Luke 1:69 And The Deity Of Jesus Christ

        "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant." (Luke 1:68-69)

        What did Zacharias mean when he called the baby in Mary's womb a horn of salvation? In order to answer that question, we must turn to the Old Testament to see how that figurative expression was utilized.

        In the Old Testament, horns in many instances carried connotations of strength and honor (Job 16:15; Psalm 75:5-6; 148:14; Lamentations 2:3). God is described as being the horn of salvation in Psalm 18:2. Hence, the psalmist calls Him the mighty savior.

        The title given to God in Psalm 18:2 is applied to Jesus Christ by Zacharias. In an indirect fashion, he is calling Christ God. He is the mighty savior of the Jewish people. He is victorious over darkness and sin. He is deserving of honor.

        The horn of salvation is associated with the lineage of King David. It also might point to in an inexplicit manner a hymnal of praise to God sung by the mother of the Prophet Samuel ("...will exalt the horn of His anointed," 1 Samuel 2:10).

Comments

Anonymous said…
Zacharias goes on to say:

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;

That reads as though Jesus was a prophet, not part of the godhead.

It is also clear that salvation in this context means saved from your enemies, not from sin (though he later indicates that forgiveness is part of that salvation):

71 [aq]Salvation from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;

This follows the usage in 1 Samuel and the Psalm (which is presumably one quoting the other), where again it is about being saved from your enemies.

1 Sam 22:2 He said,

“The Lord is my [a]rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
3 [b]My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge;
My savior, You save me from violence.
4 “I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
And I am saved from my enemies.

18:1 “I love You, O Lord, my strength.”
2 The Lord is my [b]rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
And I am saved from my enemies.

Pix
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
Stupid article. THere is nothing in Luke 1:69 saying Jesus is god.

yes there is. That passage says he's the horn of salvation. go lean what that means,who else is called Israel's salvation?
This follows the usage in 1 Samuel and the Psalm (which is presumably one quoting the other), where again it is about being saved from your enemies.

It's right in front of your face. Open your eyes blind one. You are blind to spiritual things.
Jesse Albrecht said…
Pix,

Luke 1:76 is actually a reference to John the Baptist, as the prophecy transitions to "and you, my child."

God's salvation covers both personal sin and also the sinful world that we were born into.
Zacharias goes on to say:

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;

That reads as though Jesus was a prophet, not part of the godhead.

It is also clear that salvation in this context means saved from your enemies, not from sin (though he later indicates that forgiveness is part of that salvation):

your arguments are based upon legalistic assumptions. Being a peoph does not keep him from being part of Godhead. he's also our high priest so how could he be a prophet? he can have more than one job,

71 [aq]Salvation from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;

symbolic

This follows the usage in 1 Samuel and the Psalm (which is presumably one quoting the other), where again it is about being saved from your enemies.

symbolic


Anonymous said…
Jesse: Luke 1:76 is actually a reference to John the Baptist, as the prophecy transitions to "and you, my child."

Okay, that is a fair point; I was wrong on that.


Pix
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

Popular posts from this blog

How Many Children in Bethlehem Did Herod Kill?

The Bogus Gandhi Quote

Where did Jesus say "It is better to give than receive?"

Discussing Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Tillich, part 2: What does it mean to say "God is Being Itself?"

Revamping and New Articles at the CADRE Site

The Folded Napkin Legend

A Botched Abortion Shows the Lies of Pro-Choice Proponents

Do you say this of your own accord? (John 18:34, ESV)

A Non-Biblical Historian Accepts the Key "Minimum Facts" Supporting Jesus' Resurrection