Lesson 5: The Prophets Tell About the Messiah

Before you do this lesson, read these verses from the Zabur:

Psalms 22:14-18 -- I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me [a] in the dust of death.

16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced [b] my hands and my feet.

17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.

18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.

Also read these verses from the book of the Prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 53:3-12 -- He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Now read the lesson and do the test at the end. The lesson explains what you have read in the Zabur and the book of the Prophet Isaiah.

We have read in the books of the Taurat about the sin of mankind, and we have learned that mankind needs a Saviour. We learned that God promised to send a Saviour. Also we have seen signs in each lesson which point to the work of the Messiah who is the Saviour.

The first verse in the Taurat that tells about the Messiah is Genesis 3:15. Here we read that he would be the son of a woman. By this we know that he would be a man. In the story of Abraham we learned that the Messiah would be from the children of Abraham and Sarah. This is all we know so far about who he is.

In this lesson we will study what God revealed about the Messiah to other prophets. It is very important that we understand who the Messiah is.

God's Promise to David

King David was born in Bethlehem. It was not an important town in Palestine, but God revealed that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. He revealed this through the Prophet Micah (Micah 5:2).

King David followed God with all his heart. David became a great prophet and God made a wonderful promise to him. God said: "I will make one of your sons King and will keep his kingdom strong ... and I will make sure that his dynasty* continues forever" (2 Samuel 7:12-13). God repeated this promise to the Prophet David and other prophets many times. In this way the People of Israel knew that the Messiah would be a Son of David and that he would rule forever.

The Prophet David was surprised and thankful. He wrote many songs of praise to God, which are found in the Zabur. Some of these songs are about the Messiah.

God's Promise Through Isaiah

The Prophet Isaiah lived about three hundred years after the Prophet David had died. God also revealed to the Prophet Isaiah many wonderful things about the Messiah. Let us look at some of the things which Isaiah wrote about the Messiah.

In Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14 we read: "Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant* will have a son and will name him 'Immanuel' ". There are two important ideas in this verse:

1. First, the 'young woman' is understood to be the virgin Mary. For a virgin to have a son is impossible because a virgin is a woman who has never had sex with a man. But God said this would be the sign to tell who the Messiah would be. The Messiah would be born of a virgin!
2. The Messiah's name would be Immanuel. In the Hebrew language the word Immanuel means "God with us". So the Messiah was to be "God with us."

God also revealed to the Prophet Isaiah other names for the Messiah: "Wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Eternal* Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Isaiah also wrote that the Messiah would be a righteous King whowould rule the world with justice, wisdom, and in the fear of God (Isaiah 11:1-5). The People of Israel listened to the Prophet Isaiah and they waited with hope for the Messiah to come.

God also revealed that the Messiah would help the sick and the poor. He would free people from sin and bring joy to those who were sad (Isaiah 61:1-2). His work would be to save people. For this reason many people waited eagerly for the Messiah to come.

The Messiah Will Give His Life

In the Zabur the Prophet David also wrote that something terrible would happen to the Messiah. Read Psalms 22:14-18 very carefully. This is a prophecy* about the Messiah. David was describing the terrible, shameful death of a man. This man's bones are stretched and his strength is dried up. His hands and feet are torn. Wicked men are laughing. They take his clothing and divide it. They decide who can have his coat by gambling* .

In Isaiah chapter 53 we see that God told Isaiah the same thing about the Messiah. Read verses 3 to 9. The Prophet Isaiah wrote that the Messiah would not be accepted by mankind. He would be hurt by men and die. He would not fight to save his life. He would go to his death like a lamb. He would die with the wicked people and be buried in a rich man's grave*. But in all this suffering Isaiah saw hope. God showed Isaiah that the Messiah would give his life so that our sins could be forgiven.

The Messiah Will Rise from the Dead

There is another truth that is just as wonderful as the one about forgiveness. Many of the prophets said that the Messiah would be a King who would rule forever. People did not understand this because they also read that he would give his life.

God revealed to David that he would not let the Godly One (Messiah) stay in the place of the dead (Psalms 16:10). This was hard to understand. How could the Messiah die and yet not stay in the place of the dead?

A thousand years later when Jesus rose from the dead, he made the meaning of these prophecies clear to his followers.

Who Is the Messiah

Here is a list of what we have learned about the Messiah.

He will be a man (Genesis 3:15).
He will be from the People of Israel (Genesis 17:19).
He will be of David's family (2 Samuel 7:12-13).
He will be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14).
He will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
He will be "God with us" (Isaiah 7:14).
He will be a righteous King (Isaiah 9:6-7).
He will rule forever (2 Samuel 7:13).
He will save people (Isaiah 61:1-2).
He will bring forgiveness of sins (Isaiah 53:5).
He will not be accepted by mankind (Isaiah 53:3-9).
He will suffer and die with the wicked (Psalms 22:16-17).
He will be buried in a rich man's grave (Isaiah 53:9).
He will rise from the dead (Psalms 16:10).

There are many more things that God revealed to Moses, David, Isaiah, and other prophets about the Messiah. But this short list is enough to show us who he is.

In the next course we begin the study of the Injil (Gospel). The Injil is the record of the teachings and deeds of the Messiah.

Here is a list of difficult words in this lesson.
dynasty      -     one king after another from the same family.
eternal        -     lasting forever
pregnant    -     when a woman has a child within herself
prophecy   -     the words or message which God gives to his prophets
gamble       -     choosing or deeding something by luck: for example, taking pieces of paper which are specially marked from a box
grave         -     the place where a human body is put after death
confirm      -     to make a promise come true

Learn this verse: Isaiah 9:6: "A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called 'Wonderful Counsellor,' 'Mighty God,' 'Eternal Father,' 'Prince of Peace' ".

Test 5: God's Covenant with People

Here is the test for lesson 5. Write the letter of the correct answer on the line provided.
1)   The Bible tells us that
      a)   mankind is perfect.
      b)   mankind needs a Saviour.
      c)   mankind can save itself.    
___
2)   The first verse in the Taurat that tells about the Messiah is
      a)   Genesis 17:19.
      b)   Exodus 20:2.
      c)   Genesis 3:15.    
___
3)   The word "Immanuel" means,
      a)   God with us.
      b)   Prince of Peace.
      c)   Saviour.    
___
4)   God said that the Messiah would be born in
      a)   Jerusalem.
      b)   Bethlehem.
      c)   Egypt.   
___
5)   God said that the Messiah would be from the family of
      a)   Isaiah.
      b)   Moses.
      c)   David.     
___
Write "True" or "False" after each of the following sentences.
6)   The Messiah will die with the wicked.     ______
7)   The Messiah will be buried in a poor man's grave.     ______
8)   The Messiah will rise from the dead.     ______
9)   The Messiah will bring forgiveness of sins.    ______
10) The Messiah will be an angel.     ______

The next course is called God Loves People. It is from the Injil. Do you want the next course? Yes ___  No ___