by
T. Austin-Sparks
Chapter 2 - The Hope of Israel
"The
Hope of Israel". That phrase employed by the Apostle
Paul was used to sum up the whole substance and issues of
his life-ministry (Acts 28:20). You will observe that in
the defense made by Paul before Agrippa he narrated the
story of his life as a Jew, and now in his Roman prison
he meets the Jews in Rome and tells them that he is there
as a prisoner for "the hope of Israel".
What was the hope of Israel? While there were many things
included in that hope, the inclusiveness was a Person,
and that Person was called (in Hebrew) the Messiah. It
would require a whole volume to cover all the ground of
the Messiah and the Messianic hope in the Old Testament.
Some of it will come out as we proceed, but that Person
dominates the Old Testament from Genesis 3 onward. He is
implicit in personal and symbolic types; He is "the
Prophet" which was to come; He is the Prophet which
the Lord told Moses He would raise up 'like unto him'
(or, "as He had raised him - Moses - up"); He
was "the root of David", 'David's Son', the
"Branch", the "Servant of Jehovah",
etc. All the many and various titles and designations,
functions and offices, intentions and promises were
embodied in that One person - the coming Redeemer, King,
and Salvation, whose name was "Messiah" - and
He was "The Hope of Israel".
How very significant and impressive it is, therefore,
that that name, with all its content, is so fully taken
over into the New Testament. This is - for many
Christians - somewhat veiled or obscured by the change of
language. So often in our own English language we
commonly use two words which mean the same thing, but do
not realize that they belong to two different languages.
For instance, we often hear people trying to give
emphasis to a thought or feeling by saying: 'Let it be
living and vital!' 'Living' is English. 'Vital' is Latin
or French. The meaning is identical in each language. So
it is with this word "Messiah". That is Hebrew
(Mashiach) and means "the Lord's Anointed". The
exact New Testament equivalent or synonym is
"Christ".
It is very impressive that this word or name occurs over
five hundred and twenty times in the New Testament, and
it would be quite correct, and significant, if we did as
one version has done, and every time we come on
"Christ" just say "Messiah". An
extra, and tremendously significant factor is that this
Hebrew-Greek name is used so very largely in writings to
Gentile Christians!
What then arises? The Messiah - "Hope of
Israel" - is the Christ of Christianity, and Jesus
of Nazareth is He. What a content! All that was rightly
in the Coming One of Israel's hope is fulfilled in Jesus
Christ, but with this difference: Israel's
"Hope" is earthly, temporal, material. The
Church's attainment unto it all is heavenly, spiritual,
eternal. Israel's expectation was every temporal, earthly
blessing. The Church's heritage (now) is "every
spiritual blessing in the heavenlies".
We are bound to come on this again later. There is the
further feature to be observed. Israel lived for the day
of Messiah's appearing when all their earthly
expectations would be realized. For the Church He has
come and accomplished all that is necessary for that
realization, but she lives for the day of His appearing
when what He did will be the entire order of heaven and
earth. So Peter who, as we have said, had, after a big
battle, made the great spiritual transition, writing to
converted Jews said: "Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ (Messiah), who according to his
great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ (Messiah) from the dead,
unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and
that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven..." (1
Peter 1:3,4).
Every word of that statement should be weighed as a
contrast to Israel's hope and inheritance.
"Living hope". "Resurrection" (Old
Israel is not now in resurrection).
"Inheritance". "Incorruptible."
"Undefiled." "Unfading." "In
heaven."
This is indeed a great transition from one Israel to
another! One inheritance defiled, corrupted, and faded
away. (See 1 Thessalonians 2:14b-16.) The other Israel -
the Church - (Galatians 6:16 and Hebrews) with the
incorruptible, undefiled, unfading, heavenly inheritance.
What ought to follow now is a long consideration of what
was in Israel's "Hope" which had been
transferred, in a spiritual way at present to the Church,
but this is not a series of volumes, and we are only
indicating major foundation facts. Much more will surely
come out as we go along. But let us just quote the words
of one writer in this connection:
"Jesus of Nazareth needed no outward enthronement or
local seat of government on earth to constitute Him of
David's kingdom, as He needed no physical anointing to
consecrate him Priest forevermore, or material altar or
temple for due presentation of His acceptable service.
Being the Son of the living God, and, as Son, the Heir of
all things, He possessed, from the first, the powers of
the Kingdom; and proved that He possessed them in every
authoritative word He uttered, every work of deliverance
He performed, every judgment He pronounced, every act of
mercy and forgiveness He dispensed, and the resistless
control He wielded over the elements of nature, and the
realms of the dead. These were the signs of royalty He
bore about with Him upon the earth; and wonderful though
they were - eclipsing in royal grandeur all the glory of
David and Solomon - they were still but the earlier
preludes of the peerless majesty which David from afar
descried when he saw Him as his Lord, seated in royal
state at His Father's right hand, and on which He
formally entered when He ascended up on high with the
word: 'All authority is given unto me in heaven and on
earth.'"
At the end of the stormy and disturbed four hundred years
between the Old Testament and the New there existed a
small Jewish remnant of faithful and "devout"
men and women in Jerusalem still looking and longing for
the coming of Messiah. Of these Simeon was
representative, and it is said of him that "the Holy
Sprit was upon him". He was "looking for the
consolation of Israel", and "it had been
revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see
death before he had seen the Lord's Christ
(Messiah)". "He came in the Spirit into the
temple: and when the parents brought in the child
Jesus... he received him into his arms, and blessed
God, and said... Mine eyes have seen thy
salvation... the glory of thy people Israel". And
he said: "This child is set for the falling and
rising up of many in Israel; and for a sign which is
spoken against" (Luke 2:25-35). That whole passage
needs to be carefully considered in the light of this
whole subject of Israel's Messiah being the Church's
Christ through the Cross.
But a question presses for an answer. Who was this
Messiah-Christ, and when was He anointed?
We know that "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth, who
went about doing good...", and we know that
anointing took place immediately after His baptism at the
Jordan. But, before He was Jesus of Nazareth, He was the
Son of God, and before times eternal He was
"appointed heir of all things" (Hebrews 1:2).
Further, we know that through, by and unto Him "all
things have been created" (Colossians 1:16).
There was a great and high angelic being who was called
"the anointed cherub that covereth" (Ezekiel
28:14).
Two things emerge from all this. One is that the eternal
Son was above all other beings, and "so much better
than the angels" (Hebrews 1:4), even Lucifer; and
the other, that the anointing at Jordan was related to
His work of redemption by the Cross (the Spirit always
follows the altar, the blood, the Cross), and that by the
anointing He was spiritually and officially constituted
Prophet, Priest, and King. This is foreshadowed and
typified in the Old Testament, and taught as actuality in
the New Testament. This is our Christ, the Messiah of the
new Israel.
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