Bible Study: Prophecies of Messiah

Recognizing Old Testament Predictions about the Messiah

2001

This document is available as a pdf here.

Once upon a time, merchants and municipalities used the end of Thanksgiving to mark the beginning of the Christmas season. Now it seems they start decorating before Halloween. So as not to be outdone, we will start early as well. In fact, we will begin a whole lot earlier, because I want to look at Old Testament predictions of the messiah, in particular, how to recognize them.

How can you determine which Old Testament passages are messianic prophecies?

• If an Old Testament text appears in the New Testament, does that make it a messianic prophecy?

... No, it does not; for example...

Matt 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' [= Exod 21:24; Lev 24:20; Deut 19:211

• If someone in the New Testament applies an Old Testament text to Jesus, does that make it a messianic prophecy? 

... Not necessarily; for example...

Matt 4:6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" [= Ps 91:11-12]

• If a New Testament author says that some event in Jesus' life "fulfilled" what one of the prophets said, is that a messianic prophecy? 

... Not always; for example...

Matt 2:15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son." [= Hos 11:1]

Old Testament quotations in the New Testament do not always relate to Jesus, and when you look at those that do bear some connection, at least for the New Testament writer, you may wonder what that connection could possibly be, because the Old Testament context has nothing to do with the messiah.

I had a professor in college who said that New Testament writers had special insight from the Holy Spirit enabling them to find Old Testament predictions about the messiah many people might overlook. Consequently, Old Testament quotations in the New Testament are the proper guide for identifying messianic prophecy.... This approach has at least two flaws.

• First, it is contrary to the nature of revelation, which is to reveal (expose) truth not conceal it. God wants people to know Him, and to do that He speaks in ways they will understand, not in some secret code.
• Second, it is useless as a tool of evangelism (communicating the gospel) or apologetics (defending the gospel), both of which depend on commonly accepted principles for interpreting texts. It is difficult to convince someone that a passage means something other than what it says simply by claiming you have special, divine insight.
• The hymn He Lives illustrates the weakness of the subjective approach with its chorus—"You ask me how I know he lives; he lives within my heart"—hardly convincing proof of the resurrection.

In order for Old Testament predictions of a coming messiah to be useful, they must be obvious. They must also be stable. Just as God does not change, so what He says remains constant as well. A messianic prophecy does not evolve from something else; it starts out as a messianic prophecy and stays that way. Consequently, it should be easy to identify.¹

We could begin this study by reading through the Old Testament, looking for references to the messiah along the way, but that would take a long time. Besides, the Jewish community has already done it for us, and New Testament writers use the results of that research, quoting most of the findings at one point or another. They also quote Old Testament passages that are not predictions, so we have to be able to make the distinction. There are three ways New Testament writers cite the Old Testament.

1. A simple Old Testament quote

• The New Testament speaker or writer indicates no connection (i.e., historically) between the context of the Old Testament text and a later context; he simply cites it. This is usually a specific command or general principle and may, thus, have several applications. It often appears in discussions about legal matters (e.g., the greatest commandment, Matt 22:37).

2. An analogous Old Testament quote

• The New Testament speaker or writer indicates an indirect connection between the context of the Old Testament text and a later context. The Old Testament event is just similar to an event recorded in the New Testament. The New Testament is, thus, offering an historical interpretation (or a theological interpretation as in Gal 4:21-31) of that later event based on a precedent established in the Old Testament. With this kind of quote the New Testament speaker or writer is not claiming the Old Testament passage has changed its meaning or gained an additional meaning; rather he is noting the consistency in the way God acts ("Just as this happened in past, so here is a similar occurrence;" e.g., Immanuel, Matt 1:23).² A quote of this type may also have several applications.³
• In some cases an analogous quote may refer to an event still in the future rather than to one in the past (e.g., Zebulun and Naphtali, Matt 4:15-16).
• An analogous use of the Old Testament is not the same as multiple fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, because the original writer did not have more than his own situation in mind. That is, he did not write better than he knew. Consequently, "the author's meaning is what the text means," no less, but no more (Kaiser 1980:33).

The most important principle of biblical interpretation, including of messianic prophecy, is that "there is only one meaning for every place in Scripture. Otherwise, the meaning of Scripture would not only be unclear and uncertain.., there would be no meaning at all—for [some]thing which does not mean one thing [can mean anything and everything, in which case it then] means nothing" (Ames 1968:188).

3. An identifying Old Testament quote

• The New Testament speaker or writer indicates a direct connection between the context of the Old Testament text and a later context. The Old Testament writer does not refer to any event in his own time but rather to a specific event at a later time, an event recorded in the New Testament. This kind of quote is the only one properly termed a predictive prophesy and has just one application (e.g., Bethlehem, Matt 2:6).

