Old Testament II: Prophets & Poetry Week 6 Isaiah 40-66

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1 Synopsis of Isaiah The book of Isaiah has had a profound effect on Judaism and the Christian church. The prophet Isaiah is often viewed as the most significant of ancient Israel's prophets. Furthermore, due to its well-known messianic prophecies, Isaiah has been known as the Fifth Gospel since early in the Christian era. Theological Interpretation of the Old Testament, Location 2350 Isaiah discusses covenant giving and covenant breaking, the role of the prophets in warning and encouraging the chose people, God s sovereignty over all nations and the Davidic promises, to name just a handful of relevant topics. At the same time, the prophecy links the remnant and the future, the eternal nature of the Davidic kingdom and the contemporary sins of that institution and the interaction between God and the Gentiles in ways not yet seen in the canon. Old Testament Theology, Pg. 272 Beyond all question, Isaiah was the greatest of all the Old Testament prophets, for his thought and doctrine covered as wide a range of subjects as did the length of his ministry. While his writing can be divided into two parts with chapters 1 39 keyed mainly to judgment and chapters primarily emphasizing comfort the book stands as a unit with its own continuity features such as the unique and distinctive phrase the Holy One of Israel. The Promise-Plan of God, Location 4327 Isaiah the prophet prophesied from the days of King Uzziah ( B.C.) to Hezekiah ( ). His call to the office of prophet came in the year that King Uzziah died (6:1). NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 363 The book describes Zion's future restoration in three movements: (1) God's people will first be restored to the land through his anointed political deliverer, Cyrus (chs ). (2) Israel will be restored to God through the spiritual deliverer, the Suffering Servant (Isa ). (3) Then once again Zion will be glorified by Yahweh and the nations (Isa ). Theological Interpretation of the Old Testament, Location 2467 Isaiah assumes the previous thirty-nine chapters themes, historical context, and the present-future time frame have all been absorbed. Therefore readers must recall that Israel has been defeated for more than two decades and that in Judah only Jerusalem has survived a thorough Assyrian invasion. Most of the chosen people are in exile and all of them have suffered terribly Personal righteousness derived from recognition of Yahweh s righteousness is a book-long theme and is the means by which the remnant is separated from the unbelievers. This winnowing process continues in Isaiah Old Testament Theology, Pg. 286 & 294 FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 1

2 I. The Root of the Problem Sin i. Their sins have burden and wearied God Isaiah 43:24 28 (ESV) 24 You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities. 25 I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. 26 Put me in remembrance; let us argue together; set forth your case, that you may be proved right. 27 Your first father sinned, and your mediators transgressed against me. 28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary, and deliver Jacob to utter destruction and Israel to reviling. ii. Judgment is based on their deeds Isaiah 57:12 15 (ESV) 12 I will declare your righteousness and your deeds, but they will not profit you. 13 When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you! The wind will carry them all off, a breath will take them away. But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land and shall inherit my holy mountain. 14 And it shall be said, Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people s way. 15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. iii. Their hope is placed in something other than God s hand Isaiah 65:11 (ESV) 11 But you who forsake the Lord, who forget my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny, II. The Primary Sin Is Idolatry i. No comparison between God and an idol Isaiah 40:17 20 (ESV) 17 All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. 18 To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? 19 An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains. 20 He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move. ii. The silliness of idols since they are made by our own hand Isaiah 44:13 18 (ESV) 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 2

3 among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire! 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, Deliver me, for you are my god! 18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. iii. Idols must be carried, but God carries us Isaiah 46:1 4 (ESV) 1 Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock; these things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts. 2 They stoop; they bow down together; they cannot save the burden, but themselves go into captivity. 3 Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; 4 even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save. III. What Has Been Forgotten Is The Sovereign God Creator Of Everything And Ruler Over All Rulers i. All else will disappear, but God and His Word will always remain Isaiah 40:8 (ESV) 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. ii. The Lord is the source of the strength Isaiah 40:27 31 (ESV) 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. iii. God will show His power in the destruction of the Babylonians Isaiah 43:14 15 (ESV) 14 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I send to Babylon and bring them all down as fugitives, FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 3

