Series:  Inspiration in Isaiah, #5  

July 16, 2006

SNAPSHOTS OF THE MESSIAH

In Isaiah 46:10 God says,

    “I make known the end from the beginning,

        from ancient times, what is still to come.

    I say: My purpose will stand,

        and I will do all that I please.”

          God’s purposes have been set from before the creation of the world, and He is going to accomplish all that He pleases.  In the time of Isaiah, one of the things that God was planning to do was to send the Messiah, and the book of Isaiah is full of prophecies of the coming Anointed One.  God was making known from ancient times what was (and in some senses, still is) to come. 

          This morning, I want us to look at five passages in Isaiah that all predict the coming Messiah.  The Israelites had been looking for a savior, the Messiah, the one who would be anointed by God to deliver them from their enemies, ever since King David’s time.  The priest Samuel had made some prophecies that got people thinking that one day God would send a greater “son of David” who would rule on the throne of Israel and deliver His people.  In Isaiah’s day, with the powerful Assyrian Empire looming over the horizon, they were ripe to hear this kind of good news. 

          So here are five passages written about 700 years before Christ, that all point toward Jesus Christ in one way or another.  My hope is that you will be impressed with God’s ability to see and predict the future, and take comfort in knowing that He really is in control of human history.   And I pray that you will take seriously these snapshots of the Messiah, and apply them to your life.

I.        Born of a Virgin   Isaiah 7: 14   

          Is 7:14 is familiar to us from the Christmas story:  “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”   In the immediate historical context, this prophecy had nothing to do with the coming Messiah—it was more a promise of the short-term political and military welfare of the Jews.  Ahaz, King of Judah, was facing an impending attack from two other countries, and all the people were quite concerned about it.  The word of the Lord came to Isaiah to tell Ahaz that this attack would never materialize—that God Himself would protect them.  God then invited the king to ask for a sign to help assure him that this would be the Lord's work, but Ahaz declined.  So God said, OK, I'll give you a sign myself.  A young woman will have a child, whose name will be Immanuel,  but, verse 16 goes on to say, "before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste." 

          The immediate context probably refers to Isaiah's young wife and her newborn son (referred to in Is 8:1-4).  This, of course, was not a virgin birth.   The point of it is that within a very short time, perhaps 2-3 years which is about the age that children learn the difference between right and wrong, the threat facing Judah will have disappeared.  As it turned out, the Assyrians destroyed the two powers that were threatening Judah in 733-732 B.C., only a year or two after the prophecy was given.  So the prophecy was that in less than 3 years the two kings Ahaz feared would be destroyed, and in fact, they were.

          The boy’s name was significant: Immanuel means God with us, and that was the ultimate message of the prophecy, that God was with the people of Judah and had the situation completely in hand.

          But there is more to this, because the word Isaiah chooses to describe the woman is somewhat ambiguous.  There is a lot of scholarly debate over whether the Hebrew word translated "virgin" in Isaiah 7:14 means strictly a virgin, or just a young woman of marriageable age.  In Isaiah's prophecy, it probably means a woman who at the time the prophecy was given was a virgin, thereby establishing some inner limits to the time frame the prophet was talking about.  In other words, if she was a virgin then, it would be at least 9 months before the child he predicts could be born, and then another year or so before the prophecy would be fulfilled. 

          Old Testament prophecies can have more than one fulfillment.  There may be an immediate fulfillment in the context of the particular situation in which it was uttered, and still be capable of later fulfillments that may or may not have been considered by the people to whom it was addressed.  The gospel of Matthew in the New Testament quotes this passage from Isaiah and says that Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of it.  Matthew is clear that Mary was a virgin at the time she conceived and bore a son.  So we have a prediction that had its immediate fulfillment in the time it was written, but which had a more complete fulfillment in the life of Christ.  His virgin mother was Mary, but His Father was God.  Jesus is God's son, not just in some spiritual sense, but in a very literal, physical sense.  So the name given the child is literally true for Jesus, not just figuratively true as in Isaiah’s day:  Immanuel means "God with us", and Jesus was, in fact, God—with us.   

