We have been presented with a list of scriptures, evidently with the idea that these scriptures prove that Jesus is Jehovah, since both are spoken of as "king". Evidently, it is thought that by doing to so, this would also offer proof that the trinity doctrine is true, since one could imagine and assume that Jehovah is more than one person, and that Jesus is a person of Jehovah.
The scriptures presented are:
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Psalm 10:16 * Psalm 29:10 * Psalm 44:4 * Psalm 47:7 * Psalm 74:12 * Isaiah 43:15 * Jeremiah 10:10 * Zechariah 14:9.
Jesus as King
Matthew 2:1,2 * Luke 19:32-38 * Luke 23:3 * John 18:37 * John 19:21 * Acts 17:7 * 1 Timothy 6:15.
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Let us examine the scriptures to see if they actually reveal Jesus as being Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Psalms 10:16 - Jehovah is King for ever and ever: The nations are perished out of his land. -- American Standard Version (ASV).
Jehovah is declared to be King forever, and so He is. It is this "Jehovah" who is presented as being only one person in Isaiah 9:7; 61:1,2 and Micah 5:4.
Isaiah 9:7 - Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this. -- ASV.
Psalm 29:10 - Jehovah sat as King at the Flood; Yea, Jehovah sitteth as King for ever. -- American Standard Version (ASV).
Here we read that Jehovah sat as King at (during) the flood, possibly referring to the flood of Noah's day). And we read that Jehovah is to sit as King forever. The wording seems to support the idea that it is speaking of a specific flood and that Jehovah sat as King during that flood. Thus, if by flood is meant the flood of Noah's day, which we believe that it is, Jesus is not depicted in the Bible as having sat as king during the flood. Jehovah certainly showed Himself to be King, or ruler, of his creation when he made the waters above descend and the waters below to flood over. -- Genesis 6:17; 7:11.
Jehovah, however, did give to Jesus power and authority so that Jesus was enabled to command the wind and water. (Luke 8:25) The Bible writers, however, always show that Jesus' God is the source of Jesus' power and authority; they never present Jesus as being the source of his power. -- Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Psalm 2:6-8; 45:7; 110:1,2; Isaiah 9:6,7; 11:2; 42:1; 61:1-3; Jeremiah 23:5; Ezekiel 34:23,24; 37:24; Daniel 7:13,14; Micah 5:4; Matthew 12:28; 28:18; Luke 1:32; 4:14,18; 5:17; John 3:34; 5:19,27,30; 10:18,36-38; Acts 2:22,36; 3:13-26; 10:38; Romans 1:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:27; 2 Corinthians 13:4; Colossians 1:15,16; 2:10; Ephesians 1:3,17-23; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:2,4,6,9; 1 Peter 3:22.
There is definitely nothing in the fact that Jehovah is depicted as "King' in Psalm 29:11 that means that we need to imagine as assume that Jehovah's making His Son to be "king" means that Jesus is Jehovah, or that Jehovah is three persons, or that Jesus is a person of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, etc.
Psalm 44:4 - Thou art my King, O God: Command deliverance for Jacob. -- ASV
Here the Psalmist acknowledges God as being his King. We cannot be certain who wrote this Psalm, but this acknowledgment of God as being the King of Israel does not conflict with the fact that while God is the King of Israel, God has appointed others to sit on his throne as kings over Israel. The fact that he appointed these others as kings over Israel does not call for us to imagine and assume that all these kings are God Almighty because of their being appointed as kings; likewise, with Jesus: We should not imagine and assume that Jesus is God Almighty since Jesus' God has appointed him to be King of God's people.
Psalms 47:7 - For God is the King of all the earth: Sing ye praises with understanding.
Psalms 74:12 - Yet God is my King of old, Working salvation in the midst of the earth.
In this verse, Asaph refers to Jehovah as being "my King". Asaph probably lived during the reign of David. Surely, Asaph would have recognized David as being his king, and thus he certainly could have referred to David as "my king". The recognition of David as being Israel's king, however, does not give us any reason to imagine and assume that David is Jehovah, or that David is a person of Jehovah, etc. -- 2 Chronicles 8:11; 29:27.
Here Jehovah speaks of Himself as being Sacred, or Set-Apart One who had created Israel. Jehovah created Israel through Jacob and his twelve sons. He kept them as a separate people while they were in the land of Egypt. He brought them out of Egypt and established his covenant with them. He was thus king of Israel before any human king had ever been appointed as king of Israel. (1 Samuel 8:7) Thus, Jehovah was king before the throne of David had been established. The throne of David is also the throne of Jehovah, because Jehovah established it, and the scriptures foretell the coming of one who sits forever upon the throne of David. -- 1 Kings 2:45; 9:5; Isaiah 9:7; Ezekiel 37:25; Luke 1:32,33.
