New Testament Use Of Old Testament Scriptures and Imagery

OLD TESTAMENT ROOTS OF TRINITARIAN THEOLOGY - PART 3

Proverbs 25:2 says,

“It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.”

We are unwrapping scripture to understand how it was possible for Old Testament believers to follow Jesus and call Him “my Lord and my God” without denying faithful obedience to the God of Israel. We are also discovering God as He knows Himself to be.

In part three of this study we will center on the Apostles of Jesus used Old Testament titles for deity. We want to understand why the writers of the New Testament applied these terms and their imagery to Jesus. The foundation of any Bible doctrine must be first revealed in the Old Testament in “seed form” and be developed within the story line. This is the reason we start in the Old Testament.

In the lesson called the Triune God, we looked specifically at the initial calling of the patriarchs by Yahweh. We found The Word of the LORD was first revealed to Abraham. The Word of Yahweh also appeared and called Samuel and Jeremiah. When the New Testament writers think about Jesus being The Word made flesh, they embrace passages like these. Here is something else to consider. The Word of God can also be thought of as The Voice of God. Let’s begin with Genesis 3:8-10

And they (Adam and Eve) heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound (H6963) of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

AMS; KJV; Darby; and some others translate the word voice. “And they heard the voice of the Lord God”

The Hebrew word H6963 qowl: means voice or sound (of an instrument). So when various translations use either voice or sound, it is correct. I would probably choose to use the word Voice, because we read in verse 9 that Yahweh Elohim called to them saying, “Where are you?” So either way we have the concept of the Voice of God, which can also walk in the garden.

The concept of the Voice of The LORD being honored as Yahweh Himself is used throughout scripture. Here are few examples that you may be already know; there are actually quite a few if you look for them. What I want you to notice is that it is expected that you should obey the voice with the same loyalty and devotion you would obey the word of God; and we are to obey the word of God as we would obey the LORD Himself.

Exodus 15:26 “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD (Yahweh) your God (Elohim) and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD (Yahweh) who heals you.”

Deuteronomy 27:10 “Therefore you shall obey the voice of the LORD (Yahweh) your God (Elohim) and observe His commandments and His statutes which I command you today.”

Jeremiah 7:28 “So you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD (Yahweh) their God (Elohim) nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.

Jesus is the The Word and The Voice of God in the New Testament.

John’s Gospel begins not with Jesus’ birth or John’s baptism but with a deliberate echo of the creation story in Genesis. It takes us back before time began to the moment when God interrupts the silence and speaks the cosmos into existence. Only John’s Gospel names Jesus as the Logos and declares that He existed long before time was measured.

John 1: 1, 14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

There is a fairly recent translation of the New Testament called The Voice Translation. They actually use the term The Voice throughout the New Testament. If you are interested you can find this translation included on the website BibleGateway.com. Another reason to consider that both The Word of God and The Voice of God are worthy of the same honor and obedience is because they are One. They are synonymous with The LORD God of the Bible. Every voice is distinct and personal. Yet to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus is to recognize Him as the Voice of God. This is not a new concept, this is clear when we read these New Testament passages.

John 5:25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.

John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

John 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

THE SON OF MAN

The New Testament writers record Jesus using Old Testament titles and applying them to himself. It is only because we are so unfamiliar with our Old Testament, that we haven’t recognized the power and clarity of these statements. The continuity between how the Bible identifies Yahweh of the Old Testament with Jesus in the New Testament is truly amazing. Jesus is God (Elohim), but Jesus is not the Father. Jesus is the Word of the LORD (Yahweh).

As we read through the Gospels we quickly find that Jesus referred to himself as “The Son of Man.”  The phrase can simply be translated “human one” therefore, many argue that Jesus was just emphasizing his humanness. Others argue the phrase was also a title used of prophets in the Old Testament, and Jesus was claiming his role as a prophet. Let’s look at a few examples.

