This week we
will continue the study of the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament.
The “book of woes” that begins with chapter 28 ends with this chapter. While the woe is directed to the nations (the destroyer), the foci are on Jerusalem’s repentance and the Lord’s Exaltation. The language of this oracle is such that the destruction of the nations and the restoration of Zion appear to be eschatological, using the current invasion of Assyria and its result to speak to the eschatological restoration of Zion.
33:1-6—Woe to the Destroyer, Blessing to Zion
(1) While the nations (as represented or symbolized by Assyria) would come to destroy Zion, what will be their fate and why? (v. 1)
(2) In spite of the present distress and the fleeing of the people, how does the prophet plead on behalf of the people? (v. 2)
(3) The prophet expects the Lord to answer their plea in two aspects:
a. What is the first aspect according to v. 4?
b. What is the second aspect according to v. 5?
(4) What is the key to their salvation? (v. 6)
33:7-9—Desolation before Restoration
(5) What will happen to the people’s effort to seek help?
33:10-16—The Key to Restoration explained
(6) How does the Lord ridicule their dependence on men (Egypt) instead of on Him? (vv. 10-12)
(7) To what does the Lord liken Himself in His judgment against Zion? (v. 14)
(8) In spite of Him being the “consuming fire”, there are those who can dwell with Him:
a. In describing who they are, how does the Lord speak about the following?
- Their walk
- Their speech
- Their attitude towards injustice
- Their ears
- Their eyes
b. Why are these so important for being able to dwell with Him?
c. Instead of dwelling in fire, what will become of them?
33:17-24—The Beautiful Vision of the King and the City
(9) While v. 17 is one short verse, what does it portray?
a. How is the beauty of the king elaborated in v. 22?
b. What will the land (the city) become in vv. 20-21?
(10) The past will be but a memory (vv. 18-19)
a. What are being highlighted as their “former terror”?
b. What might be your “former terror” as you look back one day in heaven?
(11) This future vision features:
a. The reign of the Mighty King
b. The cessation of oppression by unjust rulers
c. A city of permanency
d. The cessation of wars (the victory over the nations — see Note below)
e. No more sickness
f. Sin forgiven
What might be the word you would use to describe this future city of Jerusalem?
Which of the above will you cherish most? Why?
(12) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
V. 23 likely echoes v. 21 in describing the cessation of invasion by the powerful fleet of the nations.
“Look on Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken.” (Isa. 33:20)
Commentators, in general, see the historical background to this oracle by Isaiah in chapter 33 as either being close to the time of the invasion of Judah by Assyria or the actual besiege of Judah by Assyria. In either case, the people knew that by themselves, and even with the help of Egypt, they were no match for the Assyrians. On a human level, defeat and even total destruction would be inevitable — the nation, their wealth, their homes, and their families would be no more. At best they would be captured and exiled to a foreign place. It was under such a time of distress and uncertainty that they received the glorious vision of the promised city of Jerusalem, “a peaceful abode” (33:20).
This
promise of peace includes the following:
- A beautiful king who is mighty to save (vv. 17, 21)
- The cessation of unjust and oppressive princes and rulers from within (vv. 18-19)
- A city of permanency
- Victories of their enemies whose powerful fleet would cease to threaten them (vv. 21, 23)
- No more sickness
- Their sin forgiven
This is, of course, a vision of the New Jerusalem where Christ shall reign. I wonder, of the details given above to depict that “peaceful abode”, which one might you cherish the most.
When I reflect on those fathers of faith in Hebrews 11, and especially Abraham, I get the sense that the “city of permanency” has to mean a lot to them, because “they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead they were longing for a better country — a heavenly one…for (God) has prepared a city for them” (Heb. 11:14-16).
Indeed, this is the city depicted by the vision of Isaiah — the city these fathers of faith “longed for”. Which city have you been longing for?
The eschatological nature of the oracle becomes even clearer in this and the next chapters, revealing here the judgment of God on the nations on the Day of the Lord's Vengeance:
34:1-4—A Message for all Nations and Peoples
(1) What will God’s anger translate into? (34:2-3)
(2) What will happen even to the heavenly bodies? (34:4; see also Matt. 24:29)
34:5-7—Edom is Used to Represent All Nations
(3) What kind of a metaphor or picture does the Lord use for His judgment against Edom (i.e. the nations of the earth) by referring to His sword which is drenched in the blood and fats of animals?
(4) How horrific is this picture?
34:8-17—Judgment Resulting in Total Devastation
(5) What kind of devastation is depicted in vv. 8-10?
(6) Vv. 11-15 depicts another kind of devastation — that of a prosperous and fortified city turned into a desert:
a. What might be the most prosperous city that you know of?
b. What will it be like on the Day of God’s Vengeance according to these verses?
(7) It is interesting to note that the two words used to denote the world in Genesis 1:2 (formless and empty) are now used to describe Edom or the nations (as in chaos and desolation): What might the message be in using these two words to denote God’s judgment in the Last Day?
(8) In signifying the permanency of this destruction, what is being repeated in v. 10 and in v. 17?
