Isaiah 40-66 Overview

1-39

— Isaiah’s message of Judgement and hope for Jerusalem

— He accused Israel’s leaders of rebellion against God

— First through Assyria and then Babylon the nation would be cut down like the stump of a tree

— But from this stump would rise a “holy seed”

— Chapter 39 concluded with the prediction of the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians and their deportation in exile

— His greater hope was

— for a new purified Jerusalem

— where God’s kingdom would be restored

— through a future Messianic king

2nd Major Division 40-66

— This section is all about comfort and salvation, 27 books

— This section could be called “Salvation of the Lord”

40-48: An Announcement of Hope

40

The people are told that the Babylonian exile is over

— “Comfort yes, Comfort my people” (40:1)

— Israel’s sin has been dealt with;

— “her iniquity is pardoned” (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

STOP!

— The Bible Project at this point raises the question of who is talking at this point:

— One Isaiah

— Two Isaiahs (because he died 150 years before the exile [720s to 530s BC])

— After his message was rejected he sealed up all of his messages of hope and judgment (8:16, 29:10-12, 30:8-9)

— His “apostles” held his scrolls into the future and then added to them after these prophecies were fulfilled

— Isaiah + his prophetic disciples

— Higher critics favor this view because:

(a) they don’t believe that anyone could foresee future events

— Predictive prophecy is used by Isaiah himself to prove the veracity of his message (42:9; 44:7-8; 46:10).

— To deny the validity of predictive prophecy and miracles is a philosophical assumption that is foreign to the Bible

— You find predictive prophecy within chapters 1 through 39, as well as in chapters 40 to 66

( b) the time period is different than the first part of the book

— NT authors say that Isaiah is the author

(c) His writing style changes between the first half of the the book (1-39) and the second (40-66)

— Style changes are explained by the type of literature

— Isaiah is prophet, poetic and historical

— “Prepare the way of the Lord” (40:3-5)

— this section quoted in all 4 gospels

Isaiah 40:3–5 NKJV

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.”

Servant

— Isaiah hopes that after experiencing God’s justice and mercy Israel will become God’s Servant

— Isaiah initially identifies God’s servant as Israel (41:8; 44:1–2)

— who serves as God’s witness (43:10)

— and as a light to the Gentiles

— Israel as servant (41:8,9; 42:19; 43:10; 44:1,2,21,26; 48:20)

— Isaiah uses the “Servant’ when he continues to say that God’s servant will share with the nations who God truly is

— “bring forth justice to the Gentiles” (42:1 )

— “As a light to the Gentiles” (42:6 )

— “to bring out prisoners from the prison” (42:7)

— “I will bring the blind by a way that they have not known” (42:16 )

Opposite

But that is not what 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)

— He has argued from the greater to the lesser

— If every part is under God’s control He will care for His people

— Maybe he is not as strong as we thought (40:12-14)

— so Isaiah poses a series of questions

— to which the implied answer is “No One!”

— They themselves were deaf and blind and no use as God’s messenger

— “hear you deaf” (42:18)

— “who is blind but My servant” ( 42:19 )

— and in need of God’s forgiveness (44:21–22)

Noteworthy

Some noteworthy verses in this section

— The NT starts here with this verse “The voice of one crying in the wilderness” (40:3)

— “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold” (42:1)

— we get a hint that this is a different servant than identified as Israel in (41:8)

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

Idols

— One of the occurring themes of judgment against Israel is their idol worship

— Isaiah mentions it in Chapter 10, but really hammers it home here in 41, 42, 43, 44.

— Isaiah sarcastically says, the idol maker has to choose between making an idol or having breakfast! ( 44:16 )

— In the fall of Babylon and the rise of Cyrus (45) Israel should see God’s hand at work

— (46) Evacuation of Babylon is in full swing and here we the God of Israel as the “Burden bearing God”

Goldengay

“Here is a moment of crisis in Babylon’s life when it needs a deity that can stop it from collapsing, but instead of its gods carrying and protecting their people, the people are having to carry and protect their gods”

— 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

Noteworthy

Some noteworthy verses in this section

— The high point of grace in the OT

— “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. “( 43:25 )

— The verse that Charles Haddon Spurgeon credits for his salvation

— Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! ( 44:22 )

— Isaiah predicts that a Persian leader by the name of Cyrus will conquer the Babylonians ( 45:1 )

— alluded to in 41:2

48: Israel is still rebellious

— The right conclusion that they should draw (41-47)

— is that they have the God of history and should be a witness to the world i.e. His Servant

— But that is not what they do!

