The Messianic in the narrower sense is part of the general doctrine of the Eschatology of the kingdom (see EscilATOLOGY). The 'Messianic' in this sense is hardly a distinct thing or hope. The Messiah is not an independent figure, unlike all other figures or personages, and higher than they ; on the contrary. He is always some actual histori- cal figure idealized. The term means ' anointed,' and only two per.sonages received anointing— the king, and possibly the priest ; though no doubt the term ' anointed ' was used more generally in later times (I's Hi.')"). The OT is occupied with two subjects — Jehovah and the people, and the relation between them. The E.schatological per- fection is the issue of a rcdemiitive movement. Now, the only redeemer of His [leople is J" — salva- tion belongetn unto the Lord. The Eschatological perfection is always duo to His operation— the perfection consists in His perfect presence aiming His people, for the idea of salvation is the fellow, ship of God and men. But, on the other hand
122 PKOPHECY AlfD PKOPHETS
PROPHECY AXD PROPHETS
the people are not passive. The goal is set before them, and they strive towards it. J" awakens ideals in their mind, and aspirations after them ; ami in contrast to such ideals the imperfections of the present are felt, and an effort made to overcome them. But it is characteristic of the redemptive operations of J" that He influences the people and leads them forward, through great personages whom He raises up among them. Such persons are diflFerent in dill'erent ages — judges, prophets, kings, and the like. These He enlightens so that they give the people knowledge, or He endows them by His spirit with kingly attributes, so that they govern the people aright (Is ll'"- 28'> 32i"-), and lead them on to the final perfection. But J" always remains the Saviour ; and if there be any mediatorial personage it is J" in him, the Divine in him, that saves. Naturally, the most e.xaJted and influential personage is the king : he has the lieople wholly in hLs hand ; the ideal is that he reigns in righteousness and secures peace (Is 3'2'*-). The Messiah is mainly the ideal Kmg. Thus the Eschatological perfection may be supposed reached in two ways : Jir-H, 3" the only Saviour may come in person to abide among His people for ever. In tile earlier prophets His coming is called the day uf the Lord — .a day of judgment, and eternal salva- tion behind the judgment. What precise concep- tion the prophets formed of the coming of J" may not be easy to determine. But it was not merely 1 coming in wonderful works, or in the word of His prophets, or in a spiritual influence upon the people's minds, it was something objective and personal. In later prophets, such as Ezek. and the post-exile prophets, it was a coming to His temple ; and wlien He comes Jerusalem is called Jehovah Shammah, ' the Lord is there' (Ezk 48", Hag 2'"-, Mai 3'). Examples of such representations are Is 40'"" ' The Lord cometh with might, his arm rulin" for him ; the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together,' and Ps 102"- '*• ". But, secondly, sometimes the mani- festation of J" is not considered immediate and in person : He is manifested in the Davidic king. The Davidic king may then be called Immariucl, 'God with us,' and El Gibbor, 'God mighty' (Is 7. 9. 11). In NT both these classes of passages are interpreted in a Messianic sense. To NT writers Christ had approved Himself as God mani- fest in the flesh, and even such passages as were spoken by the OT writer of J" are regarded as fulfilled in Him and spoken of Him, for no dis- tinction was drawn between these two things (e.g. Is 40'-" in Mk IS Ps 102 in He l'""-).
(a) The Monarchy. — J" is represented at all times as Saviour; and this idea is of special im- l)ortance, because it la3's the foundation for both the work and person of the Messiah, as the word is ordinarily used. During the monarchy the prominent figure in the salvation of the people or in ruling it when saved by J" is the Davidic king. The true king of Israel is J" : Israel is the king- dom of God; and this is a general eschatological idea, suggesting what the kingdom will be when it is fully realized and J" truly reigns (Ps 96-99). But it is the Davidic monarchy that is Messianic in the narrower sense. This unites two lines — the Divine and the human. The Davidic kin" is the representative of J " ; truly to represent Him, J" Himself, the true king, must be in him and manifest Himself throu-h him (Is 9'-« 11'"). But, on the other hand, both David and his rule were suggestive. (1) He was himself a devout worshipper of J", endowed with the .s])irit of the knowleoge and the fear of the Lord (Is 11-). (2) He subdued the peoples and extended the limits of his kingdom till for that age it might be called an empire, suggesting the universality of the kingdom of God
(Ps 28 72'"-, Zee 9">). (3) His rule was just and the end of his reign peaceful, suggesting the idea of a ruler perfectly righteous, and a reign of peace (2 S 23»"-, Is 9»-'2J, Mic 5', I's 723-', Zee 9'"). (i} Finally, he founded a dynasty, which suggested the idea of the [lerpetuity of the rule of his house over the kingdom of J" (Is 9', Ps 72'). Such points may not have struck men's minds in David's own age, but in later and less happy times, when his reign was idealized, they were noticed, and entered into the conception of the future king and kingdom of J". The promise given by Nathan to David takes up the first and fourlli of these points — the close relation between .)"anil those of David's house who shall sit upon the throne, and the per- petuity of the rule of his family (2 S 7"*"). Ihis promise is the basis of all suljsci]ucnt prophecy regarding the Davidic king. Such passages as Ps 2 take up the promise, ' I will he to him a father, and he shall be to me a son,' while the pro- phecies Is 7-11 are founded on the promise, ' Thy throne shall be established for ever.' It was during the Sjro-Ephraimitic war (B.C. 73o f.) that the idea of a special future king of David's house was expressed by Isaiah. The Northern coalition meditated the deposition of the Davidic dynasty, but the projihet's faith in the promises given to David enabled him to foresee that though his house should share the humiliations of the peojile and be cut down to the ground, yet out of the root of Jesse a new shoot would arise on whom the spirit of the Lord would rest (Is 11). From this time forward there is a special Messianic hope, that is, the hope of an extraordinary king out of the house of David. This hope, though in some periods not referred to, continues to prevail to the end of the people's history. Subsequent prophets repeat, but add little to, Isaiah's ideas, e.g. Mio 4. 5 (though the age of the pa.ssages is disputed), Jer 235- « 30», Ezk IT""-'' 34--«''- 37'^-'-»-. Prophets prior to Isaiah, as Am 9", Hos 3', do not seem yet to have readied the idea of a special king of David's house ; and other prophets before the E.\ile, Naliiim, Zephaniah, and Habakkuk, though some of them refer to the final condition of the people and the world, do not allude to an expected future king.*