December 20, 2020

Incarnation (Isaiah)

B.B. Warfield proclaimed that : "we cannot afford to lose either God in the man or the man in the God; our hearts cry out for the complete God-man whom the Scriptures offer us." Christianity in its entirety hung upon this biblical picture: "Because he is man he is able to pour out his blood, and because he is God his blood is of infinite value to save...it is only because he is both God and Man in one person, that we can speak of God purchasing his Church with his own blood...and unless God has purchased his Church with his own blood, in what shall his Church find ground for its hope?"

First is an assertion in the famous prayer of Anselm of Canterbury at the start of his Proslogion, the work from the late eleventh century that tried to demonstrate the existence of God by what would later be called the ontological argument. In this prayer, Anselm enacted a common Christian pattern by basing what he knew on what he had experienced: “I do not attempt, O Lord, to penetrate Thy profundity, for I desire to understand in some degree Thy truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand, in order that I may believe; but I believe that I may understand. For I believe this too, that unless I believed, I should not understand.” What Anselm in his heart believed and loved was clearly the Savior Jesus Christ, the nature of whose sacrifice on behalf of sinners he had also explored in a famous treatise on the atonement, Cur Deus Homo? (Why did God become human?) In other words, Anselm’s contemplation of philosophical proof for the existence of God proceeded from his faith in Christ.[1]

Guided by mediating voices like Leo’s, the more than 500 bishops who met in 451 at Chalcedon (modern Kadiköy), across the Bosporus from Constantinople, hammered out the following definition:

So, following the saintly fathers, we all with one voice teach the confession of one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: the same perfect in divinity and perfect in humanity, the same truly God and truly man, of a rational soul and a body; consubstantial with the Father as regards his divinity, and the same consubstantial with us as regards his humanity; like us in all respects except for sin; begotten before the ages from the Father as regards his divinity, and in the last days the same for us and for our salvation from Mary, the Virgin God-bearer as regards his humanity; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, acknowledged in two natures which undergo no confusion, no change, no division, no separation; at no point was the difference between the natures taken away through the union, but rather the property of both natures is preserved and comes together into a single person and a single subsistent being; he is not parted or divided into two persons, but is one and the same only-begotten Son, God, Word, Lord Jesus Christ, just as the prophets taught from the beginning about him, and as the Lord Jesus Christ himself instructed us, and as the creed of the fathers [i.e., the Nicene Creed] handed it down to us.

Noll, M. A. (2011). Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind (p. 20). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Light breaks through our clouds and shadows,

splendor bathes the flesh-joined Word;

Moses and Elijah marvel

as the heavenly voice is heard.

Eyes and hearts behold with wonder

how the Law and Prophets meet:

Christ with garments drenched in brightness,

stands transfigured and complete.

The aesthetic bearing of the hymn concerns Christ as “light” and “splendor” with “garments drenched in brightness.” The one who brings the law and prophets to completion is a being of unimaginable beauty. When the qualities of deity are unveiled, Jesus Christ appears in brilliant light. This is the one who will suffer and die for his people. The God who dwells in unapproachable glory has appeared in Jesus Christ, who as an ordinary human being is nonetheless a being of surpassing beauty.

Jonathan Edwards

And if we consider the secondary ground of love, viz. beauty or moral excellency, the same thing will appear. For as God is infinitely the greatest being, so he is allowed to be infinitely the most beautiful and excellent: and all the beauty to be found throughout the whole creation, is but the reflection of the diffused beams of that Being9 who hath an infinite fullness of brightness and glory. God’s beauty is infinitely more valuable than that of all other beings upon both those accounts mentioned, viz. the degree of his virtue and the greatness of the being possessed of this virtue. And God has sufficiently exhibited himself, in his being,3 his infinite greatness and excellency: and has given us faculties, whereby we are capable of plainly discovering immense superiority to all other beings in these respects. Therefore he that has true virtue, consisting in benevolence to Being in general, and in that complacence in virtue, or moral beauty, and benevolence to virtuous being,5 must necessarily have a supreme love to God, both of benevolence and complacence. And all true virtue must radically and essentially, and as it were summarily, consist in this. Because God is not only infinitely greater and more excellent than all other being, but he is the head of the universal system of existence; the foundation and fountain of all being7 and all beauty; from whom all is perfectly derived, and on whom all is most absolutely and perfectly dependent; of whom, and through whom, and to whom is all being9 and all perfection; and whose being and beauty is as it were the sum and comprehension of all existence and excellence: much more than the sun is the fountain and summary comprehension of all the light and brightness of the day.[2]

Martyn Lloyd-Jones - As we face the modern world with all its trouble and turmoil and with all its difficulties and sadness, nothing is more important than that we who call ourselves Christian, and who claim the name of Christ, should be representing our faith in such a way before others as to give them the impression that here is the solution, and here is the answer. In a world where everything has gone so sadly astray, we should be standing out as men and women apart, people characterized by a fundamental joy and certainty in spite of conditions, in spite of adversity.

Christians in the 1st century lived in a world so different from ours: no health care, no air-condition, no refrigeration, no retirement, buildings falling apart, a night a great darkness falls on the whole city. Yet, they had great joy!

1 Peter 1:8 (NASB95)

8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

Ephesians 2:8 (NASB95)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

OSS: That is Christ's gift to the world today. His Mission is to bring good news to the poor and bind up the brokenhearted and to proclaim liberty to the captives and to comfort all who mourn and anoint them with gladness, so that the Lord may be glorified. And h e has made us partners with him in that mission.

The Lord Anointed One (Christ) -

1. Savior: His Liberating Mission (Isaiah 61:1-3)

2. Priest: A Priestly People: Shame Replaced with Honor (61:4-7)

3. Lord: His Saving Power (61:10-12)

4. Prophet: A Prophetic Voice: Desolation Replaced with Delight (62:1-5)

5. The Lord's Strategy: Tireless Intercessors (62:6-7)

I. The Anointed One: His liberating Mission (Isaiah 61:1-3)

Isaiah 61:1–3 (NASB95)

Exaltation of the Afflicted

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

Because the Lord has anointed me

To bring good news to the afflicted;

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to captives

And freedom to prisoners;

2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

3 To grant those who mourn in Zion,

Giving them a garland instead of ashes,

The oil of gladness instead of mourning,

The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.

So they will be called oaks of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

> Everyone knows a broken heart. Life is filled with experiences that tear one down. C.S. Lewis said if one has three to five friends in life then one is truly blessed. Relationships are so rare in this life. Christ comes to give true love, true mercy, true hope. How? He has true character where everyone is so deeply flawed and weak, but He is not! He is without sin! He has no darkness in him. Everyone else are creatures of darkness until they are transformed into a creature of light. However, even the greatest the most mature Christian still struggles with moments of darkness.

> How does it do it? To bring good news to the cafflicted;

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to captives

And freedom to prisoners;

2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

* by preaching the gospel!

> The Messiah brings that liberation to its fullest realization through the gospel. The cross cancels our debts! God says you are free from the past!

> Jesus read this very passage:

Luke 4:16–21 (NASB95)

16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.

He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set free those who are oppressed,

19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

20 And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.

21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

> Notice Jesus did not read "And the day of vengeance of our God" because the day of vengeance is at the Second Coming (Read Rev 19)

Isaiah 61:1 (NASB95)

Exaltation of the Afflicted

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

Because the Lord has anointed me

To bring good news to the afflicted;

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to captives

And freedom to prisoners;

61:1 The coming of the Spirit is repeatedly connected to significant changes on the earth and God’s establishment of his Kingdom (11:2; 32:15; 42:1; 44:3; 48:16; 59:21), but the “me” who receives the Spirit in this verse is not immediately identified by name.

Ø God’s anointing of a person is often connected to the reception of the Spirit (1 Sam 10:1, 9–10; 16:13; 2 Sam 23:1–2; 1 Kgs 19:16), but the key factor to be noted is that it is God who empowers and directs this person through the Spirit. Thus the Anointed One is doing tasks assigned by God (he was sent by God), and the power of the Spirit will guarantee that he will successfully accomplish the will of God. Although this paragraph is not structured like other call narratives (Isaiah 6; Jeremiah 1; Ezekiel 1–3), it does give a detailed description of the tasks God has assigned to this Anointed One. Essentially, his responsibilities overlap with and echo several of the tasks assigned to the Servant (42:7; 49:9–10; 50:4), although the emphasis in this paragraph is focused much more on the proclamation and comfort provided through words rather than through acts of bringing forth justice (42:1–4) or restoring Israel and the nations (42:6; 49:6, 8–9).