— They are still as rebellious and hard hearted as before (48:4)

— obstinate, Stubborn (48:4a)

— Un-submissive “your neck was an iron sinew” (48:4b)

— intractable “and your brow bronze” (48:4c)

— Deaf to the Word of the Lord and preferring false gods (48:5-7)

— Treacherous and rebellious “for I knew that you would deal very treacherously “ (48:8)

— Coming home rejoicing but still wicked and without peace “there is no peace says the Lord for the wicked” (48:22)

— 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)

Noteworthy

Some noteworthy verses in this section

— God alone will receive credit for Israels salvation

— “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it” (48:11)

49-55 The Servant Fulfills God’s Mission

49

— Introduced to God’s Servant who will fulfill God’s mission and do what Israel has failed to do

— God gives this servant the title Israel (49:3) which is little confusing because this is not the nation but Messiah

— God sends this servant on a mission

— (1) Restore the people back to their God

— (2) To become God’s light to the nations

Empowered This Servant is:

— Empowered by God’s spirit to bring good news and bring God’s kingdom to all the nations

— Sounds like the Messianic king from 9 & 11

Songs

— We learn details about the coming king in a series of “servant songs”

First Song ( 42:1-4 )

— We learn that he will be empowered by the Holy Spirit (cf. Matt 12:18-20)

— He will bring Justice & Righteousness into the world

— He will be called the Servant, Ehbed, Slave

Second Song (49:1-3)

— We learn that he will be human

— 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 ( 50:4-7 )

— We see his humiliation

— His face will be struck

— His beard will be plucked out

— He will be spit on

Fourth Song ( 52:13 - 53:12 )

— This section describes in amazing precision how Christ died

— It encompasses the whole gospel from this humiliation to death to resurrection and glorification

— This chapter has been called the 5th gospel

Reality

— As the servant is being accused and sentenced to death he is dying for the sins of his own people

— Isaiah says that the servant’s death is an atonement for the people’s evil and rebellion

— His death is a sacrifice for sin

Alive

— After his death the servant is suddenly alive again ( 53:10-12 )

— He made a way to make His people righteous

— A way to put them in a right relationship with God

Pastor Alex

— Go Beyond

— We are all missionaries

— Philip explained Isaiah 53:7 to the Ethiopian Eunuch ( Acts 8:32,33 )

Noteworthy

Some noteworthy verses in this section

— 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 (53:5 )

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” ( 54:17 )

— These will experience the messianic kingdom

The Wicked

(2) Others who are called “the wicked”

— They reject both the Servant and his servants

Noteworthy

Some noteworthy verses in this section

— “My word shall not return void” ( 55:11 )

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)

59 & 63-64

Two long prayers of repentance

— The servants confess Israel’s sins ( 59:9-15; 63:15-19; 64:6 )

— They grieve over all the evil they see in the world ( 64:4 )

— They ask God to forgive them and that His kingdom would come here on earth ( 64:1 )

63 A very somber chapter

— This is the day of vengeance on all those who would not believe

56b -58 & 65-66a

— A contrast of the destiny of the Servants and the Wicked

— God will bring His justice on all who oppose him and He will remove them from His city forever

— The Servants who are humble before God and repent, they are forgiven and they will inherit the new Jerusalem

56a & 66b

People from all nations are invited to come and join the servants of God’s ( 66:18 ) covenant family so that everyone can know their creator and redeemer

65

Isaiah ends where the NT ends

— Calling of the Gentiles and all nations ( 65:1 )

— and the saving of the remnant of Israel ( 65:8-10 )

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

Noteworthy

Some noteworthy verses in this section

—Salvation is a two-edged sword

— Good news for those who are saved, redeemed

— Judgment for those who do not believe ( 63:4 )

— “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. ( 64:6 )

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 Overview: https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/thru-the-bible-with-j-vernon-mcgee/listen/isaiah-intro-745777.html

Introduction to Isaiah, Ralph Wilson: http://www.jesuswalk.com/isaiah/00_intro.htm