When God promised David that the throne and scepter would remain in his family forever (II Sam. 7:13), the title of Messiah gained a special meaning in Israel. The anointed Savior would belong to the royal line of David. “There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed (messiah)” (Psa. 132:17).
“Messiah” (Heb. mashiach) simply means “anointed,” and it is applied in scripture to the priests as well as to the kings of Israel. The word “Messiah” appears in our English Bible (OT) only in Daniel’s prophecy (Dan. 9:25-26); otherwise the Hebrew word is always translated “anointed.” But as a reference to the coming savior or deliverer “Messiah” became a popular theme in Hebrew thought. It was an idea endorsed by the Deity; that becomes obvious when it is fulfilled in Christ.
“The LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed (messiah)…And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind” (II Sam. 2:10, 35).
The equivalent Greek word (Christos) is, of course, used often in the New Testament, always referring to Jesus. “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ)” (John 1:40-41 NIV).
The Messianic hope
“The Messiah is the instrument by whom God’s kingdom is to be established in Israel and in the world. The hope of a personal deliverer is thus inseparable from the wider hope that runs through the Old Testament. The Jews were a nation who lived in the future. In this respect they stand alone among the peoples of antiquity. No nation ever cherished such strong expectations of a good time coming, or clung more tenaciously amid defeat and disaster to the certainty of final triumph over all enemies and of entrance upon a state of perfect peace and happiness. The basis of this larger hope is Jehovah’s covenant with Israel” (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. III, p. 2039).
This section of the article “Messiah” from the I.S.B.E. is very perceptive. It also describes quite well the heart of the true Christian hope.
In the Psalms
Messianic references abound in the Psalms, and most of them are familiar to us. We are especially aware of those psalms that speak of the sacrifice of our Lord and those that deal with his coming reign on earth. The first mention of Messiah and his work comes in the second psalm.
“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed (messiah)…Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession” (Psa. 2:1-8).
Psalm 3 relates the suffering of David with that of the Messiah. The psalm has reference to David’s trial as he fled from his son Absalom, but there are overtones of the suffering of Messiah. “LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, 0 LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head” (Psa. 3:1-3).
Son of man, son of God
“What is man, that thou art mindful of him ?…thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet” (Psa. 8:4-6). These verses are quoted in Hebrews 2:5-8, and the apostle adds: “For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (vs. 9-10).
Jesus Christ is first of all a man, made lower than the angels inasmuch as he was mortal. His nature was identical to ours. He differed in that he was the son of God, conceived in the womb of a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus he was “a little” inferior to the angels, whereas mankind in general has a status that is more than a little below that of the angels. This relationship with his Father enabled him to overcome the flesh — though he was tempted in all points as ourselves. He had to learn obedience by the things he suffered. He is a sympathetic High Priest because he has experienced the likeness of our sinful flesh. Having overcome, having shown perfect obedience including the death of the cross, the Messiah is now “crowned with glory and honor.”
The city of David
The city of David is a term that is applied in scripture to two different places, Bethlehem and Jerusalem (Luke 2:4,15; II Sam. 5:7). Both locations are closely associated with the life of David, and both are significant in the life of the Messiah. David and Jesus were both born in Bethlehem; David reigned in Jerusalem, Christ will rule there in the future.
Bethlehem had been the home of the family of David for many generations. It was the home of Boaz who married Ruth; their grandson Jesse was the father of David. The blessing spoken by the people of Bethlehem to Boaz was truly prophetic. “The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem” (Ruth 4:11).
“Thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).
The city of the king
David ruled in Jerusalem over the twelve-tribe kingdom of Israel, as did his son Solomon. But for most of the history of the nation the kingdom was divided, one king ruling in Jerusalem, the other over the ten tribes at Samaria. It remains for Messiah to unify and rule over the twelve-tribe nation as it is once more assembled in the land.
“And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all” (Ezek. 37:22).
Digression: the lost tribes
The prophets are definite about the return of all the tribes of Israel (Ezra 8:35; Jer. 30:3; 33:7,14; Amos 9:14,15). Doubters, those who deny the literal restoration of Israel, claim that this is an impossibility. The Hebrews of the northern kingdom were dispersed and assimilated after they were taken captive by the Assyrians and thus (it is assumed) have passed out of existence. Actually, there is no mystery about the “lost tribes of Israel.” They simply integrated with their Judean brethren. We are told that when Jeroboam established apostate religion in Israel, the priests and Levites left the northern kingdom and migrated to Jerusalem. They were followed by others who could not live under the idolatry of the new regime.
“And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him (Rehoboam) out of all their coasts. For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest’s office unto the LORD… And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers. So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon” (II Chron. 11:13-17).
We believe there was a further integration of the Israelites after they all found themselves in dispersion in the Babylonian empire. How the Lord will sort out the tribes remains to be seen. Certainly the restoration of Israel does not require pure ethnicity. It is probable that few, if any, Jews are of unmixed tribal lineage today. Nonetheless, they will be settled in the land and in some manner distinguished as to tribe. God has made sure that the Hebrew race has been preserved; His purpose with them will not fail.
“Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days” (Hos. 3:5).
Thy kingdom come
Our salvation depends upon the Messiah and his work. Apart from him, there is no forgiveness of sin, no redemption. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).
Those through whom salvation is now being wrought live for Messiah’s coming and anticipate his reign on earth. “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them…and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One