Topical Studies
Saviors
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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Nehemiah 9:27 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
As Nehemiah recounts in his prayer to God, these saviors were people like Gideon, Samson, Ehud, Joshua, and Moses. God gave them leaders that He inspired to deliver Israel from the terrible circumstance they were in. Now put this verse—and the thought found in Obadiah 21 into a Millennial setting and our responsibilities as kings and priests—into the concepts of saving, judging, and teaching, all of which are involved in what God will be doing then. Remember also that God prophesies that Israel will go into captivity at the beginning of the Tribulation. They will be scattered all over the world in slavery, but God will regather them and bring them back to Israel, weeping, in a repentant state. Then what happens? Who will be their saviors, their deliverers? Who will judge them? Who will teach them? Of course, all praise, honor, and glory for these things goes to God. But why—for what reason—is He preparing us? He is not going to do it all Himself. He will follow the patterns He established in the past, only this time He will accomplish His purposes with servants who are greater than Joshua, Gideon, Samson, Ehud—greater even than John the Baptist! He will work through saviors, judges, teachers—king-priests who are just like Him. Indeed, they will be His sons!
John W. Ritenbaugh
Preparing to Be a Priest
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Isaiah 45:1 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
It should immediately be apparent from the context that God's use of "His anointed" is not as restricted as commonly assumed. The Hebrew word is mashiah, which has come down to us as "messiah" and translated as christos in Greek. Because we now use this term exclusively for Jesus Christ, the Messiah, many have failed to realize the breadth of its meaning. Mashiah simply means "anointed" or "anointed one." The Old Testament writers use it and its verb form, mashah, to describe kings (David, Saul, even Gentile kings like Hazael—II Samuel 1:14; 12:7; I Kings 19:15); priests, including the high priest (Leviticus 4:3, 5); and prophets (I Kings 19:16; Isaiah 61:1). Normally, these people were anointed with oil in a ritual as a sign of being set apart for the office that they were about to fulfill. Thus, at its most basic, mashiah indicates a person God authorizes and sets apart for His service. The type of service he renders can vary. Obviously, kings, priests, and prophets fill very different roles, though some "anointed ones" have fulfilled more than one. David, for example, was both king and prophet, while Samuel and Jeremiah were priests and prophets. Jesus Christ is the only Anointed One to fulfill all three roles, as well as that of Apostle. One aspect of these roles begins to stand out as God's revelation unfolds throughout the Bible: deliverance. We can see this most clearly in the text Jesus recites to inaugurate His ministry (Isaiah 61:1-3; see Luke 4:16-21). Jesus explicitly confirms in Luke 4:21 that He fulfilled these verses, at least up to the first part of verse 2, for indeed He is the ultimate Messiah. He will fulfill the remainder of these deliverances upon His return as King of kings and Lord of lords. Even His name, Joshua or Jesus, means "savior" or "deliverer," and God frequently calls things and people what they are and/or do. In short, then, mashiah has three primary facets: 1. It describes a person whom God sets apart for His service.
2. Such a person may fill one or more roles in His service.
3. His primary function is to cause deliverance. Strange as it may seem, Cyrus, King of Persia, qualifies as a messiah!
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Cyrus: God's Anointed
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Obadiah 1:21 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
Notice the last phrase: "and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S." Along with verse 17 ["But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions"], it is clear that Obadiah is speaking of a millennial circumstance. God's Kingdom will be on earth, and "saviors," plural, will be on Mount Zion judging. That ought to open some eyes. We know that a ruler judges, but "saviors" will be judging as well. Micah 4:5 talks about each person worshipping or operating "in the name of his god," indicating not the Father or the Son, but others who are also God. There is a principle here.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Preparing to Be a Priest
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