The REAL Truth about “The Light Unto the Nations

by OvadYah Avrahami

co-founder of KOL HATOR Vision for the Restoration of the re-united 12-Tribed Kingdom of Israel

NOTE – The views and opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily shared by the Rabbinic Associates of KOL HATOR VISION or the authors of other articles used in this publication. These views are the personal conclusions of the author based on the Hebrew Scriptures (Tanach) and Rabbinic sources which are quoted in this article or elsewhere on this Web Site, or in general out there in cyberspace and print.

It is increasingly becoming evident these days as “Knowledge is increasing”  (Daniel 12:4) how that certain general religious words, terms, and ‘clichés’ that are commonly used in Christianity and Judaism cannot be found in the Written Word of the Hebrew Scriptures (Tanach). We learn from this, then, why there is “Oral Interpretation” of the Scriptures.

Oral interpretation of Scripture comes with its own risk factors, viz. that man-made concepts can be presented which could contort the Truth and thus unintentionally mislead mankind. Yet, many Scriptural concepts of Eternal Truth have very scant or no defining descriptions at all in the Written Text of the Bible. For instance:  “Observe the Shabbat” – but no written guidelines as to when exactly the Shabbat starts or what to do and what not to do on Shabbat. We are commanded to put a Mezuzah on our doorposts, and wear tefillin, Talith – but NO descriptions of what format these entail. The List is endless. This is where Oral Interpretation is required. But, by who?  As with Law enforcement all over the World, there have to be appointed Lawmakers and law enforcement – it cannot possibly be left to the decision of citizens. Yet, concerning the Universal Kingdom of the Creator God, mankind generally regards it as a ‘free for all,’ each insisting on ‘their’ interpretation to be correct.  While the Scriptures do define the Divine Mandate as given to Judah (the Jews), the majority of the followers of the Bible in the World reject this Jewish Judicial authority and leadership.  The result:  Total confusion and disunity.

We will concern ourselves for this discussion with one such very common claim, that “the Jews have been appointed as ‘A Light unto the nations.’” At the time of this writing, it coincides perfectly with the Haftarah Noach. This all holds a tremendous promise and Blessing not just for faithful Judah, Guardian of the Torah throughout the ages, but also for re-identifying and Returning 10-Israel – the House of Israel, exiled since the Time following King Solomon’s Rule and the Split of His Kingdom.

 

There are those who claim that this statement regarding Jews as ‘A Light unto the Nations’ is nowhere to be found in Scripture. While this is true to some extent, the confirmation of this Divine Mandate underlies several Scriptures which indeed confirm this Mandate – and in a way that leaves no doubt, even if somewhat concealed. In fact, in this way, it is presented as an overall concept of the Way in which the Creator, God of Israel, has chosen to rule and regulate the World, at the same time thereby testing His would-be followers if they truly are prepared to follow HIS directives and not their own desires.

This topic is also intertwined with another clear Divine Directive regarding His Mandate to the Tribe of Judah (the Jews) His appointed Judicial Arm, to be His ‘Lawgivers’ and interpreters until He comes to rule Himself in His Universal Kingdom, over all nations from Jerusalem.

 

To identify this “Light unto the Nations” and the part that Judah (the Jews, the Mechoqeck or Justice Arm of HaShem) play in this all, simply requires extraction of all texts in the Hebrew Scriptures of the Bible (the Tanach – or ‘Old Testament’) – as we will do hereunder. There are also several specific such confirmations in the ‘New Testament’ part of The Bible – which we will mention in a final addendum to this review.

Scriptural statements to define ‘The Light unto the Nations’

Isaiah 42

ו  אֲנִי יְהוָה קְרָאתִיךָ בְצֶדֶק, וְאַחְזֵק בְּיָדֶךָ; וְאֶצָּרְךָ, וְאֶתֶּנְךָ לִבְרִית   עָם–לְאוֹר גּוֹיִם.	6 I HaShem have called thee in righteousness, and have taken hold of thy hand, and kept thee, and set thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations;
לִפְקֹחַ, עֵינַיִם עִוְרוֹת; לְהוֹצִיא מִמַּסְגֵּר אַסִּיר, מִבֵּית כֶּלֶא יֹשְׁבֵי חֹשֶׁךְ	7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the   dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-   house.

 

Who is He addressing here? Let us turn to the context of Isa. Ch. 42:

Verse 1: He refers to: “His Servant whom He upholds; His elect in whom His soul delights; He has put His Spirit upon this Servant who shall bring forth judgment (Mishpat)  to the Gentiles.”

