Declared to Be the Son of God – A Messianic Prophecy

“Who has ascended to heaven and come down?  Who has gathered the wind in His fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?  Who has established all the ends of the earth?  What is His name, and what is His son’s name?  Surely you know!” –Proverbs 30:4 (ESV).

Continuing in these days leading up to Christmas to cite and examine some of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah, I notice in the list of “Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament” [“Bible Prophecy” in Master Study Bible.  Nashville:  Holman, 1981, pp. 1534-1536] there is only one reference from Proverbs included about the Lord’s coming to earth.  By far the most extensive Messianic prophecies are contained in the Psalms and in Isaiah.  I found it very interesting indeed that tucked away in the book of wisdom literature, Proverbs, is this one reference to the coming of the Son of God.

Looking more closely at this prophecy of Jesus’ coming in Proverbs 30:4, and its evidence of fulfillment in the New Testament, we see several points to note.  First, and interesting byline attributes the proverb to “Agur, son of Jakeh, the oracle.”  Proverbs 30 is the only one credited to this writer.  Some scholars believe that Agur was another name, or perhaps a nickname for Solomon.  Still others believe Agur may have been a trusted court counselor.  Another theory is that it was written by a wise man of a non-Israelite tribe who recognized and wrote about the Lord God who would come to earth.  Even though the author’s credibility for writing cannot be firmly established, the fact that he recognized the truth and wrote about it is of great significance.  

Gems of truth about the Messiah lie in this single verse.  He is a resident of both heaven and earth:  “Who has ascended to heaven and come down?”  The poetic descriptions of His work indicate that He was present in creation:  “Who has gathered the winds in his fists?  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?  Who has established the ends of the earth?”  Then the writer of this proverb poses a rhetorical question that has a very obvious answer:  “What is His name and what is His Son’s name?  Surely you know!”  In many places in New Testament writings the identity and relationship of Jesus to God the Father is made known:  At His baptism a voice from heaven declared: “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).   As He calmed the waves on the stormy Sea of Galilee one night, His disciples marveled: “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? (Mark 4:41b).  The New Testament references to the fulfillment of the messianic prophecy recorded in Proverbs are too numerous to cite in this short devotional.  But we, like the wise writer of old, are prone to ask our own rhetorical question and then to reply, very positively:  “What is His name, and what is His Son’s name?  Surely you know!”

Prayer.  “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth!”  Thank you, Lord, for this heart knowledge, this mind knowledge, this soul knowledge.  We do not deserve this heavenly revelation but we are so thankful You made the truth known to all who are willing to grasp its magnitude and accept it!  Amen.

Amos, Shepherd and Prophet

“The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, kind of Israel, two years before the earthquake.” –Amos 1:1.  “Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, ‘I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs.  But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel.  Now therefore hear the word of the Lord.” –Amos 7:14-15.

These devotionals for the past nine days have examined some pertinent “Proverbs to Live By.”  The rich book of Proverbs could have remained the subject for much longer, for many more axioms are contained in that rich book.  But for a period now we will turn to some of the prophets, beginning with Amos, the herdsman of Tekoa.  

Let us consider the call of Amos. What we know of his call to be a prophet is given in what we call “internal evidence”—his own statement of his calling.  He was born in Tekoa, in Israel, the northern Kingdom.  His ministry of prophesying took place in the southern kingdom of Judah, but had implications for both. His call is recorded in verses 1:1 and 7:14-15.  He was not one from among the royal guild of the prophets, a group paid by the kings and therefore one who would speak to the king’s pleasure.  Amaziah, a priest who lived and worked in Bethel of Judah, told Jereboam, the king of Israel, that “the land is not able to bear all his words,”telling the king that Amos had prophesied his death and the exile of Israel (see 7:10-13).  It was then that Amos fearlessly said he was not a prophet nor a prophet’s son—it was not in his lineage to follow the usual professional prophet’s role.  The implication, too, is that the words of Amos would not placate the ear but declare the judgments of God.  God called him from being a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore figs and gave him a message that must be delivered to the people.  Amos’s call was so clear and positive that he could not deny the claim of God upon his life and he had to deliver the message God gave him.  Hebrew names are significant in that they have meaning that bears out the purpose and work of the person.  Amos means “a load”—and Amos certainly had a burden, a load to bear the message from God to the people, as grim as it was.  On the other hand, there is the thought that the people themselves could have been a burden to Amos, as they did not want to hear and heed his prophecies. 

Very significant in how Amos states his call is “the Lord took me.”  Amos could not get away from the call of God, and so he became a lonely voice prophesying from the desert and in the villages.  His message laid bare the sins of superficiality in religious practice and the decay that accompanies prosperity.  His message delivered about 750 B. C. was very similar to that of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, who preached in the wilderness of Jordan and cried out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).  Amos was among the earliest of the prophets to declare the coming of the Day of the Lord, a time of judgment and winnowing (see Amos 5:18-20). His calling was to sound a clarion warning to beware and prepare, not to spread pleasing platitudes.

The Holy Spirit Comes

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” –Acts 2:1-4 (ESV).

The prophecy in Joel 2:28 came to pass on the day of Pentecost: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions (ESV). John the Baptist also told of the coming of the Spirit: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11, ESV). Jesus promised the Spirit when He was still among the disciples, teaching them: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17, ESV). As He was ascending into Heaven, Jesus again told His disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon youk, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, ESV).

And now that day had arrived! The day of Pentecost was the fiftieth day after Passover, counting from the second day of the feast (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of the NT, 1996, p. 465). The coming of the Holy Spirit was audible, visible, and powerful. The Spirit was audible in the sound of a mighty rushing wind; visible as divided tongues of fire; and powerful in that He filled each one of those who had been waiting and praying. They began to do amazing things, one of which was to speak in and understand languages not native to them and which they had not studied. The speaking at the time of the coming of the Spirit may also have been in ecstatic spiritual utterances as well. They had been waiting for and praying for the Holy Spirit. They didn’t have to wonder, when He came; He demonstrated His presence. The mighty wind showed the power and energy of the Spirit. Fire in the Old Testament indicated the presence of God; the disciples would have known this and the Spirit was demonstrating it. The fire represented God’s holiness and the burning away of impurities. Dr. Vance Havner, commenting on the coming of the Holy Spirit, wrote: “We are not going to move this world by criticism of it nor conformity to it, but by the combustion within it of lives ignited by the Spirit of God.” (Quoted in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, NT, 2007, p. 325). The Spirit had “combusted” the hearts of the followers on the day of Pentecost. This was the baptism by or the coming of the Holy Spirit to them as promised. Christ had pledged to the disciples that when the Spirit came upon them they would be able to accomplish great deeds. Indeed, that promise was fulfilled. Now the third person of the Trinity lived and moved among believers.

Daniel Iverson (1890-1977) penned the words of the chorus: “Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me; Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me. Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me. Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.” My husband and I spent a month in the Holy Land in 1978. While there, we visited the upper room believed to be where the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples. I was amazed when I had our pictures developed and two of those I took in that room had a reflection of light that looked like tongues of fire. It was sobering and humbling to have stood in the reputed place where the Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost. As each individual is willing, the Spirit enters and fills the waiting heart. May our prayer be: “Breathe on me breath of God, Till I am wholly Thine, Till all this earthly part of me Glows with Thy fire divine.” (Edwin Hatch (1835-1889).