Isaiah prophesied that the Spirit of Jehovah—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of Jehovah—would rest upon Christ (11:2). Christ in His human living, as the branch of Jesse in His humanity, had all these attributes. He was full of the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of Jehovah. When He returns, in His humanity He will be given the authority to execute judgment in righteousness over the earth and make all the creatures of God live in peaceful harmony (vv. 3-9).
In his prophecy the prophet Jeremiah said that Christ, the Shoot of David, is called “Jehovah our righteousness” (Jer. 23:6). This indicates that Christ in His humanity, as the Shoot of David, is not merely a man; He is Jehovah becoming our righteousness. At Jeremiah’s time there was no righteousness among the Israelites. But Jeremiah prophesied that Christ would come as a Shoot who is Jehovah Himself to be the righteousness of God’s chosen people. Paul refers to the fulfillment of this in 1 Corinthians 1:30 where he says, “Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God: both righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” The people of God do not have righteousness in themselves (Psa. 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Rom 3:10); “our righteousnesses are like a soiled garment” (Isa. 64:6). But we have this Christ, the Shoot of David, who is called Jehovah our righteousness. He is God Himself who died on the cross as a man to accomplish redemption for us by shedding His blood. Based on this redemption, we can receive God’s forgiveness; God makes Christ our righteousness and clothes us with the robe of righteousness (61:10) so that we may be justified before God.
The New Testament reveals and testifies that Christ in His Godhead is God, and in His humanity He is man. There are also prophecies concerning these two aspects in the Old Testament. The prophecies concerning the divinity of Christ in the Old Testament mainly say that Christ is the eternal Creator, that His goings forth are from ancient times, that He is God, even the Mighty God, and that He is the eternal Father. The prophecies concerning the humanity of Christ are typified mainly in relation to four persons: the seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham, the seed of David, and a branch of Jesse, the Shoot of David.
In the aspect of divinity, the Old Testament prophesies that Christ is the Creator who is eternally unchanging and whose years are without end. Christ is the Creator who existed even before creation. He remains forever and ever, from eternity past to eternity future. The prophet Micah prophesied that Christ is from the ancient time and from the days of eternity. This means that Christ existed in eternity, before the creation of all things. This is also a prophecy related to Christ’s deity. The Psalms prophesy that Christ is God Himself, that in His divinity He has the eternal throne, and that the scepter of His kingdom is upright. This Christ who is God with all the riches of His divinity has become “so great a salvation” to the believers. Isaiah prophesied that He is the Mighty God and the Eternal Father. The Christ who was born as a baby is the Son given to us by God, and this Christ the Son is the eternal Father. The baby born in the manger in Bethlehem was the gift given by God to us, and this gift is His Son, who is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Eternal Father, and the Prince of Peace. When we receive this Christ, we receive God and enjoy all His riches.
Concerning the aspect of His humanity, the Old Testament first prophesied that Christ is the seed of the woman; this is the first prophecy in the entire Bible. Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Christ being the seed of the woman in His humanity. As the seed of the woman, Christ in His humanity is God with us. By His death on the cross, He bruised the head of the ancient serpent, Satan. Christ in His humanity is also the seed of Abraham as typified by Isaac, who came out of Abraham and received the inheritance. Christ in His humanity blesses the nations so that the nations may receive the gospel of Christ, which is to receive the Spirit promised by God. He is also the seed of David, who builds the temple of God in His resurrected humanity and whose humanity in resurrection was designated the Son of God as the firstborn Son of God. This implies that God’s intention is to make Himself man in order to make man God in life and nature but not in the Godhead. This is the ultimate goal that Christ has accomplished and attained as the seed of David in His humanity. The Old Testament further prophesied that Christ is a branch of Jesse, the Shoot of David. The Spirit of Jehovah rested upon Him, and He was full of the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of Jehovah. His name is called Jehovah our righteousness. The people of God do not have righteousness, but Christ is Jehovah our righteousness that we may be justified before God.