 

Ref. also to 30+ English translations of this text – https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Isaiah%2042:1

 

NOTE – and bear in mind for the rest of this study the relationship between this ‘Servant’ and the Mishpat (Justice, Law application) to the Nations in order to find the Time setting for being “The Light unto the Nations.”

 

So this ‘Servant’ is, or shall be, His Light unto the nations. Jewish Oral Torah has since ancient times applied this ‘Servant’ (mentioned in 9 consecutive chapters in Isaiah) as being the Nation of Israel.  Christianity applied it to their New Testament  ‘Messiah’.  Now here we have another of those awarenesses of late, that the word ‘The Messiah’ never appears in all of Scripture as referring to a Redeeming Messiah. The 39 usages of this word in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Tanach or ‘Old’ Testament according to Christians) all refer to mortal men, priests, kings, etc. – NEVER is the word ‘Messiah’ used for any of the identifications which Bible commentators apply to their concept of ‘a Messiah’ to come. These ‘messiahs’ whom the Scriptures do refer to by the term ‘Mashiach’ were mere ‘annointeds’ – priests, kings (David), and even a non-Israelite, King Cyrus.  Christianity which makes the same claims for their NT Messiah, thus simply follows Jewish Oral Torah, which is where the popular term “Mashiach’ derives from, even though they vehemently reject Jewish Rabbinic Oral interpretation.   (For Rabbinic confirmation of the above statements, see this video ‘Who is the Messiah’?)

 

“His Servant’ is blind and deaf

 

So who is this ‘Servant,’ HaShem’s Light unto the Nations, who will ‘open the blind eyes and release the prisoners’ (verse 7)?  We have another guideline in this same chapter:

Isa. 42

מִי עִוֵּר כִּי אִם-עַבְדִּי, וְחֵרֵשׁ כְּמַלְאָכִי אֶשְׁלָח; מִי עִוֵּר כִּמְשֻׁלָּם,עִוֵּר כְּ וְעֶבֶד יְהוָה.

19 Who is blind, but My servant? Or deaf, as My   messenger that I send? Who is blind as he that is   wholehearted, and blind as HaShem’s  servant?

Could this really refer to ‘The Messiah’? In the verses leading up to v. 19, HaShem claims to be the One Who  “will bring the blind by a way that they knew not, in paths that they knew not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and rugged places plain. These things will I do, and I will not leave them undone.”

 

Surely, He is hinting here at a communal Work ‘with’ His Servant? A Work of which He will be the Inspiration, the Driving Force?

Verse 22 and the rest of this chapter refer to His nation as this blind, the very ‘Servant’ whom He elects and favors – and all the world knows that the Jews, Israel, is ‘His elect’. Can they be this Servant ‘who is blind, yet destined to be the Light unto the Nations?’

Let us delve further into the Scriptural issue of this term, “Light unto the nations”.

Isaiah 49 re. ‘Light unto the Nations’

 

Here we have another address to ‘The Servant’ – but, here it is defined as ‘Israel’, His Elect Nation – Note, not ‘Judah’ – and Scripture is very clear about the TWO Houses of Israel, namely: Judah, His Mechoqeck (Lawgivers, Justice Arm) and ‘The House of Israel’ (the Northern 10 Tribes of Israel), exiled from the Land 2-3 centuries BEFORE the destruction of the 1st Temple and the subsequent exile of Judah to Babylon. The Scriptures use these two words independently, referring to the division of the Kingdom into two separate ‘Houses’ in the time of Solomon’s Rule over the World Empire of Israel. Depending on the context, it could, in some secluded instances, also refer to the Whole House of 12-Israel (as in the ‘House of Ya’akov’).

Isaiah 49

ג  וַיֹּאמֶר לִי, עַבְדִּי-אָתָּה–יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲשֶׁר-בְּךָ ה וְעַתָּה אָמַר יְהוָה, יוֹצְרִי מִבֶּטֶן לְעֶבֶד לוֹ, לְשׁוֹבֵב יַעֲקֹב אֵלָיו, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל לא (לוֹ) יֵאָסֵף; וְאֶכָּבֵד בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה, וֵאלֹהַי הָיָה עֻזִּיאֶתְפָּאָר.

