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Isa. 6:1...When Isaiah saw His glory... Jn. 12:40-41
(1) In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.
Is Isaiah 6:1 a messianic prophecy? Isaiah 6 in context deals with a vision of YHWH. He saw YHWH in a vision seated on the throne, and the skirt of his robe filled the temple, and his glory was all around. Is there anything in the text, just reading it, that would cause us to think it was messianic, or a prophecy? No, Isaiah 6:1 is NOT a messianic prophecy, but a simple narrative. Whatever way John or Christians try to interpret Isaiah 6:1, it is NOT a messianic prophecy.
Isa. 6:9-10...Parables fall on deaf ears...Mt. 13:13-15
Isaiah 6:9-10 And He said: 'Go, and tell this people: hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they, seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears, and understanding with their heart, return, and be healed.'
OK, once again, looking at Isaiah 6:9-10 in context, is it a messianic prophecy? We see that in that chapter, Isaiah is being told to prophecy to the people of his time and what will happen when he (Isaiah) preaches to them. Seeing that was 700 years before Yeshua even came on the scene, and that it is not being commanded to Yeshua but to Isaiah, that rules this text out as a messianic prophecy in the plain meaning of the text. This text is being lifted out of context and given a different meaning than it originally intended.
Isa. 6:9-12...Blinded to Christ and deaf to His words...Acts. 28:23-29
Isaiah 6:9-12 And He said: 'Go, and tell this people: hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they, seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears, and understanding with their heart, return, and be healed.' Then said I: 'Lord, how long?' And He answered: 'Until cities be waste without inhabitant, and houses without man, and the land become utterly waste, and YHWH have removed men far away, and the forsaken places be many in the midst of the land.
It has already been shown that Isaiah 6 is not a messianic prophecy. There is nothing in it that would point to a future king of Israel.
Isa.
7:14...To be born of a virgin...Lu. 1:35
Isa. 7:14...To
be Emmanuel-God with us... Mt. 1:18-23
Isa.
8:8...Called Emmanuel...Mt. 28:20
Isaiah 7:14-16 Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman is pregnant, and bears a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Curd and honey shall he eat, when he knows to refuse the evil, and choose the good. Yea, before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings thou hast a horror of shall be forsaken.
Isaiah 8:7-10 Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the River, mighty and many, even the king of Assyria and all his glory; and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks; And he shall sweep through Judah overflowing as he passeth through he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel. Make an uproar, O ye peoples, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall be brought to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand; for Deity is with us [Heb. Immanu el].
Is this a messianic prophecy? Is there anything in this verse that says it refers to a future king of Israel? No. Does it point to Yeshua? No. The word "almah" refers to a young woman, not a virgin who had known no man, which would be a betulah. The verbs in the Hebrew concerning the pregnancy are in the present tense. The context of the verse is rooted in the time of king Ahaz and the sign is going to be for him and the royal household (the house of David). The child has to be born before the two kings, Rezin and Pekah (see context), are wiped out by the king of Assyria.
The name Immanuel means, "with us is Deity". Like many other names in scripture it has meaning pointing towards YHWH. Abijah means YHWH is my father. Jehu is said to mean YHWH is he. Further in the prophecy in chapter 8 verses 8-10, it is shown that the name of the child is meant to show that the Deity, YHWH, is with Israel during the scary times of Assyria. The whole context of the chapters 7-10 is rooted in the time of the Assyrians. So all signs show that this isn't pointing to messiah. For further information, go to http://www.thejewishhome.org/counter-index.html and look for the articles on Isaiah 7:14 and the Hebrew word "almah".
Isa. 8:14...A stone of stumbling, a Rock of offense... 1 Pet. 2:8
Isaiah 8:11-15 For YHWH spoke thus to me with a strong hand, admonishing me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying: 'Say ye not: A conspiracy, concerning all whereof this people do say: A conspiracy; neither fear ye their fear, nor account it dreadful. YHWH of hosts, Him shall ye sanctify; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.'
Is Isaiah 8:14, in context, a messianic prophecy? Reading Isaiah 7-10, it can be seen that the whole thing is rooted in the time of the Assyrian conquest of Israel and its ravaging of Judah. Looking that this little context, it is obvious that the stone of stumbling is YHWH, and the time frame is NOT in the time of Yeshua. This is not a messianic prophecy. It is another case of lifting a verse from its context.
Isa. 9:1,2...His ministry to begin in Galilee...Mt. 4:12-17
Isa.
