Isaiah
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
How do you know who to trust? The book of Proverbs encourages us to have a multitude of counselors, but how do you know who has pure motives and who is being deceptive?
I’ve been working through a biography of the life of George Washington, the acclaimed general of the Revolutionary War and the First President of the United States. Washington was reluctant but willing to serve the nation. He knew that in stepping into office, he would need wise counselors and so he appointed one from the north - Alexander Hamilton - and one from the south - Thomas Jefferson. These men were not only from different parts of the new nation, they were polar opposites in so many ways. Hamilton seemed to want a bigger, centralized government. Jefferson leaned more toward states rights. Hamilton was pro industry. Jefferson was pro agriculture. Hamilton was pro English and Jefferson leaned toward the French. On top of that - the two men seemed to hate each other.
In the early years of the nation, war was a regular threat - war again with England, war with the French, war with the Native Americans, even war between the states.
With his closest advisors speaking opposing opinions in the face of so many crises - how could Washington know that their advice was for the good of the nation and not just for the good of their party’s perspective? How could he truly know who to trust?
Today, as we continue our look at God’s Story in Scripture, we will be considering a book that deals with the issue of trust - the book of Isaiah as the people of Judah were tested to trust a holy God in the midst of competing national interests, cultural interests and physical resources. Could they trust this unseen God?
In looking at Isaiah, we’re venturing into a new section of scripture called the Prophets. Many Bibles differentiate the prophets by calling some of them Major and others are referred to as Minor Prophets. This is not a statement of their value or significance, but more a comment on their size. (Dever, 568) The Major prophets include Isaiah, Jeremiah (along with his Lamentations), Ezekiel, and Daniel. So for the next few weeks we’ll be considering these grand books.
Let’s begin with a little background.
Background
Background
The book of Isaiah is considered by some to be the great theological work of the Old Testament (Longman (312) and by others to be the “masterpiece” of the Old Testament (Dever, 568). The book has a profound message that is established on a firm foundation. Gordon McConville notes:
Isaiah’s entire message is based on a single foundation: the belief that Yahweh, God of Israel, is the only one who is ‘high and lifted up’ (6:1)
McConville, Gordon. Exploring the Old Testament: The Prophets. Vol. 4. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2002. Print.
Isaiah had a profound view of who God is. He sees God, Yahweh, as the one true God, creator of all things. He is high and lifted up, high above all things.
Isaiah also sees God as holy and distinct. In his famous calling to ministry in chapter 6, Isaiah is confronted with the holiness of God and his own fallenness:
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
God’s holiness was such a profound part of Isaiah’s theology and ministry that it even made its way into how God is referenced in the book. Isaiah refers to God as the “holy one of Israel” 25 different times. That phrasing is only found six other times in the rest of the Bible.
Do we truly grasp the holiness of God? He is so different, distinct, pure and right. Our best days, our most noble deeds, our purest intentions are filthy rages in comparison. We’ve sung about God’s holiness, but do we really get it?
So Isaiah had a profound view of God, but when did he serve?
According to the opening verse of the book, Isaiah’s ministry lasted during reigns of four different kings of Judah; likely lasting from around 740BC to roughly 701 BC. Peter Craigie notes that it is during his ministry that the northern kingdom of Israel was “defeated in war by the Assyrians and its history brought to an end.” (Craigie, 150).
He began his ministry near the end of the reign of Uzziah. He then served during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (1:1). Generally speaking, these kings were fairly good kings. You can read about their reigns in 2 Kings 15-20 and 2 Chronicles 26-32. Jotham followed in his father Uzziah’s policies. Ahaz made the mistake of forming an alliance with Assyria. Hezekiah returned to a more faithful service to the Lord and stood up against the Assyrian onslaught - however, he pridefully shared the wealth of his kingdom with the rising Babylonian empire. He was succeeded by his wicked son Manasseh. It is believed that Manasseh arrested Isaiah and had him sawn in two - which may have been what the writer of Hebrews was referring to in Hebrews 11:37 (Dever, 569-570).
The content of his book, however, covers so much more as Isaiah seemed to play a role as a prophet in two senses of the word.
Many prophets in the OT served as sort of forth-tellers - proclaiming the truths of God, calling people to repentance and obedience.
There were times, as well, when prophets served as foretellers or seers. In this role, the prophets would talk about a future event or would be able to see something that was hidden from others.