3   And He said unto me:  ‘Thou art My servant,  Israel,  in whom I  will be glorified.’ 5 And now saith HaShem that formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob [all 12 Tribes] back to Him, and that Israel [all 12 Tribes] be gathered unto Him–for I [the Servant] am honourable in the eyes of HaShem, and my God is become my strength–

NOTE – This ‘gathering’ of the divided family of Israel refers to the pending fulfillment of the Scriptural metaphor in Yoseph, the Ruler in Egypt, who gathered and reconciled the family of Ya’akov. We have learned from the Parashot commentaries of Genesis ch. 28 – 50 (Va’yetzey, Va’yishlach, Va’yeshev, Mikeitz, Va’yigash, Va’yechi), which refer to the Scriptural allegory or hint of a future ‘Yoseph’ to come who would reconcile the Family of Ya’akov’, the greatly divided House or Nation of HaShem. Such a ‘Yoseph would be the harbinger to the Final Redemption (Geulah).  This would herald the Release of HaShem’s People finally from Egypt, in this way fulfilling HaShem’s Opening Statement at Creation (Gen. 1), “Let there be Light”.

The Final Divine Touch to follow will be the outpouring of His Spirit on those who will be justified on the Day of Judgment, thereby perfecting them in His Image. This staggering concluding Event of this Dispensation (i.e. the six millennia before the Shabbat Millennium – now close at hand)  is referred to in Scripture as the  “New Covenant”. This is described in Jer. 31:31; Ezek. 11:19; Ezek. 36:27; Ezek. 34:24; Ezek. 37:24 (Note from the preceding context in each of these Scripture sections, how that this outpouring of His Spirit follows AFTER the Ingathering of the exiles and the re-uniting of the two divided Houses of Israel which has NEVER YET happened to this day – thus yet future, the concluding End Time Event).

Jer. 31

לב  כִּי זֹאת הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר אֶכְרֹת אֶת-בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחֲרֵי הַיָּמִים הָהֵם, נְאֻם-יְהוָה, נָתַתִּי אֶת-תּוֹרָתִי בְּקִרְבָּם, וְעַל-לִבָּם אֶכְתְּבֶנָּה; וְהָיִיתִי לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים, וְהֵמָּה יִהְיוּ-לִי לְעָם.	32 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith HaShem, I will put My Law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people;
לג  וְלֹא יְלַמְּדוּ עוֹד, אִישׁ אֶת-רֵעֵהוּ וְאִישׁ אֶת-אָחִיו לֵאמֹר, דְּעוּ, אֶת-יְהוָה:  כִּי-כוּלָּם יֵדְעוּ אוֹתִי לְמִקְּטַנָּם וְעַד-גְּדוֹלָם, נְאֻם-יְהוָה–כִּי אֶסְלַח לַעֲוֺנָם, וּלְחַטָּאתָם לֹא אֶזְכָּר-עוֹד.  {ס}	33 and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying: ‘Know the LORD’; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith HaShem; for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.
לד  כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה, נֹתֵן שֶׁמֶשׁ לְאוֹר יוֹמָם, חֻקֹּת יָרֵחַ וְכוֹכָבִים, לְאוֹר לָיְלָה; רֹגַע הַיָּם וַיֶּהֱמוּ גַלָּיו, יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ.	34 Thus saith HaShem, Who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirreth up the sea, that the waves thereof roar, HaShem of hosts is His Name:
לה  אִם-יָמֻשׁוּ הַחֻקִּים הָאֵלֶּה, מִלְּפָנַי–נְאֻם-יְהוָה; גַּם זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יִשְׁבְּתוּ, מִהְיוֹת גּוֹי לְפָנַי–כָּל-הַיָּמִים	35 If these ordinances depart from before Me, saith HaShem, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me for ever.

 

And here is the Final Fulfilment:

 

