Untitled Sermon

Thus far, we have seen that the God of Israel in the Old Testament is not necessarily conceived of as strictly one divine Person. There is a plurality of divine Persons within God. Sometimes the plurality is presented without reference to a specific number of divine Persons (e.g., Gen 1:26). At other times the plurality is presented in a binary sense—that is, two divine Beings (e.g., Angel of Yahweh and Yahweh/God, Yahweh and the Servant/Messiah). The notion of two divine Beings is more common in the Old Testament than the concept of a Trinity of divine Beings. In a few passages, however, references are made to three Persons who are God. To this we now turn.

Institute, Biblical Research. Revisiting the Trinity: Biblical, Theological and Historical Reflections (BRI Studies on the Trinity Book 1) (pp. 43-44). (Function). Kindle Edition.

Three Persons of the Godhead In light of the discussion above, one cannot deny that the Old Testament conceives of a plurality in God. We have observed that even within monotheistic contexts, there is more than one Person who is called God. What this means is that the one-God concept is not understood to mean that God is a solitary divine Person. In other words, Old Testament monotheism does not preclude a plurality of Persons within the one God. Within the overarching theme of the oneness of God, we find that (1) God speaks in plural terms within Himself; (2) the Angel of Yahweh is called Yahweh/God, but is at the same time presented as a divine Person distinct from Yahweh/God; (3) God ordains and commissions God; and (4) the divine Servant of Yahweh—the Messiah—is distinct from Yahweh/God, yet is Himself the “Mighty God.” Besides the general concept of a plurality in God, some passages in the Old Testament, specifically in the book of Isaiah, seem to suggest that the plurality in God is a three-in-oneness plurality. These passages include Isaiah 42:1; 48:16; 61:1–3; and 63:8–12, 16. The Servant of Yahweh concept in Isaiah 42–53, as noted in the previous section, is particularly important for understanding Isaiah 42:1 and 48:16. In Isaiah 42:1 we read, “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.” The speaker in this verse is Yahweh (41:21, 42:5–6). Yahweh refers to His servant and to His Spirit, which in Isaiah is often accompanies and endues the Servant. The servant in Isaiah 42:1 does not seem to be the nation, Israel. The fact that this servant is specially introduced here may imply that he is different from the servant already mentioned in Isaiah 41:8 (i.e., Israel). Furthermore, since Isaiah 42 is addressed to Israel, it is not likely that the nation itself is the servant. It is probable that here the servant is the divine Servant, the Messiah (Isa 9:6).68 In Isaiah 42 the Spirit is not specifically presented as a Person, but rather as a “divine force and supernatural power who equips the recipient to perform his task.”69 While the personhood of the Spirit is not clear, Isaiah 42 doubtless presents three distinct entities inseparably united in the divine mission and purpose: Yahweh, the Servant, and the Spirit. Isaiah 48:16 seems to make reference to three divine Persons: Lord God (i.e., Adonai Yahweh), the sent One, and His Spirit (i.e., Spirit of Adonai Yahweh): Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord God and His Spirit Have sent Me. An interpretive challenge in this verse is the identity of the speaker.70 It is possible to see two speakers here: “If the speaker in v. 16a is the Lord, obviously a different speaker is present in v. 16b. Inasmuch as in both the preceding and following contexts the Lord is the speaker and inasmuch as similar language is employed of Him in 45:19, the Lord is probably the Speaker also in 16a.”71 What is clear is that a distinction is made between the speaker and Yahweh in 48:16b, so that the speaker in verse 16b must be considered as a person other than Yahweh.72 Moreover, whether or not there are two speakers in verse 16, the distinction between Yahweh, the sent One (“me”), and the Spirit is unmistakable. Isaiah 48 alone does not help us identify the sent One. In the context of the servant motif of Isaiah 41–53, the sent One is probably the servant of Yahweh. While it is possible to identify the servant with Israel/Jacob (cf. vv. 12, 20; 41:8), Israel is certainly not the speaker in 48:16; rather, Israel is the recipient of the prophecy (48:17–22). The ultimate Servant of Yahweh is probably the one speaking in verse 16.73 Thus understood, verse 16 distinguishes between Adonai Yahweh, His Servant (i.e., Messiah), and His Spirit.74 If the Servant is the one speaking in verses 12-15, then He claims divine attributes including omnipotence and eternality (“I am the first, and I am the last,” v. 12) and creatorship (“My hand laid the foundation of the earth and . . . spread out the heavens,” v. 13). This Servant is further described as the suffering Servant, dying to cleanse humans from their sins and iniquities (52:13–53:12). Another interpretive challenge has to do with the syntactic function of “Spirit” in 48:16. “Spirit” can be construed either as part of the subject (i.e., Yahweh and His Spirit) or as part of the object (i.e., me and His Spirit).75 Although in the string of words in this verse “His Spirit” comes after “has sent me,” Hebrew syntax allows for the possibility that Yahweh and His Spirit constitute a split grammatical subject. If so, we may understand that the speaker in verse 16b (i.e., the Servant) is sent by two personalities, Yahweh and His Spirit. So, the NKJV translates, “The Lord God and His Spirit have sent me” (v. 16b). But if “Spirit” is part of the grammatical object, the sense is that Yahweh sent the Servant and His Spirit (i.e., the Servant is sent together with the