Basic HTML Version
24
Humble Hero
looked for the coming of the Deliverer, when the mystery of the
future would be revealed.
Outside of the Jewish nation, there were some who were looking
for truth, and to them God gave the Spirit of Inspiration. Their
words of prophecy had kindled hope in the hearts of thousands in
the Gentile world.
For hundreds of years, the Scriptures had been available in the
Greek language, then widely spoken throughout the Roman Em-
pire. The Jews were scattered everywhere, and to some extent, the
[14]
Gentiles shared their expectation of the Messiah’s coming. Among
those whom the Jews called heathen were men who had a better
understanding of the Scripture prophecies concerning the Messiah
than the teachers in Israel had.
Some who hoped for His coming as a Deliverer from sin tried
to study into the mystery of the Hebrew system. But the Jews were
determined to maintain the separation between themselves and other
nations, and they were unwilling to share the knowledge they had
about the symbolic service. The true Interpreter, the One whom all
these symbols represented, must come and explain their significance.
God must teach humanity in the language of humanity. Christ must
come to speak words they could clearly understand and to separate
truth from the chaff that had made it powerless.
Among the Jews were some firm believers who preserved a
knowledge of God. They strengthened their faith by remembering
the assurance given through Moses, “The Lord your God will raise
up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear
in all things, whatever He says to you.”
Acts 3:22
. They read how
the Lord would anoint One “to preach good tidings to the poor,” “to
heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,” and to
declare “the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Isaiah 61:1, 2
. He would
establish “justice in the earth,” and the isles would “wait for His
law.”
Isaiah 42:4
. Gentiles would come to His light, and kings to the
brightness of His rising. See
Isaiah 60:3
.
The dying words of Jacob filled them with hope: “The scepter
shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
until Shiloh comes.”
Genesis 49:10
. The fading power of Israel
testified that the Messiah’s coming was near. Many people expected