07 - CHAPTER FOUR
THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETIC NAMES OF JESUS
“Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph “ (John 1:45).
“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them, in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luk 24:27).
It often has been said that the Old Testament is Christ concealed and the New Testament is Christ revealed, and yet, the Old Testament was the Bible by which the early church preached the gospel of Christ to a lost world. Hidden in the pages of law, history, poetry, and prophecy is a wealth of revelation concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. He is revealed in every book through types, metaphors, analogies, and indisputable titles. Although it would be impossible for us to consider every title in a single chapter, we shall discuss in this chapter several of the principal titles of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. Some important Old Testament names are omitted here because they are covered in later chapters.
SHILOH
One of the earliest of the titles the book of Genesis applies to the coming Messiah in the Old Testament is “Shiloh.” As Jacob was blessing his sons and prophesying concerning the twelve tribes of Israel, he said: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Gen 49:10). The name Shiloh means “peace maker” and closely relates to one of Isaiah’s birth names for Jesus, “the Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:6). This prophecy affirms that Shiloh would come from the royal tribe of Judah, wield a temporal scepter, and possess a sovereignty of a different character.
PROPHET The great prophet in the history of Israel was Moses, although before he died, he prophesied of a future Prophet that the Jews came to understand to be the coming Messiah. “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken” (Deu 18:15). This prophet would speak as a forthteller, preaching a message; as a for-teller, preaching for God; and as a fore-teller, predicting things to come. The preaching of Jesus conformed to each aspect of this prophetic preaching. THE BRANCH Our English Bible translates three Hebrew words “branch” as a name or title of Jesus. The first word, tsemach, literally refers to a green shoot or sprout growing out of an old stump. A similar word, netser, was used of a small, fresh green twig. A third word, translated “rod” in Isa 11:1, was choter, this refers to a shoot growing out of a cut-down stump. These three words describe Jesus as “the Branch.” This title of Christ had both positive and negative connotations. A puzzling verse in Matthew refers to an Old Testament prophecy to the effect, “He shall be called a Nazarene” (Mat 2:23). To be called a Nazarene by those living outside Nazareth was insulting, for the town had a reputation as the city of garbage. Even one of Jesus’ first disciples asked, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). But the puzzling thing about this verse is that no verse in the Old Testament identifies Nazareth as the home of the Messiah. Most commentators argue that Matthew was here alluding to one of the Branch prophecies, having noted the similarity of sound between netser and Nazareth.
Isaiah did use the word netzer in a negative sense when he said of the king of Babylon, “But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch” (Isa 14:19). Here the word describes a useless shoot cut off a tree and left to rot. Although Isaiah’s use of the word in this context does not specifically refer to Christ, it does demonstrate how Matthew could have understood a Branch prophecy to imply that Jesus would have to live with the reputation of being a Nazarene.
Positively, these words for “Branch” are used in four ways corresponding to the four Gospels in the New Testament. First, Christ is the King Branch. This corresponds to the Gospel of Matthew, which emphasizes the life of Christ as the King of the Jews. Jeremiah noted, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth” (Jer 23:5). This title specifically applies to the coming kingdom of God during the millennial reign of Christ.
Jesus is also spoken of as a Servant Branch. This corresponds to the Gospel of Mark, which portrays Jesus as the Servant of the Lord. The prophet Zechariah announced, “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant, the BRANCH” (Zec 3:8). Jesus was not only a king but a servant. Several passages in Isaiah more fully describe this One who is the Servant of Jehovah. This Branch is described as a man. This corresponds to the unique emphasis of the Gospel of Luke, which eighty times refers to Jesus as the Son of man. Again, it was the prophet Zechariah who announced this aspect of the Branch. “And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord” (Zec 6:12). The final aspect of the Branch is that the Lord Himself is the Branch. This corresponds to the emphasis of the Gospel of John, which begins with a statement as to the deity of Jesus the Word. “In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for those who are escaped of Israel” (Isa 4:2). Again, this name specifically applies to the millennial reign of Christ still to come. THE DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS
Perhaps no preacher in history left behind such a brief record of ministry with as great accomplishment as the prophet Haggai. The book which records his name consists of five sermons that range in length from a single line to several verses. Yet, it was primarily the preaching of this prophet that led to the resumption of work and completion of the second temple in Jerusalem. Because some Jews had seen the previous temple in all its physical splendor, they became discouraged as they saw the builders erecting a smaller wood frame structure. Haggai knew the people were failing to realize it was not the architecture of a building but rather God’s presence that made a building a holy place. To encourage the people, Haggai prophesied of the days when “the desire of all nations shall come” (Hag 2:7).
Commentators debate among themselves about the meaning of this phrase “desire of all nations.” Some argue Haggai meant the wealth of other nations-that is, the desirable things of those nations-would someday be brought to this second temple. A more probable interpretation is that the phrase is a title of Christ, who would come to the temple that seemed so insignificant in the eyes of some of the workers.
Jewish writers have noted that the second temple lacked five objects which were present in the first temple: the ark of the covenant with its mercy seat or place of propitiation, the tables of the law, the holy fire, the sacred oracle in the breastplate of the high priest, and the Shekinah glory of God. Although God did not give these things to the remnant that returned and built the temple, He did promise to send the “desire of all nations” who was all these things and more.
