One strong testimony to the Trinity’s existence is found in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah. It is often assumed that one must look to the New Testament to find the fullest expression of the Trinity because, after all, those were the times when the Son of God was manifested on earth and the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost.

But long before the birth of the Messiah, the Old Testament prophets spoke of the day when God the Father would send forth God the Son, empowered and anointed by God the Holy Spirit.

One of these revealing prophecies is found in the opening verses of Isaiah 42: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law” (verses 1–4, emphasis added).

In this Messianic prophecy, God the Father is speaking of “my servant,” the One Whom He also calls “mine elect.” In this same prophecy, the coming Messiah is proclaimed as the One “in whom my soul delighteth.” The direct fulfillment of this very passage was at the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. At that moment, God the Father announced, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

We see each member of the Trinity in this prophecy from Isaiah 42. The Godhead together accomplish the grand work of our redemption. Let’s look closer at the parts of this prophecy that proclaim the Trinity’s unity in this great love for mankind.

God the Father: “I Have Put”

God the Father is the initiator, the sender, the One Who has eternally begotten the Son and sent the Holy Spirit. In the context of Isaiah 42, the Father speaks in praise of His Son. The Father has chosen the Son. The Father promises the victory of the Son. The Father promises in verse 6 to hold the hand of the Son. The Father will receive the glory from the work that the Son performs.

God the Holy Spirit: “My Spirit”

God the Holy Spirit is the anointer, the enabler, and the One Who empowers. John the Baptist testified that the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove descended and rested upon the Lord Jesus. The Spirit of God led Jesus “into the wilderness” (Matthew 4:1) where the Son overcame the devil. The Holy Spirit was the promised Comforter that the Lord Jesus promised to His disciples in the Upper Room. That Spirit now abides with us forever.

God the Son: “Upon Him”

God the Son is the One anointed of the Spirit, and the One sent by the Father. He is the One Who in the context of Isaiah 42:6 will come to be “a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles.”

These words were quoted by Simeon in Luke 2:32, when he held the infant Jesus in his arms in the Temple in Jerusalem. Furthermore, in Isaiah 42:7, the prophet proclaimed that the Messiah of Israel will “open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.”

These signs Jesus pointed out to John the Baptist when he sought confirmation that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Anointed One of Israel. The word Christ means “anointed” in Greek, just as Messiah means “anointed” in Hebrew. Rather than saying directly and explicitly that He was the Messiah of Israel, Jesus sent messengers to John with the message that pointed out the fulfillment of prophecies such as those recorded in Isaiah 42.

When testifying of the Lord Jesus Christ to our unsaved friends, particularly those from groups that do not believe in the Trinity, such as Unitarian, Jehovah’s Witness, or with a Jewish background, we should not shy away from pointing out the presence and power of the Godhead in the Old Testament.