9:6...A child born-Humanity...Lu.
1:31
Isa. 9:6...A
Son given-Deity...Lu. 1:32; Jn.
1;14; 1 Tim.
3:16
Isa.
9:6...Declared to be the Son of God with power... Rom. 1:3,4
Isa. 9:6...The
Wonderful One, Peleh...Lu. 4:22
Isa. 9:6...The
Counsellor, Yaatz...Mt. 13:54
Isa. 9:6...The
Mighty God, El Gibor...Mt. 11:20
Isa. 9:6...The
Everlasting Father, Avi Adth...Jn. 8:58
Isa. 9:6...The
Prince of Peace, Sar Shalom...Jn . 16:33
Isa. 9:7...To
establish an everlasting kingdom...Lu. 1:32-33
Isa. 9:7...His
Character-Just...Jn.
5:30
Isa. 9:7...No
end to his Government, Throne, and Peace...Lu. 1:32-33
Isaiah 8:21-9:6 And they shall pass this way that are sore bestead and hungry; and it shall come to pass that, when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse by their king and by their God, and, whether they turn their faces upward, or look unto the earth, behold distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, and outspread thick darkness. For is there no gloom to her that was steadfast? Now the former hath lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but the latter hath dealt a more grievous blow by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in the district of the nations.
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, Thou hast increased their joy; they joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, Thou hast broken as in the day of Midian. For every boot stamped with fierceness, and every cloak rolled in blood, shall even be for burning, for fuel of fire. For a child has been born unto us, a son has been given unto us; and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name is called Pele-joez-el-gibbor-Abi-ad-sar-shalom; That the government may be increased, and of peace there be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it through justice and through righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of YHWH of hosts doth perform this.
It has already been said that the context of chapters 7-10 are talking about the Assyrian conquest of Israel and the ravaging of Judah. It should be noted that Jewish translations of the scripture have a different division of the chapter than Christians. Chapter 9 starts from "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light". It too can see the division between the verses. Chapter 8 is talking about the bashing that Israel and Judah are gonna get. The beginning of chapter 9 talks about the deliverance of Judah thanks to a king who has been born. The throne of David shall be established, pointing to and emphasizing the fact that this is talking about Judah and Jerusalem. Note that this is talking about a king who will literally reign since the government (rule or dominion) shall be upon his shoulders. The victory or deliverance is compared to that which happened at Midian (see Judges 6 and 7). The metaphors around it refer to a physical battle. The signs show that it is talking about the coming of Hezekiah and the release from Assyria. The JPS version takes the whole descriptive phrase in verse 5 (6, in Christian translations) concerning the son that has been born as a name. The fact that the boy is called this name shows that its significance is NOT talking about the boy himself as some sort of man-god, just like as stated before the names Abijah and Jehu say nothing about the men that bear them, but is a symbol, a sign of the times, or a praise to YHWH. It is noticeable that Hezekiah means "YHWH is strong", similar meaning to "el-gibbor" (mighty hero, or mighty deity). Since this is prophetic poetry, I don't believe we have to take "even forever" at the end to speak of eternal or everlasting in the absolute sense. Either way, the context is still pointing to the time frame of the Assyrian conquest. So this is still not a messianic prophecy and doesn't relate to Yeshua.
This section (Isaiah 8:23-9:5 [9:1-6 in Christian versions]) has been subject to context-eradication, mistranslation, and misinterpretation. But it is still not a messianic verse. Neither can it refer to Yeshua whose life cannot be compared to what happened in Gideon, nor did he ever literally rule Israel. People can try to claim a second coming, but that just reinforces the fact that if this was a prophecy, it is yet to be fulfilled.
Isaiah 11:1-4,10-13 And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a twig shall grow forth out of his roots. And the spirit of YHWH shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of YHWH. And his delight shall be in the fear of YHWH; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears; But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the land; and he shall smite the land with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, that standeth for an ensign of the peoples, unto him shall the nations seek; and his resting-place shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, that shall remain from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And He will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the dispersed of Israel, and gather together the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and they that harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
Is Isaiah 11 a messianic prophecy? There is doubt about this. There are signs that it could once again refer to Hezekiah, if the whole chapter isn't taken hyper-literally. But if this is truly a messianic text, then let us deal with the idea that it refers to Yeshua.
The person is supposed to be a seed (literal descendant) of king David. Since the right of kings was patrilineal (from father to son), which is evident from the genealogies that are filled with men's names, if Yeshua had not earthly father, he had no right to be king. To be a seed of David, your literal father (not adoptive) had to be a seed of David.
