Was Jesus God in the Old Testament?

Bible Question:

Does the Old Testament present Jesus as God?

Bible Answer:

Was Jesus God in the Old Testament? The answer to this question requires that we take an extended journey in the Old Testament and enjoy the adventure as we discover that Jesus is God in the Old Testament. The book of Isaiah states that there is only one God and then gives us evidence that God is a Trinity.

Jesus Is God In the Old Testament?

There Is Only One God

Open your Bible to Isaiah 43:10. The last part of the verse says,

And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me. Isaiah 43:10b (NASB)

Now notice that God declares that no god has existed before Him and no god will exist after Him. That is, He is the only God who will ever exist. In Isaiah 44:6, God speaks about Himself. It is a remarkable passage. He says,

“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:
‘I am the first and I am the last,
And there is no God besides Me.'”
Isaiah 44:6 (NASB)

Now remember that God said, “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me.” Again, the message is God exists and there is no other God. That is a very strong statement. Baal, Jupiter, Zeus, Buddha, Allah, and other so-called gods and not real gods. Only the God of the Old Testament is the real God. This message is repeated once more in Isaiah 45:5-6 when He says,

“I am the LORD, and there is no other;
Besides Me there is no God.
I will gird you, though you have not known Me;
That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Isaiah 45:5-6 (NASB)

It is not possible to miss the message. God is the only God who exists. There is no other Gods such as Baal, Jupiter, Zeus, Buddha, Allah, and others.

In Isaiah 45:18-22, we read that He is the one who created the universe. He declares that He is the Lord and there is no other. He adds that they may pray to the other so-called gods, but those alleged gods have no knowledge, and cannot save! There are no other Gods is His message.

For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it
and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited),
“I am the LORD, and there is none else.
I have not spoken in secret,
In some dark land;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
‘Seek Me in a waste place’;
I, the LORD, speak righteousness,
Declaring things that are upright.
Gather yourselves and come;
Draw near together, you fugitives of the nations;
They have no knowledge,
Who carry about their wooden idol
And pray to a god who cannot save.
Declare and set forth your case;
Indeed, let them consult together.
Who has announced this from of old?
Who has long since declared it?
Is it not I, the LORD?
And there is no other God besides Me,
A righteous God and a Savior;
There is none except Me.
Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other.
Isaiah 45:18-22 (NASB)

Then twice, He states that there is no other God. “There is none except Me.”

Then again in Isaiah 46:5-9 God says,

“To whom would you liken Me
And make Me equal and compare Me,
That we would be alike?
Those who lavish gold from the purse
And weigh silver on the scale
Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
They bow down, indeed they worship it.
They lift it upon the shoulder and carry it;
They set it in its place and it stands there.
It does not move from its place.
Though one may cry to it, it cannot answer;
It cannot deliver him from his distress.
Remember this, and be 1assured;
Recall it to mind, you transgressors.
Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me.
Isaiah 46:5-9 (NASB)

Now He asks, “Who is like Me?” Yet, men and women create gods to worship. Some make their gods out of construction materials such as wood, metal, and clay. Often demons will make such idols appear to have god like powers. Demonic forces are the actual power behind such gods. Other people make gods out of work, politics, family, cars, or pleasure. These are more subtle and dangerous. Once again He adds, “For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me.” He is the only God.

Then in Isaiah 45:21b, God says,

. . . Is it not I, the LORD?
And there is no other God besides Me,
A righteous God and a Savior;
There is none except Me.
Isaiah 45:21 b (NASB)

Once again, the God who has been speaking says He is the only God. Who is speaking? Whoever He is, He is God who has been speaking! There is no other god! Then He adds that He is the only Savior.

Finally, in Isaiah 48:12 He adds,

Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called;
I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.
Isaiah 48:12 (NASB)

This message has been repeated in Isaiah 44:6. He is God and there is no other. He is the only Savior. He is the alpha and omega. There is no one like Him. There is no one like Him.

The Trinity

And now we come to Isaiah 48:16 and God speaks again. He says,

Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the first I have not spoken in secret,
From the time it took place, I was there.
And now the Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit.”
Isaiah 48:16 (NASB)

The “Me” in this verse is the God who has been speaking ever since Isaiah 43:10. He is the one who has been declaring that He is God and there is no other. Who has been speaking? The One who is the only God. He has been speaking for four chapters since Isaiah 43:10. He has been repeating the message again and again that there is no other god. Then suddenly He says, “The Lord God has sent Me.” How can the only God refer to “The Lord God”? How can He say that He is the only God and yet He was sent by God? The answer is that the one who refers to Himself as “Me” is also “the Lord God.” Then He adds the Holy Spirit. Three Persons are present here. This is a reference to the Trinity, and the Lord God is God the Father.

The Me, Who has been speaking, is the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20). We have a tremendous statement that the Me is also the God who has been speaking in Isaiah 45:21. Our God is a triune God. He is a plural-one!