It seems like Isaiah served in both roles during his ministry. We get to see Isaiah’s role as a forth-teller in the first 39 chapters. This part of the book seems to entail the years in which he physically served as prophet in Judah. From Uzziah’s death in chapter 6 to Hezekiah’s downfall in chapter 39, Isaiah served as a spokesman for God, forth-telling His judgements, promises and expectations toward Judah and the surrounding nations.
For the last part of the book, it seems like Isaiah’s prophecy serves as in a more “foretelling” capacity.
For these chapters, 40-66, - there is a lot of debate as to who wrote it and when - in part because the exile about which those chapters refer happen over a hundred years after Isaiah’s death. Some believe it was Isaiah’s disciples who learned from him and then shared a similar message during the exile.
I think it’s quite possible that God gave Isaiah some insight into the future inspired him to write it down. It’s quite possible then that his disciples were the ones to actually deliver the messages that Isaiah wrote down for them. Look at what it says in chapter 8:16-18:
Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples.
I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.
Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
If you remember, Israel (the northern kingdom) was conquered by the Assyrians in 722BC. Judah (the southern kingdom where Isaiah is serving) was initially conquered by Babylon around 604BC and then Jerusalem was completely destroyed around 586BC. So, by the time of Isaiah’s death around 700BC - Assyria was the main political power, not Babylon. Chapters 40-66 reference the Babylonian Captivity.
If you remember back to our time studying Ezra and Nehemiah we learned that toward the end of their captivity, the Persian empire conquered Babylon. The Persian king Cyrus gave a decree calling for the exiles of Judah to return to Jerusalem (Ez. 1:1ff).
Isaiah prophecies a bit about this.
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,
He then goes on to talk about several things that that God does and then concludes this section by stating:
who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’ ”
If Isaiah wrote all of the book, then God had given him some insight into the fact that a foreign king would be instrumental in the return of the Jews back to Judah.
There are many who want to say that because it would have been humanly impossible for Isaiah to know this information that it must have been written by someone else, someone who knew of Cyrus, someone who could have manipulated things.
I guess the question for us is, do we believe that God could give Isaiah that kind of information? Cyrus certainly believed so. The Jewish Historian Josephus wrote:
The Works of Josephus: New Updated Edition Chapter 1: How Cyrus, King of the Persians, Delivered the Jews out of Babylon, and Suffered Them to Return to Their Own Country, and to Build Their Temple; for Which Work He Gave Them Money
This was known to Cyrus by his reading the book which Isaiah left behind him of his prophecies; for this prophet said that God had spoken thus to him in a secret vision:—“My will is, that Cyrus, whom I have appointed to be king over many and great nations, send back my people to their own land, and build my temple.” (6) This was foretold by Isaiah one hundred and forty years before the temple was demolished. Accordingly, when Cyrus read this, and admired the divine power, an earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to fulfill what was so written; so he called for the most eminent Jews that were in Babylon, and said to them, that he gave them leave to go back to their own country, and to rebuild their city Jerusalem, and the temple of God, (7) for that he would be their assistant, and that he would write to the rulers and governors that were in the neighborhood of their country of Judea, that they should contribute to them gold and silver for the building of the temple, and, beside that, beasts for their sacrifices.
I don’t necessarily want to dive into hair splitting debates, but I share this because I want you to understand where I’m coming from as we approach the message of Isaiah. I think God is able to give people insight into things that they don’t fully understand. As we dive into the other prophets, we’ll see that even more.
Remember, God is high and lifted up, he sees all. He is the Holy one of Israel,
So, let’s move from background to content. There are many different ways to look at the book. Isaiah is a big book. We’re going to divide it into three general sections. These broad brush strokes won’t do justice to the overall book, but I hope they will give us some understanding of Isaiah’s message.
So let’s begin by considering...
Exhortations (1-39)
Exhortations (1-39)
As we’ve already briefly considered, the first 39 chapters of the book generally deal with events that were happening during the life and ministry of Isaiah. It is in these chapters that Isaiah exhorts the people of Judah and the surrounding nations to consider God and his ways.
Let’s begin by considering Isaiah’s exhortations ...
For Judah (Isaiah 1-12; 28-39)
For Judah (Isaiah 1-12; 28-39)
In spite of the fact that many of Judah’s kings during Isaiah’s ministry were generally good kings, there were challenges that Isaiah addressed.