          I find it  fascinating, and amazing, and encouraging to see how God was involved in this prophecy to Isaiah so many years before Christ.  It had significance and meaning in Isaiah’s day; it was relevant to the king and the people then.  But it also had significance 700 years later, at the birth of Christ.  And now we find that still today, 2,700 years after Isaiah wrote these words, they still have meaning for us.  The one called Immanuel is still God with us, in our daily lives, bringing us hope and encouragement, and fellowship with God Himself.  The question for each of us is whether we know this one, and whether we take the time to enjoy His fellowship, and to draw on His resources for life.  Is He just a historical figure for you, or is Jesus really “God with you”?

          Our next snapshot of the Messiah shows us something of His character while He was here on earth.  The first time He came, it was as the gentle Servant of the Lord. 

II.       The Servant of the Lord  Isaiah 42:1-3

    "Here is my servant, whom I uphold,

        my chosen one in whom I delight;…

    [2] He will not shout or cry out,

        or raise his voice in the streets.

    [3] A bruised reed he will not break,

        and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out."

          This is a beautiful and accurate picture of Jesus of Nazareth.  He was not a rabble-rouser in the streets.  He didn’t come to start a revolution.  He was gentle with people who were hurting.  Isaiah says He won’t break even a bruised reed or snuff out a smoldering wick.  Think of a cattail in the wetlands, where one of the reeds has become bruised and bent over, maybe by the wind.  Or a candle wick that should be burning brightly but is just smoldering.   These are pictures of things that are damaged, they are not healthy and strong,  they are vulnerable to being broken, or snuffed out.  But Jesus is so gentle with people like that.  We recently read in our Home Fellowship Group the story of Jesus with the woman caught in adultery.  She was guilty; she was publicly embarrassed; the religious leaders wanted Jesus to say she should be stoned.[1] Talk about being wounded and vulnerable!  But Jesus stipulated that the one without sin should cast the first stone.  When they were all gone, He stood up, looked her in the eye and said, “Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?”  “No one, Lord,” she said.  “Neither do I condemn you.  Go your way; sin no more.” 

          When you are feeling wounded by life, when you are hurting from criticism, or your conscience is beating you up over some moral failing, you need to remember this passage about Jesus, the Servant of the Lord.  When you are discouraged, or tired, or weak, or depressed, Jesus will not berate you or condemn you.  He is gentle. Tender.  Kind. 

          A third glimpse of the Messiah shows the full extent of His coming influence. 

III.      A Light for the Gentiles  Isaiah 49:6; Luke 2:32; Acts 13:47 

       "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant

        to restore the tribes of Jacob

        and bring back those of Israel I have kept.

    I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,

        that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."

          When Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple to dedicate Him to the Lord, an old man named Simeon met them there and God revealed to him that this was the Messiah.  Simeon burst out in praise, and quoted this passage from Isaiah 49 about Jesus being a light to the Gentiles.  We hear that and think, O yeah, sure; lots of Gentiles believe in Jesus.  But we have to understand how radical this thought was in that day.  At the time Jesus was born, and even before that, in the time of Isaiah, the Jews thought of themselves as the chosen people of God.  In their understanding, no other people could have a right relationship with God unless they became Jews. 

          But God’s plan, from Isaiah’s time, and even before that, was to bring people from every ethnic group in the world to Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus was not just the savior of the Jews, but of the whole world.  So the first Christian missionaries, Paul and Barnabas, went out traveling around the Mediterranean preaching about Jesus in the synagogues.  When the Jews rejected them, they said, OK, we’ll go to the Gentiles, and quoted this verse again.  They understood that God’s heart was for all people, not just the Jews. 

          Jesus Christ is the source of salvation for everyone on earth. He’s not just the Savior of the Jews, or Americans, or westerners, but for everyone.  He loves Muslims and Hindus and Buddhists; He loves Chinese who worship ancestral spirits, and animists who worship the spirits in nature.  There is only one way to be saved for everyone, but praise God, there is a way, and Jesus is it!   He is the light for the Gentiles to bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth.

          Our next picture of the coming Messiah looks far into the future, not only for Isaiah, but even for us.  This is a picture of Jesus as the coming King who one day will rule on the earth.

IV.     A “Greater King David”  Isaiah 11:1-10

          [1] A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;  

        from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.   

