Old Testament Expectations

With today's post I begin to look at Jesus in the context of politics. As is always the case, Jesus transforms whatever he touches.

The Old Testament contains several passages that speak of God’s promised Messiah, the one who would deliver Israel from her enemies and establish his permanent reign of righteousness. As we have seen, the religious and political climate of first-century Judea fueled expectations of the imminent arrival of such a deliverer. These passages (except for the last) are representative of the hopes of many in Israel.

1) Genesis 49:10-12: The promise of an ultimate king from the line of Judah.

2) Psalm 2: The supremacy of God’s chosen king.

3) Psalm 24: The identification of God with the King of glory.

4) Jeremiah 23:1-8: The promise of a righteous king; God provides for his people to take care of them.

5) Ezekiel 34:20-31: The idyllic king portrayed as the faithful shepherd, established by God.

6) Zechariah 9:9-10: The coming king.

7) Isaiah 52:13-53:12: The passage that many in Israel neglected to incorporate into their thinking—God’s suffering servant, the one who dies to redeem his people. Subsequent Jewish biblical commentary has tended to identify Israel herself, rather than Messiah, as the suffering servant.