14, a promise which brought hope of deliverance from the oppression imposed upon the people of God by the heavy hand of Assyria.

This new king was Hezekiah and the words used by the prophet to describe the new king are the divine ideals for God’s representative and are meant to describe the rule of the one who would sit on David’s throne, but ideals which were never attained by Hezekiah or any other king. It was the failure of the kings of Judah to attain these ideals that forced the people to look to the future and hope for the coming of a new David.

Claude Mariottini

Professor of Old Testament

Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Covenant, David, 2 Samuel 7, Messiah, Psalm 2:7, Isaiah 9:6

The Messianic Expectation of the Old Testament

Most Christians have a great desire to understand the Messianic expectation of the Old Testament. A good way of understanding the Messianic hope of the Old Testament is to understand its basic components. When most people think of prophecy in the Bible, probably what comes to mind is the idea of predicting the future. Most prophecies in the Old Testament are not predictions of the future, but they are the prophets’ attempt to communicate God’s words to their contemporaries.

The so-called Messianic expectation of the Old Testament refers to the coming of the expected or the promised deliverer of Israel. When Christians think about the Messiah, they think about Jesus Christ. To them, Jesus is clearly seen as the promised Messiah and as the fulfillment of the Messianic hope of the Old Testament.

However, the notion of the Messiah who would be a descendant of David and who would come to deliver Israel from their captivity and reestablish the kingdom of David, is a post-exilic phenomenon.

After the reign of David and a few generations after the division of the kingdom, people began looking for a good king, one like David who would reunite Israel and bring the tribes together again. The hope for a new David began to develop after many kings failed to rule righteously. This hope caused the people to begin looking for a new king who would bring back the glories of the Davidic kingdom.

Since most kings in Judah failed to meet the people’s expectation of a righteous king as described in Psalm 72, the people of Judah believed that a new David, “the ideal king,” was needed. Micah’s prophecy of a new David reflects the people’s expectation of their Messiah, their Anointed one:

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days (Micah 5:2).

By saying that the new ruler would be born in Bethlehem, the prophet was bypassing Jerusalem, the seat of the government and the place where the palace of the king was located. God would go back to the village of Bethlehem, bypassing the city of Jerusalem, to select one who would rule in Israel.

In addition, the king’s origin would be “from of old, from ancient days.” Contrary to English translations which translate “from ôlām” as “from everlasting” (KJV), “from eternity” (HCSB), “from the eternal days” (BBE), the prophet is not referring to the eternity of the new ruler. A better translation is “whose origin goes back to the distant past, to days of long ago.” The days of the distant past, of long ago is a reference to the days of David. What the prophet is saying is that the new ruler will be another David. This is the reason God was going back to Bethlehem, as he did in the days of David, to select a new ruler who would rule over Judah as David did.

When the temple was destroyed and Judah went into exile, the people’s concept of the Messiah changed. The people now began to look for a new king who would restore the nation to its former glory. At the end of the exile, the people thought that the Messiah would come with the rebuilding of the temple in the sixth century. The prophet Haggai proclaimed:

On that day, says the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, son of Shealtiel, says the LORD, and make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you, says the LORD of hosts. (Haggai 2:23).

Zerubbabel was called the Branch (Zechariah 3:8; 6:12) and God’s signet ring (Haggai 2:23). The title “The Branch” is a reference to the Messianic King in Jeremiah 23:5. The title “God’s signet ring” was attributed to King Jehoiachin (Coniah), the son of Jehoiakim in Jeremiah 22:24.

Zerubbabel was not the Messiah and his disappearance produced a great disappointment in the hopes of the post-exilic community. Since no human king met the people’s expectation for the expected deliverer, in time the people began looking for a deliverer who would come in the distant future.

The ideal king would be the one who would come to Israel from the line of David. The new David would lead the people of Israel to power and rule over them in righteousness. Speaking of the new David, Ezekiel said: “My servant David shall be king over them; and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow my ordinances and be careful to observe my statutes” (Ezekiel 37:24-25).

Instead of looking at their present for the deliverer, the people began looking ahead, into the future. The people realized that the promise would not have immediate fulfillment. Thus, the promise gradually suffered an adjustment and was transferred to an eschatological fulfillment. This hope for a future deliverer became known as the messianic expectation that found fulfillment in the person of Christ.

A good way to illustrate the people’s expectation of a Messiah is by comparing this expectation to a puzzle. The Messianic expectation of the Old Testament is like a puzzle. With the passing
of time, more and more pieces of the puzzle were put together. In pre-exilic Israel, with the few pieces of the puzzle that the people had, they could not see clearly what the picture was. With the passing of time and with a few more pieces, the picture began to take shape. The people’s understanding of what that picture was, began to take shape.

Finally, in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4), when all the pieces were put together, the people could see the final picture. The puzzle was not complete until the last piece was put in the puzzle. For Christians, the final piece of the puzzle was Jesus Christ.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary


Tags: Hebrew Bible, Old Testament, Messiah, Messianic Hope, New David

From Text to Sermon: Isaiah 9:1-7

This study of Isaiah 9:1-7 is a continuation of a series of studies on preaching from the Old Testament. These studies are derived from a series of Advent sermons preached at Trinity Baptist Church of Chicago, the church where I have served as pastor since 1989.

The Text

1 But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. 4 For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Historical Background

In 734 B.C. Assyria invaded the Northern Kingdom and conquered several cities in Israel (2 Kings 15:29). As a result, many people were deported to Assyria and Israel became a vassal state.