Nothing in any of this means that we need to imagine and assume that Jesus is Jehovah any more than we would have any reason to think that David or Solomon is Jehovah because they sat on the throne of Jehovah. -- 1 Chronicles 29:23.
Jeremiah 10:10 - But Jehovah is the true God; he is the living God, and an everlasting King: at his wrath the earth trembleth, and the nations are not able to abide his indignation. -- ASV.
In Jeremiah 10:2-4, Jehovah refers to the foolishness of the nations (Gentiles, Heathen) in their idolatrous practices. Whereas the idols formed by men are only temporary and actually have no power, Jehovah is the everlasting King. No one gives to Jehovah his Kingship. On the other hand, Jehovah gives to Jesus his kingship. -- Psalm 2:6; Isaiah 9:7; Daniel 7:13,14; Ezekiel 34:23,24; 37:24; Luke 1:32,33; Ephesians 1:3,17-23; Philippians 2:9-11.
Matthew 2:1,2
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod, the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him." -- World English.
In the context we read:
Matthew 2:6 - 'You Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are in no way least among the princes of Judah: For out of you shall come forth a governor, Who shall shepherd my people, Israel'". -- World English.
Did these "wise men" come to worship Jesus as being Jehovah, the King who sat on his throne during the flood of Noah's day? No, they came to worship (give homage to) the one who was born King of Jews.
Matthew 2:6 relates how this born King of Jews is foretold by paraphrasing the prophecies of Micah 5:2,4 and Ezekiel 34:23 and Ezekiel 37:24.
Micah 5:2 - But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. -- New Revised Standard Version.
Micah 5:4 - And he shall stand, and shall feed his flock in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God: and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. -- American Standard Version.
Micah 5:2 relates which tribe this King would come from. Micah 5:4 relates how this King is to shepherd the sheep in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God (ELOHIM). Rather than presenting Jesus as being Jehovah who sat on his throne in the flood of Noah's day, Jehovah is depicted as being Jesus' God, and Jesus' shepherds in the strength of Jehovah, his God.
Ezekiel 34:23 - And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
Ezekiel 34:24 - And I, Jehovah, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them; I, Jehovah, have spoken it.
Ezekiel 37:24 - And my servant David shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in mine ordinances, and observe my statutes, and do them. -- American Standard Version.
Again, rather than presenting the foretold King-Shepherd as being Jehovah, the Messiah, depicted above as "David", is presented as being made the "one shepherd" appointed over Jehovah's sheep. Jesus claimed to be this one shepherd as recorded in John 10:11,14,16. In harmony with Ezekiel 34:23; 37:24, Jesus acknowledges that the sheep are given to him from Jehovah, the only true God (Omnipotent Mighty One) who had sent him. -- Isaiah 61:1,2; John 10:29; John 17:1-3,9.
Thus, the King of Jews spoken of in Matthew 2:1,2 is not Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but rather the king that Jesus' God, Jehovah has set up to shepherd his people.
Luke 19:32-38
Those who were sent went away, and found things just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?"
They said, "The Lord needs it."
They brought it to Jesus. They threw their cloaks on the colt, and set Jesus on them. As he went, they spread their cloaks in the way. As he was now getting near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of Jehovah! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!" -- Restoration Light Improved Version.
Rather than being the King who is Jehovah, Jesus is depicted as the King who comes in the name of Jehovah. This corresponds to the prophecy of Moses as given in Deuteronomy 18:15-19 as well as the prophecy of Psalm 118:16. Acts 3:13-26 applies the prophet in the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:16-19 to Jesus. Jesus is not depicted as being Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but rather Jesus is depicted as the being servant of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob raised up his servant to be the prophet like Moses.
Luke 1:32 - He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and [Jehovah] God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, -- ASV, with God's Holy Name supplied as "Jehovah".
Jehovah's Kingship is not given to him from anyone else; the Messiah's Kingship is given to him from his God, Jehovah, in whose strength he stands. -- Micah 5:4.
There is definitely nothing in the angel's declaration that says that Jesus is Jehovah because Jehovah has given the throne to Jesus. -- Psalm 2:6; Isaiah 9:7; Daniel 7:14; Ezekiel 34:23,24; 37:24; Acts 5:30,31;
Yes, it is Jehovah who gives the throne of David to the Messiah, and Jesus is to be the permanent king to sit on that throne.
Luke 23:3 - And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest.
God willing, we will comment on the following scriptures later. However, it should be obvious that in none of these is Jesus being identified as being Jehovah, or a person of Jehovah.
Acts 17:7
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