From: ljmorly@polaris.utu.fi (Laura Johanna Manninen)
Subject: Was the Messiah G-d? part II
Organization: University of Turku
Distribution: alt
Date: 24 Jul 92 15:41:20

Scott Aaron already brought forward Psalm 110 in which David calls 
his Lord a person who is the High Priest after the order of Malki-Tzedek,
the Mashiach.

Let's continue the story -- or we could start right from the beginning...

In Gen. 3:15 Hashem gives a promise to Chava (Eve):

     "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between 
      your offspring (/seed) and hers; he will crush your head, and 
      you will strike his heel."

Who's this whose head will be crushed ? The snake, Satan. And who crushes it?
A couple of verses later we see that Chava understood the promise...

Gen. 4:1: "Veha'Adam yada et-Chava ishto vatahar vateled et-Kain vatomer
     kaniti ish et-Hashem."

'Kaniti ish et-Hashem' means literally 'I got man (I got) Hashem !'
('et' is either 'with' -- doesn't fit here -- or an object sign.
Compare: Asiti et ze = I did it.)
But we know Cain was not the Messiah...

Later we find a promise of a child that will be born of a virgin and his 
name will be called Immanuel -- God with us. (Is. 7:14)
In Is. 9:5 (9:6) he is given additional names: Pele Yoetz (Wonderfull 
Councellor), El Gibbor (Mighty God), Avi-ad (Everlasting Father) and
Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace).

On those days, giving someone some specific name really meant something.
This can be seen from Gen. 32:24-30:

   "So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.
    When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the 
    socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled
    with the man. Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."
    But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."
    The man asked him, "What is your name ?" "Jacob, he answered."
    Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel
    (he struggles with God), because you have struggled with God and
    with men and have overcome." Jacob said, "Please tell me your name."
    But he replied, "Why do you ask my name ?" Then he blessed him there.
    So Jacob called the place Peniel (face of God), saying, "It's because
    I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."

One could as well ask, who's this person with whom Ya'akov wrestled ?
In Ex. 33:20 we see what God says: "But, he said, "you cannot see my face,
for no-one may see me and live."

Nowadays ba'aretz tzabarim give their children fine names:
Shachar - dawn, Hadar - glory, Keren - ray, glory, Zohar - brightness,
Ori - my light, Lior - light for me, Chen - grace, charm, Sa'ar - storm,
Gal - wave, Dor - generation, Yarden - Jordan, Yuval - river, Rina - joy,
singing, Tal - dew...

In Jer. 23:5-6 we see still another name for the Messiah:

   "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to
    David a righteouss Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what 
    is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and
    Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be 
    called: the LORD Our Righteousness."  --  Hashem Tzidkeinu !

See Zech. 14:17, Micha 4:7, Is. 24:23, Dan. 7:13-14, Ob. v. 21, Prov. 8,
Ps. 2, Is. 53:10, Ps. 16:10, Zech. 12:10 as well...

- Laura
--
Lo-yishama od chamam b'artzech shod vashever bigvulayich vekarat
yeshuah (Yeshua) chomotayich ush'arayich t'hila.   -Isaiah 60:18

There's no limit in the wickedness of a man who thinks he's 
doing good.  - Meir Uziel / Ma'ariv
Newsgroups: alt.messianic