Yahweh in O.T. = Jesus in N.T.

Job, in the book which bears his name, expressed many a person’s dilemma. In chapter 23 are these words ‘Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his dwelling! I would lay my case before him, and fill my mouth with arguments. I would learn what he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me.’

There is expressed Humankind’s problem regarding God. Where can he (if God is ‘He’) be found. Where would a person look? If someone stumbled across him, how would he be recognised? What if God never wanted to be found? When all of creation and life is considered, the greatest of all mysteries remains God. Unless he chose to reveal himself we would never find him.

Here is the most awesome, wonderful, and at the same time, disturbing claim of the Judeo-Christian Bible. The unseen God has revealed Himself. How? His existence is proclaimed through creation (Romans 1:20). His character and intent He made known to specific people, beginning with Adam and down the line to Noah, Abraham, Moses and the prophets (Amos 3:7). The Lord God’s self-revelation culminated in the Babe of Bethlehem, Emmanuel (God with us) who was given the Greek name Jesus (in Hebrew, Joshua).

To us, the strange revelation concerning God is that He is a tri-unity. That blows our mind. Some parody the concept (to their judgement) others sidestep it as too hard to grasp. However, God hasn’t left us in the dark on this. Genesis 1:26 and 31 begins the unveiling. The Aaronic threefold blessing stresses this mystery, as does Isaiah’s vision (6:3) Daniel in 9:19, Paul (2 Corinthians 13:13 and the Angels in Revelation 4:8. For me, it is when Jesus cries in agony on the cross “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me” undergirds the uniqueness of the eternal. Why did Jesus break the three fold emphasis? Emmanuel was on the cross!

In John 10:30 Jesus makes an astounding claim: “The Father and I are one.” The Greek word for ‘one’ is in the neuter gender and implies essence. Jesus asserts the Father and He (and the Holy Spirit) are of the same essence.  Here was a charge of blasphemy requiring death. It didn’t happen then but it was the charge that the High Priest used to justify the death penalty on Jesus (Matthew 26:63-65). The writer to the Hebrews in chapter one makes the most astounding statements regarding Jesus. As you read and examine what is written it takes your breath away and at the same time (should) make you bow in gratitude and wonder. It amplifies what Jesus said about Himself in John 14:8-11.

As those who are disciples of the Lord Jesus we may find the doctrine of the Godhead beyond us. It is to be accepted by faith. What we are called upon to believe is the great faith statement of Thomas in John 20:28 “My Lord and my God!” (Psa 35:23). Jesus never refuted it. How then does this Jesus measure up to the revelation of Yahweh in the Jewish Scriptures (the Old Testament)?

Yahweh                                           Title                                       Jesus

Exodus 3:14                                      I AM                                       John 8:58. 18:5-6

Isaiah 40:28.  66:2                          Creator                                  John 1:3. Col.1:16

Isaiah 45:22. 43:11                           Saviour                                  John 4:42. Titus 1:3-4

Isaiah 60:19-20.                               Light                                      John 8:12

Isaiah 41:4.                                        First & Last                           Revelation 22:13

Timothy 1:17. 6:14-16                      Lord of lords                         Revelation 17:14.19:16

                                                            King of kings

These are a selection of passages showing the identity of Yahweh and Jesus to be one and the same. The big issue which determines the truth of this comparison has to be the resurrection of Christ Jesus, bodily. If He didn’t arise then the high Priest was right. It is His resurrection which verifies who He is and what He has achieved.

Next week we will have a brief look at the defining word relating to God. That is ‘I AM’ and Jesus claim on it.

 

©Ray Hawkins. July 2015.

The Worm of God.

Pilgrim cross, Glendalough
Ireland

Worms play an important role in the story of the Judeo-Christian faith. The blood of the coccus worm gave its purple colour to various items, such as linen, in the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle is a portrait of the person, ministry and sacrifice of Christ Jesus. Therefore, the worm and its blood must have some prophetic and symbolic link with Jesus.

The first Biblical mention of the coccus worm in Job 25:5-6 is foundational for our understanding. ‘If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his (God’s) sight, how much less a mortal, who is a maggot, and a human being, who is a worm!’ This comment from Bildad might seem over the top and uncomplimentary to our self-esteem. I believe it is very insightful, if not prophetic.