          The son of Jesse was King David, so we should probably understand this to be a description of a future King, who would be a descendant of Jesse, someone like David, who was the greatest king Israel ever had.  The reference to a stump is a good metaphor for the line of David at the time of Christ, because even though Jesse’s descendants were still around, none of them had been in power for six hundred years. 

          This passage tells us three things about this future king:

          A.          The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him   Isaiah 11:2   

          [2] The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him--

        the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

        the Spirit of counsel and of power,

        the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord--

          People all over the world, throughout all of history, have longed for rulers like this!  We pray for God to pour out His Spirit on our leaders, on our President, on his cabinet, on our Senators and Congressmen.  Because they are facing issues that are frankly beyond them:  What to do about Iraq and Afghanistan?  How to handle Iran and North Korea?  How to prevent the entire Middle East from being drawn into the conflict between Israel and her neighbors?  What is the best immigration policy?  How do we keep Social Security solvent?  What’s the right balance between personal freedom and security in a world full of terrorists?  Our leaders pretend they know what to do about these things, but they don’t.  We also long for leaders who are more concerned about the welfare of the country than about their own power.  We need people in leadership who can see the real issues before them, and not be distracted by the voices of special interests.  Above all, we need men and women to lead us who recognize their proper place under the authority and guidance of God, and who seek His guidance and wisdom in all they do.  In short, we need leaders like this one described here in Isaiah 11.

          This is a prophecy of Jesus Christ that has not yet been fulfilled.  It speaks of a time in the future when He will rule on earth as King over all.  The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, as it did at His baptism in this painting, and therefore He will have wisdom and understanding into all the issues that confront life on planet Earth.  He will issue wise counsel, and have the power to accomplish His goals.  And He will operate in a proper relationship with the Lord Almighty.  As I look at the mess our world is in today, I read this passage and say, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”  We really need you. 

          In ancient Israel, there was no separation of powers in the government.  The king was also the supreme judge, the final arbiter of all disputes.  So Jesus is described in this prophecy as the judge of all the earth.

                   B.      The Judge of all the earth  Isaiah 11:3-5     1 Samuel 16:7                                                      

    He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

        or decide by what he hears with his ears;

    [4] but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

        with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth…    [5] Righteousness will be his belt

        and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

          When the priest Samuel went to anoint a king for Israel, God sent him to the household of Jesse, and told him the new king was to be one of Jesse’s sons.  Jesse had eight sons, and the first one to be presented before Samuel was a tall, handsome young man.  Samuel thought to himself, “Here’s the one!” But God said, 1 Samuel 16:7, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."   

          Boy, isn’t that true?! We are so taken with outward appearances.  Fashion in clothes and makeup and hair styles and jewelry is all about creating a certain “look”.  I watch celebrities and wonder if they have any real identity, because they spend all their time creating an outward persona that they project to the world, such as sex-siren Brittney, or gangsta-rapper Ice T.  Who are these people inside?  Do they even know any more? 

          But we’re at fault here, too.  We frequently judge people on the basis of what they look like.  Some people are still prejudiced toward others because of the color of their skin; others judge people negatively because they are overweight, or because they don’t dress properly for church; or because they have piercings all over their face.   

          It’s a good thing we are not the judge of the world, because we can’t see in to a person’s soul; we don’t know their character, or their motives.  We don’t know all the mitigating circumstances that have played into their actions.  We can’t tell for sure whether they are lying or telling the truth.  Half the time I don’t think many people even care about these interior things.

          But Jesus does, and He can see into our hearts!  He will not judge on the basis of what He sees with His eyes, or hears with His ears.  He knows the emotional wounds you received from your father or mother; He understands your selfish motives better than you do; He knows exactly where you failed to take personal responsibility for your actions.  And therefore, His judgments will be characterized by righteousness, justice, and faithfulness. 

          While He was on earth, Jesus made a lot of outrageous claims about Himself.  One of the most amazing was His claim to judge the world.  He said, John 5:22, “the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son.”  Jesus  Christ Himself will one day judge the whole world.  That would be a terrifying thought except that His judgment will be completely righteous, and just, and faithful.  There will be no appeals of His judgments, because everyone will know that they were exactly right.  The Judge of all the earth will do right.  Period. 

          This passage in Isaiah 11 goes on to describe what the world will be like under the rule of Jesus the King. 

