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Isaiah - Study 9

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Isaiah 40-48

Study 9 of 12

 

While it is difficult to position the exact time of Is 40-66, the theological vision they establish is easily discerned. Here God further showed His jealousy for Israel’s trust, employing polemics to arouse Judah to grasp His superiority over the idols of the nations, and His plan of redemption. The LORD called Israel to be His servant while they awaited the true Servant of the LORD—the One who would rule over them as Messiah. While some have proposed that Is 40-66 was written after Judah had gone into captivity in the Babylonian invasion (cf. 2 Kgs 24)—after Isaiah the prophet had passed on—it need not be necessarily so. The same prophet who recorded the first thirty-nine chapters could have prophesied the latter section as well—by the Spirit of the LORD.

 

The prophet urged the people of the LORD, perhaps in exile, that (40.1-44.23):

  1. They should take comfort in their God (ch 40). Their time of servitude was over because the LORD had pardoned their iniquity (vv. 1-2). Their mission was to “Prepare the way of the LORD in the wilderness” (v. 3), i.e., get ready for His arrival as their Deliverer by living in faithfulness to Him (contra Ahaz in ch 7). God had promised to deliver His people (cf. chs 26, 33, 35) and His word would remain forever (vv. 6-8; cf. 1 Pet 1.23-25). Indeed, when their God arrived, all would recognize that He is both Creator and Sustainer of all (vv. 12-26). Their way was not hidden from Him; if they would trust in Him, they would renew their strength, soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint (vv. 27-31)
  2. They should remember that the LORD is greater than the idols of the nations (ch 41). While the idol workers’ camaraderie would not provide sufficient support against the LORD, “the first and the last—I am He,” (v. 4), Israel need not fear. They were His servant, the one He chose, the descendant of Abraham, His friend (v. 8). Thus, they should not fear their opponents any longer, but “boast in the Holy One of Israel” (v. 16) who would give them victory over idolatrous nations
  3. They—who were formerly blind and worthless—would be His witness to the nations (ch 42).  Here the prophet may have been speaking of Cyrus—whom he later identified by name (cf. 44.24-28). Cyrus was the Persian ruler who was indeed the LORD’s instrument, releasing the captives and allowing them to return and rebuild Jerusalem (cf. Ezra 1.1-4); he thus did not break the bruised reed, nor put out the smoldering wick (v. 3). While the words of this prophecy were ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ (cf. Mt. 3.17; 12.18-21; 17.5)—those who were blessed by Cyrus’ ministry could nonetheless sing praise for their present calling as the witness of the LORD (vv. 10-17). Their praise could equal the sadness they endured for their sin (vv. 18-25)
  4. They should trust in redemption from the LORD (ch 43). In His sovereignty God had sent His people into exile, and now He was restoring them to their favored status—and it would come to pass; “I act, and who can reverse it?” (v. 13), He asked. Indeed, Israel would be restored; “The people I formed for Myself will declare My praise” (v. 21). Their captivity in Babylon and Persia was the result of their sin—which the LORD alone could forgive (vv. 22-28)
  5. They should avoid the idols of the nations—since only the LORD is God (44.1-23). “This is what the LORD, the King of Israel and its Redeemer, the LORD of Hosts, says: ‘I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but Me.’” (v. 6). Since no idol could tell the future (vv. 7-8)—and all idols are dependent on their maker (vv. 9-20)—the prophet exhorted Israel: “Remember these things, Jacob, and Israel, for you are My servant; I formed you, you are My servant; Israel, you will never be forgotten by Me” (v. 21). God was yet jealous for the trust of His people
 

The prophet went on to describe the means the LORD would employ to redeem His people, and the freedom they would enjoy outside of Babylon (44.24-48.22)

  1. The LORD chose Cyrus, king of Persia, to release His people from captivity (44.24-46.13). The prophet continually reminded God’s people that the LORD alone was sovereign over the affairs of their captivity and the exile. Indeed, all nations and their leaders are but clay in His hands (45.9-13), thus the LORD, not Cyrus, was their Deliverer. Yet, God’s heart was that even the idolatrous nations would see His power in the exile and turn to Him in repentance; “There is no other God but me, a righteous God and Savior; there is no one except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn; Truth has gone from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance. It will be said to Me: ‘Only in the LORD is righteousness and strength’” (45.21b-24a; cf. Phil 2.10-11). Yet to the remnant He made the special promise: “I will put salvation in Zion, My splendor in Israel” (46.13)
  2. The LORD would destroy Babylon, and His people should thus heed their freedom and return to the land of promise (chs 47-48). Those whom the LORD had chosen as an instrument of discipline upon His people would, for their arrogance and idolatry, receive the same. Because the Chaldeans showed Israel no mercy, sudden disaster would come upon them—like loss of children and widowhood in the same day (47.9). Since Babylon’s sorcery was of little value against the LORD’s threats, the exiles should be mindful that His threats are not empty—as their own situation in Babylon had proved (48.17-19)—and joyously leave their Chaldean captors (vv. 20-22)
 

While it is the case that the prophecies of the latter portion of Isaiah (chs 40-66) had an initial situation in mind, many of the individual predictions are substantive for the storyline of Scripture, realized uniquely in Jesus Christ. While New Testament authors employed the prophecies of Is 40-48 in various ways, on the whole many pointed to the time of Messiah:

  1. In 40.3-5 the prophet spoke of one who would prepare the way for the LORD. The Gospel writers speak in concert that Isaiah was foretelling of John the Baptist (Lk 3.4-6; cf. Mt 3.3; Mk 1.3; Jn 1.23)
  2. Isaiah often spoke of the Servant of the LORD, and in 42.1-4 he predicted that the LORD would put His Spirit on His Servant, and that He would establish justice on earth. Matthew understood Isaiah’s prophecy to be fulfilled in Jesus’ merciful acts to the lame, diseased, and tormented—those who came to Him for aid while the scribes and Pharisees rejected Him (12.18-21)
  3. Both Peter and Paul understood some of Isaiah’s phrases as a basis for calling believers to pursue fellowship in the church. Paul used Isaiah 45.23, “Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance,” to describe Jesus Christ’s ultimate glory—which resulted from His humble incarnation and crucifixion (Phil 2.10-11). Paul’s injunction to the Philippians was that each should, “look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (2.4)—as Christ did in coming to earth and suffering and dying—after which He was exalted to receive the homage Isaiah predicted. Peter quoted Isaiah 40.6b-8, “All humanity is grass, and all its goodness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flowers fade when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever,” to justify the enduring power of the word of God unto regeneration (1 Pet 23-24). In Peter’s mind, Isaiah’s phrase was not merely a matter of doctrinal recitation, but was the basis for his imperatival statement, “Love one another earnestly from a pure heart” (1 Pet 1.22)
 
 

*For a complete list of references, please see scripturestoryline.com