Mark Dever notes that generally speaking, the people of Judah demonstrated an overall lack of trust in God. (p. 571ff) You see, their trust was misplaced.
Rather than trusting in the character and ways of God, the holy one of Israel, the people trusted in foreign kings.
Foreign Kings: Throughout Israel’s history in the Exodus and in the monarchy - God proved himself faithful. But when the Assyrian army began to strengthen and threaten - the leaders of Judah turned to Egypt for their strength.
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!
And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.
The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together.
Application: I do wonder if there are ways in which we turn to and rely on the strength of the armies and resources that we can see, rather than the invincible strength of our holy, high and lifted up God. One of the great things, I think, that God is doing in the midst of this season is He is allowing a viral threat to test our trust - to test where our trust lies - to urge us to rely on Him in the midst of this.
Not only did they trust in foreign kings, but they trusted in false gods.
False gods: Isaiah speaks on behalf of the Lord, condemning the people’s false worship. Isaiah writes:
Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made.
There is another place, not in this section of the book where Isaiah points out the folly of idolatry. If you have your Bible, turn over to Isaiah 44:9. Consider what Isaiah says here:
How foolish are those who manufacture idols. These prized objects are really worthless. The people who worship idols don’t know this, so they are all put to shame.
Who but a fool would make his own god— an idol that cannot help him one bit?
All who worship idols will be disgraced along with all these craftsmen—mere humans— who claim they can make a god. They may all stand together, but they will stand in terror and shame.
The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool, pounding and shaping it with all his might. His work makes him hungry and weak. It makes him thirsty and faint.
Then the wood-carver measures a block of wood and draws a pattern on it. He works with chisel and plane and carves it into a human figure. He gives it human beauty and puts it in a little shrine.
He cuts down cedars; he selects the cypress and the oak; he plants the pine in the forest to be nourished by the rain.
Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire. With it he warms himself and bakes his bread. Then—yes, it’s true—he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god to worship! He makes an idol and bows down in front of it!
He burns part of the tree to roast his meat and to keep himself warm. He says, “Ah, that fire feels good.”
Then he takes what’s left and makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down in front of it, worshiping and praying to it. “Rescue me!” he says. “You are my god!”
Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.
The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, “Why, it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?”
The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He trusts something that can’t help him at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, “Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?”
These words were likely spoken to the people who were in exile presenting a rational argument against trusting in false gods - or idols.
Application: Now, I realize, as we worship together, we may think that idolatry is not a problem for us. The argument seems clear and makes sense, but I do wonder, are we misplacing out trust in God? Are we trusting in superstitions
or myths that have no bearing on the outcome of events? (example??? - astrology or horoscopes, do we worship work or education - while good things, are we relying too much there rather than on God?)
Not only did they trust in foreign kings and false gods, but they trusted in fallen people.
Fallen people: Whether trusting in their own strength and wisdom, or that of their leaders, the people of Judah betrayed God. We see this in ch. 22 (in the midst of the Oracles against the nations that we’ll get into in just a moment), that the people of Jerusalem were preparing to defend themselves - which is good - but in the midst of their defenses - they failed to look to God.
He has taken away the covering of Judah. In that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest,
and you saw that the breaches of the city of David were many. You collected the waters of the lower pool,
and you counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall.
You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago.
They were trusting in the physical resources they had rather than the God who provided them.
Regarding trusting in their fallen leaders, Isaiah says in chapter 3 that God will judge the elders of the land for their faithlessness (3:14-15). In chapter 39, we see the tragic blunder of one of Judah’s best kings, Hezekiah, as he showed off the riches of his kingdom to Babylonian envoys.
Application: Our trust can easily be misplaced. We can all to easily trust in things that seem trustworthy, but are not - God through Isaiah calls the people out for that. I do wonder if we are placing so much trust and reliance on our own resources, wisdom, and leaders and failing to acknowledge that God is the one who is over all of that. God is the sovereign ruler. He is the truly trustworthy one. He is the holy, high and lifted up God.
In addition to exhorting the people of Judah to return to a faithful trust in the Lord, God, through Isaiah also has strong exhortations...
For the nations (Isaiah 13-27)
For the nations (Isaiah 13-27)
These chapters are sometimes referred to as “oracles against the nations.” These are three cycles of oracles or statements toward these neighboring nations - including Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, Moab, Philistia, Edom, Arabia, Tyre, Israel/Syria, and even against Jerusalem itself. While often focusing on judgement, some have words of salvation (McConville, 17-19).