The Gospel of Matthew the term “Son of Man” is used 30 times

Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

Matthew 26:2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

The Gospel of Mark 13 times

Mark 2:10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic,

Mark 9:9 Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

The Gospel of Luke 27 times

Luke 9:44 “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.”

Luke 22:48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

The Gospel of John 12 times

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

John 8:28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.

So, what do you think? Was Jesus emphasizing his humanness? Was he emphasizing that he came as a prophet? Was he really pointing to someone else? Why would Jesus choose to self-identify as the “Son of Man?”

Jesus – The Son of Man – The Christ

JESUS: The Hebrew/Aramaic name is Yeshu‘a. When New Testament writers communicated the Gospel in Greek they used the name Iēsous. In Latin it was written Iesus. Latin was translated into German and ultimately into English as Jesus. In each of these languages the Name means The LORD (Yahweh) is salvation.

THE CHRIST: The word “Christ” in the Greek is the equivalent of the Hebrew word mashiach or “Messiah.”  It means to be “the anointed one of God.” Even though prophets and priests and kings were anointed and may be called “The Lord’s anointed” such as in 1 Samuel 16:6. In a small way, anyone in the Old Testament who was set apart and consecrated as a servant unto the Lord was a messiah, because he received an anointing. This was the same thinking behind calling believers Christians. We are not proclaiming ourselves to be The Christ. This was accepted and understood.

Likewise, there is a difference in the way the word anointed can be used. Daniel spoke of The Messiah (see Daniel 9:26). He was pointing to a singular One, which was promised by God. This uniquely Anointed One from God would come to deliver from sin. This is The Messiah. It is the uniqueness of this promised One which is conveyed in the New Testament with the title Christ. 

There are verses which show the writers intentionally make a clear connection between the Messiah or the Christ and title “the Son of Man.”

Luke 17:24-25 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.  But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Luke 24:26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”

Here we see how Luke uses the terms of “Son of Man” which Jesus choose to use as his self-identification with the Christ—the Anointed One as synonymous terms. Both Jesus and Luke connect the titles Son of Man and the Christ to Isaiah’s suffering servant, called the “arm of the LORD.”

But it is Matthew who makes the most dramatic connection in regard to Jesus as the divine Son of Man. It is found in Matthew 26.  Here in this passage, Jesus is standing before Caiaphas prior to his condemnation and crucifixion:

Matthew 26:57-66 (Lexham English Bible)

Now those who had arrested Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 But Peter was following him from a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest. And he went inside and was sitting with the officers to see the outcome. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus in order that they could put him to death. 60 And they did not find it, although many false witnesses came forward. And finally, two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it within three days.’” 62 And the high priest stood up and said to him, “Do you reply nothing? What are these people testifying against you?”

63 But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath by the living God, that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!”

64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 

65 Then the high priest tore his robes, saying, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have just now heard the blasphemy!  66 What do you think?” And they answered and said, “He deserves death!”

This may seem like a cryptic answer to a very direct question. However, it is a clear-cut answer; Jesus is quoting Daniel 7:13 as the answer to Caiaphas’ question. Jesus linked himself specifically to the divine nature and the title of deity.

Daniel 7:13-14  

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.  And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

This is The Divine King with Everlasting Dominion. This king looks like a man. He receives An Everlasting Kingdom. It is a picturing The Coronation of Jesus and His Kingdom which He will rule from Jerusalem upon the earth. [Read Acts 1:1-11]

Now read again Jesus’ answer to the high priest’s question:

Matthew 26 63-64

“And the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath by the living God, that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 

Look at the reaction of Caiaphas, the high priest. He understood Jesus’ answer clearly. The Jewish High Priest understood Jesus claimed to be the second Yahweh figure of Daniel 7:13-14 and that was an intolerable blasphemy. Jesus’ answer provided the high priest with the accusation he needed for a death sentence, but also gives us a clear testimony of Jesus as the final son of David; Yahweh incarnate, through whom Yahweh will reclaim the nations disinherited at Babel.

