Isaiah: A Jet Tour
Notes
Transcript
Handout
A Jet Tour of Isaiah
A Jet Tour of Isaiah
40,000 Foot view
A forty-thousand foot view of the book
— Can’t go chapter by chapter or verse by verse, but we will in our study
— For now we will hit the highlights of the book
Not a normal Study
This wouldn’t be a normal bible study
— Some questions, but not a lot of time for Questions
— We have a lot to cover in a brief amount of time
Major Prophet
Not because he was more important but because of the length of the book
Q: What are some of the other major prophets?
— Lamentations
— Daniel
— Jeremiah
— Ezekiel
Contemporaries
— Contemporaries were Amos, Hosea and Micah
— All wrote at about the same time
Title
— Isaiah means “The Lord is Salvation”
— He lived during the reign of 5 kings:
— Uzziah
— Jotham,
— Ahaz
— Hezekiah
— and Manasseh
— For our purposes, we will only look at Ahaz and Hezekiah in depth.
— These are the kings that Isaiah speaks to in this book
Nobility
— Isaiah was probably of some nobility and not some crazy peasant from the countryside
— He had access to the inner circles of power
Q: Why should we study the book of Isaiah?
— Quoted 87x in the NT
— Jesus quoted Isaiah 8x
— All of the apostles and early church knew this book
— We would do well to understand it
Died
— According to Christian and Hebrew legend Isaiah was killed by King Manasseh
— We have no extra biblical evidence
— But Hebrews does seem to elude to his death (cf Heb 11:37)
37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—
Prophetic
— In terms of literature type, this is poetic and prophetic
— We need to think about that as we read it
— Isaiah may use a certain word or phrase because it rhymes in Hebrew or paints a word picture
— It does not read like a narrative or story but full of imagery and allegory
— In some cases we have to draw a conclusion
— My interpretation might not match yours
— Come prepared with your own interpretation, don’t trust that I’ll get it right
Audience
— Isaiah wrote to both the Southern Kingdom (Judah) and the Northern Kingdom (Israel)
Time Near and Future prophecies
Millennial
— The millennial Kingdom (11:6; 14:1-3; 19:16; 24:23; 27:2-6; 35:1-10; 42:10-12; 43:5-6; 49:19ff; 56:1-11; 61:1-9)
— Sometimes speaking to the immediate future
— Sometimes a future time (Millennial)
— Sometimes a prophecy of both near and far
Commentaries
In preparing this study, I’ve looked at some of the greatest commentaries available:
— Matthew
— Mark
— Luke
— John
— the apostle Peter and Paul
— And the Lord Jesus Christ
— All spoke about or expanded our understanding of the prophet
Split The book of Isaiah is split the same way the bible is divided
Q: How many books are in the bible? NT and OT?
OT
— 39 books of judgement
— The first 39 books of Isaiah are books of judgment or “the government of God”
NT
— 27 books of salvation
— The last 27 books of Isaiah are about salvation for a total of 66 books
— The OT is a book of judgment
— The NT is a book of Salvation
— the same way that Isaiah is laid out.
John the Baptist
— The second part of Isaiah about Salvation starts with chapter 40
— It starts exactly where the NT starts, with the introduction of John the Baptist
— The books ends exactly where the NT ends (65-66) with a vision of the new heaven and the new earth
1-39
— The first 39 chapters regard the “Government of God” or judgement
— This is a very somber section of the book
— We will try to not get into the “weeds.”
— We are at 40,000 feet, not crop-dusting
— But we need to look at few key verses (in a moment)
40-66
— The second half of the book could be called “Salvation of the Lord”
— The last 27 books of Isaiah (40-66) can be broken out into groups of 9 chapters
Babylon
— 40-48 Salvation from Babylon
Curse
— 58-66 Salvation from the curse, and the middle section,
Sin
— 49-57 Salvation from sin
— The middle of the middle section is chapter 53
— The middle verse is verse 5
— 53:5 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed
1-12 First section: Judgment and Hope
1-12 First section: Judgment and Hope
— Two major themes Judgment and Hope
— He will judge Israel by sending the nations to conquer Israel
— This will be like a purifying Fire ( 5:24 ) that burns away all that is worthless in order to create a New Jerusalem
— This New Jerusalem will be populated by a Remnant that has repented and turned back to God
— That is when God’s kingdom will come and all nations will come to the temple and learn of God’s justice
Old and New is a reoccurring theme
— This story line of the old Jerusalem being replaced by the new Jerusalem is a reoccurring theme throughout the book.
