Description
Paul takes Isaiah's prophecy of all nations bowing to Jehovah, but substitutes Jehovah for Jesus. All nations must confess Jesus as Jehovah and Lord. This gives us a new lens for interpreting Old Testament prophecies about Jehovah's interventions in end-time earthly affairs.
Commentary
Verses 9 to 11 of this chapter are of fundamental importance to how we interpret Old Testament end-time prophecies of God intervening in earthly affairs. In verse 9, Paul says that God has highly exalted Jesus and given him the name that is above every name. The 'name that is above every name' is a circumlocution for referring to Jehovah. It was common in the 1st century to refer indirectly to Jehovah out of reverence for God's most holy name. Jesus himself does this when he refers to God as 'the Power' in Matthew 24:64.
In verses 10 to 11, Paul says that at the name of Jesus every knee must bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Paul is taking Isaiah 45:22-24, in which Jehovah is speaking, and substituting Jehovah for Jesus.
In Isaiah 45: 22-24 Jehovah says, "Turn to me so you can be delivered, all you who live in the earth’s remote regions! For I am God, and I have no peer. I solemnly make this oath – what I say is true and reliable: ‘Surely every knee will bow to me, every tongue will solemnly affirm; they will say about me, “Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’” All who are angry at him will cower before him".
The implications of this are huge. It gives us a new lens through which to read Old Testament end-time prophecies. Wherever we see Jehovah intervening in end-time earthly affairs we can recognise it as a prophecy of what Jesus will do.
The implications of this go even further when you consider the wider context of Isaiah 45:14-25. In verses 14-15 God says to Israel, "This is what the Lord says: “The profit of Egypt and the revenue of Ethiopia, along with the Sabeans, those tall men, will be brought to you and become yours. They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. They will bow down to you and pray to you: ‘Truly God is with you; he has no peer; there is no other God!’” Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden, O God of Israel, deliverer!"
Isaiah singles out three particular nations that will make this confession. They are Egypt, Cush (translated Ethiopia in the NET bible, but referring to modern-day Sudan), and Saba (modern-day Yemen). These are all Muslim nations. Instead of confessing, "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet", they are confessing to Israel, "Truly God is with you; he has no peer; there is no other God!". This is first of all a confession that the God of Israel is the true God, not Allah the god of Islam. But then Jesus declares as per verse 22, "Turn to me so you can be delivered, all you who live in the earth’s remote regions! For I am God, and I have no peer". So having already confessed that Jehovah is the true God, now Jesus calls these Muslim nations, and all others besides, to recognise that he himself is Jehovah!
Another interesting New Testament example of Jesus being substituted for Jehovah occurs in Jude 1:5 which says, "Now I desire to remind you (even though you have been fully informed of these facts once for all ) that Jesus, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, later destroyed those who did not believe". Some manuscripts and bible translations of Jude say 'Lord' (Greek: kurios) instead of 'Jesus', suggesting that some Christian scribes struggled to understand why Jude had written Jesus. But Jude seems to have read the Exodus story through the lens of Philippians 2:9-11 and understood that it was Jesus who saved the Israelites out of Egypt.
In verses 10 to 11, Paul says that at the name of Jesus every knee must bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Paul is taking Isaiah 45:22-24, in which Jehovah is speaking, and substituting Jehovah for Jesus.
In Isaiah 45: 22-24 Jehovah says, "Turn to me so you can be delivered, all you who live in the earth’s remote regions! For I am God, and I have no peer. I solemnly make this oath – what I say is true and reliable: ‘Surely every knee will bow to me, every tongue will solemnly affirm; they will say about me, “Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’” All who are angry at him will cower before him".
The implications of this are huge. It gives us a new lens through which to read Old Testament end-time prophecies. Wherever we see Jehovah intervening in end-time earthly affairs we can recognise it as a prophecy of what Jesus will do.
The implications of this go even further when you consider the wider context of Isaiah 45:14-25. In verses 14-15 God says to Israel, "This is what the Lord says: “The profit of Egypt and the revenue of Ethiopia, along with the Sabeans, those tall men, will be brought to you and become yours. They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. They will bow down to you and pray to you: ‘Truly God is with you; he has no peer; there is no other God!’” Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden, O God of Israel, deliverer!"
Isaiah singles out three particular nations that will make this confession. They are Egypt, Cush (translated Ethiopia in the NET bible, but referring to modern-day Sudan), and Saba (modern-day Yemen). These are all Muslim nations. Instead of confessing, "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet", they are confessing to Israel, "Truly God is with you; he has no peer; there is no other God!". This is first of all a confession that the God of Israel is the true God, not Allah the god of Islam. But then Jesus declares as per verse 22, "Turn to me so you can be delivered, all you who live in the earth’s remote regions! For I am God, and I have no peer". So having already confessed that Jehovah is the true God, now Jesus calls these Muslim nations, and all others besides, to recognise that he himself is Jehovah!
Another interesting New Testament example of Jesus being substituted for Jehovah occurs in Jude 1:5 which says, "Now I desire to remind you (even though you have been fully informed of these facts once for all ) that Jesus, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, later destroyed those who did not believe". Some manuscripts and bible translations of Jude say 'Lord' (Greek: kurios) instead of 'Jesus', suggesting that some Christian scribes struggled to understand why Jude had written Jesus. But Jude seems to have read the Exodus story through the lens of Philippians 2:9-11 and understood that it was Jesus who saved the Israelites out of Egypt.
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Tags: Jesus as Jehovah, God as Trinity, Every tongue confesses Jesus as Lord, Every knee shall bow, Muslim nations confess Jesus as God
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Tags: Jesus as Jehovah, God as Trinity, Every tongue confesses Jesus as Lord, Every knee shall bow, Muslim nations confess Jesus as God
5 You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,
6 who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature.
8 He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross!
9 As a result God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow – in heaven and on earth and under the earth –
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
6 who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature.
8 He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross!
9 As a result God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow – in heaven and on earth and under the earth –
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
(NET)
