Agere Sequitur Esse

Isaiah

Book of Isaiah

Notes.. .

. ..Introduction. By Isaiah and Na’aman to call the nation of Judah back to God and tell of God’s salvation through the messiah. People include Isaiah and his two sons Shear-jashub and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.
. ..Themes. Holiness, Punishment, Salvation, Messiah, and Hope.
. ..Outline. “The book of Isaiah presents an exciting challenge to the reader, both by its size and its content. The book’s riches are open only to those who are diligent and persistent. Little is known of the origin of the book. Its content falls distinctly into two distinct divisions: Chapter 1–39, historically set in the 8th century BC; and chapters 40–66, historically set in the 6th century BC. Such a striking and unusual phenomenon within one book leads students of the bible to different conclusions as to exactly what happened” (William Seay 2019, L10 02:48–03:37).
. ..Application. “The book of Isaiah calls us to live by these ageless truths. God is both separated from us by His holiness yet ever with us in love and prayer. God call us individually, and as His people, we find security for the future in Him and not in our own human scheme. God is first no matter where we choose to put Him in our lives. God’s kingdom of righteousness is the only eternal kingdom. As God’s people, we are called to be missionaries” (Seay 2019, L10 25:35–26:19).
. ..Timeline. Chapters 1 to 39 in 700. Chapters 40 to 66 in 681.

Introduction. 37:20 – The purpose was to call the nation of Judah back to God and tell of God’s salvation through the messiah. The author was the prophet Isaiah with some inserts put in by (his son? Or father.) Na’aman. The key people are Isaiah and his two sons Shear-jashub and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. The church bulletin is a very important part of the church. An especially important part of the bulletin is bible trivia. For example, what is the longest word in the bible? Answer: Isaiah’s second son’s name. Although the names of many in the OT are difficult for us to pronounce today, they were not difficult for the Hebrew people of the times.

Themes. There are five theological themes. (i) Holiness. God is highly exalted above all His creatures. His moral perfection stands in contrast to evil. God is perfect and sinless in all His motives and actions. He is in perfect control of His power, judgment, love, and mercy. His holy nature is our instinct for morality. (ii) Punishment. Because God is holy He requires His people to treat others justly. He promised to punish Israel, Judah, and other nations for faithless immorality and idolatry. True faith had degenerated into national pride and empty religious rituals. (iii) Salvation. Because God’s judgement is coming we need a Savior. No man or nation can be saved without God’s help. Christ’s perfect sacrifice for our sins is foretold and portrayed in Isaiah. All who trust God can be freed from their sins and restored to Him. (iv) Messiah. God will send the messiah to save His people. He will set up His own kingdom as the faithful prince of peace who rules with righteousness. He will come as sovereign Lord but will do so as a servant who died to take away sin. (v) Hope. God promised His comfort, deliverance, and restoration in His future kingdom. The messiah will rule over His faithful followers in the age to come. Hope is possible because Christ is coming.

Outline. 2:40 – The book of Isaiah presents an exciting challenge to the reader, both by its size and its content. The book’s riches are open only to those who are diligent and persistent. Little is known of the origin of the book. Its content falls distinctly into two distinct divisions: Chapter 1–39, historically set in the 8th century BC; and chapters 40–66, historically set in the 6th century BC. Such a striking and unusual phenomenon within one book leads students of the bible to different conclusions as to exactly what happened. Did God reveal to Isaiah truth for his own day in the 8th century and truth relevant to 200 years in the future in the 6th century. Were there perhaps two prophets involved in bringing this truth to us Isaiah and a nameless one who lived and administered 200 years later? Each one who takes up the book of Isaiah should remember that such a difference in time does not exist between the two parts and that scholars will forever be divided as to how to explain this difference; and, also, that the question was not a question of what God could or could not do. Either position fits comfortably within belief that God is all powerful. More important than the explanation is the realization that these two parts of the book are not contradictory but complimentary. Together, they reveal the total message of this inspired book.

Isaiah, son of Na’aman lived in a troubled time when everything was supposed to be nailed down seemed to be becoming loose. Three hundred years before the prophet ministered David had brought the struggling tribes together, subdued the neighboring groups, and carved out a secure Israelite state. David’s was the golden age. Fought in David’s time, destructive forces began to chip away at the rather idealistic situation causing the golden age to loose its luster. Solomon followed his father on the throne but created great discontent with his luxurious living and oppressive ways. The division of this kingdom followed close on the death of Solomon. Military struggle, false worship, weak leadership, internal confusion, and external threat characterize the life of these two kingdoms down to the 8th century.

In the first half of the 8th century, both of these kingdoms reached their strength, prosperity, and security that they had not known before. They were free from the danger of being destroyed by other powers and were being ruled over by capable kings. Jeroboam II in the north and Uzziah in the south. The last half of the 8th century was quite a different story. Assyria began a policy of expansion and conquest which would bring destruction of the northern kingdom, Israel, and leave the southern kingdom, Judah, in a position of paying tribute to this great power. The prophet Isaiah was a citizen of the southern kingdom, Judah, and ministered during a 40-year period which witnessed the subjugation of Judah to Assyria in the days of king Ahab and the attempt of King Hezekiah to free his people from Assyrian control.