4 even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice. 15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King. iv. God was not created by man, but is the first and the last Isaiah 44:6 8 (ESV) 6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. 8 Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any. v. God announces Cyrus as His servant to exact judgment on Babylon Isaiah 45:1 7 (ESV) 1 Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed: 2 I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. 4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know me. 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, 6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7 I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things. The focus remains on Yahweh rather than on Cyrus: he is the God who has carried and will continue to carry his people-in sharp contrast to the Babylonian gods, which must be carried in carts. Theological Interpretation of the Old Testament, Location 2478 vi. Babylon was used for judgment, but will now face judgment Isaiah 47:5 6, 8-9 (ESV) 5 Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called the mistress of kingdoms. 6 I was angry with my people; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand; you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy 8 Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart, I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children : 9 These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children and widowhood shall come FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 4

5 upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments. vii. God created and controls His creation Isaiah 48:12 13 (ESV) 12 Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last. 13 My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together. viii. God s plan will be accomplished Isaiah 55:6 11 (ESV) 6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. ix. God owns it all Isaiah 66:1 2 (ESV) 1 Thus says the Lord: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? 2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. x. God will exact judgment for rejection of Him Isaiah 66:15 16 (ESV) 15 For behold, the Lord will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. 16 For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the Lord shall be many. xi. God will create a new heavens and new earth Isaiah 66:22 24 (ESV) 22 For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain. 23 From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord. 24 And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh. FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 5

6 Revelation 21:1 2 (ESV) 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. IV. While Sin Comes With Punishment God Always Remember Compassion Towards His Children An Hears Their Calls For Relief i. While God disciplines, He does not destroy His people Isaiah 43:1 3 (ESV) 1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. ii. God will provide ultimate deliverance Isaiah 51:6 (ESV) 6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed. iii. God s everlasting love rules the day Isaiah 54:7 8 (ESV) 7 For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. 8 In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer. The last three servant songs are set within a section in which God reassures the people that the one deity who can save will indeed save them, even though recently they have been under divine wrath. Old Testament Theology, Pg. 289 iv. God will reestablish His people Isaiah 60:15 16 (ESV) 15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. 16 You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. v. The cry of the people will be answered Isaiah 64:1 4 (ESV) 1 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence 2 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 6

7 causes water to boil to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence! 3 When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 4 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. vi. God s children appeal to His character for salvation Isaiah 64:8 12 (ESV) 8 But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9 Be not so terribly angry, O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people. 10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. 11 Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised you, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins. 12 Will you restrain yourself at these things, O Lord? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly? V. God s Compassion On His People Will Come Through A Savior i. Prophecy of the servant to announced the Savior Isaiah 40:1 5 (ESV) 1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 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. 3 A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Matthew 3:1 3 (ESV) 1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight. ii. The Savior will establish final justice Isaiah 42:1 4 (ESV) 1 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. 2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 7

8 Matthew 12:15 18 (ESV) 15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: 18 Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. iii. The Savior will not be like one expected Isaiah 52:13 15 (ESV) 13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. 14 As many were astonished at you his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind 15 so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand. iv. The Savior will first suffer Isaiah 53:2 12 (ESV) 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 8

9 v. The Savior is sent to proclaim God s salvation Isaiah 61:1 4 (ESV) 1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. 4 They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Throughout his book, Isaiah has presented us with alternatives: Trust the Lord and live, or rebel against the Lord and die. He has explained the grace and mercy of God and offered His forgiveness. He has also explained the holiness and wrath of God and warned of His judgment. He has promised glory for those who will believe and judgment for those who scoff. He has explained the foolishness of trusting man s wisdom and the world s resources. The prophet calls the professing people of God back to spiritual reality. He warns against hypocrisy and empty worship. He pleads for faith, obedience, a heart that delights in God, and a life that glorifies God. Be Comforted, Pg. 163 Works Cited Dever, Mark. The Message of the Old Testament: Promises Made. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, ESV Study Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, House, Paul R. Old Testament Theology. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, Sailhamer, John. NIV Compact Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, Vanhoozer, Kevin J. Theological Interpretation of the Old Testament: a Book-by-Book Survey. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, Wiersbe, Warren W. Be Comforted. Wheaton, IL: Victor, Print. FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 9