The wonder of the Christian faith centers in the revelation of Jesus as the God-man. Here is a brief defense of Jesus’ divine nature utilizing texts from the Old Testament.
Psalm 45
In Psalm 45:5-6, the future Messiah is called God (אֱ֭לֹהִים, Elohim). “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
Here, the coming Messiah is clearly referred to as Elohim (vocative, “O God”), and yet distinguished relationally from the one called, “God, your God.” The explanation can only be understood in light of the incarnation of God’s Son and the revelation of God as Triune in the New Testament.
Psalm 110
In Psalm 110:1, David reveals an interesting dialogue between Yahweh and David’s Lord (לַֽאדֹנִ֗י). “The LORD [Yahweh] said to my [David’s] Lord…” In the Septuagint, the same Greek word (κύριος) is used to translate both titles, “εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου.” Since Jesus appeals to this text in the New Testament to show that there must be more to the Messiah than a mere human existence (Matthew 22:45), the question naturally arises—when did Yahweh say this to David’s אָדוֹן? The answer is found in the inter-trinitarian Covenant of Redemption in eternity! The name אָדוֹן, while sometimes used of masters in the Old Testament—in such a prophetic context has divine overtones. אָדוֹן is therefore used of God in Psalm 8:2 (which Christ appealed to in Matthew 22:16); 114:7; 135:5.
Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6
In Isaiah 7:14, it says, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
The name Immanuel means, “God with us.” In this verse, the word for God is El, the shortened form of Elohim. For Israelites, a name is a reference to the inherent character or nature of a person. This same virgin-born El is mentioned again in Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
The name Mighty God is a translation of the Hebrew אֵ֣ל-גִּבּ֔וֹר. This Messiah is, therefore, named with the shortened form of Elohim (El) twice. He is a child born, a son given, who is nevertheless called Mighty or Warrior God, who fulfills the divine warrior motif of the Scripture (c.f. Revelation 5; 19).
Jeremiah 23:6
In Jeremiah 23:6, Jeremiah reveals what the Messiah will do (provide salvation and security for Israel) and what his name will be: “In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” The Hebrew of the name is יְהוָה צִדְקֵֽנוּ and means that this Davidic King (the righteous branch), is called the covenant name of Yahweh, thus sharing the divine nature of Israel’s God.
Micah 5:2
In Micah 5:2, we also hear of the Messianic ruler to come from Bethlehem: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” The Hebrew behind “from of old, from everlasting” is וּמוֹצָאֹתָיומִקֶּדֶם מִימֵיעוֹלָם.
While there is some debate about how to understand this language (some saying that Messiah’s advent has been promised from ancient times, e.g. in Genesis 3:15), the language could also be interpreted to mean that Messiah’s advent is “from of old, from days of eternity.” This would dovetail nicely with the New Testament’s insistence that Jesus is the “lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8), and the grace God gave the elect in eternity in Christ (2 Timothy 1:9). God’s redemptive plan always involved the sacrificial work of his beloved and only-begotten Son who was with God and was God (John 1:1).
Abounding Grace Radio