SHEMA, O ISRAEL!

King Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, questions and writes in the scriptures, by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, these puzzling questions:

 

1. Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?

2. Who hath gathered the wind in his fists?

3. Who hath bound the waters in a garment?

4. Who hath established all the ends of the earth?

 

Then Solomon reminds us of the personal Son of God:

 

  5.  What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?

 

Although God does not name His Son here, He gives us much insight as to His birth and place of birth.  Consider the evidence from the Holy Scriptures that tells us about God's Son:

 

 

THE TYPE OF HIS SON'S BIRTH:

 

Isaiah 7:14:  "Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (meaning "God with us")."  

 

Here we find that God would be manifested in the flesh.  He gives us a sign and uses the word "Behold."  This word is often used in scripture, such as to announce an unusual birth as the "virgin" birth.  (See Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:18).

 

 

THE TOWN OF HIS SON'S BIRTH:

 

Micah 5:2:  "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be a ruler in Israel: whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

 

 

THE TRANSCENDENCE OF HIS SON'S BIRTH:

 

Micah 5:2 goes on to tell us that the Son's birth would be beyond the normal, a spiritual transcendence in a modern world, and that he has an eternal existance:"...whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."  

 

Compare John 1:1,2:  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God."

 

 

THE TRAVAIL AT THE SON'S BIRTH:

 

Jeremiah 31:15:  Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping: Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not."

 

Jeremiah prophesied some 600 years before what would occur when Herod would massacre innocent babies.  Now read what Mattew's gospel tells in Matthew 2:16-18:

 

"Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under; according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.  Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying:  In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not."

 

 

THE TIME OF THE SON'S BIRTH:

 

Daniel 9:24-27:  "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon the holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to building Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummaton, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

 

In this passage of the book of Daniel, we are told when the Messiah would come, when the first temple will be destroyed in Jerusalem, that Jerusalem would be rebuilt, and then Messiah would come again.  (Compare Luke 2:1-7).

 

 

THE TRIBE OF THE SON'S BIRTH

 

God's Son would come from the tribe of Judah.  Here is a promise of the coming Messiah:

 

Genesis 49:10:  "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, not a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."

 

Compare Luke 3:23-38 of the genealogy of Mary, mother of Jesus, through David's line:  Verse 33 reads:  "Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda."

 

 

THE TRAGEDY OF THE SON - HIS REPROACH

 

The Son of God was despised, rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, stricken, smitten of God, afflicted, wounded, bruised, oppressed, and then crucified for our sins:

 

The prophet Isaiah tells us all of this in Isaiah 53:3-7 what God's Son would endure: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  But he was wounded for our transgressons, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray: we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth."  (cf: Matthew 27:28-41).

 

 

THE TRIUMPH OF THE SON - HIS RESURRECTION

 

David prophesied of the resurrection in Psalms 16:9,10:  "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."

 

 

Acts 2:31-36 tells of David:  "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.  This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.  For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool, Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."

 

 

THE TRANSPORTING OF THE SON

 

David prophesies of the ascension of the Messiah to heaven in Psalms 68:18:  "Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them."

 

Acts 1:9-11:  "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up  into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."

 

Ephesians 4:8-10:  "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.  (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?  He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things)."