The REAL Truth underlying the Jews as the Light Unto the Nations?

It is increasingly becoming evident these days as “Knowledge is increasing”  (Daniel 12:4) how general religious ‘clichés’ that are commonly used in Christianity and Judaism have no written Scriptural source in the Bible. 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 mislead mankind. Yet, many Scriptural concepts have very scant or no defining descriptions 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 door posts, 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 has 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.  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 co-incides perfectly with the Haftarah Noach of this week. 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, 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 an extraction of all texts in the Hebrew Scriptures of the Bible (the Tanach – or ‘Old Testament’) – as we will do here under. 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 42:6 “I, HaShem, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles.”

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. 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.

So this ‘Servant’ is His Light unto the nations. Jewish Oral Torah has since ancient times applied this ‘Servant’ (mentioned in 4 Prophecies in Isaiah) as “The 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 38 usages of this word in the Hebrew scriptures all refer to mortal men, priests, kings, etc. who were merely ‘annointeds’. Christianity which makes the same claims for their NT Messiah thus simply follows Jewish Oral Torah, even though they vehemently reject Jewish Rabbinic Oral interpretation.

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

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 refers 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 to be the Light unto the Nations?

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

Isaiah 49

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, Justdice Arm) and ‘The House of Israel’ (the Northern 10 Tribes of Israel) :

Verse 3  “And He (HaShem) said unto me: ‘Thou art My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’

Verse 5, 6

“So now HaShem  says —
He formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Ya‘akov [all 12 Tribes] back to Him,
to have Isra’el [all 12 Tribes] gathered to Him,
so that I [the Servant] will be honored in the sight of HaShem.

He (HaShem) has said, “It is not enough
that you are merely My Servant
to raise up the tribes of Ya‘akov
and restore the offspring of Isra’el.
I will also make you a light to the nations,
so My salvation can spread to the ends of the earth.”

Here the Servant is Divinely mandated to bring back the Exiles of the entire 12-Tribed House of Jacob, to ‘restore the offspring of Israel’ – THIS ‘Servant’ will be a Light unto the Nations.

Conclusion thusfar – So, we have gathered thusfar that Israel will be that One that brings back the Exiles, and brings Justice (according to His Law, Torah as interpreted by Judah, His Mechoqeck) to the Nations, thereby being a Light unto the Nations.

Further Evidence

Isaiah 51:4 “Listen to Me, My people; hear Me, My nation: Instruction will go out from Me; My justice will become 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

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

Continuing our tracing of The Light:

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 Conclusion:

So, we have concluded thusfar that the Servant, Israel, HaShem Himself is that bringer of Light (Torah, Justice, Mishpat) to the Nations. 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.”

Psalm 119:105

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

Psalm 119:130

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple”

We have, in this 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) 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 nations will “bow before Judah” for their Guidance in finding and adopting these Keys to Life.

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.”

It therefore seems that Judah serves as the Mechoqeck (Lawgiver, Interpreter of Torah) to correct and enlighten the Servant whom HaShem is calling (Who is ‘blind and deaf’), to bring the Light of Torah to the other captives of Israel and to the Nations. 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:

• Who is ‘The Servant’ in this Haftarah? 
• the Haftarah Commentary on Parashat Noach for this week,

for conclusive confirmation of this Great Blessing to be A Light unto the Nations, for the entire House of Israel – that is, “The Servant of HaShem“. This Servant, at this Time, 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
• 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 …”