Ø The general assignment is to preach the good news. The content of the good news is a message of hope proclaimed to people in Zion (61:3a) who are presently “afflicted, poor,” “broken-hearted,” “captives,” or “prisoners” (61:1). Isaiah 61:3 indicates that some in the audience “mourn” or “grieve,” but these negative characteristics are so general that it is very difficult to tie them down to any specific historical setting. C. Westermann does not believe these terms refer to the deliverance of people in exile but relates this condition to the need for relief from the economic debts mentioned in 58:6. Nevertheless, none of these clauses ever reveal why the audience is presently in this difficult condition, and they do not appear to describe the people who returned to Jerusalem after the exile. Therefore, it is just as possible for one to suggest that these heartbroken people who are mistreated refers to the same righteous group of people who were mistreated in 57:1–2 and the contrite and lowly people of 57:15. This would indicate that the author makes a clear distinction between the righteous who suffer and the oppressors who afflict the righteous.355

Ø The audience is made up of the “afflicted” (ʿănāwîm), a term that can refer to anyone who is oppressed by others or humble before God. The broken-hearted are despondent in spirit and discouraged, probably the people in 57:15 that God will revive. The reason why they are broken-hearted is unknown, but physical, social, or spiritual problems might cause this condition. “Captives” (from šĕbî) could refer to those taken as prisoners in a time of war or those bound for economic or spiritual reasons. “Those bound” (ʾăsûrîm, NIV “prisoners”) could hypothetically relate to the “release” (dĕrôr) of slaves in the Sabbatical year or the year of Jubilee (Lev 25:10; Deut 15:12; Jer 34:8, 15, 17), but this is questionable for there is limited evidence that the Hebrews followed this practice throughout their history. The picture of these individuals in 61:1–3 is quite imprecise and their condition does not point to a specific identifiable situation in the history of the nation. The overall content of chap. 61 suggests that it refers to a time shortly before the establishment of the kingdom of God.

Ø The specific tasks assigned to this Anointed One who was sent by God are outlined in a series.

First, this Anointed One is “to proclaim good news” (the infinitive construct lĕbaśśēr) by telling people that their past situations will change and that a new period of history is about to begin. This idea of sharing the “good news” of what God will do is found at several points in the book of Isaiah. In the eschatological setting of 40:9, God encourages “those who bring good news” (mebaśśeret) from Jerusalem to lift up their voices and proclaim that God is here and graciously reigns over his people with peace and salvation (41:27; 52:7; 60:6). If one can connect the proclamation of good news in 61:1 with the good news in 40:9 and 52:7, then the essential point of this good news is that “God reigns” and his eschatological kingdom is going to begin. This means that the problems associated with righteous people living in a sinful world will end when God’s reign is fully established.

Second, this person was sent by God “to bind up” or heal (Ps 147:3) the hurts of his people. This seems to be related to 30:18–26, which describes God’s salvation as arriving and transforming this world. There will be no more adversity when the righteous see God with their own eyes, for he will defeat their enemies, bless their land, “bind up” the bruises, and heal the wounds that he inflicted on them. It is unclear how this will happen. Will spoken words miraculously bring this healing and bind up these wounds, or will there be some other method of accomplishing this task?

Third, this Anointed One is “to proclaim” (liqrōʾ) liberty, a term that is used in Jer 34:8, 15, 17 to refer to the release of slaves, which should happen every six years (Exod 21:2–3; Lev 25:12; Deut 15:12–15). It would be somewhat dangerous to read all this background of releasing slaves into the use of this term in 61:1 and thereby limit the use of this term solely to the release of slaves from bondage. At minimum, this could involve the proclamation of a metaphorical release from any past social or spiritual enslavement the people were under. In addition, one wonders if this task only involves proclaiming something to be so, or whether this person will do something to accomplish this release.

Isaiah 61:2 (NASB95)

2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

61:2 The fourth task is also “to proclaim” (liqrōʾ), but now the one speaking declares that the “favorable year of the Lord” and the “day of vengeance” of our God has arrived. In 34:8 and 63:5 the day of God’s vengeance refers to the time when God will pour out his wrath and bring just judgment on the wicked. Earlier in 49:8 (also 60:10) the “year of God’s favor” is associated with the “day of salvation” when God has compassion on his people. It is that time when God enacts his eternal covenant to restore his people and restore their land. These events appear to describe what will happen on the Day of the Lord when “our God” begins to reign in power in his new kingdom.

The fifth role for this person is to comfort all those who were mourning and sorrowing. Isaiah 60:20 suggests that all mourning will end in God’s everlasting kingdom. Isaiah 57:18–19 provides more detail about God’s comforting of these mourners when it describes this comforting as healing the lowly and contrite, guiding them, bringing peace, and causing them to praise God. This will bring healing and peace to all. Again one wonders if this “Anointed One” will only proclaim what God will do, which is as far as this verse goes, or if he will play a central part by doing something (as in the Servant passages) in order to make this day of comfort possible.

Isaiah 61:3 (NASB95)

3 To grant those who mourn in Zion,

Giving them a garland instead of ashes,

The oil of gladness instead of mourning,

The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.

So they will be called oaks of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

61:3 The sixth responsibility of this “Anointed One” is “to provide” (lāśûm, NIV “and provide”) for those grieving in Zion “by giving” them something new and “beautiful, glorious” (pĕʾēr) for their head. This will replace their past use of “ashes” (ʾēper, a word play on pĕʾēr), a sign of mourning. In addition, in order to emphasize the stark contrast with the past, the author compares this transformation of life to having oil (Pss 23:5; 45:8, which contrasts with the times of mourning), a festive headdress (3:20; Ezek 44:18), or an opulent garment that is worn in a time of praise instead of ashes at a time of fainting and mourning. This metaphorical way of describing the outward transformation of a person’s clothes and behavior betrays a deep transformation of this person’s situation as well as their psychological reaction (by their “spirit” rûaḥ) to the changes God will introduce at this time (60:20, “the days of mourning will be completed”). The point is that mourning, which was so often a part of the nation’s history, will end and praise will begin. The head ornament (a positive symbol) will be used “instead of” the ashes (a negative symbol) because a new era of salvation has arrived.

The final part of 61:3 identifies the new people of Zion, after the “Anointed One” accomplishes all his work, as “oaks of righteousness” and as the “plantings of the Lord.” The second metaphorical designation is connected to this same imagery in 60:21b. These “plantings” (his people) are God’s vines planted in his vineyard (5:1–7; 27:2–6), and at this time they will produce the fruit of righteousness instead of bad fruit. The symbolism of being like oaks may communicate how strong, well-rooted, and glorious these righteous people will be. These are the people that God planted “to bring glory to himself” (60:21b) for all the marvelous things that he has done. This purpose clause indicates that one of the main goals of mankind will be to fulfill this joyful responsibility of glorifying God forever. Those who receive God’s good news, freedom, comfort, and experience this transformation will have many reasons to loudly praise and glorify God’s name.[3]

II. A Priestly People: Shame Replaced With Honor (Isaiah 61:4)

4 Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,

They will raise up the former devastations;

And they will repair the ruined cities,

The desolations of many generations.

After the exile (those terrible days with the Assyrians and Babylon) then they return to rebuild the ruins of Jerusalem which is a token of a greater build to come when God rebuilds the heart!

They will raise up the former devastations;

And they will repair the ruined cities,

The desolations of many generations.

We have races and generations that have been destroyed by sin. They then become victims and seek to retaliate which makes more victims. We see it all around us today. You have a younger generation that believes they have come to devour the older generation for they were raised rightly now they can level the older. You have races that are haunted by the past thus want other to suffer.

> Shalom was broken in the garden, now societies seek death in military wars, culture wars, and wars in the home. Everyone is the victim and feels justified for killing (emotionally, physically, spiritually) everyone else.

> do you see yourself as the one who commits sin and has harmed others? or do you see yourself as the victim?

> We need a Savior!

Isaiah 61:4 (NASB95)

4 Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,

They will raise up the former devastations;

And they will repair the ruined cities,

The desolations of many generations.