Jer. 3

טז  וְהָיָה כִּי תִרְבּוּ וּפְרִיתֶם בָּאָרֶץ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה, נְאֻם-יְהוָה–לֹא-יֹאמְרוּ עוֹד אֲרוֹן בְּרִית-יְהוָה, וְלֹא יַעֲלֶה עַל-לֵב; וְלֹא יִזְכְּרוּ-בוֹ וְלֹא יִפְקֹדוּ, וְלֹא יֵעָשֶׂה עוֹד.	16 And it shall come to pass, when ye are multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith HaShem, they shall say no more: The Ark of the Covenant of HaShem; neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they make mention of it; neither shall they miss it; neither shall it be made any more.
יז  בָּעֵת הַהִיא, יִקְרְאוּ לִירוּשָׁלִַם כִּסֵּא יְהוָה, וְנִקְווּ אֵלֶיהָ כָל-הַגּוֹיִם לְשֵׁם יְהוָה, לִירוּשָׁלִָם; וְלֹא-יֵלְכוּ עוֹד–אַחֲרֵי, שְׁרִרוּת לִבָּם הָרָע.	17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the Throne of HaShem; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the Name of HaShem, to Jerusalem; neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart.
יח  בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה, יֵלְכוּ בֵית-יְהוּדָה עַל-בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל; וְיָבֹאוּ יַחְדָּו, מֵאֶרֶץ צָפוֹן, עַל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר הִנְחַלְתִּי אֶת-אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם.	18 In those days the House of Judah shall walk with the House of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.’

 

Defining the ‘Servant’ as His Light unto the Nations’.

 

The fact that this Divine Mandate of being “A Light unto the Nations” is a yet future End Time Event protrudes clearly and definitively from the context of this chapter 49 of Isaiah.

Isa. 49:6

ו  וַיֹּאמֶר, נָקֵל מִהְיוֹתְךָ לִי עֶבֶד, לְהָקִים אֶת-שִׁבְטֵי יַעֲקֹב, ונצירי (וּנְצוּרֵי) יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהָשִׁיב; וּנְתַתִּיךָ לְאוֹר גּוֹיִם, לִהְיוֹת יְשׁוּעָתִי עַד-קְצֵה הָאָרֶץ

6 He (HaShem) said: ‘It is not enough that you are merely My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the offspring of Israel; I will also give thee for a light to the nations, that My Salvation may be unto the end of the earth.’

Here ‘the Servant of God’ is Divinely mandated for a 2-tier Restoration Process:

1. to bring back the Exiles of the entire 12-Tribed House of Jacob;
2. by reconciling and restoring ‘the offspring of Israel’ which had been so divided, this ‘Servant’ will create the re-united 12-Tribed Kingdom of Israel, which, after receiving the outpouring of the Spirit of HaShem on those who will be accepted in the Day of Judgment, will serve as a Light unto the Nations – under the Kingdom Rule of the Creator God of Israel through His ‘Servant’ who He would have perfected completely in His Image.

 

Conclusion – So, we have gathered thus far that the allegoric ‘Yoseph’, ‘Servant’ of HaShem,  who will restore and re-unite the 12 Tribed Israel (reconciling BOTH Houses) will be that One that brings Justice to the Nations (the Shiloh that will take over the Mechoqeck Rule from the Tribe of Judah at the Tine of Final Restoration), thereby becoming a Light unto the Nations under the direct Universal Kingdom Rule of HaShem. As such, they will serve as His Living Tabernacle in whom He will dwell amongst His People for Eternity – i.e. the ultimately elected Body of ‘Yoseph, the Family Restorer’.

 

Further Evidence

 

Isaiah 51

ד  הַקְשִׁיבוּ אֵלַי עַמִּי, וּלְאוּמִּי אֵלַי הַאֲזִינוּ:  כִּי תוֹרָה, מֵאִתִּי תֵצֵא, וּמִשְׁפָּטִי, לְאוֹר עַמִּים אַרְגִּיעַ.

4 Attend unto Me, O My people, and give ear unto Me, O My nation; for Torah shall go forth from Me, and  I will establish My justice for a light to the nations.

 

Ref. 30+ translations of this text:  https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Isaiah%2051:4

NOTE – Torah shall go forth, and His Justice (Mishpat) will be the Light unto the Nations.

 

Let us turn to another verse at this stage, from Isa. 42 to confirm

Isaiah 42:4

ד  לֹא יִכְהֶה וְלֹא יָרוּץ, עַד-יָשִׂים בָּאָרֶץ מִשְׁפָּט; וּלְתוֹרָתוֹ, אִיִּים יְיַחֵלוּ.

4 he (the Servant) will not weaken or be crushed until he has established justice on the earth and the coastlands wait for his Torah.”

 

Ref. 30+ translations of this text: https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Isaiah%2042:4

 

Continuing our tracing of The Light unto the Nations:

Isaiah 60:3

 

“Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” (Referring to Jerusalem restored – ref, context ch. 60).

 

Proceeding with our Conclusion:

 

So, we have concluded that His Servant, Israel, renewed and filled by the Spirit of HaShem is that bringer of Light (Torah, Justice, Mishpat) to the Nations.  This refers to the reconciled, re-united, 12-Tribed Kingdom of HaShem.