It is written that this seed shall have the spirit of the fear of YHWH. If Yeshua was YHWH, as some Christians claim, then this statement is fundamentally illogical since YHWH doesn't fear YHWH.
It is written that "he shall smite the land with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked". Has this happened yet? This never happened with Yeshua.
In verses 6-9 it speaks of peace in the animal kingdom, and that humans will walk in peace with the animals. Once again, Yeshua didn't do this.
It is written that in the day that this seed of David comes, YHWH shall re-gather Israel from all the places it has been taken captive. There are two possible problems if people claim this refers to Yeshua. One, it could be said that all of Israel (the remnant, v.16) had already been re-gathered and was living as Jews at the time of Yeshua. Or secondly, it could be said that no re-gathering occurred while Yeshua was on the scene. But either way, this scripture was not fulfilled in the days of Yeshua until now. In fact, Israel was full of violence and Roman dominion during the times of Yeshua, and was subject to another Diaspora (dispersion) 40 years after Yeshua's death. This is NOT the peaceful and victorious scene painted in Isaiah 11.
So if this is a messianic prophecy, it is unfulfilled. Yeshua didn't fulfil it and it wasn't fulfilled in his day.
Isa. 12:2...Called Jesus-Yeshua...Mt. 1:21
Isaiah 12:1-3 And in that day thou shalt say: 'I will give thanks unto Thee, O YHWH; for though Thou was angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortest me. Behold, Deity is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Yah YHWH is my strength and song; and He is become my salvation.' Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
As this appears to be a follow-on from chapter 11, which is yet to be fulfilled, then it appears that the context for this song is yet to be fulfilled. What also should be noticeable is that the scripture itself has no inherent messianic quality. It is just a song of praise and there is nothing in it that says that the messiah shall be called Yeshua. That is apparent both in the English and the Hebrew. The writers of the NT didn't even use this verse to back up the naming of Yeshua, so it apparent that this is Christian conjecture, using eisegesis rather than exegesis.
Isa. 25:8...The Resurrection predicted...I Cor. 15:54
Isaiah 25:6-10 And in this mountain will YHWH of hosts make unto all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering that is cast over all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death for ever; and the Lord YHWH will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of His people will He take away from off all the earth; for YHWH hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day: 'Lo, this is our God, for whom we waited, that He might save us; this is YHWH, for whom we waited, we will be glad and rejoice in Hissalvation.' For in this mountain will the hand of YHWH rest, and Moab shall be trodden down in his place, even as straw is trodden down in the dunghill.
Looking at the little context around this verse, it is apparent that it is not fulfilled. What does Yeshua have to do with Moab (v.10)? It has nothing to do with his life as recorded in scripture. Look around you. Death is still present. So to call this a messianic prophecy fulfilled in 1 Corinthians 15:54 is insincere at best. This prophecy is unfulfilled.
Isa. 26:19...His power of Resurrection predicted...Jn. 11:43, 44
Isaiah 26:19 Thy dead shall live, my dead bodies shall arise -- awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust -- for Thy dew is as the dew of light, and the earth shall bring to life the shades.
Whether messianic (speaking of messianic times, not the person) or not, this prophecy is unfulfilled. Once again, it is a bad attempt at trying to make scriptures fit a certain person.
Isa. 28:16...The Messiah is the precious corner stone...Acts 4:11, 12
Isaiah 28:14-19 Wherefore hear the word of YHWH, ye scoffers, the ballad-mongers of this people which is in Jerusalem: Because ye have said: 'We have made a covenant with death, and with the nether-world are we at agreement; when the scouring scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood have we hid ourselves'; Therefore thus saith the Lord YHWH: Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a costly corner-stone of sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste. And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled and your agreement with the nether-world shall not stand; when the scouring scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it, as often as it passeth through, it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass through, by day and by night; and it shall be sheer terror to understand the message.
Is this verse a messianic prophecy? It's difficult to see that it is when the consensus of bible scholars appears to say that the context is once again dealing with Assyria. Checking the commentaries (even the Christian commentaries), the context is once again set in the past, before Yeshua. The covenant of death refers to the alliance Judah made with Egypt in the times of Ahaz. They thought they were to be safe from the "scouring scourge" (Assyria, the strong and mighty in verse 2), but that defence would be destroyed. The foundation stone, the corner stone is some sort of assurance from YHWH. There is nothing in the context to suggest that it is the Davidic king. It could be. Yet does this verse point to Yeshua? Because of context (once again) it is extremely doubtful. It's quite amazing how a Christian would look at the context and say it refers to the time of Ahaz, and then say that the assurance of the people of that time would be something that would happen 700 years in the future. It seems very inconsistent.