The deportation of the Northern tribes produced a crisis of faith in which the people were confronted with the possibilities that God might have abandoned them. This was the worst of times and the best of times. However, the worst of times, a time of “gloom,” of “anguish,” and of “contempt” became the best of times, a time of joy and rejoicing.

During this crisis in their lives, many Israelites doubted God’s goodness and God’s power to save. Some wondered if God’s people would ever again find peace and unity, while others believed that some day God would bring the restoration of the nation under the leadership of a new ruler, a ruler who would be a descendant of David.

The words of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 9:1-7) are a confession of faith in God and in the future of God’s people. According to the prophet, God would fulfill his promise to David and raise another leader who would bring redemption to Israel. This new king would bring salvation to a hopeless people and liberate them from their enemies and Israel would forever live in peace under the leadership of this new David.

Exegesis

V. 1. The people of Zebulun and Naphtali who lived in the region of Galilee were the first ones to suffer the oppression of the enemy and they would be the first ones to experience the salvation of God.

Galilee of the nations. This region was called “Galilee of the nations” because of the many non-Jews who lived in the area. The prophet uses the words gloom, anguish, and contempt to describe the feelings of the people. These were the people who needed the good news the prophet was proclaiming. These same words also reflect the needs of people today who need the good news of Christ’s birth. He was born and died to save people who face this kind of despondency in their lives.

V. 2. The people’s oppressive experience produced a “darkness of the soul.” The people are pictured as walking in darkness because they were deprived of the worship God in their native country. God is light and those who live without him are in darkness (1 John 1:5-6). Some people were forced to worship Assyrian gods; others were influenced by the non-Jews who lived among them. The expression “deep darkness” is the same word used in Psalm 23:4: the valley of the shadow of death (ESV). The experience of the people in Galilee could be compared to a person who faces the anguish of death.

The people who lived in the time of Christ had nothing good to say about this region: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46; see also Matthew 26:69; Mark 14:70). However, it was in this area where Jesus lived and grew up. Jesus was born among people who were despised and who had no hope. Jesus is the hope of the hopeless.

The light that was shining upon the people was a symbol of life, salvation, and joy. Something happened in those days that produced hope in the lives of people, and that hope was reflected in their great joy (v.3). The light that was shining upon them was the presence of God among his people.

V. 3. The first part of the verse probably speaks of the increased Gentile population in Galilee. All of them rejoiced in what God was doing. You have increased its joy. The reading of the King James Version should be rejected here: not increased the joy. The reading of the KJV is based on a secondary reading of the text.

God is the one doing the work: The word You appears three times in the text. The salvation of men and women is not accomplished by human work, but by the direct intervention of God.

V. 4. After the Assyrian conquest, the people of Israel were placed under the burden of tribute and forced labor. The word oppressor refers to the economic oppression and the servitude imposed upon the people. All these burdens will be removed in the same way burdens were removed in the days of Gideon (Judges 6:1-8:35).

V. 5. God’s intervention will eliminate the threat of war. In one great battle the enemies of God’s people will be conquered and the soldier’s equipment used in war will be destroyed or made irrelevant.

V. 6. The reason for the great joy among the people was the birth of a child. The reference to the son that was born is a reference to the enthronement of a new king, probably Hezekiah. The day of the ascension of David’s descendant upon the throne was the day the king became the son of God by adoption (see Psalm 2:7).

The titles given to the new king are the ideals to be achieved by any son of David. However, no human king ever attained these ideals. So, these ideals were taken from the human king and transferred to a future king of Israel, God’s anointed, Jesus Christ.

Wonderful Counselor. This title expresses the wisdom required of the king to guide and direct his people.

Mighty God (or “Mighty Warrior”). This title refers to the power and the fullness of God the king needed to defend and protect his people.

Everlasting Father. This title refers to the king as the one who guided his people with fatherly love in the same way God loves and cares for his people.

Prince of Peace. This title reflects the king as the one who brought wholeness to everyone, leading them to find their destiny in the fullness of God.

V. 7. The new king would be a good king like David and rule his people as the ideal king (see Psalm 72).

Application

In preparing a sermon from this passage, the text should be coupled with either John 1:1-5 or John 8:12-20 or both.

In preparing a sermon from this text, the following titles are possible:

Advent: The Worst of Times and the Best of Times

Advent: Deep Darkness and Wonderful Light

Introduce the text by familiarizing the congregation with the Assyrian invasion and the aftermath of the war: deportation to Assyria, death of thousands, destruction of property. Explain the consequences of exile and deportation.

The first section of the sermon should introduce both the worst of times and the best of times for Israel. The worst of times (or deep darkness): the experience of gloom, anguish, and contempt people feel when they are suffering, when they are rejected. Speak about the oppression people faced then and now: spiritual, economic, and physical oppression. Describe what it means to live without hope.

Israel’s “best of times” was the arrival of the new king. Discuss the hopes people had for a good king. Explain his titles and what was expected of the king according to Psalm 72. Although Hezekiah was a good king, he was only human, unable to rule in justice and righteousness. The light people saw was only a prelude to a great eclipse. Soon darkness was over the land again until the true light that enlightens every person came into the world (John 1:9).

The second section of the sermon should introduce both the worst of times and the best of times for people today. Speak of the anguish, the loneliness, the gloom, the oppression of people today. Compare this with walking in darkness, with living without hope, with being alone. Then introduce the best of times: Jesus Christ, the light of the world that came to provide light to those who live in darkness. Here you should emphasize walking in darkness in Isaiah 9:1 and Jesus’ promise in John 8:12. Jesus said: “I am the light of the world- whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Also, use the play on light and darkness in John 1:1-5. Tell the congregation what happens when Jesus becomes the light of our lives. Paul said: “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).