Surely, God’s people must have pondered the meaning of such tumultuous events by asking whether their nation was in crises because their God was weaker than the gods of Assyria. They questioned whether military force is the determining factor in the history of nations. Perhaps a time had come to see some things that could not have been seen in the good times. Did their love and confidence in good king Uzziah get God to give them their true king. Was the external plight of their nation in any way related to the moral and ethical living of those within in the nation. Did were questioning what the future held and where was hope and security. They wondered who spoke for God in such a time.

In the very year good king Uzziah died. God called Isaiah to help the people answer such questions. After seeking and finding cleansing for his own sin he responded to God’s call for a spokesman with his well-known words, “here am I.” His task was not to be an easy one but he must faithfully help his people understand what God was saying to them for the present and in the future through the events of history. So, history and doctrine are forcefully intertwined in the book of Isaiah.

To appreciate the teachings, we must keep in mind the history. Isaiah lived in the 8th century when his people and the nation of Judah were under Assyrian control. The doctrinal points of chapters 1 – 39 are linked with this historical setting. Assyria continued her control of Judah until the last half of the 7th century when she crumbled and fell. After a brief period of independence, Judah came under Babylon control. In c. 587 BC, was destroyed by this world power. A few thousand citizens of Judah were carried away into exile and settled into the [ ] of the ancient city of Babylon. There they stayed for about 50 years. Then again around c. 538 BC, Cyrus, the Persian king, took control of the Babylonian empire and thereby gained control of the Jews in exile. His policy toward captive peoples was more lenient than the Assyrians or Babylonians. Cyrus’ offer to the Jews to return to their homeland was accepted by some according to the history of the book of Ezra. The last part of the book of Isaiah, which are chapters 42–66, relate closely to the rise of Cyrus and how God planned to use him to bring deliverance to His people.

10:50 – The major theological points revealed in the book of Isaiah, there are five of them. Remember, these are the major theological points expressed in the book of Isaiah. (i) God is One. (ii) God is Sovereign over creation and history. (iii) God is Holy. (iv) God is Judge. (v) God is Redeemer. While the book of Isaiah refers to the gods of other nations these were names to ridicule them and declare them non-existent. In Isaiah’s lifetime, the people who knew the true God were tempted to become involved with other gods. This temptation must have intensified for those carried into exile. Surely, they wondered whether their captures gods were stronger than theirs’ in light of their nation’s destruction. Thus, for these, the message that there was only one God was a welcomed answer to a burning issue.

The idol worshiper is pictured as one destined to disappoint because these gods have no power to save. They cannot even help themselves but must be placed on a beast of burden and carried from one place to another. The one true God however lifts and carries His people. The idols worshipers are mocked and scorned for believing they can make a god from a chunk of wood. The people of the true God must not be so foolish. Had God Himself eliminated all rivals by identifying himself as the first and the last wherefore declaring that apart from Him there is no god.

Should those know that this is true, and no other god tell other about Him? The method of Isaiah is a resounding, yes. The missionary vocation for God’s people is especially stressed in the second half of the book. When God brings His people out of exile, Israel must take up the work of a servant of God to be light for the gentiles. Closely related to the doctrine of one God is the thought of God’s sovereignty of creation and history. The teaching of God as the Creator of this world is clear but not prominent in the bible. One of clearest and most dramatic presentations of this doctrine is in the book of Isaiah. This passage sets the stage for emphasizing God’s sovereign control of history. This is found in Isa. 40:12–31. With a mind and heart attuned to the working of God, Isaiah thought to convince the kings of his day that God was the controlling force in the lives of nations. King Ahaz refused to believe this fact when Isaiah told him that God would deliver him from his enemies. The powers of Israel and Assyria were pressuring Judah under Ahaz to enter into an alliance with them against threatening Assyria. Isaiah showed Ahaz that God would remove these two troublesome powers but would use Assyria as an instrument for judging the people of Judah. Soon after these words were spoken, Assyria destroyed Syria and Israel and made Judah pay tribute.

Later, during the reign of Hezekiah, Isaiah again claimed that God was exercising His power over nations. On this occasion, Hezekiah had revolted against Assyria in control; thus, bringing an Assyrian army that overran the land of Judah and laid siege to Jerusalem. As promised to King Hezekiah that the Assyrian army would not enter Jerusalem must have appeared as an idle dream at that time. The intervention of God in human history was never more dramatically portrayed than in the subsequent event. The destruction of the Assyrian army and the retreat of the Assyrian ruler back to his homeland should have convinced the people of Judah that their God was in control of human affairs.