While Judah and Jerusalem are set apart by God and are typically corrected by God because of their rebellion, these other nations too must give an account to God.
You see, God is not simply “the holy one of Israel,” God rules and reigns over the affairs of all of humanity. McConville notes that:
Exploring the Old Testament, Volume 4: The Prophets Rhetorical Intention
The rhetorical intention of the book is to persuade that God overrules in all human affairs
…whether those affairs are of Israel, Egypt, Babylon or even America. God is not necessarily pro one nation over another - God is pro-God. He is for demonstrating his glory and sovereignty over all nations. He allows what he allows because he had ordained it.
The question that Israel had to ask and the question we have to ask, is will we trust God? Will we trust him in the midst of difficulties? Will we trust that the things He is allowing are for a greater purpose? Will we trust and bring him glory through it?
In the first half of the book, Isaiah generally lays out some exhortations for Judah and the surrounding nations. In chapters 36-39, we get another perspective of an event that happened in 2 Kings 18-20. Just after the fall of the northern kingdom, Assyria aims to conquer Judah. In the end, King Hezekiah trusts God and God proves himself faithful.
When Hezekiah is on his deathbed, God graciously gives him 15 more years. In these waning years of his life, Hezekiah receives an envoy from Babylon in hopes of forming an alliance against Assyria. He foolishly shows off the wealth of his nation.
Beginning in chapter 40, the tone and the focus of the book shifts. It’s in these chapters that we generally get to see...
Encouragement in Exile (40-55)
Encouragement in Exile (40-55)
With the turn of a page, more than a century passes. This section of Isaiah was likely written in order to encourage and instruct the people of Judah who were in exile in Babylon over a hundred years after the end of Isaiah’s ministry. The tone of the poetry shifts to one of comfort in the midst of difficulties and hope for restoration.
Consider the opening lines of chapter 40:
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
In chapter 51, this theme of encouragement continues:
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.
Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.
For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.
Throughout this section it seems that the message from the Lord is one of acknowledgement He is still in control and He is working out his plan. He sent them into exile as discipline and intends to restore them.
But there is something else that rises to the surface in these chapters - that is the theme of the Servant of the Lord. There is some debate as to which chapters connote the “servant songs,” and there is some discussion regarding just who this servant is - there are times when it seems like the servant is Israel, other times when it appears to be a prophet or leader, and yet throughout these, there is a clear imagery that points to the Messiah - to Jesus. It’s quite possible that, as with any prophecy - these Servant songs can have a near application and a distant or future application.
We already read a portion of one of those servant songs earlier in the service. But let’s briefly look at the others.
If you have the digital sermon notes, you’ll notice a listing of the servant songs.
Servant Songs: Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12
Let’s consider these briefly and the encouragement they provided to the people in exile and the encouragement they can provide to us:
The first song:
Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.
The servant of the Lord, whether Israel, a prophet, or the Messiah, here is near to God and speaks on God’s behalf. While he brings forth justice, there is a tenderness in the justice. There is also a perseverance in the work of the Servant.
You see, when Jesus stepped onto the scene, His ministry of reconciliation was filled with the message of the Lord that was hopeful. Consider this, as He addressed the woman caught in adultery, he lovingly confronted her sin but did not “bruise” her or snuff her out (Isa. 42:3; Jn. 8:1-11).
In the next Servant Song, the intended audience of the servant expands.
Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away.
And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense with my God.”
And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength—
he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
Here the servant’s role is not so much for justice as it is to proclaim the message of the Lord - both to the people of Israel, but also to act as a light for the nations that this salvation is available to everyone - all over the world.
Much of Jesus’ initial ministry was geared toward the "lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10:6) - as he called people back to a right relationship with God, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom. And yet, Jesus even said to the crowds on the day of his triumphal entry that he would draw all people to himself as He is “lifted up” (John 12:32).
In the third servant song, we begin to see an element of suffering experienced by the servant.
The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.
The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward.
I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.
But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.
He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me.
Behold, the Lord God helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.
Here, the servant of the Lord begins to encounter suffering through mocking and beating - and yet this is the will of the Lord in order to fulfill the purpose of God.
Jesus told his disciples that he was conveying the message that His Father in Heaven had given him to speak. What’s more, he was beaten and mocked, they pulled out His beard. In Luke’s gospel we event get to see His determination as Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Lk. 9:51; cf. Isa. 50:7).