The third section or the conclusion of the sermon should be an invitation for people to come and enjoy the best of times: life in Christ. Or the conclusion could be an invitation for people to abandon darkness, anguish, gloom, and despair and walk in the light and enjoy the fulness of life in Christ.

Jesus came to dispel darkness. Whatever problems might be casting deep darkness in the hearts and minds of the people in your congregation, the true light that enlightens every person can transform their darkness into light.

Other studies in this series:

1. Preaching from the Old Testament

2. Preaching on the Messianic Prophecies

3. Preaching from Jeremiah 23:5-6

4. From Text to Sermon: Micah 5:2-4

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Hezekiah, Isaiah 9, Messiah

From Text to Sermon: Micah 5:2-4

This study of Micah 5:2-4 is a continuation of a series of studies on preaching from the Old Testament. These studies are derived from a series of Advent sermons preached at Trinity Baptist Church of Chicago, the church where I have served as pastor since 1989.

Text

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. 3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in travail has brought forth; then the rest of his brethren shall return to the people of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth” (Micah 5:2-4).

Historical Background

Micah was a rural prophet who was born in a small village in Judah. Called by God, Micah went to Jerusalem to preach against the oppression of the poor and the destitute. This oppressive situation was perpetrated by those who lived in their luxurious houses in the capital city of Judah. The probable historical background of this oracle is the Assyrian invasion at the time of the war with Israel in 734 B.C.

At the time Micah spoke these words, kingship in Judah was facing a great crisis. Ahaz, the ruling king, had done much evil by violating the demands of the covenant. To Micah, a man from the country, the present political system was condemned because of its failure to live according to God's ideal. Only new leadership could avoid the final disaster, which for Micah, was in the immediate future.

Micah was remembered one hundred years later as a prophet who proclaimed the total destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple. According to the elders who lived in Jeremiah’s day, the only reason the judgment was averted was because King Hezekiah repented and God averted the catastrophe (Jeremiah 26:18-19).

In Micah’s vision of the future, he does not use the traditional word for king, melek, but he uses the word “ruler,” moshel, a word that was widely used in the early days of kingship, the days of David, before the king and his court were corrupted by evil practices. His reference to the days of old is an allusion to the glorious days of David. What Micah was doing with these revolutionary words was to call for the reestablishment of the monarchy as it was in the days when David was king.

This is the reason, according to Micah’s words, that the new king would not to be born in Jerusalem, the seat of power. The royal house was in Jerusalem, but Jerusalem was the cause of the oppression of the poor and of the nation’s rebellion against God. Micah spoke of a return to Bethlehem Ephrathah, the place where David was born and lived for many years. From Bethlehem a new David would rise up again to stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord as the good shepherd of Israel.

The implication of a return to Bethlehem is far-reaching. The hope of Micah was for a new beginning and for a new king who would understand the heart of the poor and lowly individuals. He hoped for someone who could identify himself with those who suffered. Micah died, unable to see his hope becoming reality. But his dream did not die. In Advent, the deepest hopes of human beings find fulfillment, challenging each one of us to accept the One who knows and understands our needs and who has carried our pains.

Exegesis

V. 2. Bethlehem Ephrathah was the birth place of David. It means “the house of bread.” Bethlehem was a very small village in the small district of Ephrathah. According to Micah, from this humble place God would raise another David, one who would be a ruler over all Israel.

As God had selected David to be his king from among the sons of Jesse (1 Samuel 16:1), so now God declares that from the family of David God himself will raise up another king, one who will represent God’s righteousness and justice, just as David did.

Whose origin is from of old. The lineage of the new king goes back to the distant past. The time period mentioned by Micah should not be understood as eternity (as does the KJV), but to a time within history (see Micah 7:14). This is a reference to the days of David, for the king who is to come shall be a descendant of David. The birth of the new king will again fulfill the promise God made to David: “Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David. His line shall continue forever and his throne will endure before me like the sun” (Psalm 89:35-36). God is renewing his promise to David. Once again God will visit his people to bless and save
them.

V. 3. He shall give them up. This statement is a reference to the exile of the Northern tribes. God has allowed them to be deported to Assyria as a punishment for their sins. But the punishment will not last long. It will last a brief time, as brief as the time of the one who is about to give birth. The question of who is about to give birth is obscure. Micah 4:10 speaks of the cities of Judah, but it could be a reference to the mother of the future king.

When the new king comes he will restore his brethren, the Israelites from the Northern kingdom who were taken into exile. Thus, the new king not only brings deliverance but also restoration.

V. 4. He shall stand. This expression means to become king. When the royal prince was crowned king of the nation, he stood by the pillar in the temple and was anointed before God and was acclaimed by the people.

He shall feed his flock. The king was the shepherd of his people (Ezekiel 37:24). When God spoke of a good ruler, he said: “I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd” (Ezekiel 34:23). The words of the prophet Ezekiel are a reference to the early life of David, who was taken from leading the flock to lead God’s people. Micah is saying that the new king will be like the first David. Many kings who sat on the throne in Jerusalem were evil, but the new king will rule over God's people in the strength of the Lord. He will not succumb to human weakness for he will be endowed with divine fortitude.

Because of the authority and power of the new king, God’s people will live in security. This security that the new king grants to the people is another fulfillment of the promise of God to David: “And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more" (2 Samuel 7:10). So majestic will be the kingship of the new king that his fame will be spread to the ends of the earth.

