TEACHING NOTES Introduction As we continue our study of the Trinity in both Testaments of the Bible, this session will focus on God the Son. While we know the New Testament claims that Jesus is God in human form, many people do not realize the Old Testament background to this teaching. God appearing as a human is all over the Old Testament. This session will highlight several of these passages, but there are many more examples. ‌ The Doctrine of the Trinity We worship one God who exists eternally as three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ‌ The doctrine of Trinity is important because each member of the Trinity reveals God’s nature and character. ‌ Genesis 1:1–3 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ‌ Genesis 12:6–7 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.” ‌ Genesis 15:1–6 1 After these things the Word of the LORD appeared to Abram: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the Word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” ‌ Genesis 17:1–2 1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” ‌ Genesis 18:1–2 1 And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth” ‌ Explanation: If you continue reading Gen. 18 it is clear that Yahweh is one of these three men. They even have their feet washed and eat with Abraham. They look like humans, they have human feet, and they eat like humans. Yahweh is visible to Abraham in human form. ‌ Genesis 26 — “the LORD appeared to Isaac” Genesis 28 — “the LORD appeared to Jacob” ‌ Yahweh Appears to Jacob ‌ Genesis 31:11–13 “11 Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’ 12 And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.’” ‌ Genesis 32:24, 28-30 24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day… 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” ‌ Yahweh Appears to Moses ‌ Exodus 3:1–3 1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” ‌ Exodus 3:4–6 4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” ‌ God called to him out of the bush = Back in verse 2 we were told that the angel of Yahweh appeared in (or out of) the bush. And in verse 4 and 6 we’re told that God is the one speaking from the burning bush. Hebrew scholars indicate that we are being told that God is speaking from the bush and the angel of Yahweh is also standing there. In other words, both the invisible and visible Yahweh is present at the same moment. ‌ Burning bush = In Genesis 2 there is a tree of life in the garden of Eden and the fruit of that tree gives eternal life (Gen. 3:22). Ancient Jews believed that this tree of life emanated light or the glory of God. Since the tree of life was at the center of the garden, this was the holy of holies of the garden. This is why the tabernacle has the glory of God at it’s center. The tabernacle was understood to be a mobile garden of Eden. Later we find that God often meets with Abraham at trees (Gen. 12:6-7; 18:1). Now here in Exodus Moses meets with God at a burning or bright tree that is a holy place. Wherever God’s glory/presence resides, that place has become the holy of holies. ‌ Yahweh Appears to Israel ‌ Exodus 14:13–14 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” ‌ The salvation of the LORD = Heb. Yeshua et Yahweh. Moses says that the salvation of Yahweh is something the people can see. Yeshua is also the Hebrew name of Jesus in the New Testament. ‌ The LORD will fight for you = The “salvation of Yahweh” is the one fighting for Israel in this passage. Later we find out that the angel of Yahweh is the one Israel sees fighting for them. ‌ Exodus 14:19–20 19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.” ‌ The angel of God = Heb. malak ha elohim - In Hebrew “angel” (malak) simply means “messenger”. In the Bible you will notice that most of time angels appear in human form to deliver a message from God. But “the angel of Yahweh” is often portrayed as a particular and unique messenger. ‌ Exodus 23:20–22 “20 Behold, I send the angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21 Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. 22 “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.” ‌ My name is in him = Yahweh says that His name is in the angel and the angel has the ability to pardon/forgive transgression. Ancient readers would have understood that if the angel has the name of Yahweh in Him, then this angel is Yahweh in visible form. ‌ Exodus 33:9–11 9 When Moses entered the tent [tabernacle], the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. 10 And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. 11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend…” ‌ Face to face as a man = The passage is clear that Moses is speaking to Yahweh in human form just as a man speaks to his friend. While “face to face” alone may be taken as figurative language, the additional qualifying phrase “as a man speaks to his friend” indicates a literal meaning. ‌ Exodus 33:18–20 18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” ‌ You cannot see my face and live = If Moses cannot see God’s face and live, then who is Moses speaking to face to face in Ex. 33:11? Obviously, Moses was speaking face to face with the visible Yahweh in human form. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, he is asking to see the form of God that the human body cannot withstand. The glory of God is portrayed in the Bible as dangerous to humans and is often shrouded or veiled (like the pillar of cloud). ‌ Yahweh Appears to Samuel ‌ 1 Samuel 3:1 1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the Word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. ‌ 1 Samuel 3:10 10 And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” ‌ 1 Samuel 3:19–21 19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD. 21 And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the Word of the LORD.” ‌ Yahweh Appears to Jeremiah ‌ Jeremiah 1:4–6 4 Now the Word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” ‌ Jeremiah 1:7–9 7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.” ‌ Yahweh & the Son of Man ‌ Daniel 7:13–14 “13 I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” ‌ Coming with the clouds = Notice that he is coming on the clouds to the throne of God in heaven, not coming on the clouds down to earth. This passage is not about the return of Christ, but about the ascension of Christ to the right hand of God’s throne. ‌ Son of Man = Heb. bar enash - Daniel is seeing a human in heaven. This would have been strange to Daniel because humans did not go to heaven (except for Enoch, Moses, Elijah). The title Son of Man is also Jesus’ favorite title for Himself. Why? Because Jesus His Jewish audience to understand that He is the Son of Man that Daniel saw. ‌ Ancient of Days = This is a title for Yahweh that means “the eternal one.” Psalm 90:2 uses similar language: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” While “Ancient of Days” is used nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible, it is used in the Aramaic version of the book of Job from the Dead Sea Scrolls. ‌ If the Old Testament presents Yahweh appearing as a human multiple times, why is this rejected by Judaism? ‌ The Two Powers in Heaven: Ancient Jews believed Yahweh had two forms in the Bible. There is the invisible Yahweh and the visible Yahweh. They referred to this as the two powers in heaven or the two Yahwehs. However, after Christianity began to spread all over the world Jewish leaders condemned this belief. Jewish leaders also condemned the intertestamental writings which supported this belief because the Christians were using these Jewish writings to prove Jesus is the Messiah and the visible Yahweh in the Old Testament. In other words, the Jewish people believed in the invisible Yahweh, the visible Yahweh, and the Spirit of Yahweh. It was only after the spread of Christianity that the Jews condemned their own historical doctrine. ‌ Review of the Visible Yahweh The visible Yahweh is referred to as: - The Angel/messenger of Yahweh - The Word of Yahweh - The Son of Man ‌ The Angel, Word, Son of Man are in human form. In several passages, Yahweh is present in two forms at the same time. ‌ John 1:1–3 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ‌ In the beginning was the Word = John begins his Gospel with the same phrase as the beginning of Genesis. Why? John is telling us to take what he is saying and try to go find it in Genesis 1. Notice that Gen. 1:1 says “In the beginning God” and John says “In the beginning was the Word”. For John, the Word is God. Notice in Gen. 1:3 that God creates by using His Word “And God said…” For John, the Word is not a sound but is a being/person. ‌ The Word was with God and was God = How can you be with someone if you are that someone? John is saying that the Word is God but is also distinct from God. While this is confusing to us, we must realize that we are talking about the nature of a being (God) that is totally unique and cannot be fully understood by the human mind. ‌ John 1:14 And the Word became flesh [human] and dwelt [tabernacled] among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ‌ John 3:13–14 “13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” ‌ John 5:39–40 “39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” ‌ John 8:56–58 “56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” ‌ Hebrews 1:1–4 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. ‌‌ Next Week ‌Part 3: God the Spirit ‌