61:4 The next paragraph (61:4–7) no longer refers to the purposes or goals of the “Anointed One”; instead, it focuses on how God will bless the city and all the people in it. These changes might be called the subsidiary consequences that arise out of the marvelous, transformative work of God and his Anointed One. These announcements confirm that the work of this “Anointed One” will be successful and bring about dramatic changes for Zion and for the people who dwell in Zion. One of the ways these people will bring glory to God will be through the rebuilding of Zion. This repeats what was said earlier in 58:12 (and hinted at in 49:8 and 54:3), using the common vocabulary of “building” and “raising up” what various enemies destroyed in earlier days. The ruins of these devastated cities are not connected to any specific war in this text; rather, they encompass the destruction caused by all the wars of their forefathers over the past, many generations. Isaiah 61:4 expands the earlier picture of rebuilding (49:19; 60:10, 18) by adding the thought that “they will renew” (ḥiddĕšû) the ruined cities. It is possible that this new day and these new things may well be connected to the renewal of the heaven and the earth (65:17; 66:22) that seem to go along with the new name for Zion (60:14; 62:2). The coming of these new conditions could also be connected to the coming of the servant in 42:9–10, the new spirit in Ezek 11:19; 36:26, and the new covenant in Jer 31:31; Ezek 37:26. These conditions imply a new era of history, a return to a wonderful life in the land and an expanding population of righteous Hebrews and foreigners[4]

III. The Lord's Commitment: An Everlasting Covenant (Isaiah 61:8-9)

Isaiah 61:8–9 (NASB95)

8 For I, the Lord, love justice,

I hate robbery in the burnt offering;

And I will faithfully give them their recompense

And make an everlasting covenant with them.

9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations,

And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.

All who see them will recognize them

Because they are the offspring whom the Lord has blessed.

The flow of thought is briefly interrupted by a divine speech that affirms

(a) the theological principles that characterize the actions of a covenanting God and

(b) the results that this action will have on all the nations of the world that observe what God will do for his covenant people. This statement by God reaffirms or confirms the truthfulness of some of the promises already made by the “Anointed One” in 61:1–7.

Isaiah 61:8 (NASB95)

8 For I, the Lord, love justice,

I hate robbery in the burnt offering;

And I will faithfully give them their recompense

And make an everlasting covenant with them.

61:8 “I, Yahweh” is a God who “loves” actions characterized by justice. Love is a choice of the will that God makes; it is his choice to be emotionally involved by displaying his deep commitment to his people and to show his approval of a specific kind of favored action. God’s choice to love just action is evident in all his behavior; it is central to his command that the Israelites should “maintain justice” (56:1) and his advice to avoid injustice (58:6; 59:4, 8, 14, 15). When “justice and salvation/righteousness” are used of God’s activity, justice can take on the meaning of “saving justice” or God’s “just saving deeds” (59:11, 14), but when it refers to human acts of justice, it refers to moral behavior that treats other people with equity and fairness. In order to emphasize the point, God states that he hates (the opposite of loves) human actions that involve unjust taking of things that belong to others as well as all other acts of “iniquity.”

Those who are fully committed to God’s moral standards of justice will receive from God an appropriate “response, compensation.” Elsewhere God promises to bring his “recompense, reward, what is due” (40:10; 49:4; 62:11) with him when he comes to earth, although it is never fully described. God can be counted on to do this because he acts in “faithfulness, truthfulness” (ʾemet) with those he loves. The essence of what God is talking about is a covenant agreement that he has with his righteous followers. This will be an eternal covenant relationship with his people, probably the same covenant spoken about in 54:10; 55:3; 59:21. God is here guaranteeing the everlasting Davidic covenant relationship described in 55:3, probably the same covenant relationship that the “Anointed One” who has the Spirit will implement (59:21; 61:1–3). J. L. Koole also finds affinity between these statements and some of the claims in the Servant poems (42:1–4, 6; 49:8), for that Servant will be a key factor in establishing a covenant relationship with the nations.

Isaiah 61:9 (NASB95)

9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations,

And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.

All who see them will recognize them

Because they are the offspring whom the Lord has blessed.

61:9 Now God describes how the implications of this covenant will impact the life and reputation of the “seed, offspring” (zeraʿ) of the Israelites, a consequence already promised to those who repent in 59:20–21. C. R. Seitz connects the enhanced reputation of the righteous offspring to the work of the Servant, for he, like them, will also be lifted up and be highly exalted (52:13). An even stronger connection exists between the impact of the Anointed One who has the Spirit (59:21) and the repentant seed (59:20–21). God will make his covenant with these people (59:20–21); God’s presence will be with them (60:1–3); the Anointed One will work on their behalf (61:1–3); and God’s blessing on them (61:6–8) will mark these people as unique. The other nations will recognize this unique relationship God will have with his people.

The second half of the verse reemphasizes the special relationship between the Israelites and God. It will be seen, recognized, and acknowledged as a direct result of the blessing of God.

Two points are implied by these facts.

First, God’s marvelous work among the righteous, holy, and repentant Israelites will serve as a witness to other peoples.

Second, the eyes of the blind nations that formerly despised and attacked the Israelites will be opened so that they can appreciate the great work of God among his people. J. Oswalt finds in these factors the fulfillment of the Abrahamic blessing in Gen 12:3, for at this time through Abraham’s “seed” all the nations of the earth will be blessed. The idea of the inclusion of the Gentiles was introduced in 2:1–4 and has appeared again and again throughout the book of Isaiah (14:1–2; 18:7; 19:18–25; 45:20–25; 49:22–26; 60:1–14), but in this verse the presence of the nations is specifically connected and limited to their recognizing God’s blessing on the covenant seed. One might imply from this verse that the nations would not just observe God’s grace on Israel based on other passages like 60:1–11, but the focus of this verse is primarily on nations’ new ability to identify God’s people as a very blessed people[5]

VI. The Anointed One: His Saving Power

Isaiah 61:10–11 (NASB95)

10 I will rejoice greatly in the Lord,

My soul will exult in my God;

For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,

He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,

As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,

And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,

And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,

So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise

To spring up before all the nations.

61:10 The speaker emphatically declares his intention to rejoice (“rejoicing, I will rejoice”) and then reemphasizes the point by describing how his soul will exult in “my God,” a term of endearment that indicates a close relationship. The reason for this joyful response is “because” (kî) of what God has done. Since God is the one who “has caused me to be clothed” with salvation, God deserves all the credit for preparing this Anointed One to bring the gift of salvation to others. The garments of salvation and robe of righteousness are metaphors (similar to the “clothes of vengeance” in 59:17) that describe how God has empowered the person wearing the clothes to accomplish the task (61:1–3) of establishing salvation. Having the character and the ability to grant salvation and righteousness will enable the possessor of these qualities to deliver people from their former unrighteous state and will prepare them to enter into God’s glorious kingdom.

The second half of the verse expands the clothing metaphor by comparing the accessories worn by the Anointed One with wedding finery. The text identifies a fine turban (similar to what a priest might wear) that would be worn by a bridegroom and the expensive jewelry that a bride might wear, but the two participants in the wedding are left unidentified. The interpreter might guess that the author is using the same analogy found a few verses earlier in 61:3, where the Anointed One replaces Zion’s ashes of mourning with a crown of beauty, or one could follow the imagery later in 62:5 where God is the bridegroom and Zion is the bride. Since the people involved in the wedding ceremony are not identified and are merely present to provide a comparative analogy, the safest approach would be to focus on the accessories instead of the people. Thus the second half of the verse is comparing God’s preparation of the Anointed One to putting on the finest, richest, and most beautiful finery that people would wear at a wedding. Since the turban and jewels are not interpreted, it is probably best not to guess what these fine accessories symbolize. Possibly one should take a few steps back from the wedding imagery and simply note that God has fully and magnificently prepared the Anointed One.

Isaiah 61:11 (NASB95)

11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,

And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,

So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise

To spring up before all the nations.

61:11 The response of joy ends with a second reason (kî, “because)” that explains why the Anointed One rejoices. This reason is expressed by making a comparison (kā … kēn; “as … so”) between the earth’s ability to cause plants to spring up and the Lord’s ability to cause righteousness to spring up. Every reader in an agricultural economy would know that when the rain falls on the soil, shoots will spring up out of the dormant roots of grass; seeds that were sown in a garden or field will start to grow. These undeniable facts of nature are compared to what the Lord will do to cause his seeds of righteousness and praise to spring up. It is a great joy to know that God has the power to produce these unstoppable results. The comparison presents a guarantee or promise that the Spirit’s empowerment of the Anointed One is sure to bring about the results of salvation and righteousness. The exuberant praise that will spring up from Zion will be the people’s joyful response to God’s great gift of salvation. The final comment in this hymn is that this human praise of God will be heard by all the nations. This partially explains why the nations will come to Zion and will join in this praise of God (52:10; 60:6, 9; 66:18).[6]

New Section Isaiah 62:1-12

This section describes the changes that will take place in Zion as God works toward establishing his kingdom. Righteousness will shine forth (62:1), and Zion will receive a new name (62:2–4, 12), and it will be filled with joy and praise (62:5, 7, 9). In many ways chap. 62 continues the discussion in 61:11, but now the focus is on the transformed results in the city of Zion instead of on how God will bring about this transformation. In addition, in 62:1, 6–7, 10–11 there is a new emphasis on urging God to establish his kingdom and a new urging of people to prepare themselves for its arrival. It is not necessary to suggest that this urging of God arises because of some disappointment or a divine failure to act; it could simply flow out of a deep desire to experience the fulfillment of past assurances, oaths, and divine proclamations about the future (62:2–4, 8–9, 11–12). If God has promised something wonderful, it is natural for God’s people to want to see him fully transform their situation on earth so they can be a part of it.

