QEDEM
The
Hebrew word for east, also means in front. To orient yourself is to face frontward
or eastward. Qedem also means past or olden days. The past
is not behind us but in front of us. In Hebrew thinking, we look into the known
past as we walk backward into the unknown future. We see what has been, to know what will
be. As we walk backward, looking at
Eden, we shouldn’t be surprised when we get to the manger of Christ. The
incarnation was in view the whole time.
PAINTING
AND REPAINTING THE IMAGE
The
Bible is a product of the dual authorship of God and man. There were many human
authors but only one Spirit inspiring the whole of Scripture. As we look at
each book in its own historical, cultural and linguistic context, we must not
ignore the larger context of the entirety of Scripture. In Genesis 1:26-27
we see God making mankind in His image. To the Corinthian church, Paul
writes that Christ is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). In Colossians1:15-17 he says the same thing and adds that Christ, the image of God,
holds all things together and that all things were created through Him and for
Him. Do we ever stop to wonder, “What is
the connection between Christ, the image of God¸ and humanity that was
created in the image of God. God desires us to know Him so He creates us
after His image. Because of our sin, the Father, looking to His image, the Son,
repaints us in Christ’s image, that we might reflect Him and know Him once
more. God’s creation of us is a revelation of Him because we display some of
His glory. Another way to look at this is that the creation of humanity is a
prophecy of the incarnation. As we walk backward to Bethlehem we see that the
past is pointing to the future.
A
BRIEF RANT CONCERNING TRANSLATION
Torah’s
basic meaning is instruction, teaching, direction or law. But the Torah is not
just law. It is full of promise, lovingkindness and hope. Don’t oversimply the
word Torah or you’ll miss much.
The Hebrew word malak means messenger.
SIDE NOTE: It’s the same word used for the prophet Malachi. In
an interesting part of this minor prophet, Malachi speaks of a malak
(John the Baptist) who will prepare the way for the malak of the Lord (Jesus).
In the OT there is a very special malak
of Yahweh. He shares the Father’s name, glory and power. Sometimes our
Bibles render malak as angel. This is where we are introduced to
the Angel of the Lord. This can hinder us from seeing the messenger of the
Lord for who He really is. Like Torah, don’t assume that all
mentions of angel are references to angels. Some are references to
a Divine Being—the Malak of Yahweh.
THE
LORD’S MESSENGER
This
messenger bridges the gap between heaven and earth. He speaks for God but also
as God. He is distinguished from Yahweh but is also called Yahweh. We see this
in the burning bush account in Exodus 3:1-6. See Isaiah’s encounter with
Him in His temple (See Isaiah 6:1-13, John 12:41). To Jeremiah he was
the Word of Yahweh (Jeremiah 1:4-10). To Ezekiel He was the glory of God in
human form (See Ezekiel 1:1-28, Revelation 4:3). All these revelations
teach us about Christ.
The Hebrew word for appear is a
form of the verb ra’ah which means to see. When the Malak of Yahweh appears,
we might say it another way: The Messenger of Yahweh became seen. In the
burning bush account, the Messenger of Yahweh is Yahweh. Moses was afraid to
look at God; the Messenger of Yahweh was speaking to Him from the burning bush.
In Exodus 23:20-24 we see that
God’s name is in His Messenger. In this passage the messenger is sent.
The malak is shalach. He is an ambassador for the Lord and speaks
with Yahweh’s full authority. He will
guard Israel like a warrior, oppose their enemies, lead them to the holy land,
and demand their full obedience to His voice. His voice is divine speech. So
when Yahweh says that His name is in the Malak, He means that “Who I am
is in him. To see him is to see Me. To hear him is to hear Me. Yahweh is in him.
He is Yahweh to you.”
Hagar met the Messenger of the Lord (Genesis16:7-14). Hagar calls him El Roi which means a God of
seeing.
Samson’s mother met the Messenger of
the Lord (Judges 13). She calls him the man of God. His
appearance was so humanlike that she invited him to stay for dinner. Later he
ascends in the flames of the altar on which she offered a sacrifice to God. She
and her husband fall to the ground and exclaim that they had seen God.