Much later when the citizens of Judah were in exile, God manifested His power over history by choosing and using a pagan ruler, Cyrus the Persian as an instrument to deliver God’s people. God even allowed Cyrus to build an empire by military victories over others. Cyrus was not always aware that he was being used but God had directed his every step. The purposes of God in history would be realized. Thus, Cyrus conquered Babylon, found God’s elect people in exile, and issued a decree allowing them to return to their homeland.

The one God who created this world and runs history is in His nature, holy. Isaiah’s favorite title for the God [ ] was “the holy one of Israel.” The primary meaning of the word ‘holy’ set apart or separated. Thus, God’s holiness means, first-of-all, that God is not a human being. He cannot be put into human categories. More specifically, Isaiah meant to stress the complete purity and the unlimited power of God. In his call, the prophet saw God in a vision and heard those words that would have mold the prophet’s conception of God. Holy, Holy, Holy. Christ’s holiness suggests complete holiness of purity. As a fitting response to God’s holiness, the prophet confesses his lack of holiness and his need for cleansing. Only after he was forgiven was this one ready to be God’s spokesman.

Holiness also suggests that God is not human because God’s power is unlimited. The though was applied by Isaiah with particular reference to the question of Judah’s security as a nation. While the king sought to but security in military might or alliances with other nations, Isaiah pleaded with him to lean on their God with His unlimited power. The Egyptians with whom Judah often saw [ ] were human and not divine. Their power was partial. Quiet and confident faith in the holy One would mean that the nation had a future.

God is Judge of all people. This follows from God’s uniqueness and holiness. All nations are accountable to God. Even greater attention is given to the faithfulness of God’s people and God’s judgement upon them. God’s people are accused of being in rebellion against God, a people sick with the disease of sin. Failure to live in righteousness and moral and ethical matters makes worship a false thing which God rejects. God lavished His attention of His people, yet they were like a vineyard that does not produce good fruit and must be destroyed. God’s people were ripe for judgement, but God is reluctant. He would have us do the reasonable thing, repent and experiencing cleansing forgiveness. Even when His judgement does fall upon us, it is not meant simply as punishment. It is to purify us and make us usable.

Such thinking brought Isaiah to one of his key concepts. The remnant idea. After judgement, God would play the remnant of the people and would continue His work with His purified and forgiven group. Isaiah even gave his two sons names [ ] of the coming judgement and a remnant being saved. In time, this announced judgment would fall on Judah and the nation would be destroyed but God did save a remnant. From those taken into exile, He, through Cyrus, the Persian, rescued a portion of His people and brought them back to their homeland.

God as Redeemer permeates the book of Isaiah but is particularly evident in the last part of the book. Already it has been shown that the sovereign and holy God shown His power to deliver His people from other nations which would destroy them. There is, however, much more to the story of God as Redeemer in this book. He is the God of all people and extends His redemption to all people. God calls upon His servants, understood at this point to be His elect people to take that message of redemption to others.

The acceptance of the true God by other nations was part of the picture of the ideal age to come as envisioned by Isaiah. This new age was described as a time when a king from the line of David would reign. He would delight in God. His eternal kingdom would be one where righteousness and peace prevailed. This glorious time of the messiah would also mean that others would come to know God and experience His salvation.

In the last half of the book of Isaiah, the figure who would be God’s instrument of bringing redemption to others was known only as God’s servant. While it was reasonable to identify this servant with the people of God coming out of exile with a missionary task as has already been done a higher application suggested one who would be God’s servant in a very special way. He would establish justice on the earth. This act would mean the servant would suffer at the hands of those he would serve Finally, He would be brought to death. He would die willingly. Although He had done only good, yet death was not the end. This servant of God would experience victory beyond suffering and death. The victory of knowing that His suffering had brought God’s redemption to others.

Who is this servant? A careful reading of the gospel leads one to realize that Jesus understood His mission in the world, in turn, are the two great figures in Isaiah. The messiah King and the suffering Servant. In combining these roles, Jesus fulfilled God’s plan of redemption.

Application. 25:00 – So much of was relevant to an understanding of Isaiah the prophet has long since vanished from the scene of history. But God who guided the inspired prophet is also our God today. And we who follow His Son are His elect people. The book of Isaiah calls us to live by these ageless truths. God is both separated from us by His holiness yet ever with us in love and prayer. God call us individually, and as His people, we find security for the future in Him and not in our own human scheme. God is first no matter where we choose to put Him in our lives. God’s kingdom of righteousness is the only eternal kingdom. As God’s people, we are called to be missionaries. Jesus, God’s messiah, looked for by Isaiah, walked with us through life’s experiences. The temptation is always with us to make our own god and bow down to, but God still controls nations and is working our His purposes in history. These and other great thoughts from the book of Isaiah will, if pondered and applied, lead us to that abundant life which our God meant for us to experience.

Timeline. 27:05 – The events of chapters 1–39 occurred during Isaiah’s ministry and were probably written in c. 700 BC. Chapters 40–66 may have been written towards the end of his life which is around c. 681 BC.

Ref.

Seay, William. 2019. Old Testament Theology [MP3]. Andersonville Theological Seminary (ATS). Camilla, GA: ATS