There is no identification of the one speaking in this chapter, except the divine speeches in 62:8–9, 11. It is entirely possible that even these divine speeches are quotations of what God has promised in the past, rather than direct speeches. R. N. Whybray identifies God as the speaker (using first person speech) in 62:1, 6a, 8–9, with the rest being either a prophetic commentary (62:2–5, 6b–7) or a series of quotations from earlier passages in Isaiah (62:10–12). C. Westermann and many others believe the prophet “Trito-Isaiah” (the one described in 61:1–3) is the first person voice in 62:1, 6 and that he quotes the words of God to substantiate his outlook for the future. A third option is similar but identifies the speaker as the Anointed One of 61:1–3, rather than the prophet “Trito-Isaiah.” This appears to be the best option.

The structure of this message of salvation is united together by a strong expectation of the coming transformation of Zion. The Anointed One will speak on Zion’s behalf until her salvation is visible to all people, until her new names are reality, until God rejoices over her (62:1–5). Intercessors will also call on the Lord until God fulfills his sworn oath concerning Jerusalem (62:6–9). God has said that the coming of Zion’s Savior is near, so the people must prepare for that glorious day (62:10–12). The message in this chapter fits into three paragraphs.

Proclaim a new name for Zion

62:1–5

Assurances about the establishment of Zion

62:6–9

Prepare for the coming of the Savior

62:10–12

The first and second paragraphs are interconnected by similar structures in 62:1 and 62:6–7. Both paragraphs begin by referring to someone who should “not be silent … until” God has accomplished his work. The conclusion in 62:10–12 announces the coming of God’s salvation in fulfillment of the intercessory prayers offered earlier in the chapter. The presentation of new names to God’s people after the coming of Zion’s Savior in 62:11–12 fulfills the hopes of those who longed for new names in 62:2, 4. The chapter is held together by a common expectation of the renaming of Zion.[7]

IV. A Prophetic Voice: Desolation Replaced with Delight (Isaiah 62:1-5)

Isaiah 62:1–5 (NASB95)

Zion’s Glory and New Name

1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,

And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet,

Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness,

And her salvation like a torch that is burning.

2 The nations will see your righteousness,

And all kings your glory;

And you will be called by a new name

Which the mouth of the Lord will designate.

3 You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,

And a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

4 It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,”

Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”;

But you will be called, “My delight is in her,”

And your land, “Married”;

For the Lord delights in you,

And to Him your land will be married.

5 For as a young man marries a virgin,

So your sons will marry you;

And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,

So your God will rejoice over you.

This paragraph looks forward to changes in Zion when salvation will arrive, when nations will observe its glory, when the city will have a new name, and when God will rejoice over his people. Everything will be transformed; salvation will replace silence, and the name “My-Delight” will replace “Desolation.” This point is made in both segments of this paragraph.

Determination to give a new name

62:1–3

Commitment to bring salvation

1

Nations will see a city with a new name

2

A royal jewel in God’s hand

3

New names signify a new life

62:4–5

Changed names mean changed favor

4

The new life

5

Isaiah 62:1 (NASB95)

Zion’s Glory and New Name

1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,

And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet,

Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness,

And her salvation like a torch that is burning.

62:1 God is promising not to be “silent” (from the root ḥāšâ) or “quiet” (from šāqaṭ) as he was in the past (42:14; 57:11; 64:12; 65:6); thus, he will intervene and act on behalf of his people. Although this is a possible interpretation, why would God later set up “watchmen” to remind him of what he has already determined and still desires to do (62:6)? One solution to this problem is to suggest that the Anointed One, who speaks throughout 61:4–7, 10–11, continues to speak in chap. 62. If this person is identified with the Servant who was commissioned to restore Israel and bring salvation to Jacob and the nations (49:6), to bring justice and salvation to all people (42:1–4; 62:1b), and to intercede on behalf of sinners (53:12), then one could view the statement in chap. 62 as part of his fulfillment of his commission.

The anointed speaker commits himself to the urgency of seeing the fulfillment of God’s plan to bring salvation to Zion. The means of accomplishing this goal will be to speak out, but the text does not say to whom he will speak or who needs to hear his words of encouragement. One might assume that he would “preach the good news” and “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” and “comfort all who mourn” (61:1–3) so that Zion would repent of her sins and receive God’s Spirit and covenant (59:20–21). In addition, 62:6 suggests that one could intercede for God to act favorably on behalf of his people. C. Westermann compares this intercession to the Angel of the Lord interceding for the sake of Jerusalem in Zech 1:12. The impact of this commitment not to be silent is that it provides assurance to the reader that absolutely everything is being done to hasten Zion’s day of salvation.

The goal of these prayers to God and the preaching of the good news to Jerusalem was to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation. This will be the day that righteousness, victory, and vindication will be evident as the brightness of the sun or a burning torch. These figures of speech (the rising sun and a bright light in 62:1) were earlier connected with the coming of the glory of the Lord (60:1–2, 19). A burning torch was also connected with God’s glorious presence in earlier traditions (Gen 15:17; Exod 3:2; Deut 4:11). Thus these figures of speech could refer to the coming of God who brings justice and salvation, or it could simply be comparing the brightness of God’s day of salvation to the brightness of the new sunlight in the morning, which thoroughly removes all darkness.

Isaiah 62:2 (NASB95)

2 The nations will see your righteousness,

And all kings your glory;

And you will be called by a new name

Which the mouth of the Lord will designate.

62:2 Speaking directly to Zion (second person “your”), the speaker describes the results of the victorious salvation of Zion that will come like a blazing torch (62:1). The nations of the earth will see the marvelous transformation that will happen to Zion; their rulers will observe the glory of God that rises over and rests upon his people (40:5; 58:8; 60:1–3). When these foreigners observe these changes and see how God has honored Zion with great splendor (60:9), they will refer to Zion with a new name (60:14, 18; 61:3, 6), which God will give to Zion (Jer 3:17; 33:16; Ezek 48:35). The giving of a new name is usually associated with a new status, a radically new situation, or a new characteristic or association. This is not a name that the foreigners will invent, nor will the people of Zion do some self-promotion by putting out a new sign at the city gate. God is the one who will identify some new characteristic, such as “City of the Lord” (60:14), and will designate a new name based on some unique feature. T. D. Andersen connects this new name with the wedding imagery in 62:5, but, if that were the case, these two verses would be connected more closely.

Isaiah 62:3 (NASB95)

3 You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,

And a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

62:3 Before any name is mentioned, the new conditions, character, and association of Zion are expressed by comparing the city to some expensive and precious royal jewelry. This does not refer to a crown that Zion or God will wear; it is merely an analogy of something extremely expensive and unique, something guarded and precious, something having great dignity and royal prestige. In contrast, Samaria’s royal wreath in 28:1 faded because of pride and drunkenness, but Zion itself is pictured as a royal crown that will have great “splendor.” Earlier in 60:19 God said that he himself would be Zion’s “splendor, beauty, glory” (tĕperet).

The significance of God carrying this royal crown in his “palm” (kap) is left unexplained, but certainly when God holds something so special in his hand, it belongs to him and is protected from all harm. This imagery would also convey that what was being held is very precious, and others would recognize God’s love for this very precious jewel. J. L. Koole prefers the interpretation that “God himself delights in the observation of his splendid crown Zion, which he holds before Him in His hand”; thus, one might imagine the constant gaze and constant attention God gives to his people. What a change from the days when God had to turn away from his people because of their sinfulness.

Isaiah 62:4 (NASB95)

4 It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,”

Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”;

But you will be called, “My delight is in her,”

And your land, “Married”;

For the Lord delights in you,

And to Him your land will be married.

62:4 Now Zion’s old names are rejected and new names are introduced. The reason why “it will no longer be said” is that there will be a total transformation of Zion from what it used to be. When an enemy army defeated God’s people it would be natural to assume that this happened because God had “forsaken” (Azubah)397 their land (60:15). Earlier in 54:1–8, God recalled the former days when the nation was without children (v. 1), ashamed and humiliated (v. 4), deserted and rejected (v. 6), and abandoned (v. 7), so it is not surprising that someone might use derogatory nicknames like “the one who is abandoned” or “desolation” to describe the land of Israel.399

The change of names begins with an adversative kî “but, nevertheless” to assure the audience that it will be called Hephzibah, which means “my delight is in her,” a clear affirmation of the pleasure God has with the people he loves. The formerly desolate land will also get the new name Beulah, which means “married, possessed” (from the root bāʿal), a metaphor that aptly describes the covenant relationship. These new names are not just perfunctory or meaningless new labels carelessly thrown about; they accurately describe the new state of the nation in the future when God has marvelously transformed his people and their land. The old way of life will be over, and this new reality will involve a complete transformation of God’s people.