Spirit).76 In this sense, the Spirit accompanies and empowers the ministry of the Servant. As elsewhere in Isaiah the Spirit characterizes the ministry of the Servant (e.g., 11:2–4; 61:1–3). However, we construe the syntax of the clause constituents in 48:16, it is to be observed that “Spirit”—like Yahweh and the Servant—is here also accorded some individuality or personality. Isaiah 61:1–3 also seems to identify three divine personalities: the Spirit of Adonai Yahweh, Yahweh, and the Anointed One, who is sent by Yahweh to proclaim salvation to His people. Verse 1 recalls 48:16 in that in both passages mention is made of Adonai Yahweh, Spirit of Adonai Yahweh, and the sent One (i.e., “me”). This close relationship between the two passages suggests that the individuals in both texts are identical. In other words, if the sent One in Isaiah 48 is the divine Servant, the same Person must be in view in Isaiah 61. Jesus Christ applied Isaiah 61 to Himself in Luke 4:16–21. The Servant in Isaiah 52, 53, and 61 has generally been identified with Jesus Christ.77 Taking Isaiah 42:1 together with 52:13–53:12 and 61:1–3, we can conclude that the Servant of Yahweh is the pre-incarnate Messiah who is sent by God the Father to save the world through His life, ministry, death, and resurrection (cf. Mark 16:6; John 3:16–17). While the Spirit of Yahweh is not clearly presented as a Person in Isaiah 61:1, its otherwise consistent occurrence in Messianic contexts in Isaiah as the indispensable divine enabler in the mission of the Servant sent by Yahweh gives the impression that in such contexts Yahweh the Servant and Yahweh the Spirit are distinct, divine personalities.78 The distinction made in Isaiah 42:1; 48:16; and 61:1–3 of three divine personalities continues in Isaiah 63 with further clarity. The chapter opens with a description of “One . . . glorious in His apparel” and who is “mighty to save” (v. 1). There is mention of the soaking of His garments in blood, depicting the vengeance He metes out against the enemy in order to effect salvation for “my redeemed” (vv. 2–6). Thus, the description is that of a divine Person who saves His people and judges His enemies. From verse 7 on, the prophet is proclaiming the “lovingkindnesses of the Lord.” In verses 8–12, 16, we read: For He said, “Surely they are My people, Children who will not lie.” So He became their Savior. In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the Angel of His Presence saved them; In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; And He bore them and carried them All the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; So He turned Himself against them as an enemy, And He fought against them. Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying: “Where is He who brought them up out of the sea With the shepherd of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit within them, Who led them by the right hand of Moses, With His glorious arm, Dividing the water before them To make for Himself an everlasting name. . . .” Doubtless You are our Father, Though Abraham was ignorant of us, And Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O Lord, are our Father; Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name. In these verses, reference is made to Yahweh, the Angel of His Presence, and the Holy Spirit. None would question the divinity of Yahweh, the God of Israel (Isa 42:8). In Isaiah 63:16 Yahweh is called Savior and Father. The term “father” is not a technical term as often used in the New Testament, yet it reveals the understanding that He is the true Father of Israel. But again, Yahweh is distinct from the Angel of His Presence and His Holy Spirit.79 The phrase “angel of his presence” translates the Hebrew malʾak panayw (lit., “angel of his face”). In Exodus 33:14–15, panay (lit., “my face”) is used to refer to God Himself. The phrase malʾak panayw could thus mean the “Angel of Himself”—the Angel “in whom His face is manifested.”80 The reference to the “Angel of His Presence” clearly recalls passages such as Exodus 14:19 and 23:20–23, where Yahweh is said to have sent His Angel before Israel—the Angel in whom is the name of Yahweh. Within this context, the angel in Isaiah 63 is no ordinary angel, but the Angel of Yahweh who is a divine Person sometimes identical to, and at other times distinguishable from, Yahweh.81 The third divine personality in Isaiah 63 is the Holy Spirit.82 The Spirit is here said to have been put within Israel during the exodus, but Israel rebelled and grieved the Spirit (vv. 10–11). The Hebrew word for “grieved” (‘ atsab) has a range of nuances including “hurt” (1 Chr 4:10; Eccl 10:9), “twist” (Ps 56:5), and “distress” or “grieve” (Gen 6:6; 34:7; 45:5; 1 Sam 20:3; Ps 78:40; Isa 54:6). It is never used for an impersonal subject or object, since only a person can be grieved. By using “grieved” in Isaiah 63:10, Isaiah explicitly touches on the personhood of the Holy Spirit which is found only implicitly elsewhere (e.g., 42:1; 48:16; 61:1). As in Isaiah 63:10, Psalm 78:40 combines the verbs “rebel” and “grieve” to convey how Israel rebelled and grieved God during the Exodus. The grieving of Yahweh in Psalm 78 equates the grieving of the Holy Spirit in Isaiah 63, since both passages share the same thematic context. Yet, because Isaiah consistently individuates Yahweh and the Holy Spirit, the two ought to be seen as distinct,83 divine personalities in addition to the Angel,84 the three sharing the same nature and being inseparable in their purpose for humanity.85 The references to God’s “lovingkindness” and Israel’s rebellion—distressing and grieving the Spirit—yet their redemption by the Angel is ample evidence that the three Persons of the Godhead have always actively been involved in salvation history.86