Centuries later King David of Israel penned Psalm 22. The background to this awesome psalm is not clear. What is undeniable is its portrayal of a future event featuring Jesus. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is the cry from the cross. (Read the whole passage and behold the crucifixion of Christ foretold a thousand years before the event).

What has that to do with ‘the worm’? Everything! ‘I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people’ (Psalm 22:6). The events of the Passover crucifixion major on Jesus being the Lamb of God whose life and death provided our place of safety from God’s judgement. The symbolism of Jesus being ‘the worm of God’ seems a little bit tasteless. Yet, it actually deals with Bildad’s problem, and often, our unasked but perceived assessment, if not of ourselves, of others.

It is hard to imagine a creature weaker than a worm. Also, by inference, its dwelling place is in earth’s dirt. That is a fit Biblical description of the human condition morally and spiritually. When we come to grips with the symbolic and prophetic magnitude of the cross of Christ, we cannot but be stunned. Writers of the New Testament say many things about the cross.  One of the most revealing, for me, is Paul’s: ‘We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles … For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength’ (1 Corinthians 1:23-25).

Why do you think Jesus became ‘the worm of God?’ I understand it this way. He became the weakest of the weak so that no one has an excuse by saying Christ’s offer of saving grace wouldn’t reach down to his/her depth. The Bible insists that there isn’t anyone beneath what Christ became. We are also informed that as ‘the worm’ Jesus lived in the midst of Humanity’s filth but was uncontaminated. However, He absorbed all the rottenest of this world and was crushed under its weight and judgement by God the Father. Was the weakness of ‘the worm of God’ strong enough to die so as to rise again? Was His uncontaminated life verified?  Was Bildad’s description able to be reversed? That was answered on the third day of entombment. The angel sounded the victory song ‘He is risen!’ God the Father had accepted the identity with, the substitution for, and the victory over the wrath accrued on behalf of ‘Earth’s worms.’

What does this mean for we who believe in and commit ourselves to Jesus as the risen Lord and Saviour? Many things. However, to conclude the theme of ‘the Worm of God’, recall the fact that the coccus worm gave its blood to colour the Tabernacle. When Jesus poured out His life in the shedding of his blood, it made something eternally wonderful for you and me.  It includes being redeemed, purchased, justified, sanctified, washed and at peace with God. The blood of the coccus worm stained the Tabernacle linen purple. The blood of the Lord Jesus did what Isaiah wrote about as a promise of God: ‘Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool’ (Isaiah 1:18).

There are many titles given to Jesus Christ such as The Lamb of God, Lion of Judah, Bridegroom, Prince of Peace and Alpha and Omega. For me there is something awesome, special and precious knowing He is also the Worm of God on my behalf.

From Despised to Exalted - Jesus.

“Did you hear that? He has confessed to saying he is God. He has blasphemed. He is guilty of

death!” The rest of the Sanhedrin agreed. Jesus had condemned himself. What brought this about? He was put under oath as to whether or not he was the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  In Matthew 26:64 came his reply “Yes, it is as you say. But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”  This was a quote from Daniel 7:13.

The authorities had him in their grip. This Jesus had beaten them in debates, spoken harshly against their abuse of power and charmed the people with parables and miracles. This man some of them must have known or known about since childhood caused them nothing but trouble. He claimed he and the Father were one (John 10:30) and to see him was to see the invisible Father (John 14:9). How outrageous. Now he must die.  And he did on the cross under Roman supervision.

Why then do untold millions worship Him? Why do others fear and fight against Him? It is a waste of time if He is dead. It is obscene if the criminal charges of blasphemy under Jewish law and insurrection in Roman law are valid. What caused this catastrophic upheaval and the cancellation of the verdict? The resurrection from the dead on the third day! This was foretold by Jesus Himself using the illustration of Jonah. It is also underscored in Isaiah 53:11–12.