Isa.
29:13...He indicated hypocritical obedience to His Word...Mt. 15:7-9
Isa.
29:14...The wise are confounded by the Word...I Cor. 1:18-31
Isaiah 29:13-14 And the Lord said: Forasmuch as this people draw near, and with their mouth and with their lips do honour Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment of men learned by rote; Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the prudence of their prudent men shall be hid.
You have to wonder to yourself, looking at this verse as it is, in its own context, what would make this verse messianic? Verse 2 makes the context appear to still be focused on the downfall of Judah because of its affiliation with Egypt and because of its faithlessness concerning YHWH. The text itself is not messianic. Most like another case of context-eradication. To use the approach that Christians use, this verse could apply to the whole history of man, making up his own system of beliefs, ignoring YHWH. Marvellous acts come and go, wise men turn stupid, yet we're still waiting for Messiah.
Isa. 32:2...A Refuge-A man shall be a hiding place...Mt. 23:37
Isaiah 32:1-3 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and as for princes, they shall rule in justice. And a man shall be as in a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as by the watercourses in a dry place, as in the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be closed, and the ears of them that hear shall attend.
Well at least we have something that looks like a messianic prophecy. But what would make it messianic? Verse 1 could easily talk about Hezekiah and the princes under him, since unlike Yeshua, Hezekiah actually ruled Israel, and he did it in righteousness. When it comes to verse 2, it is difficult to discern if this is talking about a certain person, or if it saying that each person shall dwell securely as some translations suggest. This verse is definitely too weak a proof-text to pin on Yeshua. The NT verse that is used as a reference is a very weak link. My own dad protected me and taught me what I know; yet he isn't a fulfilment of this verse.
Isa.
35:4...He will come and save you...Mt. 1:21
Isa. 35:5...To
have a ministry of miracles...Mt. 11:4-6
Isaiah 35:4-6 Say to them that are of a fearful heart: 'Be strong, fear not'; behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing; for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
Is this is a messianic prophecy, and has it been fulfilled? I would recommend you look at the entire chapter. It can be seen in two ways. Either it is the return of the Israelites back to their land, or it hasn't happened yet. But there is nothing that points to a messiah, or that he shall do miracles. The verses just say that YHWH is going to deliver his people and, that miraculous things will happen. Whether these miraculous things are literal or figurative is yet to be seen. What would be inconsistent is to take verse 5 as literal miracles, and then take the miracles at the end of verse 6 and following as figurative. Taking the whole thing as figurative, then redemption from captivity appears to be the more likely topic of this chapter.
Isa. 40:3,4...Preceded by forerunner...Jn. 1:23
Isaiah 40:1-5 Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your Deity. Bid Jerusalem take heart, and proclaim unto her, that her time of service is accomplished, that her guilt is paid off; that she hath received of YHWH'S hand double for all her sins. Hark! One calleth: 'Clear ye in the wilderness the way of YHWH, make plain in the desert a highway for our Deity. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the rugged shall be made level, and the rough places a plain; And the glory of YHWH shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of YHWH hath spoken it.'
Is this a messianic prophecy? Does this verse talk about a forerunner of the messiah? No! Nothing in the whole chapter (or this whole section of Isaiah) speaks of the messiah. The chapter most likely speaks of the deliverance of Israel from Babylon, since it says that Jerusalem's time of service is accomplished and her guilt is paid off, and because within this section of Isaiah, king Cyrus is mentioned (Isaiah 45:1). It appears that this is another case of context shredding.
Isa.
40:9..."Behold your God."...Jn. 1:36; 19:14
Isa. 40:11...A
shepherd-compassionate life-giver...Jn. 10:10-18
Isaiah 40:9-11 O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah: 'Behold your God!' Behold, the Lord YHWH will come as a Mighty One, and His arm will rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. Even as a shepherd that feedeth his flock, that gathereth the lambs in his arm, and carrieth them in his bosom, and gently leadeth those that give suck.
Is this a messianic prophecy? When read on its own, it has not sign of messianism. This is speaking about YHWH leading the people out himself by his own power. See the following reference about "the arm of YHWH".