Isaiah 62:5 (NASB95)

5 For as a young man marries a virgin,

So your sons will marry you;

And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,

So your God will rejoice over you.

62:5 To hammer this point home even further, the Anointed One promises to Zion that “surely, it is indisputable” (kî) that “just as” an unmarried young man “marries, possesses” (from the root bāʿal) an unmarried young girl, so your sons will “marry, possess” (from the root bāʿal) you (Zion). This means that there will be a permanent mutual love relationship between God, the people, and Zion in this covenant relationship. The joy and excitement of newlyweds will surround this event, for God himself will rejoice in finally accomplishing the plan that he set out so many years ago. In the end God’s miraculous transformation of the people will bring back the joy and delight that should have always characterized the relationship between God and his chosen people.[8]

V. The Lord's Strategy: Tireless intercessors (Isaiah 62:6-7)

Isaiah 62:6–7 (NASB95)

6 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen;

All day and all night they will never keep silent.

You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves;

7 And give Him no rest until He establishes

And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

Jonathan Edwards wrote a famous appeal to the Christians of his day to unite in prayer for revival. At the end of his appeal he wrote this:

It is very apparent from the Word of God that he often tries the faith and patience of his people, when they are crying to him for some great and important mercy, by withholding the mercy sought for a season; and not only so, but at first he may cause an increase of dark appearances. And yet he, without fail, at last prospers those who continue urgently in prayer with all perseverance and "will not let him go except that he blesses."

Otto Kristian Hallesby was a Norwegian theologian who resisted the Nazis during World War II and suffered for it in a concentration camp. He understood what it means to pray all the way through until God answers. He said that prayer is like mining. Prayer is like boring holes deep into the rock of human hearts. It's work. It tries our patience. We can't see results. But in God's time, he places the dynamite and lights the fuse, and the rocks crumble. God has called us to give no rest God has called us to give him no rest until he makes a revived church the praise of the earth.

There are two main problems that face the interpreter of these verses:

(a) Who is speaking?

(b) Who are the “watchmen” and “those who cause to remember”?

Earlier in the introduction to chap. 62, it was concluded that the Anointed One from 61:1–3 continues to speak in chap. 62, so he is the “I” who is responsible for instructing these watchmen about their responsibilities. The “watchmen, guards” (šōmrîm) and “those who cause to remember” (hammizkirîm) appear to be two roles assigned to the same individuals. Prophets are sometimes given the role of a watchman (Ezek 3:17–21; Jer 6:17), and 56:10 seems to use this metaphor to describe the blind prophets who were not warning the nation of Israel of dangers because they were mute and sleeping. In 52:8 watchmen have the positive role of announcing to the nation the coming of the Lord. This seems a better solution to this problem than Whybray’s conclusion that these are heavenly angelic beings (as in Zech 1:12). These prophets remind God of his promised oath to never give his people into the hands of foreigners. When God responds and causes his people to enjoy the fruits of their work, this will cause them to praise him. These prayers and the reminders of God’s oath reassure the audience that God will work on their behalf just as he has promised. This short paragraph is divided into two points.

Watchmen provide assurance of divine action

62:6–7

God’s oath gives assurance of God’s plans

62:8–9

Both words of assurance appeal to God as the ultimate source of all hope for the future, and both divine acts will result in the people praising God for what he will do in Jerusalem (62:7b, 9a). There is no doubt about what God will do, and there is no doubt about how people will respond to God’s great deeds.

Isaiah 62:6 (NASB95)

6 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen;

All day and all night they will never keep silent.

You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves;

62:6 It is not always easy to provide words of assurance that will completely convince an audience that what is being said is really true. In order to increase the audience’s level of confidence beyond what was already provided in 62:1, new words of bold assurance are added in this paragraph. Rather than just bluntly restating an abstract principle or simply repeating what was already said earlier, it is sometimes more effective to draw word pictures that portray aspects of security and evidence about the nation’s hope. The imagery in this verse, which was meant to communicate a strong sense of confidence in what God would do, draws from the common practice of having a watchman placed on a city wall to warn the city about dangers. Just as watchmen provide security to a city because they are able to announce to people what is happening outside the gate, so several prophetic watchmen are being stationed to watch over the city of Jerusalem and to announce the good news of God’s coming (40:9; 52:8).

All day and all night they will never be silent. J. Muilenburg primarily views this as the work of intercessors “who pray unremittingly for the fulfillment of the divine promises.” The difficulty with this interpretation is that the watchmen analogy does not suggest this function and the royal court official who “remembers”406 was not known as an intercessor. The “one who remembers” was an official recorder of information (1 Sam 18:6; 1 Kgs 4:3; Isa 36:3) who kept track of what the king said and wanted done. In this case this person, who was presumably a recorder of divine words and plans, is also to have no rest. Thus the watchman/recorders are constantly and vigilantly doing the work of God by causing everything God has said to be recorded and published abroad (52:8). Lest one take all this too literally, the reference to the court recorder is simply a graphic way of asserting that God never forgets his promises (they are all recorded).

Isaiah 62:7 (NASB95)

7 And give Him no rest until He establishes

And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

62:7 The watchman/recorders, who are not to be silent (62:6), are instructed not to give God rest from his task of fulfilling all his plans for Jerusalem. This does not suggest that God might forget some aspect of his promises; it simply expresses to the audience that urgent communication, coordination, and action are taking place within the royal, divine throne room. Therefore, they can be assured that God will establish his kingdom in Zion. But the goal is not just to inaugurate his kingdom on earth at Jerusalem; he has the further goal of transforming Zion into a place of praise in the earth. This suggests that the nations will see the marvelous things that God will do in Jerusalem and will come to join them in praising God (60:6, 9, 18; 61:10–11). God’s purpose in all of this is to bring glory to himself (60:9, 19; 61:10).

Isaiah 62:8–9 (NASB95)

8 The Lord has sworn by His right hand and by His strong arm,

“I will never again give your grain as food for your enemies;

Nor will foreigners drink your new wine for which you have labored.”

9 But those who garner it will eat it and praise the Lord;

And those who gather it will drink it in the courts of My sanctuary.

62:8–9 What are some of these promises that are included in God’s plans for his people?

It is unnecessary to recite them all, but the prophet appears to quote some of God’s promises in order to remind the audience that God has not forgotten what he swore that he would do for them. The swearing of an oath presents an irrefutable and unchangeable promise that God must keep as a faithful and truthful God (cf. 45:23). When people swear an oath, they invoke the name of God to assure the listener that God will hold them accountable if they fail to keep their oath. Likewise, God swears by himself and his holiness (45:23; Jer 51:14; Amos 4:2; 6:8) because there is no higher authority to swear by. Not only does God’s oath provide full assurance that God’s promises will come true; confidence is created because God’s mighty arm (41:10; 51:9; Exod 4:14; 5:15; Ps 44:4) has unlimited power and will accomplish all that God has planned.

The content of God’s oath relates to earlier conditional covenant promises made in Deut 28:30–33. God promised that if the people did not listen to what he said and carefully follow his commands, then God would give their property and grain to their enemies (similar to Lev 26:16; Amos 5:11). But if these people love God and faithfully serve him, God will bless them with great crops, and their enemies will not be able to take any of these things away from them (Lev 26:3–5; Deut 28:3–11). The oath itself begins with ʾim, “if,” which is a conditional particle that expresses contingency, but after an oath formula this word usually means “not.” God promises “not” to give their grain as food or their wine as drink to their enemies. Since this promise relates to eschatological events, one should not identify these “enemies” or “foreigners” as the Babylonians, Persians, Samaritans, or Edomites. The ultimate destiny of God’s enemies is further described in 63:1–6.

