The Old Testament’s poetic and wisdom books offer a unique perspective on the anticipated Messiah. These writings, including Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job, and others, express God’s people’s hopes, struggles, and faith in songs and sayings. Through these creative expressions, Israel’s longing for a coming righteous king and wise savior was woven into worship and daily life, keeping hope alive and preparing hearts to recognize Him when He came.
The Book of Psalms, Israel’s ancient songbook, contains many songs pointing to the Messiah. Often, the psalmists celebrate Israel’s king in ideal terms that no ordinary ruler ever fulfilled, which in turn fueled hope for an ultimate King from David’s line.
One of the clearest examples is Psalm 2, a coronation hymn. It opens with the nations in rebellion and God responding by installing His chosen king in Zion. This king is declared to be God’s “Son” and promises “the ends of the earth” as his inheritance (Psalm 2:7-8). These are claims far beyond any earthly king’s reality. The psalm ends by urging, “Kiss the Son… Blessed are all who take refuge in Him” (2:12). The New Testament applies Psalm 2 to Jesus, God’s true Son and the King who fulfills this song’s vision.
Another key royal psalm is Psalm 110. David writes, “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies your footstool'” (110:1). Here, David calls someone else “my Lord” who is invited to sit at God’s right hand. No Israelite king ever received such an honor, hinting that the promised Messiah would be greater than David himself. Psalm 110 further declares, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” (110:4). Israel’s kings were not priests, yet this future figure would be both ruler and priest in one. Such a dual, eternal role could only be true of the Messiah. The New Testament frequently quotes Psalm 110 to proclaim that Jesus is this awaited King-Priest.
Psalm 72 provides another glimpse of the messianic hope. Attributed to Solomon, this psalm describes an ideal king who rules with righteousness and compassion. He defends the poor and delivers the needy, crushing oppressors (Psalm 72:2, 4). His reign spans “from sea to sea… to the ends of the earth” (72:8) and brings blessing to “all nations” (72:17). No earthly king ever achieved such a universal and enduring kingdom. Thus, Psalm 72 became a template for the Messianic King. Christians see Jesus as the one who fulfills this vision, bringing justice and blessing to every nation and reigning forever.
The Old Testament Wisdom Literature (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job, etc.) might not predict the Messiah as directly as prophecy or Psalms. Yet these books, by grappling with life’s challenges and the pursuit of righteousness, point to the need for someone greater than human wisdom to make things right. The wisdom writings highlight the limits of human understanding and justice, stirring a longing for a divinely gifted leader or mediator.
The Book of Proverbs, for example, sets forth ideals of godly wisdom and hints at ideal leadership. One proverb observes, “If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will be established forever” (Proverbs 29:14). Yet even Solomon, for all his wisdom, fell short, and no Davidic throne lasted forever. This suggests a future king of perfect wisdom and justice. Jesus picks up this theme when He says, “something greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42), identifying Himself as that ultimate wise king.
Proverbs also personifies Wisdom as a figure present with God at creation. Wisdom says, “I was beside Him like a master workman” (Proverbs 8:30). This poetic image laid a foundation for seeing the Messiah as God’s wisdom. The New Testament identifies Jesus with this divine Wisdom: the Gospel of John calls Him the eternal Word through whom all things were made (John 1:1-3), and Paul calls Christ “the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). In Jesus, what Proverbs describes in abstract becomes reality. He is God’s Wisdom in person, walking among us.
Ecclesiastes takes a different approach, lamenting the meaninglessness of life “under the sun” apart from God. It notes that God has set eternity in human hearts, yet we cannot fathom His plan (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The author concludes that our duty is to “fear God and keep His commandments,” trusting that God will judge every deed (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). While Ecclesiastes stops short of announcing a savior, it creates a yearning for true meaning and justice beyond this life. That yearning finds its answer in Jesus, who brings eternal life and will judge the world with righteousness.
Finally, the Book of Job adds another thread to wisdom’s anticipation of the Messiah. Job, a righteous man who suffers deeply, cries out for a mediator between himself and God (Job 9:33) and declares in faith, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25). His hope for a mediator and a vindicating Redeemer foreshadows the Messiah. Jesus is the ultimate answer to Job’s plea: the one mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5) and the Redeemer who lives and conquers death. In Christ, the innocent sufferer finds justice, the longed-for go-between and savior that Job could only glimpse.
The poetic and wisdom books enrich the Old Testament’s portrait of the Messiah. The Psalms envision a divinely appointed King, God’s own Son, who will reign with perfect justice and power. With their probing questions about life and right living, the wisdom books yearn for a wise and righteous figure who can bridge the gap between God and humanity. Israel’s hope for a coming savior was kept alive in every generation through these songs and sayings. And when Jesus came, those familiar with the Psalms and wisdom literature could recognize Him as the fulfillment of their long-held hopes. He was the promised King of Glory and the Wisdom of God in the flesh, who would accomplish God’s plan.
These books shaped Israel’s worship and daily reflection, embedding messianic hope into the very fabric of their spiritual life. When they sang the Psalms in the temple, they were rehearsing expectations of the coming King. When they meditated on Proverbs, they were contemplating the perfect Wisdom that would one day walk among them. When they wrestled with the questions of Job and Ecclesiastes, they were expressing the deep longing that only the Messiah could satisfy.
The poetry and wisdom literature do not just predict the Messiah; they prepare hearts to receive Him. They create categories of understanding that help people recognize divine kingship, perfect wisdom, and ultimate justice when they encounter them. They establish the vocabulary of faith that the New Testament will use to explain who Jesus is and what He has accomplished.
~PW 🌮🛶
Phillip W. Martin 
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