Application

In preparing a sermon for this passage, the text should be coupled with Matthew 2:1-12.
Two possible titles for the sermon:

Advent: God's New Beginning
Advent: Back to the Beginning

Introduce the text by providing an overview of Micah and his ministry. Micah was a rural prophet who had seen much oppression and suffering. He believed that the sins of the present leadership in Jerusalem could not be redeemed. He hoped for the days of old and for a new king who would be like David. God gave him a message that spoke of a new beginning.

The first section of the sermon should introduce Micah 5:2-4 by giving an exegesis of the three verses. Explain the reason the new king was going to be born in Bethlehem. Emphasize that Micah’s words lead one to think about the past: the first David, the shepherd idea, the avoidance of the word “king,” the expression “ancient days.”

The second section of the sermon should deal with the passage in Matthew. Emphasize that the new son of David was born not in Jerusalem but in Bethlehem. Note also the two kings: One king was in the palace and the other one was in a manger. One king was sitting upon a throne and the other was lying on straw. One king was rich and the other was poor. One king was famous while the other was unknown. Emphasize how Jesus fulfilled the hopes and dreams of Micah: Jesus was from the house of David, he was born in Bethlehem, he was of humble origin. He was also a shepherd (John 10:11) and he provided security and protection for his flock (John 10:1-5).

The third section of the sermon then should relate the message of Micah to the ministry of Christ: The hope expressed in the message of Micah 5:2-4 is for the kind of king that would minister to people in the name of God rather than to a king who would oppress them by the power of the sword. Micah hoped for a king that would humble himself and identify with the lowly rather than a king who would be triumphant and enjoy his success with the mighty of this earth. The prophet spoke of a king who would accomplish his work through personal sacrifice rather than seeking vengeance over those causing his suffering.

The announcement of Micah that the new David would not be born in a palace in Jerusalem reflects the character of God’s Messiah. Micah’s oracle found fulfillment in the birth of a lowly infant born in a stable and lying in a manger. This humble king was destined by God to save the world, not by the might of the sword but by the humble acceptance of suffering which ended in his own death. Thus, God chose to come and save his people not by might nor by sword but by the lowly and humble child of Bethlehem.

Conclude the sermon by inviting the congregation to accept God’s salvation and to commit themselves to the newborn king.

Other studies in this series:

1. Preaching from the Old Testament

2. Preaching on the Messianic Prophecies

3. Preaching from Jeremiah 23:5-6

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Advent Sermon, Bethlehem, Messiah, Micah 5, New David

Jesus as the Messiah

Part 1: The Messiah
Part 2: Messianic Expectation
Part 3: Jesus as the Messiah


In the study of the Messiahship of Jesus, several questions arise: Did Jesus know that he was the Messiah? If he did, when did he, in his lifetime, realize that he was the Messiah? Did Jesus proclaim to his disciples and to others that he was the Messiah? These questions are not easy to answer, and a simple answer to these questions may, perhaps, be a way to get out of the problem. Many scholars agree that the question whether Jesus ever declared openly that he was the Messiah or that he had a Messianic self-consciousness is one of the major problems for understanding Jesus’ life and teachings.

Messianic consciousness presupposes the claim to belong to a realm which extends far beyond the range of ordinary human possibilities. The Messianic claim presupposes that everything the prophets of the Old Testament had predicted about the coming Messiah, the son of David, was finding fulfillment in the person of Jesus. The Messianic hope proclaimed by the prophets includes the eschatological nearness of salvation, the nearness of the Kingdom of God, and the advent of reconciliation and redemption.

The message of the early church was that Jesus was the Messiah. In fact, the assertion that Jesus was the Christ was proclaimed by the church and this assertion became one of the most important characteristics of the Christian message. To deny that Jesus was the Christ is also to deny the focal point of the Christian message.

The Messiahship of Jesus is the foundation of Christianity. Christianity was born not with the birth of the man who was called “Jesus,” but in the moment in which one of his followers was driven to say to him: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16 NRSV).

If Jesus is the Messiah, how and when did he become conscious of his Messiahship? The answer to this question is not easy, for the gospels do not provide much information as to the manner in which Jesus’ Messianic consciousness arose.

Some scholars affirm that Jesus never made any explicit Messianic claim and that he displayed no direct Messianic consciousness. However, the New Testament clearly indicates that the disciples regarded Jesus as the coming Messiah. They believed that Jesus was the Messiah Israel had been expecting. It is important to understand an important problem in the Messianic claims of the New Testament: some of the passages in the Synoptic gospels in which the disciples recognized Jesus as Messiah reflect the Easter story projected backward into Jesus’ life and ministry. But the fact remains that the New Testament, the proclamation of the apostles, and the traditions of the early church affirm that Jesus was the promised Messiah. In addition, the events related to Jesus’ death reveal that he was crucified as a Messianic pretender.

As one studies the Messiahship of Jesus, two questions must be asked. First, did Jesus declare that he was the Messiah? Second, when did Jesus become aware that he was the Messiah? To answer the first question, several passages must be considered.

When Jesus was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin, the high priest asked him: “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” (Mark 14:61). In Matthew, the question appears in the form of a request: “Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63). When asked whether he was the Messiah, Jesus answered: “I am” (Mark 16:62).

When Jesus was brought before Pilate, Pilate asked him: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus told Pilate: “Yes, it is as you say” (Mark 15:2). Another passage that indicates that Jesus was aware of his Messiahship is Matthew 16:13-20 (cf. Mark 8:27-30), a passage that contains Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi. When Jesus asked his disciples, “who do you say I am?” Peter answered: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” According to Matthew, Jesus commanded his disciples “not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.”

The restraining order of Jesus to his disciples, asking them not to proclaim to others that he was the Messiah is known in scholarly circles as “The Messianic Secret.” Jesus’ reluctance to be proclaimed as the Messiah of Israel was based on the fact that he did not want people to be led to a false conception of the Messiah, the same conception he had rejected during his temptations in the wilderness.