Verse 9 provides positive words of assurance that would bring comfort to the prophet’s audience. The initial kî could be translated adversatively as “but, nevertheless” or asseveratively “surely, it is indisputable.” God promises that those who sow, cultivate, and reap the grain and wine will have the pleasure of eating it in the future. Isaiah 59:18 and 60:12, 18 indicate that one of the reasons for this is that God will eventually completely destroy their enemies. These wonderful harvests will lead to joyful times of great praise to God in his temple courts. This situation implies that at that time the people will fully recognize that these are the gracious gifts of God. Joy, eating, and drinking were a fundamental part of worship at the temple (Lev 7:15–17; 1 Sam 1:9) and especially at festival times (Deut 16:7, 13–15; 2 Chr 30:22–24). In spite of all this eating, in the future the real reason for gathering together at the temple will be to worship God, rejoice, and praise him for all his gracious gifts (Deut 16:11; 2 Chr 30:21–22). This is the kind of worship that actually does happen in 60:6, 9.[9]

John Chapter 1

The Deity of Jesus Christ

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

The Witness John

6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 He came aas a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.

8 aHe was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.

9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

The Word Made Flesh

14 And the Word became flesh, and cdwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 John *atestified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ”

16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.

17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.[10]

Colossians 1

The Incomparable Christ

13 For He rescued us from the adomain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of bHis beloved Son,

14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

16 For aby Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

17 He ais before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.[11]

Rev 1

The Patmos Vision

9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and eperseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

10 I was ain the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,

11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;

13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.

14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.

15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.

16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,

18 and the living One; and I bwas dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

19 “Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.

20 “As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.[12]

Hebrews 1

God’s Final Word in His Son

1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

2 ain these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the fworld.

3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and bupholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

5 For to which of the angels did He ever say,

“You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You”?

And again,

“I will be a Father to Him

And He shall be a Son to Me”?

6 And when He again brings the firstborn into bthe world, He says,

“And let all the angels of God worship Him.”

7 And of the angels He says,

“Who makes His angels winds,

And His ministers a flame of fire.”

8 But of the Son He says,

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,

And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom.

9 “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;

Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You

With the oil of gladness above Your companions.”

10 And,

“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,

And the heavens are the works of Your hands;

11 They will perish, but You remain;

And they all will become old like a garment,

12 And like a mantle You will roll them up;

Like a garment they will also be changed.

But You are the same,

And Your years will not come to an end.”

13 But to which of the angels has He ever said,

“Sit at My right hand,

Until I make Your enemies

A footstool for Your feet”?

14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?[13]

The 1689

Chapter 8 – Christ the Mediator

« Chapter 7 – God’s Covenant

Chapter 9 – Free Will »

1. God was pleased, in his eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only begotten Son, according to the covenant made between them, to be the mediator between God and humanity.1 God chose him to be prophet,2 priest,3 and king,4 and to be head and savior of the church,5 the heir of all things,6 and judge of the world.7 From all eternity, God gave to the Son a people to be his offspring. In time these people would be redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified by him.8

1Isaiah 42:1; 1 Peter 1:19, 20. 2Acts 3:22. 3Hebrews 5:5, 6. 4Psalms 2:6; Luke 1:33. 5Ephesians 1:22, 23. 6Hebrews 1:2. 7Acts 17:31. 8Isaiah 53:10; John 17:6; Romans 8:30.

2. The Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, is truly and eternally God. He is the brightness of the Father’s glory, the same in substance and equal with him. He made the world and sustains and governs everything he has made. When the fullness of time came, he took upon himself human nature, with all the essential properties and common weaknesses of it9 but without sin.10 He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit came down upon her, and the power of the Most High overshadowed her. Thus, he was born of a woman from the tribe of Judah, a descendant of Abraham and David in fulfillment of the Scriptures.11 Two whole, perfect, and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one person, without converting one into the other or mixing them together to produce a different or blended nature. This person is truly God and truly man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and humanity.12

9John 1:14; Galatians 4;4. 10Romans 8:3; Hebrews 2:14, 16, 17; Hebrews 4:15. 11Matthew 1:22, 23; Luke 1:27, 31, 35. 12Romans 9:5; 1 Timothy 2:5.

3. The Lord Jesus, in his human nature united in this way to the divine in the person of the Son, was sanctified and anointed with the Holy Spirit beyond measure.13 He had in himself all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.14 The Father was pleased to make all fullness dwell in him15 so that—being holy, harmless, undefiled,16 and full of grace and truth17—he was thoroughly qualified to carry out the office of mediator and guarantor.18 He did not take this office upon himself but was called to it by his Father,19 who put all power and judgment in his hand and commanded him to carry them out.20

13Psalms 45:7; Acts 10:38; John 3:34. 14Colossians 2:3. 15Colossians 1:19. 16Hebrews 7:26. 17John 1:14. 18Hebrews 7:22. 19Hebrews 5:5. 20John 5:22, 27; Matthew 28:18; Acts 2:36.

4. The Lord Jesus most willingly undertook this office.21 To discharge it, he was born under the law22 and perfectly fulfilled it. He also experienced the punishment that we deserved and that we should have endured and suffered.23 He was made sin and a curse for us.24 He endured extremely heavy sorrows in his soul and extremely painful sufferings in his body.25 He was crucified and died and remained in a state of death, yet his body did not decay.26 On the third day he arose from the dead27 with the same body in which he suffered.28 In this body he also ascended into heaven,29 where he sits at the right hand of his Father, interceding.30 He will return to judge men and angels at the end of the age.31

21Psalms 40:7, 8; Hebrews 10:5–10; John 10:18. 22Gal 4:4; Matthew 3:15. 23Galatians 3:13; Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 3:18. 242 Corinthians 5:21. 25Matthew 26:37, 38; Luke 22:44; Matthew 27:46. 26Acts 13:37. 271 Corinthians 15:3, 4. 28John 20:25, 27. 29Mark 16:19; Acts 1:9–11. 30Romans 8:34; Hebrews 9:24. 31Acts 10:42; Romans 14:9, 10; Acts 1:11; 2 Peter 2:4.

5. The Lord Jesus has fully satisfied the justice of God, obtained reconciliation, and purchased an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those given to him by the Father.32 He has accomplished these things by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself, which he once for all offered up to God through the eternal Spirit.33

32John 17:2; Hebrews 9:15. 33Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 10:14; Romans 3:25, 26.

6. The price of redemption was not actually paid by Christ till after his incarnation. Yet the virtue, efficacy, and benefit of it was imparted to the elect in every age since the beginning of the world, in and by those promises, types, and sacrifices that revealed him and pointed to him as the seed that would bruise the serpent’s head34 and the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.35 He is the same yesterday and today and forever.36

341 Corinthians 4:10; Hebrews 4:2; 1 Peter 1:10, 11. 35Revelation 13:8. 36Hebrews 13:8.

7. In his work of mediation, Christ acts according to both natures, by each nature doing what is appropriate to itself. Even so, because of the unity of the person, that which is appropriate to one nature is sometimes in Scripture attributed to the person under the designation of the other nature.37

37John 3:13; Acts 20:28.

8. To all those for whom Christ has obtained eternal redemption, he certainly and effectually applies and imparts it. He intercedes for them,38 unites them to himself by his Spirit, and reveals to them in and by his Word the mystery of salvation. He persuades them to believe and obey39 and governs their hearts by his Word and Spirit.40 He overcomes all their enemies by his almighty power and wisdom,41 using methods and ways that are perfectly consistent with his wonderful and unsearchable governance. All these things are by free and absolute grace, apart from any condition for obtaining it that is foreseen in them.42

38John 6:37; John 10:15, 16; John 17:9; Romans 5:10. 39John 17:6; Ephesians 1:9; 1 John 5:20. 40Romans 8:9, 14. 41Psalms 110:1; 1 Corinthians 15:25, 26. 42John 3:8; Ephesians 1:8.

9. This office of mediator between God and humanity is appropriate for Christ alone, who is the prophet, priest, and king of the church of God. This office may not be transferred from him to anyone else, either in whole or in part.43

431 Timothy 2:5.

10. The number and character of these offices is essential. Because we are ignorant, we need his prophetic office.44 Because we are alienated from God and imperfect in the best of our service, we need his priestly office to reconcile us and present us to God as acceptable.45 Because we are hostile and utterly unable to return to God, and so that we can be rescued and made secure from our spiritual enemies, we need his kingly office to convince, subdue, draw, sustain, deliver, and preserve us for his heavenly kingdom.46

44John 1:18. 45Colossians 1:21; Galatians 5:17. 46John 16:8; Psalms 110:3; Luke 1:74, 75

The Heidelberg Catechism

LORD'S DAY 1

Q. 1. What is your only comfort, in life and in death?

A. That I belong--body and soul, in life and in death--not to myself but to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins and has completely freed me from the dominion of the devil; that he protects me so well that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that everything must fit his purpose for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

The biblical prophets tended to be clustered around times of crisis. Whether it was the religious crisis posed by official sponsorship of Baal worship during the time of Elijah, the political crises caused by the Assyrian and Babylonian threats, or the identity crisis which which the postexilic community struggled, God used the prophets to offer guidance to his people in troubled times.

in other ancient cultures there was no sovereign god and therefore no plan to be executed. By definition, then, there could be no eschatology. In fact, there was no concept of eschatology even by a broader definition. The possibility of a final stage of history was nowhere considered in Mesopostamian theology. All this was precisely the point of the prophetic rhetoric of Isaiah 41-48

9 “Remember the former things long past,

For I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is no one like Me,

10 Declaring the end from the beginning,

And from ancient times things which have not been done,

Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,

And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;

11 Calling a bird of prey from the east,

The man of My purpose from a far country.

Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.

I have planned it, surely I will do it.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Is 46:9–11). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

* This theology was the foundation of classical prophecy, and it was unique to Israel among the peoples of the ancient Near East.

The book of Isaiah - is set against the backdrop of the second half of the 8th century b.c. The Assyrian (later the Babylonians and Persians) taking the world stage. It is critical to understand this Assyrian impact for the book of Isaiah.

1-39 Two major events:

1. the invasion of Assyrians serves as the background chapters 7-12. Damascus is invaded by Assyrians thus Damascus and Israel make pack that leaves Judah in trouble. Isaiah is the prophet to Judah. The Assyrians take some of the land of the Israel (northern kingdom). Ahaz asked Assyria to come in thus Damascus and all of Aram was taken into the Assyrian empire.

2. The invasion of Judah by the Assyrian king Sennacherib in 701 b.c. resulted from King Hezekiah's (king of Judah) involvement of an anti-Assyrian coalition. It brought the destruction of many fortified cities of Judah, leading finally to the seige of Jerusalem. In contrast to his father, Ahaz, Hezekiah trusted the Lord for deliverance and the Assyrian army was destroyed.

chapters 1-5 is introduction- maybe a collection of oracles before chapter 6 simply to introduce the theme of the book or it could have been chronological (not sure).

chapter 6- the vision-.

chapters 7-12 oracles of judgement for Ahaz's failure to trust God.

chapters 13-23 oracles about God's sovereign control over the nation of Judah even though Damascus and Israel come together against Judah.

chapters 24-27 the deliverance of Israel.

CHAPTERS 28-33 sift the focus to the time of Hezekiah in the last decade and half of the 8th century bc. Jerusalem was in potential trouble in chapter 29 and Hezekiah makes alliances with Egypt (chapters 30-31 oracles that condemn the people's trust in God). Chapter 33 speaks of the deliverance for the righteous ones in Zion while chapters 34-35 speak of the wrath and judgment of Yahweh on the fall on his enemies.

The end comes of the Assyrian crisis (chapters 36-37) came when Hezekiah called on Yahweh to over throw the armies of Sennacherib. This man, Rabshakeh said Egypt would be no help to Israel. Rabshakeh tries to convince the people that Hezekiah's reforms made God angry but the reader knows better.

chapters 38-39 transition from Assyrian crisis to the Babylonian crisis. Hezekiah's miraculous recovery from mortal illness came in response to his trusting God and being a godly king. The king of Babylon congratulates Hezekiah. Hezekiah takes time to show the envoy his royal treasury Isaiah 39:6-7.

this leads to Isaiah 40-55 the Babylonian exile.

chapters 40-55 subjects of coming delieverances of the exiles, the worthlessness of idols, and the coming judgment on the nations, and God's use of a particular "Servant" as an instrument to carry out his plant. All of this is directed towards the political and spiritual restoration of Israel.

chapters 56-66 project further into the future to address those who returned form exile. Upright living, the future glory of Jerusalem, and God's vengeance on his enemies.

“Who Do People Say That the Son of Man Is?”: The Personality of the Incarnation

The sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew records a question, posed by Jesus to his disciples, that has been asked time and again in all ages and in every place to which the Christian message comes: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (Matt. 16:13). Peter’s answer has been definitive for all Christian traditions: “You are the Christ [i.e., Messiah, God’s anointed one], the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Traditionally, Christian believers have pointed to what this passage signifies for the meaning of the incarnation, the fact of God becoming human. But in recent decades, a number of Christian thinkers have wanted to say more. If Jesus Christ shows us God in human flesh, does not God-in-human-flesh also show us something of great importance about humanity? This emphasis has been especially prominent among Roman Catholic theologians.

Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have referred frequently to statements in the Second Vatican Council’s “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World” (Gaudium et Spes) as they describe the meaning of Christ for understanding human nature. As the incarnate Son, “He worked with human hands, He thought with a human mind, acted by a human choice, and loved with a human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, He has truly been made one of us, like us in all things except sin.” The consequence of Christ’s full identification with humanity as a human himself is that “only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. For Adam, the first man, was a figure of Him who was to come, namely, Christ the Lord. Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear.” A later Catholic author has summarized the prominent strand of Christian personalism grounded in the Council’s statements: “God so esteems man as to assume his humanity and give Himself up to death for him.”

The importance of such reflections for scholarship is to dignify human study of human beings. Put differently, the personality of the incarnation justifies the study of human personality. When people examine other people, they are examining individuals who exist in actual or potential solidarity with Jesus Christ. Further insight from Christian teaching is necessary to explain the full meaning of that solidarity. But the solidarity itself offers a powerful Christian resource for taking up serious study of the human person and the human personality.

“His Face Shone Like the Sun”: The Beauty of the Incarnate Son

In the seventeenth chapter of Matthew appears the story of Jesus’ transfiguration. Just before relating this story, the Gospel records that “Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matt. 16:21). Then Jesus spoke words about the need for his followers to suffer (16:25) and about the relative unimportance of “the whole world” compared to the much more important matter of eternal life. This is the context for the account of Jesus taking three of his disciples onto a high mountain where “he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light” (17:2). As this startling transformation occurs the three disciples see two other figures—Moses, the great lawgiver, and Elijah, the prophet of righteousness—talking with the transfigured Christ. Peter proposes making some kind of memorial to commemorate this great event, but he is roughly broken off when “a bright cloud” overwhelms all of them and a voice comes from the cloud to say: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (17:5). The disciples fall to the ground, overcome with awe, but then Jesus comes to them, touches them, urges them to rise, and—most remarkably—tells them, “Don’t be afraid” (17:7).

The primary meaning of this passage must surely be its singling out of Christ as the one to whom the great code of divine law (Moses) and the great work of prophetic revelation (Elijah) pointed as their fulfillment. That meaning has been the subject of a modern hymn by Carl Daw, which catches succinctly the burden of the passage as bringing to culmination several prominent themes of Old Testament revelation. Along the way, however, Daw’s hymn also makes a strong aesthetic statement:

Light breaks through our clouds and shadows,

splendor bathes the flesh-joined Word;

Moses and Elijah marvel

as the heavenly voice is heard.

Eyes and hearts behold with wonder

how the Law and Prophets meet:

Christ with garments drenched in brightness,

stands transfigured and complete.

The aesthetic bearing of the hymn concerns Christ as “light” and “splendor” with “garments drenched in brightness.” The one who brings the law and prophets to completion is a being of unimaginable beauty. When the qualities of deity are unveiled, Jesus Christ appears in brilliant light. This is the one who will suffer and die for his people. The God who dwells in unapproachable glory has appeared in Jesus Christ, who as an ordinary human being is nonetheless a being of surpassing beauty.

Aesthetically this depiction of Christ suggests that he is the summit of all that is beautiful. Where proportion, harmony, fittingness, excellence, and balance exist in this world, they reflect in human measure what appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration without reserve.

The centrality of Christ for aesthetics was intimated powerfully in the writings of Jonathan Edwards, whose theological meditations have echoed far from his setting in western Massachusetts at the middle of the eighteenth century. What Edwards had to say on related questions repays attention from those who would try to explain the ineffable with mere words. Near the end of his life—as, in effect, a summation of four decades of intense theological reflection—Edwards wrote Two Dissertations: Concerning the End for Which God Created the World [and] The Nature of True Virtue (published posthumously in 1765). In these coordinated dissertations, Edwards combined biblical and ethical reflections on the being and actions of God considered in themselves, along with the dispositions of human life considered in relationship to God. Conceptions of beauty played a large part in Edwards’s description of God as the supreme being: “For as God is infinitely the greatest being, so he is allowed to be infinitely the most beautiful and excellent: and all the beauty to be found throughout the whole creation is but the reflection of the diffused beams of that Being who hath an infinite fullness of brightness and glory.” The link to the person of Christ was the glory that burst forth on the Mount of Transfiguration: “On the whole,” wrote Edwards, “it is pretty manifest that Jesus Christ sought the glory of God as his highest and last end; and that therefore … this was God’s last end in the creation of the world.”19

The chain of reasoning prompted by Edwards’s reflections cannot function as an airtight proof to guide second-order considerations of beauty. It can, however, indicate how the revelation of divine glory in Jesus Christ—as singularly displayed on the Mount of Transfiguration—might frame thinking about first-order aesthetic experiences. In sum, the beauties of creation reflect the fullness of the being of God; the person of Jesus Christ is God incarnate in human flesh; through learning of Jesus Christ we learn of God’s chief purpose in creating the world; that chief purpose is the manifestation of his own glory; the manifestation of God’s glory accounts for the deep origin of all that is beautiful in the world.[14]

Light breaks through our clouds and shadows,

splendor bathes the flesh-joined Word;

Moses and Elijah marvel

as the heavenly voice is heard.