— Isaiah adds more and more details as we go through the book
Q: Do you want to know how Isaiah’s ministry turned out? How successful it was?
1-5 backdrop
— Chapters 1-5 are a backdrop, an anatomy of Israel at the end of his ministry
— The trouble described in 1-5 doesn’t come at the beginning of his ministry but at the end
— Want to know it how it all turned out? Read 1-5
— Obey and you will prosper
— Disobey and you will be cursed
— (1.5) summarizes it well
— “Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints” (1:5)
The point
— Further punishment will not do any good
— You are so stubborn
— You would rather be broken to shreds than obey the Lord
5
— Chapter 5 is the grimmest, saddest part of the introduction
— A personal disaster
— A sad song
— The speaker does everything to cultivate the vineyard
— Life savings, toil, sweat
— All their human effort and the crop is worthless
— worthless grapes (NAS)
— wild grapes (NKJV)
— bad fruit (NIV)
— The Lord is the vineyard owner
— Israel is the vineyard
Sins Isaiah lists the sins that Isreal has committed. These are enumerated as a series of “woes” or judgments
5:8 Materialism
5:10 Stock piling - therefore, I will send famine conditions
5:11 Drunken pleasure seeking
5:18 Defiant sinfulness
You’re Finished
— In chapter 5:24 he says “your finished.”
— The nation is finished. Circle it (Is 5:24)
24 Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, And the flame consumes the chaff, So their root will be as rottenness, And their blossom will ascend like dust; Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
6
— The Grand Vision (6)
— Isaiah has this grand vision of the Lord sitting in His temple, surrounded by His glory
— Creatures around the throne shouting that God is “Holy, Holy, Holy”
— Isaiah realizes how corrupt he and his people and he is certain that he is going to be destroyed by God’s holiness (but he’s not)
— Isaiah is touched by a coal from the altar that purifies him
— This is where Isiah receives his commission and we read this famous verse (cf Isa 6:8)
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
Preach
— Isaiah is told to preach
— He is told (6:10) to preach but no one will listen to you
— It will just fall on deaf ears
— He asks (6:11) how long?
— The Lord answers, until there is no one left
Trust
— He is told to trust God’s plan
— Israel is going to be chopped down like a tree (6:13)
— And that stump itself will be scorched and burned
— But a remnant (the stump, the 1/10) will be called a holy seed (6:13)
— Who or What is that holy seed?
7-12
— Offers an answer to that question
— Isaiah confronts king Ahaz, a descendant of David and the king of Jerusalem
— Isaiah tells Ahaz that Assyria will first chop down Israel and desolate the land (7:17-25)
— The Northern Kingdom has joined forces with a foreign power (Assyria, the enemy) to destroy the Southern Kingdom (Judah).
The Second message of Isaiah is (2) Hope
The Second message of Isaiah is (2) Hope
— Things will get bad before they get better
— But there is hope!
— Because of God’s promise to David, God will send a new king after Israel is chopped down and desolated
— His name is Immanuel (7:14) “God with us”
— God would one day fulfill all of his covenant promises
— He would send a king from the line of David to establish an everlasting kingdom (2 Sam 7:12ff)
— He would lead Israel in obedience of all the laws in the covenant at Mt Sini (Ex 19)
— So that God could bless all the nations of the earth through Israel (Gen 12)
Names
— Names are used in Isaiah to coney a message
— This is true of other names in the OT and true of the names of God
— In Isaiah these names are full of meaning
— They are more like mini-sentences
— Isaiah “The Lord is Salvation”
— Immanuel (7:14) “God is with us”
— Shear-Jashub (7:3) Isaiah names his son “a remnant shall return”
— Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (8:1) Speed the spoil, hasten the booty
— In other words, he is telling the Assyrians, hurry up and invade the nation
— It has the idea, “come Lord Jesus”
13-27 - Second Section: Judgment and Hope for the Nation
13-27 - Second Section: Judgment and Hope for the Nation
13-23
— The Fall of Babylon and Israel’s neighbors
— Assyria would one day be replaced by the world power Babylon
— Isaiah is pointing out that Assyria will be replaced by Babylon
— It will be even more destructive than Assyria
— Babylon’s kings declare that they are higher than all other gods (14:12ff)
— “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God”
— God vows to bring Babylon down and here is a near term and far-term prophecy (Rev 18-19)
Not Alone
— Not only Babylon but Isaiah lists all of Israel’s neighbors and accuses them of the same kind of pride and injustice
— Philistia Egypt
— Moab
— Damascus
— Tyre
McGee
J. Vernon McGee asks the question: “It’s obvious why Isaiah would spend 3 chapters on Babylon. But why two chapters on Moab, someone who we have never heard of?” I hope we can answer that question when we get to it!