The second issue that arises in the study of the Messiahship of Jesus is: when did he become conscious of his Messiahship?

Some Christians believe that at the age of twelve, the occasion when Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Passover (Luke 2:41-52), he was aware that he knew that the Father had sent him to save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21) and that he would inherit the throne of David (Luke 1:32). Others believe that the Messianic consciousness came during his baptism, when the voice from heaven declared that he was God’s son (Luke 3:22). Still others believe that this consciousness came during the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13).

Although no specific occasion can be described as the exact moment when Jesus became aware of his Messiahship, it is clear that, early in the ministry of Jesus, the Synoptic gospels give evidence that Jesus was conscious of his special relationship with God and maybe even of the necessity of' suffering as a way to fulfill his mission.

During his baptism, a voice from heaven said: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11). These words combine different Messianic ideas from the Old Testament. The first part of the statement, “You are my Son” identifies Jesus as the Messianic Son of God (2 Samuel 7:14). The second statement identifies Jesus as the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 42:1).

The temptations in the wilderness are based on the assumption that Jesus was conscious of his Messiahship, for apart from this assumption, the temptations are without meaning. What the gospels attempt to affirm is that after Caesarea Philippi the disciples recognized and acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah. Up to this point Jesus had been waiting for the disciples to recognize him as the Messiah. Once they accepted him as the promised Messiah, Jesus changed the focus of his ministry and taught them what kind of Messiah he was to be, namely, a suffering Messiah.

The gospels affirm that Jesus was the promised Messiah but he was a different Messiah. Jesus did not fulfill the popular expectation that the Messiah would “restore the kingdom of Israel” (Acts 1:6) during the time of his visitation. His work as the Messiah was not to establish a temporal and political kingdom, but to bring about the good news of the kingdom of God to all the nations of the earth (Matthew 28:16-20).

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Christ, Jesus, Messiah, Religion

Messianic Expectation

Part 1: The Messiah
Part 2: Messianic Expectation

According to the narratives of the biblical text, David, the second king of Israel, was one of the greatest kings Israel ever had. A leader, both in battle and in politics, a good administrator, organized, and a musician, David became a hero to his people very early in his life. Because of the exceptional qualities ascribed to him in the biblical text, to the biblical writers, David became the model for all the kings who succeeded him, both in Judah and in Israel.

The dynasty of David obtained its religious legitimation by the so-called Nathan prophecy found in 2 Samuel 7 (cf. 2 Samuel 23:l-7) where God made an everlasting covenant with David (2 Samuel 23:5), a covenant in which God promised to establish the throne of his kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:13). In this covenant between God and David, the dynasty of David was promised eternal existence (2 Samuel 7:16, 29; cf. also Psalm 89:3-4, 29-37; 132:11-12).

Thus, the Messianic expectation in Israel is linked to God’s covenant with David and to a well-developed world of ideas that came with the aggrandizement of David and the idealization of the Davidic kingdom. This Messianic ideal in Israel grew as the monarchy declined. It appears that the beginning of what is known as the Messianic hope in Israel begins to take place in the eighth century, primarily with some of the oracles of the pre-exilic prophets Isaiah and Micah. These two prophets begin to speak of a deliverer in terms which suggest that this deliverer will be an ideal king like David. Passages such as Isaiah 9:l-7; 11:l-9 and Micah 5:2-4 speak of a “shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse” and a ruler who will come from Bethlehem, one “whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” The ancient time mentioned by Micah is a reference to the times of David.

The Messianic hope that God would send an ideal king, one who would be like David, increased during and after the exile, at a time when the people in Babylon hoped for a return to the promised land and the reestablishment of the Davidic kingdom. However, the lack of detail about a Messianic expectation in the prophetic books indicates that a developed Messianic hope in Israel did not come into full bloom until later in post-exilic times.

Later additions to the prophetic books provide a good overview of the development of the prophetic hope in the exile and the post-exilic period. For instance, an addition to Hosea declares that the Son of David would be the bond of union among the tribes (Hosea 3:4-5). An addition to Amos says that David’s tent, which had fallen down, would be set up again (Amos 9:11). Micah promised that the remnant of Israel would become a strong people and the Lord would reign over them and that Bethlehem would be the birth place of the son of David who would rule in Israel (Micah 5:2-4). Isaiah said that David’s throne would be occupied forever and that the Gentiles would come to the root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:10). Jeremiah (Jeremiah 33:15-16) and Ezekiel (34:23-24) pointed to the reestablishment of the kingdom under one Shepherd and King, who should be David (that is, a son or descendant of David). The book of Daniel speaks about the coming of the Son of Man who should become ruler over nations (Daniel 7:13-14). Haggai and Zechariah speak of a son of David who was destined to be the great temple builder who would rule as the Lord’s “signet ring” (Haggai 2:23) and as the Lord’s servant and he would be known as “the Branch” (Zechariah 3:8).

In the inter-biblical period, at a time when many people began to believe that revelation had ceased, the expectation of a coming Messiah grew. The idea of a coming Messiah is present in the several apocalyptic writings of this time.

William Barclay, in his book, Jesus As They Saw Him (London: SCM Press, 1962), pp. 112-137,
developed a list of events and ideas associated with the coming of the Messiah. This list was drawn from the Old Testament and from the literature of the inter-biblical period:

(1) Elijah will return to be the herald and the forerunner of the Messiah.

(2) The Messianic Age was to begin with what was called the “travail of the Messiah.”