Eyes and hearts behold with wonder

how the Law and Prophets meet:

Christ with garments drenched in brightness,

stands transfigured and complete.

The aesthetic bearing of the hymn concerns Christ as “light” and “splendor” with “garments drenched in brightness.” The one who brings the law and prophets to completion is a being of unimaginable beauty. When the qualities of deity are unveiled, Jesus Christ appears in brilliant light. This is the one who will suffer and die for his people. The God who dwells in unapproachable glory has appeared in Jesus Christ, who as an ordinary human being is nonetheless a being of surpassing beauty.

Noll, M. A. (2011). Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind (p. 39). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Particularity

One of the most helpful guides for scholarship from classical Christology comes from reflecting on what it means that Jesus was born as the Savior of the world to the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem during the days of Herod, king of Judea. In the Christian scheme of things, this very particular event carries universal meaning for all people at all times and in all places. The implication can be stated succinctly: because God revealed himself most clearly in a particular set of circumstances and at a particular time and place, every other particular set of cultural circumstances takes on a fresh potential importance. The payoff for intellectual life is to provide mediation between the one and the many, the specific and the general, the perspectival and the universal.

Biblical religion offers numerous reasons for paying full attention to the specific and for valuing the perspectival. Many accounts in the book of Acts, for instance, point toward the potential value of all local human situations. Thus, as commentators have frequently pointed out, the Day of Pentecost reversed the linguistic disorder caused by the hubris on display at the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11). In that ancient story, diversity of languages led to chaos. But at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit’s testimony to the resurrected Christ enabled people of all languages to hear the good news, even as each language retained its own identity: “When they heard this sound [the blowing of a violent wind], a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language” (Acts 2:6).

Later in Acts the linguistic diversity of Pentecost is matched by an acceptance of cultural diversity. In chapter 10 the apostle Peter receives repeated divine instructions to set aside Jewish dietary laws in order to communicate the gospel to those who did not observe those laws. Immediately thereafter, when Peter begins his presentation to the Roman centurion Cornelius and his household, he makes a statement with broad cultural, as well as religious, application: “Then Peter began to speak [to Cornelius]: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right’ ” (Acts 10:34–35). While God calls people “from every nation” to repent and turn to him, God also does not play favorites, and so looks on “every nation” as a source of potential good.

The story of the apostle Paul in Athens, related in Acts 17, points in the same direction. Paul has come for the first time to this metropole of Hellenism, where he is struck by the altars erected to various gods. In response he proclaims the message of the one true God who has now manifested himself fully in the person of Jesus Christ and demonstrated the proof of that revelation by raising Christ from the dead. In the course of this exclusionary message, Paul makes a broadly inclusionary statement about the nature of human civilizations: “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26–27). The very diversity of human kinds and cultures speaks not only of God’s good creation, but also of his merciful plans for redemption.

Missiologists like Lamin Sanneh and Andrew Walls have seen most clearly how the universal meaning of the incarnation both relativizes and dignifies all other cultural situations. Andrew Walls depicts the tension like this:

Christ took flesh and was made man in a particular time and place, family, nationality, tradition and customs and sanctified them, while still being for all men in every time and place. Wherever he is taken by the people of any day, time and place, he sanctifies that culture—he is living in it.… But to acknowledge this is not to forget that there is another, and equally important, force at work among us. Not only does God in His mercy take people as they are: He takes them to transform them into what He wants them to be.

Sanneh extends the insight to show how Christian particularity is also the basis for exchange among cultures:

The localization of Christianity is an essential part of the nature of the religion, and … without that concrete, historical grounding Christianity becomes nothing but a fragile, elusive abstraction, salt without its saltiness. This is the problem which dogs all attempts at defining the core of the gospel as pure dogmatic system without regard to the concrete lives of men and women who call themselves Christian. And it is precisely the historical concreteness of Christianity which makes cross-cultural mutuality possible and meaningful.

Noll, M. A. (2011). Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind (pp. 55–57). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

The meaning of the category-breaking realities affirmed by orthodox Christology has been put superbly in two poems, one by John Donne at the start of the seventeenth century, the other by G. K. Chesterton at the start of the twentieth. First, John Donne:

Salvation to all that will is nigh,

That All, which alwayes is All every where,

Which cannot sinne, and yet all sinnes must beare,

Which cannot die, yet cannot chuse but die,

Loe, faithful Virgin, yeelds himself to lye

In prison, in thy wombe; and though he there

Can take no sinne, nor thou give, yet he will weare

Taken from thence, flesh, which deaths force may trie.

Ere by the spheares time was created, thou

Wast in his minde, who is the Sonne, and Brother,

Whom thou conceiv’st, conceiv’d; yea thou art now

Thy Makers maker, and thy Fathers mother,

Thou hast light in darke; and shutst in little roome,

Immensity cloystered in thy deare wombe.

In Donne’s complex metaphysical vision, the antinomies of the incarnation are expressed as the concrete enfleshment of absolutes (“That All, which alwayes is All every where, / … yeelds himself to lye / In prison, in thy wombe”; “Ere by the spheares time was created, thou / Wast in his minde [conceiv’d], who is the Sonne, and Brother, / Whom thou conceiv’st”; “Immensity cloystered in thy deare wombe”). It is a vision that stresses both particularity and universality, but—like the incarnation—in one coherent form.

The same combination defines Chesterton’s “Gloria in Profundis”:

There has fallen on earth for a token

A god too great for the sky.

He has burst out of all things and broken

The bounds of eternity:

Into time and the terminal land

He has strayed like a thief or a lover,

For the wine of the world brims over,

Its splendour is spilt on the sand.

…

But unmeasured of plummet and rod

Too deep for their sight to scan,

Outrushing the fall of man

Is the height of the fall of God.

Glory to God in the Lowest

The spout of the stars in spate—

Where the thunderbolt thinks to be slowest

And the lightning fears to be late:

As men dive for a sunken gem

Pursuing, we hunt and hound it,

The fallen star that has found it

In the cavern of Bethlehem.

Chesterton is a little lighter, but he appeals for the same response to unfathomable complexity that inspired Donne: this “fall of God” may be “The spout of the stars in spate,” and it may be likened to “the thunderbolt” and “the lightning.” But the “god too great for the sky” who “has burst out of all things and broken / The bounds of eternity” can only be found by diving, pursuing, hunting, and hounding until it is discovered “In the cavern of Bethlehem.”

These poems are trying to express how the universally significant incarnation of the Son of God was also the reality of one very specific local situation—in Donne’s case the womb of a single maiden, in Chesterton’s the darkness of a single cavern. For Christian believers pursuing the intellectual life, the universal significance of this stark particularity offers a compass for their vocations as well as a light for their lives.

Noll, M. A. (2011). Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind (pp. 59–60). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

[1] Noll, M. A. (2011). Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind (p. 47). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

[2] Edwards, J. (1989). Ethical Writings. (P. Ramsey & J. E. Smith, Eds.) (Vol. 8, pp. 550–551). New Haven; London: Yale University Press.

[3] Smith, G. (2009). Isaiah 40-66 (Vol. 15B, pp. 633–636). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[4] Smith, G. (2009). Isaiah 40-66 (Vol. 15B, pp. 636–637). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[5] Smith, G. (2009). Isaiah 40-66 (Vol. 15B, pp. 640–642). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[6] Smith, G. (2009). Isaiah 40-66 (Vol. 15B, pp. 642–644). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[7] Smith, G. (2009). Isaiah 40-66 (Vol. 15B, pp. 644–645). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[8] Smith, G. (2009). Isaiah 40-66 (Vol. 15B, pp. 645–649). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[9] Smith, G. (2009). Isaiah 40-66 (Vol. 15B, pp. 649–652). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[10] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Jn 1). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[11] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Col 1:13–20). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[12] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Re 1:9–20). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[13] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Heb 1). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[14] Noll, M. A. (2011). Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind (pp. 37–41). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.