We look upon the resurrection as securing our salvation. True! However it goes way, way beyond that. It is the seal of validation to who Jesus is, what He has achieved and the endorsement of the truth of Scripture. No other record could express this so succinctly and powerfully as the few words of Thomas in the upper room a week after the resurrection. Thomas the doubter wasn’t present the previous week and said he would not believe until he saw and touched the nail and spear prints in Jesus body. When Jesus came to him this disciple cried out: “My Lord and My God!” (John 20:28)

Two thousand years later these words still resonate with awe. However, we may miss a mind shattering concept for this Jewish man, as well as the other Jewish followers. To call Jesus not only the Christ (Messiah) but ‘Lord and God’ would have challenged his creed. ‘Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.’ (Deuteronomy 6:4). Jesus didn’t rebuke him or deny it. Now this presents us with a dilemma. Can this be true? Is it in harmony with the thirty-nine books Thomas believed in? What does this mean for understanding the very nature of God?

The Christian Faith holds to and bears witness to the Triune nature of God. To our understanding God is, Father, Son (Word) and Holy Spirit, one God, three personalities. In Genesis 1:26 we get our first glimpse of God. ‘Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”’

Elohim is the descriptive word for God used in the Genesis verses. This term for God is plural in form. It is expressing plurality in unity and is a feature of the Bible’s understanding of the greatest of great mysteries, God Himself. For when Elohim is used in relation to God it is always accompanied by verbs and adjectives in the singular. In Genesis 1:1 ‘In the beginning Elohim created’, the verb ‘create’ is singular. In Deuteronomy 32:39, “See now that I myself am He! There is no god (Elohim) besides me.” Also read Isaiah 45:5, 22-23 and elsewhere.

Yahweh or Jehovah is the covenant name for God to Adam, Abraham and Israel. The quote from Deuteronomy 6:4 is their creedal statement. It could be translated ‘The Yahweh, our Elohim (plural), the Yahweh is One.’ We get a sense of that in Isaiah 6:3 when we hear the Seraphs singing to God “Holy, Holy, Holy”. In Revelation 4:8 the similar refrain is repeated. Does this help you to understand the cry of Jesus on the cross when He said “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me”? There on the cross was the one called Emmanuel, God with us. For the first and last time in eternity and time God the Son was cut adrift from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Christ’s cry expresses the unfathomable cost the Godhead was prepared to pay to redeem you and me. Finally when commissioning the apostles and others to worldwide evangelism Jesus told them to baptise believers into the Name (singular) of the Father, Son and Holy Spirt.

If we are honest with ourselves and our theology trying to grasp the concept of the Godhead (Colossians 2:9 KJV) leaves us gasping. This is why, I believe, the Bible directs our attention to Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. He is understandable. We can relate to Him. Our Lord also stressed the point that ‘When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me.” (John 12:44). When we claim Jesus as our Christ (Messiah) and Saviour He promised to come and dwell within our being. Surely a wonderful yet mysterious gift of grace. Too few realise an awesome fact mentioned by the apostle John. 1 John 2:23–24 ‘whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.’ And do not forget that you are called the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in the most awesome result of the cross and resurrection when Jesus becomes our Lord and Saviour the Triune God transforms our lives. We are no longer slums of sin. We become the temples of the Living Triune God. Praise His Name!

Below are a small selection of references to show you how the God of the Old Testament revealed Himself in Jesus of the Gospels and the other 23 books. This isn’t exhaustive. Do your own cross referencing. Then you will stand with Thomas and recite his words to Jesus “my Lord and my God.”

Yahweh                                             Title                                       Jesus

Exodus 3:14                                         I AM                                         John 8:58.  18:5-6

Isaiah 40:28.  60:2                            Creator                                    John 1:3. Colossians 1:16

Isaiah 45:22.  43:11                            Saviour                                   John 4:42.   Titus 1:3-4.

Isaiah 60:19-20                                   Light                                       John 8:12

Psalm 23:1                                          Shepherd                                 John 10:11

Isaiah 41:4                                         First & Last                               Revelation 22:13

Hosea 13:14                                        Redeemer                                 1 Corinthians 10:4

Isaiah 45:23                                       Lord                                           Philippians 2:11

Psalm 35:23                                       My Lord & my God                 John 20:28

Joel 2:32                                             The Name of the Lord            Romans 10:9-13