The last servant song is probably the most familiar - Isaiah 52:13-53:12. The imagery of the suffering servant is even more clear — as we learn more that the suffering of this servant is for the purpose of redeeming humanity - paying for the iniquity of our sin.
Like the servant in these verses, Jesus was marred because of his beating, he was beaten, pierced, all for the purpose that God might lay on Him our iniquity.
These Servant Songs, in addition to having some relevance for the people in exile for encouragement and comfort, seem to clearly point to Jesus.
Beloved - I pray that you and I will rejoice over the servant of God, Jesus, who endured so much on our behalf. I pray that we will be renewed and invigorated over the clarity and unity of scripture as we see the Prophets proclaiming things many years in advance of their fulfillment - over a hundred years for the people of Israel, roughly 700 years before Jesus.
Friend - if you are not yet a follower of Jesus - the ultimate servant of the Lord, I pray that you will consider his message and his work that was conveyed long before he was born of a virgin. Jesus lovingly took the punishment that you and I deserve because of our sin and rebellion. He has been proclaiming through his death, burial, and resurrection the good news that is available to all people - he is drawing people all over the world unto himself. Will you respond? Will you repent of your sin and turn and trust in Jesus - the servant who suffered on your behalf? Maybe today is the day of your salvation. If you’d like to discuss this more - please put a note in the Facebook feed (I do read over all of them), or send me an email - pastor@poolesvillebaptist.com - and I’ll be more than happy to discuss the salvation of the Lord with you.
So we’ve seen in the book of Isaiah that the first section generally covered exhortations for Judah and the surrounding nations. In the middle section, we got to see some of the encouragement that God was giving through Isaiah to a people who were in exile. Encouragement that was designed to bring -
Comfort - because God is familiar with their suffering - and ours. and
Hope - for a restoration - for them a return to the land - and I think for all humanity as the redemption of God restores the relationship that we messed up through our sin.
There is one final section of the book for us to consider. The general message of these final 11 chapters is...
Eternal hope (56-66)
Eternal hope (56-66)
In reflecting on these chapters, J. Gordon McConville wrote:
Exploring the Old Testament, Volume 4: The Prophets 56–66: New Heavens and a New Earth
These chapters continue the salvation theme of chapters 40–55. Yahweh will act to save the people of Jerusalem and Judah (Zion), and overcome their enemies in order to restore them to their land. The salvation will happen before the eyes of the world, and even be assisted by foreigners (60:1–3, 10). The vision of salvation suggests that God’s hopes for his people will now finally be realized, his former disappointment (5:7) being overcome because they will truly be faithful (60:21). The extravagant language of 60:17–20 tends to spiritualize the relationship between God and people. Walls (that is, of Jerusalem) are not mere walls here, but ‘salvation’, and gates are ‘praise’. Even the sun and moon, the natural created lights will no longer be needed, because God himself Will be the people’s light (vv. 19–20).
One of the themes that arises in these chapters is the expectation that God has for his people to live rightly - serving the poor, needy and oppressed. Demonstrating our trust in God by our obedience to His word.
There is also something lasting and eternal in these chapters. God’s salvation is to be experienced on earth, but also beyond.
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.
Closing Thoughts:
Closing Thoughts:
The book of Isaiah is one of the largest books in the Bible. This overview really barely scratches the surface of it’s depth and richness.
God exhorted his people to trust Him. God further encouraged his people to trust Him, because he is familiar with their suffering and has given us an eternal hope.
There is an old hymn that reflects on this idea of trust - it says:
Logos Digital Hymnal Trust and Obey
When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will;
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
It continues, but the primary point of the song and a significant message of the book of Isaiah is that we can demonstrate our trust in God by our obedience to walk in His ways. Judah was tempted to trust in false gods, foreign powers, and fallen people - that led them into exile - and yet God had a plan for that.
My hope is that we will trust in our good, holy God and demonstrate that through obedience.
References:
Craigie, Peter C., The Old Testament: It’s Background, Growth, and Content (Abington, Nashville, 1987)
Dever, Mark, The Message of the Old Testament: Promises Made, (Crossway, Wheaton, 2006)
Longman III, Tremper; Raymond B. Dillard; An Introduction to the Old Testament, 2nd Ed. (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2006)
McConville, Gordon. Exploring the Old Testament: The Prophets. Vol. 4. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2002.