The Messiah in the OT___

Continued from Last week, Lesson 8___

It is difficult to know where to place the Messianic prophecies concerning the “coming one” found in the book of Job. Job has often been classified with the Wisdom Literature but for our purposes we will attach the prophecies of Job to out study in the Pentateuch. I think that many of the cultural illusions found in Job fit in the time of the patriarchs, antedating S0lolmn and the sages. In some older Hebrew bibles job was placed with the prophetic books perhaps because of the books concern with human redemption.

There is little doubt that the book of Job touches on the messianic theme. The key texts are Job 9:33;

Job 16:19-21

Job 19:23-27__

Job 33:23-28

Four times in this book a cry goes out for someone to act as a go-between or arbitrator between God and man. This arbitrator is named (1) a mediator (2) a witness in heaven (3) a kinsman-redeemer (4) an interpreter.

Job 33____Job is here responding to Bildad's first speech. He desperately longs for someone to “arbitrate” (mokiah) between himself and God. This is a call for someone who has authority and the ability in legal sense to represent a client in this case in a divine court of law. Such a person brings two parties at odds with each other and acts as a friend to both as he works to correct things. Job wants this arbitrator to lay his hand on both so that what he sees as being unfair may be removed. Otherwise, Job thinks that this an unequal contest between man and God. How can a mere mortal dispute with God?

Only someone who can go between God and man can bring about reconciliation. Thus, it seems impossible that such a person can be a mere mortal. That person must be both God and man!

Job 16:19-21___

Once again Job makes his appeal to heaven. He is confident that he has someone he can call “my witness...in heaven,” who will acts as his “advocate ….on high.” It is unthinkable for Job to conclude that he will be abandoned by God and left without any representation on high. In fact, Job refers to this person as “my intercessor,” “my friend.” He is the one “on behalf of a man....pleads with God. This advocate must represent Job before God the Father; yet he must also reside in heaven and be on high. This amounts to an expectation that such a dispute-settler must himself be, in some way divine! Job wants nothing less than an advocate with the Father, a longing that will find expression much later in 1^st John 2:1.

Job 19:23-27____

This passage has given rise to an enormous amount of literature, both pro and con. It does as a matter of fact have a number of textual variant readings but that does not automatically preclude that we can't understand what the passage says.

Job makes a number of definite assertions about this coming Messiah. He is first of all one who he knows as “my Redeemer.” The Hebrew word go el refers to the closest relative, the one on who the duties of fulfilling the levirate marriageⁱ fell, redeeming property that was in danger of being removed from the family inheritance, or on whom avenging the blood or a murdered relative fell. Job thinks that God will provide such a person for him, thereby redeeming him from his troubles. This “Redeemer” will be a living person whom God will raise up “in the end,” i.e. who will appear on the earth at the end of all things. At that time, he will stand on the earth as the final vindicator of the beaten down Job and vindicate him.

Job himself expects to be around when all of this happens for he declares that even after he has died, he still anticipates that in his flesh and his own eyes he will look on God Himself.

Job 33:23-28___

One final time in the book of Job the longing for a mediator to intervene between this afflicted man and his accusers is raised, only in this instance by Elihu, this is a call for a messenger who will act as in “interpreter.” Perhaps this person can reveal the meaning of the events that have taken place and thus help mediate between God and man. This interpreter cannot be fulfilled by any ordinary angel, or even by a prophet from the ranks of other mortals, he can only be “one out of a thousand” to tell a person what is right for him (v.23). The one out of a thousand” means a person who soars above the thousands of angels.

Accordingly Job envisions the messianic person as having angelic-like qualities, but to exceed them by a thousand fold. Nevertheless, this interpreting angel will be gracious to him and provide a ransom for all his troubles. He will redeem him from the pit, so that Job may live to enjoy light (v.28)

Here we have some very early interpretations of key aspects of the coming Messiah. These models came to him by revelation to be sure. The Messiah will be an arbitrator, a mediator, a heavenly advocate, a redeemer, and an interpreter for all of humanity. Lane