Jesus is the reality of which the ark was only the type. He is not only the place of propitiation but “the propitiation for our sins” (1Jn 2:2). The early Christians applied the title “Lawgiver” to the Lord (Jas 4:12). He is a “wall of fire,” the “Urim and Thummin,” and our “High Priest.” But above all these things, He is the incarnate “Shekinah glory of God.” As the Apostle John noted, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The Shekinah glory was indeed absent at the dedication of the second temple, but eventually it was present in Christ in a greater sense than ever was true of the first temple. The “desire of all nations” has come; He was the fullness of the Godhead, and He dwelt or tabernacled among us.
Although this prophecy had partial fulfillment in the first advent of Christ, many commentators point out that the context of this prophecy applies to the second coming of Christ. In the millennium Christ will be King and Lord of the nations. In that sense, the “desire of all nations” is still yet to come. However, in a sense He is the “desirable one of all nations” today, since Christians around the world echo the final prayer of the Scriptures, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:20). THE ENSIGN OF THE PEOPLES
One of the many titles for Christ in the book of Isaiah is “an ensign of the peoples” (Isa 11:10). Of the seven times the word “ensign” appears in Scripture, six are singular and found in the prophecy of Isaiah. The word itself refers to a national flag to which people rally. It is the symbol of the nation, and loyalty to that flag is the most common form of patriotism.
While I served as President of Winnipeg Bible College, the Canadian government redesigned a new national flag. At the time a great debate arose over the proposed action. Many Canadians remembered fighting for liberty in World War R and the Korean War under the old Red Ensign. To change that flag seemed unpatriotic and an attack on the national heritage of Canadians. Today, almost two decades later, most Canadians feel a sense of deep-seated patriotism when they see their new Maple Leaf flag blowing in the wind. Just as the old Red Ensign was an untouchable symbol of the nation in the early sixties, so many Canadians would respond the same way if the government tried to change the flag today and abandon the Maple Leaf flag. In the same way in which a nation rallies around its flag, Christians rally around Jesus. The history of the church is a record of various conflicts and debates over different interpretations of doctrine, but true Christianity has always been grounded upon an agreement concerning Christ. There were times when good men thought it wrong to baptize, wrong to send out missionaries, or wrong to be involved in political action, but they have always found a. rallying point around the person and work of Jesus Christ. He has been the Ensign to which they have been drawn. As “an ensign for the peoples,” Jesus is not just the flag which brings a group of Christians from one country together but, rather, the flag which brings believers from all places together. Commenting on this title of Christ, Charles J. Rolls exclaimed, What a distinction! To be high above all principality and power.
What a recognition! To be revered by myriad hosts of men and angels.
What a coronation! To be crowned Lord of lords and King of kings.
What a commemoration! To be admired in all them that believe.
EL SHADDAI - THE ALMIGHTY When the Lord appeared to Abraham to confirm His covenant with him, He revealed Himself to the ninety-nine-yearold man of faith as El Shaddai (Gen 17:1). Linguists do not agree about the etymology of this title and usually suggest one of three possibilities. Some link the word to the Hebrew shadad, meaning “to devastate,” and argue the title lays emphasis on the irresistible power of God. Others believe the word relates the Akkadian word shadu, meaning “mountain,” and argue the title means something like “God of the Mountains.” The third and most probable meaning of this word is based on its relationship to the Hebrew word shad, meaning “breast.”
El Shaddai is naturally a tender title for God. Scripture uses it exclusively of God in relation to His children. When trying to explain more fully the implications of this name, some writers have spoken of “the mother-love of God.” To the child held to his mother’s breast, the mother is the all-sufficient one who provides both the physical necessities and emotional support the child needs. Similarly El Shaddai is the all-sufficient One in the believer’s experience. He has been accurately described as “the God who is enough.”
El Shaddai was Job’s favorite name for God. Thirty-one of its forty-eight occurrences in Scripture appear in the book of Job. For Job in the midst of his suffering and despair, El Shaddai was enough. This title suggests supplying the need and comforting the hurt. Over the years, many Christians have discovered the true nature of El Shaddai only in their darkest hours. When we understand this name of Jesus, we can grow in our Christian experience, knowing the tenderness that characterizes Christ, until we can confess with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15).
CONCLUSION
Throughout the Old Testament the prophets of God looked forward to the day when their coming Messiah would arrive. As God continued to reveal more and more about Him, they chose names to describe Him more accurately. Hundreds of such names appear in the pages of the Old Testament but they describe only part of the character and nature of Jesus. Although these names were given to nourish a sense of anticipation and expectation, we can enjoy them even more, for now at least in part the fulfillment has come. Jesus has proved to be far more than what the prophets could have imagined. For Discussion:
1. What is probably the earliest name of Christ in the Old Testament? What do we know about our Saviour from this title?
2. One of the favorite titles for Christ in the prophets was Branch. How is Christ our Branch?
3. Haggai called Christ “the desire of all nations.” How does Christ fulfill this title?
4. Isaiah called Christ “the ensign of the people.” What should be our reaction to this name?
5. Share an experience when you realized that Christ is your El Shaddai.