(3) Before the arrival of the Messianic age, there will be a time of terror.

(4) This time of terror will be a time of complete disintegration of society.

(5) The coming of the Messiah will be preceded by a time of cosmic upheaval.

(6) The beginning of the Messianic Age will be a time of judgment.

(7) The Gentiles will have a place in the Kingdom.

(8) The time of the Messiah will be a time for the ingathering of Israel.

(9) In the Messianic Age, Jerusalem would be restored and renewed.

(10) The resurrection of the dead is a regular hope and expectation of the Messianic Age.

At the beginning of the first century, the Messianic hope in Israel was in full bloom. In the Judaism of the time of Jesus, the Messiah expected by Israel was to be someone who would reveal God’s glory. This Messianic hope included the expectation of a deliverer who was to free the people of Israel, who for centuries were ruled and oppressed by foreign conquerors. The Messiah, who would be a man of Israel, would defeat Israel’s enemies and rule over the nations.

Thus, the Messianic expectation in Israel pointed to a coming king, a king who would be raised up from the family of David, reign over the house of Israel, who would rule supreme over the nations, and who would bring the end of time. This was the Messianic expectation of the first century.

This picture of the Messiah is not what the writers of the gospels presented in their writing. The Synoptic gospels’ presentation of Jesus’ life and work, when measured by Messianic expectations of first century Judaism, leaves no doubt that Jesus Christ was not the kind of Messiah people expected.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Christ, David, Messiah, Religion

The Messiah

The Hebrew word messiah (מָשִׁיַח) means “anointed one.” The word is derived from the verb מָשַׁח which means “to anoint.” The word occurs thirty-nine times in the Old Testament. Of these, thirty-seven times the word is translated as "anointed” and twice it is translated as “Messiah” (Daniel 9: 25-26). This latter meaning appears only in the King James Version, the New American Standard Bible, and the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Other versions, however, differ in the translation of Daniel 9:25-26. For instance, the NIV translates the word as “the Anointed One,” the RSV as “an anointed one,” and the New Jerusalem Bible as “an Anointed Prince.”

There are two specific uses for the word messiah in the Old Testament. The word is used to refer to the anointed priest and to the anointed king. The word messiah is used to designate kings Saul and David as “the Lord’s anointed.” Although all the kings of Judah were anointed at the time of their accession to the throne, the word messiah is never used to identify another king of Judah by name. The only exception is found in the prayer of Solomon where, speaking to God, Solomon called himself “your anointed one.”

A reference to an “anointed one” appears in Habakkuk 3:13: “You came to deliver your people, to save your anointed one.” The mention of the anointed one in Habakkuk is a reference to an unidentified anointed king and not to Jesus Christ as some commentators have interpreted. The reference to “the anointed of the Lord” in Lamentations 4:20 could be a reference to Jehoiachin who was considered the legitimate king of Judah (Ezekiel 1:12) or to Zedekiah, the last king of Judah who was deported to Babylon (2 Kings 25:7). The mention of the anointed one in Lamentation is a reference to the theocratic king as spiritus vitalis. The word messiah was also applied to the priest who served in the Tabernacle and the Temple (Leviticus 4:3, 5, 16; 6:22). The reference to the Messiah in Daniel 9:25-26 may be a reference to the high priest. However, these two verses in Daniel have been interpreted in different ways by scholars. Because of its controversial nature, these two verses will not be considered here since I have dealt with Daniel 9:25-26 here, here, and here.

The Hebrew word messiah is also applied to the patriarchs who were regarded as prophets: “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm” (Psalm 105:15; cf. 1 Chronicles 16:22). In 1 Kings 19:16 Elijah is told to anoint Elisha, the son of Shaphat, a man from Abel Meholah, to succeed him as prophet. However, there is no evidence that the patriarchs or the prophets were anointed. Finally, the word messiah is used to describe Cyrus, king of Persia, as the agent YHWH used to deliver Israel from exile: “This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus” (Isaiah 45:1).

The form of the title “The Lord’s anointed” is used of Saul (1 Samuel 24: 6, 10) and of David (2 Samuel 19:21). Another form of the title appears as “His anointed” referring to Saul (1 Samuel 12:3, 9), referring to David (2 Samuel 22:51), and to a king who is not identified (Psalms 2:2; 20:6). The form “Mine anointed” is used of a Davidic king (Psalms 132:10). The title “your anointed one” refers to a Davidic king (Psalm 89:38, 51); it refers also to Solomon (2 Chronicles 6:42). The expression “the anointed of the God of Jacob” (KJV; NIV: “the man anointed by the God of Jacob”) is used of David in 2 Samuel 23:1.

The use of the word messiah to describe the king as “the Lord’s anointed” is due to the Israelite conception of the inviolability of the king and the belief that the king was endowed with the Spirit of YHWH (1 Samuel 24:26; 2 Samuel 1:14, 16).

The word messiah is also found in the Qumran literature. In reality, because the Messianic doctrine present in the documents found at Qumran includes many unique features that are closely related to the teachings of the early church, some scholars have suggested that John the Baptist and even Jesus himself borrowed many of their ideas from the people who lived at Qumran. However, such a suggestion has been rejected by most scholars for nowhere at Qumran, at least in the documents that have survived, is there a reference to the unique idea present in New Testament Christology: the pre-existence of the Messiah. One aspect of the eschatological view of the community at Qumran was that the community expected the coming of a Royal Messiah. This Messiah would be the head of the New Israel and the commander of the troops in the Final War against the sons of darkness.