We can practice making the distinction by recognizing how Matthew uses Old Testament quotes. His book is a particularly good test case because it treats the life of Jesus and because it has more Old Testament citations than any other gospel (61) as well as more than any other New Testament book except Romans (64). This exercise offers a realistic idea of how many messianic prophecies there are.

New  Testament	Old  Testament	Simple Quote	Analogous Quote	Identifying Quote
Matt 1:23	Isa 7:14; 8:8, 10 (LXX)		X
Matt 2:6	Mic 5:2			X
Matt 2:15	Hos 11:1		X
Matt 2:18	Jer 31:15		X
Matt 3:3	Isa 40:3		X
Matt 4:4	Deut 8:3	X
Matt 4:6	Ps 91:11-12		X
Matt 4:7	Deut 6:16	X
Matt 4:10	Deut 6:13	X
Matt 4:15-16	Isa 9:1-2		X
Matt 5:21	Exod 20:13; Deut 5:17	X
Matt 5:27	Exod 20:14; Deut 5:8	X
Matt 5:31	Deut 24:1	X
Matt 5:33	Lev 19:12; Num 30:2	X
Matt 5:38	Exod 21:24; Lev 24:20; Deut 19:21	X
Matt 5:43	Lev 19:18	X
Matt 8:17	Isa 53:4			X
Matt 9:13	Hos 6:6	X
Matt 10:36	Mic 7:6	X	X
Matt 11:10	Mal 3:1		X
Matt 12:7	Hos 6:6	X
Matt 12:18-21	Isa 42:1-4			X
Matt 12:40	Jonah 1:17		X
Matt 13:14-15	Isa 6:9-10		X
Matt 13:35	Psa 78:2		X
Matt 15:4a	Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16	X
Matt 15:4b	Exod 21:17	X
Matt 15:8-9	Isa 29:13 (LXX)		X
Matt 18:16	Deut 19:15	X
Matt 19:4	Gen 1:27; 5:2	X
Matt 19:5	Gen 2:24	X
Matt 19:7	Deut 24:1	X
Matt 19:18-19	Exod 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20	X
Matt 19:19	Lev 19:18	X
Matt 21:5	Isa 62:11; Zech 9:9			X
Matt 21:9	Ps 118:25-26		X
Matt 21:13	Isa 56:7	X
Matt 21:16	Psa 8:2 (LXX)		X
Matt 21:42	Psa 118:22-23		X
Matt 22:24	Deut 25:5	X
Matt 22:32	Exod 3:6, 15	X
Matt 22:37	Deut 6:5	X
Matt 22:39	Lev 19:18	X
Matt 22:44	Ps 110:1			X
Matt 23:39	Lev 19:18		X
Matt 24:30	Dan 7:13			X
Matt 26:31	Zech 13:7			X
Matt 26:64a	Ps 110:1			X
Matt 26:64b	Dan 7:13			X
Matt 27:9-10	Zech 11:12-13		X
Matt 27:46	Ps 22:1		X
Total		25	18	9

Whenever you come across an Old Testament quote, ask "What kind of connection, if any, is the New Testament author drawing between the context of his Old Testament source and the event he is describing?" Sometimes, you may not be able to make a determination, but the distinction will usually be clear.

Keep in mind that these Old Testament quotes, especially analogous and identifying quotes, are often intended to have some apologetic value. That is, they are not only to confirm the faith of those who already believe but to convince those who do not yet believe. Once you understand the way Matthew is using the Old Testament to make his point (i.e., that Jesus is the messiah), then you will be in a better position to use the Old Testament when you communicate the gospel.

For example, if you try to use Matt 1:23 ("...a virgin will conceive...") as a messianic prophecy (i.e., an identifying quote) with anyone who knows its Old Testament context (and has not yet been indoctrinated with the common Christian approach to such matters), you could quickly lose whatever credibility you had developed to that point, because you will either have to say that Matthew had no regard for Isaiah's message to Ahaz (and is offering a pesher or interpretation similar to that in the Dead Sea Scrolls), or you will have to defend the untenable position that such passages have "double fulfillment," a notion whose credence is primarily limited to Christian circles.

If, on the other hand, you recognize that New Testament writers do not always use all Old Testament quotes in the same way and, in this instance, that Matthew is providing an interpretation of history by focusing on the concept of "Immanuel"—just as God used a birth to demonstrate His presence with Israel then, so He uses a birth to demonstrate His presence with Israel now—then you will avoid placing an unnecessary stumbling block before your listener.