Abraham calls God the malak who
redeemed him from all evil. The messenger is just another name for God.
DRESS
REHEARSALS OF THE WORD WHO BECAME FLESH
In
Scripture we read of accounts where the Son of God came down from heaven and
introduced himself as the word of the Lord. The noun davar/dabar is
Hebrew for word. Usually it refers to written or spoken word. It also
can mean a thing or matter. Sometimes it means both of these
things at the same time. In Genesis 15 we see the Davar of the Lord for the
first time. The Davar-Word is showing himself as Davar-Matter. The audible word
is now tangible. Initially Abraham’s encounter is with the audible word but in
vs 54 we see that, He, the Davar of the Lord, is escorting Abram outside. The
Davar is visible. The Davar is identified as Yahweh (vs 7).
In 1 Samuel 3 we see the Davar of
the Lord was rare in those days. Verse 7 says that the Word of the Lord had not
yet been revealed to Samuel. Next we see that the Lord came and physically
stood before Samuel calling out to him. In 3:21 we see that the Lord appeared
again to Samuel. We read that the Lord revealed himself by appearing to Samuel as
the Word/Davar of the Lord. The Word is the Divine revelation of Yahweh. Putting
it all together see that the Davar of the Lord is the Lord who is God
presenting Himself in physical form in this account. In the NT we read that the
Word was God and was with God and that the Word took on flesh. David
Murray has said that, “Christ enjoyed trying on the clothes of His
incarnation.” The word is the person of God’s Son.
THE
SON AS WISDOM PERSONIFIED
The
Hebrew word for wisdom is chokmah. It’s more than the application of
right knowledge. It involves a mind in tune with God’s Word where by we act and
speak and have a heart that leans on God’s guidance. Chokmah is God’s
gift to us whereby we image the wise Creator in thought, will, action
and word. The wisdom of Yahweh is a
person. It’s another name for God’s Son (See Proverbs 8). In 8:4-21 we
see wisdom praising the acquisition of knowledge and prudence. Wisdom is far
more valuable than earthly treasure. But in vs 22-24 we see a shift from the
acquiring of wisdom to the notion that wisdom was present at creation; that
wisdom was beside God as a master workman; that God delighted in wisdom, that
wisdom rejoices before the Lord and delights in humanity (vs 30-31). There’s
this interaction between God and Wisdom personified. Before creation there was
God and His Wisdom. God possessed or begot Wisdom. Proverbs 3:19 says that the
Lord founded the earth by wisdom. Reading the NT we see that it’s the son that
created all things and for whom all things were made (1 Corinthians 8:6,
John 1:1-3, Hebrews 1:2-3, Colossians 1:16-17). Not surprisingly, Jesus is
called the wisdom of God (See 1 Corinthians 1:30). When most Christians
read Proverbs, the book of wisdom, they are not expecting to encourage the
Wisdom of God, Jesus Christ, himself. The Wisdom of Proverbs is the same Word,
Messenger and Glory of God we’ve been seeing throughout the OT.
THE
CENTRAL EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE EARTH
The
Son of God visited earth many times before His full incarnation. He was sent by
Yahweh, spoke for Yahweh and was called Yahweh. As we look to the manger scene,
we finally see the Image, Messenger, Word and Wisdom of God who is forever one
of us. We have gained infinitely more in
Christ that we ever had or lost in Adam.
QUESTIONS
TO CONSIDER
(1). How does looking to the past while
walking backward towards the future help us to understand Scripture?
(2). What are some important truths to consider
when thinking about God creating us in His image and Jesus being the Image of
God?
(3). What truths have you gleaned from a better
understanding of the Messenger of the Lord?
What does it mean that God’s name was in him? What stands out to you in
Samson’s mother’s encounter with the Messenger of the Lord?
(4). How do we know that the Word/Davar of the
Lord that came to Abram was more than a spoken word?
(5). What take-aways do you have from Samuels
encounter with the Word of the Lord? How does knowing that the Lord came and
stood before Samuel shape your understanding of Scripture? What does it mean
that the Lord revealed himself by the word of the Lord?
(6). What was wisdom doing at creation? How does
John 1:1-3 inform our understanding of God’s wisdom?