24-27 - Third Section: A tale of two Cities
24-27 - Third Section: A tale of two Cities
Lofty City
— The Lofty City
— Exalted itself above God and has become corrupt and unjust
— An ARCHETYPE of rebellious Humanity
— Described with images from chapters 4-23
— This city is destined for ruin
New City
— One day replaced by the New Jerusalem
— God reigns as king over a redeemed humanity ( 24:23 )
— No more death, suffering, diseases
— This is a picture of 1000 year millennial kingdom
— This is the climax of the section and illustrates how Isaiah’s prophecies pointed far out from his own day
— Chapter 24 ends with the Lord returning to Jerusalem and taking His seat on the throne during the millennial kingdom
— It was a message of Hope for all who are waiting for God to bring His justice on violent oppressive kingdom and bring His kingdom of Justice, peace and healing love
Q: What is the Leviathan?
— We read about it in chapter 27
28-39 - Final Section: The Rise & Fall of Jerusalem
28-39 - Final Section: The Rise & Fall of Jerusalem
28-35
— We see God’s people have failed under pressure
— Isaiah accuses the leaders of Jerusalem of turning from God and relying on Egypt for military protection against Assyria
— Hezekiah made an alliance with the Egyptian Pharaoh Tirhakah against Assyria (2 ki 19:9, Isa 37:9)
— ( 28:15 ) They made a covenant with death
— A They’ve left the faith
— ( 30:2 ) They trust in the shadow of Egypt
— Isaiah says that only Trust in your God and repentance can save Israel now ( 30:15 )
36-38
Trusting in God is Illustrated by the rise of king Hezekiah, king of Jerusalem
— The Assyrian armies come and try to attack the city
— Hezekiah humbles himself before God ( 37:20 ) and the city is miraculously saved ( 37:36 )
39
Hezekiah’s rise is immediately followed by his Fall
— He hosts a delegation from Babylon and shows them all the treasures of the temple ( 39:2)
— Clearly an attempt to make another political alliance for protection
— Isaiah confront Hezekiah and rebukes him for his foolishness
— He says that Babylon will betray him and return as an enemy and carry off all of these treasures ( 39:6 )
Divine Judgment
All of Isaiah’s warnings of divine judgment (1-39 ) lead up to this moment
— The Babylonians will come Destroy the City, Burn the Temple, and carry off the nation into captivity into Babylon
— He is shown to be a true prophet because it all happened exactly like he said
2nd Major Division: Salvation of the Lord
2nd Major Division: Salvation of the Lord
40-66 This section is all about comfort and salvation, 27 books
40-48: An Announcement of Hope
40-48: An Announcement of Hope
40
— Chapter 40 starts rights where the NT starts, with John the Baptist
— This section is quoted in all 4 gospels (Isa 40:3-5)
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; 5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
— The people are told that the Babylonian exile is over
— ( 40:1 ) “Comfort yes, Comfort my people”
— Israel’s sin has been dealt with ( 40:2 ); a new era is beginning
— They should all return home to Jerusalem where God will bring his kingdom and all nations will see his glory
— ( 40:3-5 ) Prepare the way of the Lord; this section quoted in all 4 gospels
High point of Grace
— The high point of Grace is found here at ( 43:25 )
25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.
False Hope
— Isaiah hopes that after experiencing God’s justice and mercy Israel will become God’s Servant
— But this is false hope
Opposite
— Just the opposite happens
— Instead, Israel is complaining and even accusing God
— The Babylonian exile cause Israel to loose faith in their God
— The Lord doesn’t pay attention to our trouble, in fact He is ignoring our cause ( 40:27 )
— ( 40:12-14 ) Maybe he is not as strong as we thought so Isaiah poses a series of questions to which the implied answer is “No One!”