In the New Testament, the transliterated Aramaic form messiah is found only in John 1:41 and 4:25, both times followed by the Greek translation Christos. Elsewhere in the New Testament, when the translation of the Hebrew word messiah is found, that is, “Christ,” the use of the word is a result of the Easter faith.

The form "Christ” became part of the name of Jesus who in the beginning was called “Jesus the Christ” (Matthew 16:20 KJV; cf. John 20:21) and later came to be known simply as Jesus Christ. It must be noted, however, that the word “Christ” is always used by other people to refer to Jesus and not by Jesus to refer to himself. One exception is found in Matthew 16:20 where Jesus “warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.”

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Anointed One, Christ, Messiah

Is Barack Obama the Messiah?

Barack Obama has won the battle with Hillary Clinton to become the nominee of the Democratic Party to run against John McCain for the presidency of the United States in November. Despite the charges of improprieties that has been lodged against him by an investigative reporter, the rise of Barack Obama to the nomination has been meteoric.

The campaign of Barack Obama to the nomination has been presented in messianic terms. In fact, there is a whole blog dedicated to answer the question whether Barack Obama is the Messiah. The blog, Is Barack Obama the Messiah? introduces itself with a quote from Obama taken from a speech Obama gave in Lebanon, New Hampshire, on January 7, 2008, a quote that reflects the words of Isaiah 9:2:

“... a light will shine through that window, a beam of light will come down upon you, you will experience an epiphany . . . and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote for Obama.”

The messianic movement associated with Obama seems to be growing. A Google search of the words “Obama” and “Messiah” yields more than 300,000 entries. The blog dedicated to finding out whether Obama is the new messiah quotes the words of several individuals who are fascinated with the Obama phenomenon. Here are some of the quotes taken from that blog:

“This is bigger than Kennedy. . . . This is the New Testament.” “I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often. No, seriously. It's a dramatic event.”

-- Chris Matthews

“I would characterize the Senate race as being a race where Obama was, let's say, blessed and highly favored. That's not routine. There's something else going on. I think that Obama, his election to the Senate, was divinely ordered. . . . I know that that was God's plan.”

-- Bill Rush

In an article that appeared in the Jewish World Review titled “A Messiah in Our Midst?”, Jonah Goldberg writes about the messianic fervor that characterizes the Obama campaign. Goldberg wrote:

Obama's apostles are hard to dismiss. Oprah simply calls him "The One," because "we need politicians who know how to be the truth." (Jesus says in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth ...") Oprah goes on to say Obama will help us "evolve to a higher plane," which would put Obama in the role of our Intelligent Designer.

Michelle Obama is arguably Obamanity's greatest evangelist, even though she has a streak of Old Testament smiting and wrath to her. She insists her husband has redeemed the entire nation (hence her newfound pride in America). She proclaims her husband is the sort of leader who will fix our broken souls. But don't hope for grace on the cheap. "The change Barack is talking about is hard," she insists, "so don't get too excited, because Barack is going to demand that you, too, be different."

When asked in an interview what sin is, Obama defined it as "Being out of alignment with my values."

On the night he gained the majority of delegates needed to secure his nomination, Obama gave a victory speech in which he used words that come close to the words of the Servant in Isaiah 61:1. He said:

I am absolutely certain, that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs for the jobless.

The purpose of this post is not to take a political position or to endorse one candidate over another. My fear is that so many people are mesmerized by the charismatic persona of Barack Obama that they are saying with words and actions that he is the new messiah. It is at this time that people must remember the words of Christ:

If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here's the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don't fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better (Mark 13:21-22 The Message).

If Jesus said that false messiahs and false prophets will appear in the last days and with words, signs, and wonderful deeds will deceive, if possible, “those who ought to know better,” then one must be aware because whoever that false messiah will be, he will be very convincing.

Is Barack Obama the new Messiah? No, he is just a politician!

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, False Messiah, Messiah

The Release of Jehoiachin from Prison

The conclusion of the book of Kings (2 Kings 25:27-30) is an appendix to the book which was written in exile. The text describes the release of Jehoiachin from prison. According to the text, in the thirty-seventh year of his exile (560 BCE), Jehoiachin was set free by Evil-merodac and was given preference and a position of honor above the other kings who were vassals and captives in Babylon.

Evil-merodach was the son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He is also called Amel-marduk. Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king of Judah and he reigned three months before he surrendered to the Babylonian army and was deported to Babylon with the royal family and many members of the nobility of Judah.

In Babylon, he spent thirty-seven years in prison. So, when he was set free in 560 BCE, Jehoiachin was fifty-five years old. What changes can happen to one’s life after thirty-seven years in prison? Jehoiachin was born to be a king, a man of power and authority and yet, because of the sins of his people, he was taken into exile, put in prison, and forgotten by all.

As an heir of God’s promise to David, Jehoiachin ruled as the servant and as the son of God, as a seedling from David’s root. As king, he represented the nation and as such, he had to pay for Israel’s rebellion. Even the people in exile recognized this fact: “Our king, the Lord’s anointed, the very life of our nation, was caught in their snares. We had foolishly boasted that under his protection we could hold our own against any nation of earth” (Lamentations 4:20 NLT).

In prison, Jehoiachin lost his dignity as king. He endured suffering and pain; he was ignored by one and all. Some people believed he was an evil king and that his suffering was a punishment sent by God because of the sins of his father Jehoiakim (2 Kings 24:9).

No one ever heard a word spoken by Jehoiachin while he was in prison. It was as if he were dead, as if the prison were his grave. He was arrested, deported, and led off to Babylon to die in prison there. But after thirty-seven years in prison, Jehoiachin again was recognized as a king, given a place of honor at the king’s table, and exalted above the other captive kings. The thirty-seven years of humiliation and suffering were forgotten and a new life began for Jehoiachin.

