Christ in Isaiah: The Messiah

The last 17 books in the Old Testament of our Bible are classified as prophetic.  The first five are considered the major prophets, and the last twelve are considered the minor prophets.  Isaiah is the first of these prophetic books.  Most Biblical scholars agree that the entire book was written by Isaiah between 740 and 680 B.C.  The more I study the Old Testament, the more amazed I am at its accuracy in describing events that occurred centuries after its writing.  Isaiah is probably the most fascinating for that reason, since Isaiah wrote so much about Christ, seven centuries before He was born.  You might have a difficult time thinking about the ancient historical world of Isaiah and, over 700 years later, the birth of Christ.  But imagine someone living 700 years ago, 178 years before Christopher Columbus sailed his boats from Spain to the New World predicting who the President of the United States of America would be today.  Imagine that person telling his friends that this president was to be born in a place called Hawaii.  178 years before Columbus no one in Europe knew about an island called Hawaii, and certainly there was not an office of President in a land called The United States of America.  If you still have difficulty wrapping your head around that improbability, try to predict what you will be doing at this time on this date next year with any accuracy!  Now multiply that by 700 years!  But that is just what Isaiah did.

I won’t go into all that Isaiah preached to the people of Judah, but I will encourage you to read the entire book for yourself.  You will see that his people had turned away from God, and that Isaiah warned them that God would not let their rebellion go unpunished.  He warned of a coming time of judgment and national defeat.  But he also prophesied about the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.  That is where I will focus as I continue exposing the Thread that binds the entire Bible together – the Scarlet Thread of Jesus Christ and His love for us and His redemptive blood sacrifice that covers all our sin.

· The Messiah will be born of a virgin.

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. . .And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. (Luke 1:26-27, 31)

· The Messiah will be a descendant of David, an heir to his throne.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (Luke 1:32-33)

(See also the genealogies of Christ in Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-31)

· The Messiah’s wisdom will confound those who think they are wise, and He will give rest to the weary.

The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. (Isaiah 50:4)

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

· The Messiah will be rejected by His own people.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3)

He came unto his own, and his own received him not. (John 1:11)

· The Messiah will be obedient to God the Father, even unto death.

The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. (Isaiah 50:5)

And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (Matthew 26:39)

· The Messiah will be silent when questioned by His accusers.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. (Isaiah 53:7)

Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. (Luke 23:9)

· The Messiah will be beaten, disfigured, and spat upon.

I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. (Isaiah 50:6)

Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, (Matthew 26:67)

· The Messiah will take the punishment for our sins.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. (Hebrews 9:12)

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:10)

· The Messiah will be killed alongside evil men and buried in the tomb of a wealthy man.

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; (Isaiah 53:9a)

And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. (Mark 15:27)

When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple. . .And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. (Matthew 27:57, 59-60)

These are only a handful of the many, many ways Isaiah precisely described the birth, ministry, death, and burial of Jesus Christ, Our Messiah, so very many years before His coming to walk this Earth.  I hope you will study Isaiah for yourself.  If you are new to studying the Bible, I would suggest you use a good commentary to help you in your study.  As with most prophecy, it can be somewhat confusing at times, especially because the biblical writers do not always write in a linear, chronological way as we are more accustomed.  But if you will take the time to study, I know you will be blessed by what you read.

My prayer for us this week is from the 10^th and the 18^th verses in Isaiah.  We live in a time that is not that different from Isaiah’s time.  We sometimes need to be reminded of who God is and how He wants us to listen to Him and obey Him.  So join with me as I pray for myself and for you:

Dear God, (Help us to) hear the word of the Lord. . .; give (us) ears unto the law of our God. . . though (my) sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool, (because Jesus Christ, Messiah, paid the price for my sin with His precious blood.)  Amen.