          C.          The Messianic Kingdom of peace   Isaiah 11:6-10

    [6] The wolf will live with the lamb,

        the leopard will lie down with the goat,

    the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

        and a little child will lead them.

    [7] The cow will feed with the bear,

        their young will lie down together,

        and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

    [8] The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,

        and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

    [9] They will neither harm nor destroy

        on all my holy mountain,

    for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord

        as the waters cover the sea.

     [10] In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

          It’s a very poetic, almost romantic picture of peace on earth.  It’s hard for us to imagine what that would be like, it is so different from what life on earth is like now.  It’s hard to know how much of this is to be taken literally, and how much of it is figurative language. The last verse is key to the whole picture: Jesus, the Root from the family line of Jesse, the “greater King David”, will be the center of it all.  The nations of the world will rally to Him as troops used to rally to the banner of their commander when called.  People from every nationality, every ethnic group, will find their peace in Christ.  When they are brothers in Christ, there will be no need, no desire to go to war with each other anymore.  They will all be at peace in Him. 

          Isaiah 11 is quite a glorious, and lofty picture of the coming kingdom.  The first time Jesus came it was as a suffering servant, gentle and humble, the Savior who had to die on a cross.  When He comes again, it will be as the risen, conquering King, who will rule and dispense justice over a world at peace. 

          Our final picture of the Messiah in Isaiah shows Him as the cornerstone of our lives. 

V.      The Cornerstone   Isaiah 28:16 ;  Matt 7:24-26

    So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

    "See, I lay a stone in Zion,

        a tested stone,

    a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;

        the one who trusts will never be dismayed.

          We know this is a prophecy of the Messiah, because Jesus quoted this passage in reference to Himself (Matt 21:42 and parallels).  This raises the question, What are you building your life on?  What would you say is the underlying foundation for your life?  What do you count on to get you through life?  For some, it’s their brains; they’ve been able to get ahead largely because they are smarter than others, and they have found a way to make money, or to advance in their careers because of that.  Some are good entrepreneurs or businesspeople, and have made a ton of money which they rely on to pave the way through life for them.  For others, it’s their good looks.  Since our culture puts such a high value on outward appearance, the beautiful people can get ahead simply by playing up their physical attributes.  We hear a lot about great athletes who parlay their athletic abilities into a name for themselves, but unfortunately, all too many of them missed the part about the value of character.  So others pick up on that and wisely strive to build their lives on a solid character of integrity, honesty, faithfulness, etc.  What are you building your life on? 

          Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of a solid foundation for life.  One time He told the story of two men who built houses: one man built his house on sand, and the other one on rock.  When the storms came, and the floods washed through that area, the house on sand crumbled, but the house built on the rock stood firm.  Here’s the punch line from Jesus:  Matthew 7:24,  "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock…26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” 

          Jesus is the tested stone, a precious, valuable cornerstone for a sure foundation for our lives.  Whoever trusts in Him will never be dismayed, not even at the final judgment.  And since Isaiah has spoken so much about Jesus as the Judge, we ought to consider that final judgment as well as the daily course of our lives.   What are you counting on, relying on, trusting in to get you through that ultimate storm of the final judgment, when God examines your life with a microscope and brings up every moral and ethical failing of your entire existence?  If you think you can rely on even your good character at that point, you are sadly mistaken.  You may  be a lot better than the next person; you may be a lot better than everybody you know; but you are nowhere near good enough to get in to heaven on the basis of how you have lived.  The standard is perfection, and nobody is perfect—as we like to say to our spouse in defense of some stupid thing we have done!  We say, “Nobody’s perfect!”  That’s right; and neither are we.

          But Jesus is the cornerstone, and no one who trusts in Him will be dismayed, even in the judgment.  Trust in Him.  Trust Him to make you acceptable to God, to make you qualified to spend eternity in God’s presence.  The Bible makes a tremendous offer to us, a deal like you won’t find at any store or bank:  Jesus Christ took our sin on Himself and got punished for it, so that you and I could get His righteousness and get rewarded for it (2 Cor 5:21).  When we are as righteous as Jesus, then we get to live with God forever.  The way we take advantage of that offer is by putting  our whole trust in Him.  Do not trust yourself – that’s building on the sand.  But trust in Christ, build your life on the chief cornerstone, and you’ll have a firm foundation not only for this life, but for eternity.