Institute, Biblical Research. Revisiting the Trinity: Biblical, Theological and Historical Reflections (BRI Studies on the Trinity Book 1) (pp. 44-49). (Function). Kindle Edition.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit The New Testament revelation of the titles of the three Persons of the Godhead as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is implicit in the Old Testament. God is called Father (Deut 32:6; Isa 63:16; 64:8; Mal 1:6; 2:10), fatherly attributes are ascribed to Him (Deut 1:31; 8:5; Prov 3:12; Isa 1:2; 30:1, 9), He is the Father of Israel (Exod 4:22; Jer 3:4; Hos 11:1), and Israel is His firstborn (Exod 4:22). In a special sense, God is the Father of the Davidic kings (2 Sam 7:14) and of the Messiah (Ps 2:2, 7). Although God is called Father in the Old Testament, the “father” appellation is not a technical term that designates the first Person of the Godhead as we find in the New Testament. The Old Testament also speaks of a God-Son yet to be born (Isa 7:14; 9:6) who shall reign on the Davidic throne as the divine Branch (Jer 23:5–6; 33:14–18; Zech 3:8; 6:12) in everlasting peace and righteousness (Isa 11:1–16). This God-Son is also pictured as the Servant of Yahweh, whose suffering and death would bring healing to humanity (e.g., Isa 52–53). In the book of Daniel, the God-Son is specifically called “Son of Man” (7:13) and Messiah (9:25–27) who shall rule over the kingdom of God (7:14, 27). In contexts where the Angel of Yahweh is presented as distinct from Yahweh, the Angel seems to refer to the God-Son (e.g., Exod 14:19; 23:20–21; Zech 3:1–9; Mal 3:1–3). Similarly, in the passages where two divine Persons are presented, one of them is the God-Son (e.g., Pss 45:6–7; 110:1). The God-Son is mysteriously begotten by God (Ps 2:7) and is Himself God (e.g., Ps 45:6–7; Isa 9:6). And the references to the birth and the divinity of the Son suggest that He is the God-Man (Isa 7:14; 9:6; Dan 7:13).87 The Old Testament also makes references to the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God. The Spirit is presented as taking an active role in creation (e.g., Gen 1:2; Job 33:4; 34:14–15). The Spirit of God dwells in human beings (e.g., Gen 41:38; Num 27:18; 1 Sam 16:13) and enables individuals to perform certain tasks (Exod 31:3; 35:31; Num 11:25; 24:2; Dan 4:8–9; 5:11). For example, the judges and the prophets executed their duties through the Spirit (Judg 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 1 Sam 10:6–10; 2 Chr 15:1; Mic 3:8). The Spirit speaks through people (2 Sam 23:2; 1 Kgs 22:24). In 2 Samuel 23:2–3 the “Spirit of the Lord” parallels the “God of Israel” (also Isa 30:1). Psalm 139:7–8 attributes the divine characteristic of omnipresence to the Spirit and equates Yahweh’s presence with the Spirit. The Spirit can take actions on His own (2 Kgs 2:16; Ezek 11:5, 24; Mic 2:7). For example, Ezekiel 11 reports the Spirit’s falling upon the prophet and instructing him to speak the words of the Lord (v. 5). The Spirit brings about revival and change of heart (Ezek 11:19; 18:31; 36:26–27; 37:1–14; cf. Isa 57:15). People can take counsel with the Lord as well as with the Spirit (Isa 30:1). The Spirit accompanies the ministry of the God-Son, Servant of Yahweh (Isa 11:2–4; 42:1; 61:1–3). In Joel 2 the outpouring of the Spirit will be characteristic of the last days (vv. 28–29), a prophecy whose partial fulfillment Peter recognizes on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Finally, Isaiah 63 presents the Lord, the Angel of His Presence, and the Holy Spirit as distinct personalities (vv. 9–10). In addition to other passages (e.g., Gen 6:3; 2 Sam 23:2–3; Isa 48:16; Ezek 11:5, 24; Mic 2:7), Isaiah 63:10 reveals that the Spirit of God has personal characteristics.88 As such, the Spirit is said to have been “grieved” by Israel in the wilderness (v. 10; cf. Ps 106:33).89 The personal characteristics notwithstanding, the Old Testament does not explicitly imply that the Spirit was understood as one of three divine Persons as is the case in the New Testament.

Institute, Biblical Research. Revisiting the Trinity: Biblical, Theological and Historical Reflections (BRI Studies on the Trinity Book 1) (pp. 49-51). (Function). Kindle Edition.