This privileged situation of Jehoiachin lasted as long as he lived. The date of his death is unknown. Thus, the conclusion of the book of Kings provides a ray of hope, a light shining for the Jewish community, announcing the coming of a new day. God had brought judgment to his people but his anger would not last forever: Israel’s king was alive.

The news that their anointed one, their Messiah, was alive and out of prison brought great joy among the exiles. It is possible that most of them had no idea whether the king was dead or alive. It is possible that many people believed that the king was put to death as punishment for the people’s rebellion and that he was buried with the evil men that had destroyed their land.

To celebrate this special occasion, the prophet of the exile known as Deutero-Isaiah composed a song of thanksgiving for the people in Babylon to celebrate the release of their king from prison.

A Song of Thanksgiving
Celebrating the Release of the King

Who would have believed what we now report?
Who could have seen the Lord’s hand in this?
It was the will of the Lord that his servant
should grow like a plant taking root in dry ground.
He had no dignity or beauty
to make us take notice of him.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing that would draw us to him.
We despised him and rejected him;
he endured suffering and pain.
No one would even look at him -
we ignored him as if he were nothing.

But he endured the suffering that should have been ours,
the pain that we should have borne.
All the while we thought that his suffering
was punishment sent by God.
But because of our sins he was wounded,
beaten because of the evil we did.
We are healed by the punishment he suffered,
made whole by the blows he received.
All of us were like sheep that were lost,
each of us going his own way.
But the Lord made the punishment fall on him,
the punishment all of us deserved.

He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly;
he never said a word.
Like a lamb about to be slaughtered,
like a sheep about to be sheared,
he never said a word.
He was arrested and sentenced and led off to die,
and no one cared about his fate.
He was put to death for the sins of our people.
He was placed in a grave with the wicked,
he was buried with the rich,
even though he had never committed a crime
or ever told a lie.

The Lord says,
It was my will that he should suffer;
his death was a sacrifice to bring forgiveness.
And so he will see his descendants;
he will live a long life,
and through him my purpose will succeed.
After a life of suffering, he will again have joy;
he will know that he did not suffer in vain.
My devoted servant, with whom I am pleased,
will bear the punishment of many
and for his sake I will forgive them.
And so I will give him a place of honor,
a place among the great and powerful.
He willingly gave his life
and shared the fate of evil men.
He took the place of many sinners
and prayed that they might be forgiven.
(Isaiah 53:1-12)

There was hope for the future. As Deutero-Isaiah had spoken: “My servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up” (Isaiah 52:13).

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Isaiah 53, Jehoiachin, Messiah

Hendel’s Messiah: An Anti-Judaism Oratorio?

Michael Marissen, in a very interesting article titled “Unsettling History of That Joyous ‘Hallelujah’” published in The New York Times on April 8, 2007, reviews Hendel’s Messiah and concludes that the oratorio is a veiled attack on the Jews and Judaism.

Marissen’s understanding of the Messiah is completely contrary to the traditional interpretation that it has received in the past. According to him, the Messiah was not written for Christmas but to celebrate the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in A.D. 70.

In addition, he proposes that the Messiah is an anti-Jewish polemic and that it was written to demonstrate that the Jews were the enemies of Christians. Below are a few excerpts from the article:

So "Messiah" lovers may be surprised to learn that the work was meant not for Christmas but for Lent, and that the "Hallelujah" chorus was designed not to honor the birth or resurrection of Jesus but to celebrate the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in A.D. 70. For most Christians in Handel's day, this horrible event was construed as divine retribution on Judaism for its failure to accept Jesus as God's promised Messiah.

"Messiah" does exactly this, culminating in the "Hallelujah" chorus. At Scene 6 in Part 2 the oratorio features passages from Psalm 2 of the Old Testament set as a series of antagonistic movements that precede excerpts from the New Testament's Book of Revelation set as the triumphant "Hallelujah" chorus: type and antitype, prophecy and fulfillment.

The bass aria that opens Scene 6 asks, "Why do the nations so furiously rage together, and why do the people imagine a vain thing?" But in the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer, the passage, Psalm 2:1, reads not "nations" but "heathen." Why the difference, and where does it come from?

Jennens took his reading from Henry Hammond, the great 17th-century Anglican biblical scholar, whose extended and fiercely erudite commentary on Psalm 2 suggests the advantage of "nations" over "heathen": "Nations" can readily include the Jews. In the 18th century no one would have uncritically used the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer's word "heathen" for Jews or Judaism. Even children would have known this, from the famous hymn writer Isaac Watts's wildly popular "Divine Songs for the Use of Children," which includes the verse "Lord, I ascribe it to thy Grace, /And not to Chance, as others do, /That I was born of Christian race, /And not a Heathen or a Jew."

Later in Scene 6, at the tenor aria, Jennens skips to Psalm 2:9, "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron." His excision of verses 5 through 8 makes the violent language in "Thou shalt break them" refer to the Jesus-rejecting Jews, because without the intervening verses, "them" refers to "the nations" (including the Jews) and "the people" (the Jews) of the bass aria, rather than the gentiles referred to in the missing Verse 8.

I have to confess that this is the first time I have read that the Messiah is an anti-Jewish polemic. It is possible that this deconstructionist reading of the Messiah may reflect a bias on the part of the reviewer. These days everyone finds fault with the past.

What Marissen has done is to challenge me to study the issue more carefully and evaluate the evidence for or against his views. Until then, I will listen to the Messiah with the same amazement I had the first time I heard it.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Antisemitism, Hendel, Messiah, Psalm 2