Summary: As this survey shows, there are far fewer (identifying) messianic prophecies than you may have thought at first. Nevertheless, this small number does not detract from the certainty of God's plan or undermine the identity of Jesus as that messiah. On the contrary, having a small yet clear collection of such prophecies is far more manageable and useful in communicating who Jesus is to others.

If someone were to ask how you know the Bible is reliable, how you justify the prominent role it plays in your life, you could respond in a number of ways.

• You could appeal to its historicity, that the evidence of archaeology (e.g., Mesha Stone) and the testimony of other ancient documents (e.g., Lachish Letters) support what the Bible records.
• You could appeal to the stability of the biblical manuscripts, that they have been transmitted for thousands of years with surprisingly few alterations (e.g., in the Dead Sea scrolls).
• You could also appeal to fulfilled prophecy, that several predictions the biblical authors made have come to pass (e.g., Judah's 70-year exile, the ascension of Cyrus).

One particular aspect of prophecy concerns Old Testament predictions of the messiah, like those...passages that describe his advent before he actually arrives on the scene. These texts all speak about an event that did not occur in the lifetime of the biblical author who first told about it. Some of these events have even yet to occur; they are in our future as well. They all depict an individual whom God will send to deliver His people Israel and, by reason of our being "grafted in" to Israel (Rom 11:17), to deliver us as well.

Unfortunately, passages that refer to events in our future are not very helpful in attesting the Bible's reliability.., at least, not yet. There are predictions, however, that have come to pass and to which we can appeal in support of the Bible and of our conviction that Jesus is the messiah.

These prophecies do not identify the messiah by name, so we must make that determination by comparing what they say about him with what we see in someone's life. We are Christians (or Messianists) because we believe that Jesus is the messiah. There is, indeed, strong evidence for this identification, strong enough for us to base our life on it, but the connection is not without difficulties, which is why most Jews have not made the same identification. Consequently, we must face these difficulties, not ignore them.

In this [sermon] series, we will examine eight Major Old Testament Prophecies of the Coming Messiah, considering what they tell us about the one God will send to redeem His people.

1. "The Place of His Coming" (Mic 4:6-5:15)... Where will the messiah first appear?
2. "The Ministry of His Coming" (Isa 52:13-53:12)... Why would God send the messiah on a fatal mission?
3. "The Offices of His Coming" (Ps 110)... What role does the messiah play in God's plan?
4. "The Prominence of His Coming" (Dan 7:9-14)... What are the unusual events that surround and culminate in his advent?
5. "The Opposition of His Coming" (Ps 2)... How will those in power respond to one who commands greater power?
6. "The Effect of His Coming" (Isa 11:1-10)... What will the messiah accomplish when he begins to reign?
7. "The Mourning of His Coming" (Zech 12-14)... Why is his arrival the cause of great sadness among God's people?
8. "The Joy of His Coming" (Isa 9:1-7)... Why is his arrival the cause of great gladness among God's people?  [The sermons will be coming, when they do I will provide links, JS]

Because these eight texts describe the same person, they often overlap, reiterating similar themes. This is not because there is little to say about him; rather, the repetition highlights what God considers most important regarding the messiah.

Bibliography

• Ames, William, 1968, The Marrow of Theology. Edited and trans. by John D. Eusdon. Boston: Pilgrim. Quoted in Kaiser 1980:24.
• Kaiser, Walter C., Jr., 1980, Toward an Exegetical Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

Endnotes

(1) The modern reader would do well to keep the original audience in mind, for the biblical writers are communicating with people of their day and tailor their presentation accordingly.

• It must relate matters in a manner intelligible to that audience.
• It must employ methods of biblical interpretation acceptable to that audience.
• It must select material that addresses issues relevant to that audience.

(2) Were it not for the appearance of Isa 7:14 in Matt 1:23, the OT text might never have been considered a messianic prophecy, but see "The Meaning of the Immanuel Sign (Isa 7:14)." 

(3) Other examples include: 

Old Testament analogy with an Old Testament event 

• Defeat of Canaanites ii defeat of Egyptians (Dent 7:17-19) 
• Exile in Assyria// slavery in Egypt (Hos 8:13; 9:3) 

New Testament analogy with an Old Testament event 

• Ministry of John//coming of Elijah (Matt 17:9-13; Mal 4:5; cf 3:1; Matt 11:9-14; [?] Rev 11:3) 
• Jesus' preservation in Egypt // Israel's preservation in Egypt (Matt 2:13-15; Hos 11:1; cf. Exod 4:22-23; Ps 2:7)