Figurative: The arm denotes influence, power, means of support or conquest. The arms of Moab (Jer 48:25) and of Pharaoh (Eze 30:21) are broken. The arm of Eli and the arm of his father's house are to be cut off (1Sa 2:31). Because the arm wielded the sword it signified "oppression" (Job 35:9). The arms are the means of support, therefore to refuse to aid the fatherless is to break their arms (Job 22:9).
Applied anthropomorphically to God, the arm denotes also His power, power to deliver, support, conquer. His "outstretched arm" delivered Israel from Egypt (Exo 6:6; Deu 4:34, etc.). They support: "Underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deu 33:27). His arm protects (Isa 40:11). Yahweh is sometimes likened to a warrior and smites with His arm (Psa 89:10; Isa 63:5; Jer 21:5). The arm of Yahweh is holy (Psa 98:1; Isa 52:10). Many other passages of Scripture might be quoted showing how the power of God to redeem, judge, protect, punish is expressed by the idea of "the arm of Yahweh." [International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]
The idea of messiah has to be read INTO the text, not extracted from it. It is talking about YHWH, not a man, and thus not a messiah.
Isaiah 42:1-7 Behold My servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My spirit upon him, he shall make the right to go forth to the nations. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the dimly burning wick shall he not quench; he shall make the right to go forth according to the truth. He shall not fail nor be crushed, till he has set the right in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his teaching. Thus saith God YHWH, He that created the heavens, and stretched them forth, He that spread forth the earth and that which cometh out of it, He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I YHWH have called thee in righteousness, and have taken hold of thy hand, and kept thee, and set thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house.
This section of scripture starts from Isaiah 41. This particular scripture (Isaiah 42) speaks of a servant, YHWH's servant. The identity isn't given here, but is it given anywhere else beforehand?
Isaiah 41:8,9 But thou, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham My friend; Thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the uttermost parts thereof, and said unto thee: 'Thou art My servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away';
So it is talking about Israel, the nation. But it is talking about Israel as a singular entity. Does this mean anything? Is it saying that Israel is one man, or a collective union? From the Torah, Israel is seen as a national identity, as a collective, both as singular (collective) and plural (as a people). This can be shown by two scriptures.
Numbers 23:20-22 Behold, I am bidden to bless; and when He hath blessed, I cannot call it back. 21 None hath beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath one seen perverseness in Israel; YHWH his Deity is with HIM, and the shouting for the King is in HIS midst. (22) The Mighty One who brought THEM forth out of Egypt is for them like the lofty horns of the wild-ox.
Isaiah 43:10 Ye [plural] are My WITNESSES, saith YHWH, and My SERVANT [singular, collective] whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He; before Me there was no God formed, neither shall any be after Me.
These verses show two things. One, that Israel can be seen as singular and collective. Secondly, that Israel, as a nation, is the servant of YHWH.
Are there any other verses in the surrounding chapters that emphasize the point that Israel is the servant of YHWH? Isaiah 41:8-9; 44:1-2, 21; 45:4; 48:20; 49:3.
Seeing that Israel is the servant, we can see that IN THE PLAIN MEANING OF THE PASSAGE it is just prescribing what the servant is supposed to do. And, by and large, it has happened. Due to the Diaspora (exile) and adversity, Israel started to share its truth. It bore forth Christianity and Islam, which spread forth the scriptures to the whole world. However way you choose to look at this section, the servant is identified repeatedly, and there would need to be a significant sign in the passage to give us the idea that the identity of the servant had changed.
So going by the plain meaning of the text (the Peshat level), it is not a messianic text.
Isa. 43:11...He is the only Saviour... Acts 4:12
Isa 43:10-12 Ye are My witnesses, saith YHWH, and My servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He; before Me there was no deity formed, neither shall any be after Me. I, even I, am YHWH; and beside Me there is no saviour. I have declared, and I have saved, and I have announced, and there was no strange god among you; therefore ye are My witnesses, saith YHWH, and I am Deity.
Is this a messianic text? No, it is a description of YHWH. So how could be it taken as such? According to Acts 4:12, you can only gain salvation in the name of Yeshua, no other name. Can these verses in Isaiah 43 point to Yeshua? Let's notice that the subject of these verses is YHWH. According to Joel 3:5 (2:32 in Christian versions), you are to call on the name, YHWH, not Yeshua. YHWH is his name forever (not changing, Exo 3:15). YHWH is not a man (Num 23:19; cf. Isaiah 31:3, Hos 11:9) and cannot die (Deut 32:40). Only by the name, YHWH, should you swear (Deut 6:13). We can see that if the NT was true in its claim of authority, then we would have a contradiction, where two fundamentally different (one, a human (to some, a god) who died, and the other, an unchanging, eternal spirit) beings have two different names (YHWH, an eternal name, and Yeshua), each have the only name for salvation. That is a contradiction. From the Torah and the Tanakh, we KNOW that YHWH is the name of our deity, the name for salvation.