THE CLOUD RIDER

Jesus’ answer to Caiaphas as well as a number of other references in the New Testament link to another Old Testament title of Deity; The Cloud Rider.

See, how this reference is used in the Old Testament.

Deuteronomy 33:26-27 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun*, Who rides the heavens to help you, and in His excellency on the clouds. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, ‘Destroy!’

*Jeshurun is an affectionate name for Israel. It means “upright one” and is a symbolic name describing Israel in her ideal character.

Psalm 68:4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, and rejoice before Him.

Psalm 104:3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind.

We have already read Daniel 7:13. What you may not have understood is the wider ancient context for this description. After the exodus from Egypt Israel’s relationship with its pagan neighbors led to a constant temptation to embrace their gods. In the Ugarit texts, the god Baal is called “the one who rides the clouds.” The description became an official title of Baal, and all people of the Mediterranean region considered the “one who rides the clouds” to be deity. Consequently, any figure to whom the title was attributed was a god. 

The Old Testament writers were quite familiar with Baal. In an effort to make the point that Yahweh, the God of Israel deserved to be worshiped and not Baal the Biblical writers took the title of “cloud rider” and attributed it to Yahweh. It was a literary tactic designed to snub or insult Baal and exult Yahweh. Yahweh was the one who brought the rain, that caused the crops to grow. Yahweh brought prosperity through the harvest.

There was one exception to this literary intent; that is Daniel 7:13-14. In this passage there is a second figure—a human figure—that receives this description.  Therefore, Daniel describes two divine figures, called by this Name. Just as importantly, the one who rides the clouds in Daniel 7 receives an everlasting kingship from the Ancient of Days.

JESUS - SON OF DAVID

If you know your Old Testament, you know that the everlasting kingship belonged only to the Son of David—the Messianic King. So, the picture comes clear: the ultimate son of David, the messianic king, will be both human—son of man, and deity—the rider of the clouds. This is exactly the message of the Gospels.

I appreciate your interest in the study of the Bible and hope that these teachings are helpful to you. Please check out other sections of this epic story, the Bible. You can navigate through the headings at the top of each page, return to the home page or click on a link below. Here is a brief description of each section.

The Plan: On Earth As It Is In Heaven. In the beginning God and Adam walked together in a garden on a mountain. It was a sacred place where heaven and earth were dynamically connected to each other. The whole earth was not like this garden kingdom. Adam and Eve were in this garden, the earthly creatures God created were there and the heavenly creatures were there also. The two realms were flowing together; this was called Eden. This is our Father’s eternal plan, one day Eden will be restored.

The Problem: Evil Enters God’s Good World When we choose to call something good which God has called evil, this is rebellion. This is what happen in the opening chapters of Genesis. The Bible informs us of three specific rebellions in the Book of Genesis. They were both heavenly and earthly. These are the reason we experience separation, suffering and death. The Good News is, that is not the end of the story. God is so good that He has made a way for us to turn back to Him. When we turn to Him, He can bring good from even our wrong choices.

The Solution: An Eternal Substitutionary Sacrifice: The Lamb of God The result of rebellion is the separation of the heavenly realm from earth, and the ushering in of death in all its forms. But God had a solution that would redeem mankind and restore the union of heaven and earth. That solution would be an eternal substitutionary sacrifice of The Lamb of God. Jesus is the foreordained Lamb that would take away the sin of the world.

The Promise: The Restoration of All Things From the time when man left the garden he has always looked for a full restoration and return. The prophets saw it a far off, it is the glorious part of the Day of the Lord. The Apostles also spoke of that day and knew it would not take place until Jesus comes back. His return ushers in the Millennial Kingdom. It is under the Dominion of Jesus that the earth will mature in righteousness. This restoration of all things is in preparation for the coming of the Father.