How does ‘Jerusalem’ now fit into this?

 

Micah 4:2 explains:

“And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the Mountain of HaShem, and to the House of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His Ways, and we will walk in His Paths: for the Torah shall go forth of Zion, and the Word of HaShem from Jerusalem.”

 

We have, in one Psalm, 119, the longest Psalm in the Scriptures, the entire Foundation of Life. Ps. 119 Is all about the Torah, expressing the Will of God, His Word, His Way, His wishes for the good of all mankind. Refer colour coded study: Ps 119- Declaring the Key of Life unto Humanity

 

Psalm 43:3

“Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to Your Holy Mountain, to the Place where You dwell.”

 

Proverbs 6:23

“For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the Way to Life,”

 

Isaiah 2:5

“Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of HaShem.”

 

Isaiah 8:20

“Consult God’s instruction and the Testimony of Warning. If anyone does not speak according to this Word, they have no light of dawn.”

 

Conclusion

 

There is only ONE conclusion to be deduced from the above Scriptural evidence regarding The Light unto the Nations. viz. that Israel (all 12 Tribes, regathered from the Exile and re-united into ONE Nation) is Divinely elected to bring that Light (Torah, Justice) unto the Nations. Which Torah?  As interpreted by His mandated Judicial Arm, Judah, the Jewish leadership stemming from Moses. This Torah proclamation would earn the Jews the hate and the scorn of the Nations until the End of Days when ‘the Servant’ of HaShem would stand up and Return to their heritage and the Land shining the Light of Torah to the surrounding Nations. Then Scripture will be fulfilled as nations will “bow before Judah”  (Gen. 49:8) for their Guidance in finding and adopting these Keys to Life.

Gen. 49

ח  יְהוּדָה, אַתָּה יוֹדוּךָ אַחֶיךָ–יָדְךָ, בְּעֹרֶף אֹיְבֶיךָ; יִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ, בְּנֵי אָבִיךָ.	8 Judah, thee shall thy brethren praise; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s sons shall bow down before thee.
לֹא-יָסוּר שֵׁבֶט מִיהוּדָה, וּמְחֹקֵק מִבֵּין רַגְלָיו, עַד כִּי-יָבֹא שִׁילֹה, וְלוֹ יִקְּהַת עַמִּים.	10 The Scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, as long as men come to Shiloh; and unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.

This all needs our clear introspection here. We need to put aside, for the moment, all previous convictions and fairly consider these Prophetic statements regarding this Servant bringing the Light unto the World. The Scriptural evidence refers to the Release and Return from exile of the ‘blind captives’. This Return will require their learning of Torah from Judah, the appointed Mechoqeck of HaShem, in order to bring this Light (Justice, Torah) to the other captives and the Nations around. This will open their own understanding  and secure their eventual joining with Judah to become also “The Light unto the Gentiles.”

In this way HaShem will be using ALL Israel (BOTH Houses) to be The Light unto the World, to bring forth a Future of a Restored 12-Tribed Kingdom to rule over the Nations in a New World Order of Peace and Righteousness.

 

Be sure to read the revelationary study on Judah – the Mechoqeck of God.

 

Further Confirmation

 

The topic of ‘A Light to the World’ forms part of the first two Parashot of the yearly Bible Reading Cycle, Bereisheet, and Noach (starting from Genesis 1). It is confirmed by the Haftarah readings of these sections. Turn now to our special Haftarah selections:

• “The Servant of God” – Who is this?
• Who is ‘The Servant’ in this Haftarah? 
• the Haftarah Commentary on Parashat Noach

This Great Blessing to be A Light unto the Nations, will befall those souls who conquer spiritually, to become elected by HaShem as “His Servant” and as the Tabernacle or Temple which He will indwell, to rule over the Nations in His Universal Kingdom and to dwell amongst His People forever in a Living Tabernacle.  They will be elected from amongst the entire House of Israel – which consists of:

• Judah (the Jews) partly returned to and rebuilding the Land of Israel,
• Judah still in Exile,
• the Captive Child of Judah,
• the Captives of the House of Israel, and
• all those already in the Restoration and Return Process
• all those already in the Restoration and Return Process
• ANY human being who wishes to make the Ruth Claim to the God of the Jews, the Nation of Israel, and the Land of Israel:
• “I want your God to be my God and your People to be my People …”