41-47: The Trial
41-47: The Trial
— Set up like a trial scene
— Isaiah uses his court room Analogy as he often does in the book (1:2; 3:13, 41:21-29; 43:8-9; 59:9-13)
— God is responding to the following arguments:
— (1) Exile to Babylon was not divine neglect; rather it was judgment for Israel’s sin
— (2) It was for Israel’s sake;
— God raised up Persia so they could conquer Babylon so that they could return home and fulfill Isaiah’s words (13:17)
Conclusion
— So the right conclusion that they should draw is that their God is the king of history not idols;
— it is His Story
— The right conclusion that they should draw is that they have the God of history
— and should be a witness to the world i.e. His Servant
Charles Spurgeon
— And here we find verse 44:22
— the verse that saved Charles Haddon Spurgeon ( 44:22 )
22 I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”
48: Israel is still rebellious
48: Israel is still rebellious
Should
— So the right conclusion that they should draw is that their God is the king of history and they should be a witness to the world
— But that is not what they do!
— They are still as rebellious and hard hearted as before (48:4)
— So God disqualifies them as His servant
— But God is still on a mission to bless the nations; Isaiah says God is going to do a “new thing” to solve this problem (48:6)
49:55 The Servant Fulfills God’s Mission
49:55 The Servant Fulfills God’s Mission
4 Servant Songs
— There are 4 “servant songs”
— We skipped over the first one in (42:1-4)
— There we are told that the Messiah will be:
— empowered by the Holy Spirit (cf. Matt 12:18-20)
— Bring righteousness / justice to the world
— Be called a Servant, Ehbed, Slave
Second Song
— The Second Servant Song is (49:1-3)
— He will be a human man
— Born of a virgin
— He will save Israel and bring salvation to the nations of the world
— He will be glorified
Surprise
— We learn the surprising way in which the Servant brings God’s kingdom
— He will be rejected and and beaten and ultimately killed by his own people (50:4-9; 52:13-53:12)
Third Song
The Third Servant Song is (50:4-7)
— We will see his humiliation
— His face will be struck
— His beard will be plucked out
— He will be spit on
Fourth Song
— The Fourth and final Servant Song is (53)
— The kind of precision used to describe the suffering servant tells me that only God could have written this
— This is the high point of the OT
— When we get to this section, we will take a few weeks to really unpack this
— There are references to Isaiah 53 in:
— Matthew
— Mark
— Luke
— John
— Acts
— Romans
— 1 Corinthians & 2 Corinthians
— Galatians
— Ephesians
— Timothy
— Titus
— Hebrews
— 1 Peter
— 1 John
— And we are going to look at every single one of these ! (Just Kidding)
The Question
— This passage (53) answers the most significant question anyone can ask
“ How can a sinner be made right with a holy, just God and escape eternal punishment in hell and enter Heaven?”
A Gospel
This chapter has been called the 5th Gospel
— It could stand alone as a gospel
— It is all here:
— The Lord’s eternal relationship with the Father in an exalted state of Glory
— He descends down to humiliation
— His rejection
— His execution
— Then it goes backup up through the empty tomb on Easter
— The accomplishment of justification for the “many”
— His intercession
— And His glory and final kingdom
Pastor Alex
— Go Beyond
— We are all missionaries
— Philip explained Isaiah 53:7 to the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:32,33)
54-55 Two Ways to respond
54-55 Two Ways to respond
Holy Seed
— (1) Some will respond with humility and turn from their sins
— These people are called the “servants” and also the seed, remember the “holy seed” from 6:13
— These will experience the messianic kingdom The Wicked
(2) Others who are called “the wicked”
— They reject both the Servant and his servants
56 - 66 The servants inherit God’s kingdom
56 - 66 The servants inherit God’s kingdom
Symmetry These chapters bring together all the themes of the book
57 Backsliding and the Christian response
58 Fasting
60 -62 The Servant announces God’s kingdom to the poor
— Jerusalem (inhabited by God’s servants) will be a city of Light and Gentiles will come to the city
— It becomes the center of world-wide worship and the place from which Justice, and Mercy and blessings flow out to the rest of the world
— Isaiah reaffirms all the promises of Hope from earlier in the book
Columbus
— Christopher Columbus quoted all of chapter 60 to the King and Queen of Spain to justify his trip to the new world (the Americas)
63
— A very somber chapter
— This is the day of vengeance on all those who would not believe (63:4)
4 For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come.
Recap
— Through the suffering Servant King God creates:
— A covenant family of all nations
— Awaiting the Hope of God’s justice in bringing a new creation
— God’s kingdom finally comes here on earth as it is in heaven
Additional Resources
Isaiah Overview Part Part 1 1-39 https://youtu.be/d0A6Uchb1F8
Isaiah Overview Part II 40-66 https://youtu.be/_TzdEPuqgQg
J Vernon McGee Intro to Isaiah: https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/thru-the-bible-with-j-vernon-mcgee/listen/isaiah-intro-745777.html