Either way, this is not a messianic text.
Isa. 44:3...He will send the Spirit of God... Jn. 16:7, 13
Isaiah 44:1-3 Yet now hear, O Jacob My servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen; Thus saith YHWH that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, who will help thee: Fear not, O Jacob My servant, and thou, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon the thirsty land, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring;
Is this a messianic text? No. There are two subjects here: Israel; and YHWH. There is no messiah mentioned at all. If this applied to Yeshua's time at all, it failed miserably, since what blessing would it be for Israel to be massacred and cast out of the land after 40 years in 70AD? It cannot apply to Yeshua since he had no seed (physical offspring), and the word seed (Heb. Zera) is not used for spiritual seed, but rather the word "ben" which means "sons" which is used with spiritual seed.
Either way, this is not a messianic text.
Isa. 45:23...He will be the Judge... Jn. 5:22; Rom. 14:11
Isaiah 45:21-25 Declare ye, and bring them near, yea, let them take counsel together: Who hath announced this from ancient time, and declared it of old? Have not I YHWH? And there is no deity else beside Me, a just deity and a saviour; there is none beside Me. Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am Deity, and there is none else. By Myself have I sworn, the word is gone forth from My mouth in righteousness, and shall not come back, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Only in YHWH, shall one say of Me, is victory and strength; even to Him shall men come in confusion, all they that were incensed against Him. In YHWH shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
OK, now ask yourself where is the messianic implication of these verses? Before you do, take note of the context. In Isaiah 45:1 there is a messiah, an anointed one. His name is Cyrus. He is the one who will deliver the people from Babylon. Take a look at the verse after these verses (Isa 46:1) that talks of Babylonian gods. The context is set in the Babylonian exile. Although it may have implications for a more distant future, is there any Davidic king here? No! Who is the subject of all these verses? YHWH ("In YHWH shall all the seed of Israel be justified")! This is not a messianic text.
Isa. 48:12...The First and the Last...Jn. 1:30; Rev. 1:8, 17
Isaiah 48:12 Hearken unto Me, O Jacob, and Israel My called: I am He; I am the first, I also am the last. Yea, My hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand hath spread out the heavens; when I call unto them, they stand up together.
When read in context, is this a messianic verse? No! Who is the subject of this verse? The context shows that it is YHWH, not any messiah.
Isa. 48:17...He came as a Teacher...Jn. 3:2
Isaiah 48:16,17 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this: From the beginning, I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it was, there am I; and now the Lord YHWH has sent me, and his spirit. Thus saith YHWH, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am YHWH thy Deity, who teacheth thee for thy profit, who leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
Is this a messianic text? No! With regards to either verse, it says nothing about the anointed future descendant of David, the one who would be king and rule Israel. Thus it is not messianic. Regarding verse 16, Isaiah is speaking of himself, as there are no other candidates for the speaker in the context. We can see that the speaker is different because it starts of with God talking earlier in the chapter, and then the speaker says "the Lord has sent me", so logically it is speaking of someone other than the Lord, i.e., Isaiah. The part "with his spirit" just means that Isaiah has been sent with the prophetic spirit of God. And with regards to verse 17, the subject is, again, YHWH.
Although it has been repeated that the subject of a lot of these verses is YHWH, some Christians have a tendency to say that the messiah was going to be YHWH. But these verses do not bear that out. When read on their own, they do not say, "behold, YHWH shall become a son [of man], and we shall call his name Yeshua" or anything of the like. It has been shown that the idea of YHWH being flesh, and changing his name, is incompatible with what the Tanakh says. All that has been happening with these verses is that they are having their context taken away and their meaning changed. YHWH saves, but so does Othniel (Judges 3:9), but YHWH is the ultimate saviour. YHWH teaches, but so did Moshe in giving the Torah, and other prophets and teachers in and out of Tanakh. But all of these verses in Isaiah are pointing to YHWH, since no messiah or Davidic king is talked about throughout these chapters. The idea has to be read INTO the text, not extrapolated from it.
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