(9) How do we know that this will definitely occur? (vv. 16-17)
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
In assuring the hearers of the certainty of this judgment, the Lord challenges us to read “the scroll of the Lord” (likely referring to the Scriptures), and the metaphor of the desert birds and animals continues in vv. 16-17 in that these animals will take over the ruins and “none of these (the owls, the wild goats, the falcons etc.) will be missing, not one will lack her mate” — a sign of permanency!
“God will stretch out over Edom the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of desolation." (Isa. 34:11)
Having worked in the construction industry before, I find these unusual words describing the destruction of Edom rather meaningful.
Commentators in general agree that Edom is only used here to represent the destruction of all nations on earth in the Day of God’s Vengeance (34:8). The contents of this oracle is so final and universal that it certainly evokes the image of the Last Day (see Jesus’ words about the shaking of the heavenly bodies at His return in Matthew 24:29).
However, the use of the “measuring line” and the “plumb line” (34:11) denotes that this is part of a construction process, except that before construction, it is necessary to deconstruct or demolish the old. As a result, the earth which has been tainted by sin needs to be totally destroyed; in fact, it needs to return to its form before the Six Days of Creation when the earth was “formless/tohu” and “empty/bohu” (Gen. 1:2).
These two words are now used to describe the total destruction of the earth, except that the NIV translates the two words as “chaos” and “desolation”.
This is so true of the earth tainted by sin, but it is also true of our lives enslaved by sin. There must be a total destruction of the earth tainted by sin, before the world of righteousness can be ushered in at the return of the Lord. There must also be a total death of our old selves, in order that our new lives can be totally under the reign of the Holy Spirit. As it is, while we already have the new life of Christ, we still struggle (together with this creation) with sin, but with the glorious hope of our final total redemption. Therefore let’s be encouraged by these words of the Apostle Paul:
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Rom. 8:22-25)
35:1-10—The Eschatological Joy of the Redeemed
(1) While the nations will turn into a desert, the Redeemed will rejoice:
a. How will the glory and splendor of God be revealed? (vv. 1-2)
b. Who are the feeble hands and the fearful hearts? (vv. 3-4) How are they like the “desert” and the “parched land”?
c. Where does their hope lie?
(2) The timing of this salvation is denoted by the word “then” in v. 5:
a. What will happen at that time, according to vv. 5-6?
b. How is it being fulfilled in Jesus Christ? (See Lk. 7:22)
(3) While vv.6-7 seem to talk about miraculous reversal of fortune in the physical realm, it concludes with the promise of a “highway” (v. 8):
a. What is this highway called?
b. Who cannot walk on it?
c. Who can? Why?
d. Where will this highway lead to?
e. What are the blessings for those who enter this city?
36:1-10—The Besiege of Jerusalem
The words spoken by the Lord through Isaiah in the preceding 35 chapters (since the times of Uzziah, Jotham and Ahaz) now culminate in the time of the invasion by Assyria of Hezekiah’s Judah. Read also the parallel account of this incident in 2 Kings 18:13-16 to gain more understanding of the situation:
(4) With the loss of all the fortified
cities except Jerusalem, and the humiliation of having to pay tribute by stripping
the gold off the temple structure, consider the following:
a. How would the people of Judah feel toward their king and their God?
b. If you were Hezekiah, how would you feel toward the situation?
c. How would he react to the many oracles and rebukes by Isaiah, especially those that point to the mistake of seeking help from Egypt? (e.g. in 30:1-7)
(5) The challenge by the field commander of Sennacherib: He mocks Hezekiah on two counts — His reliance on Egypt (v. 6) and his reliance on God (v. 7):
a. How should Hezekiah respond to the first part of the challenge?
b. What does the commander seek to do with his ridicule of Hezekiah’s devotion to the Lord? (See 2 Ki. 18:4)
c. How destructive to the confidence of the king and his people is the second part of the challenge? (v. 7)
(6) In his further ridicule (in vv. 8-10), how does the commander seek to shake the confidence of the people and the king? How true might his last statement be? (v. 10)
(7) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
“Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord Himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.” (Isa. 36:10)
For those who belong to and love the Lord, the worst situation is not necessarily being one that is totally helpless and desperate, but a demise to which our sin has contributed. This was the situation faced by Hezekiah in chapter 36 of Isaiah.
Isaiah has forewarned the king not to trust in Egypt, but to totally depend on the Lord (Isa. 30:1ff). From the words of the commander of Assyria, it was certainly not the case. Hezekiah had indeed sought help from Egypt (36:6). And the result was exactly what the Lord had predicted (30:2-5). Egypt was of no help at all. The words of the commander had certainly poured “shame and disgrace” upon Hezekiah (30:5). As a result, Hezekiah had to face his crisis in shame and with guilt.
However,
the commander added insult to his wounds by suggesting that God has Himself
turned against Hezekiah for these reasons:
- The removal of the high places and altars was an error that probably had angered the Lord: Hezekiah was not only one of the kings who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Ki. 18:3), he had such spiritual discernment and courage that he smashed the bronze snake Moses had made (Num. 21:9) in order that the people could not worship it as an idol (what a warning to those who sympathize with icon-worship today), and he also tore down the high places that the Israelites had erected after the customs of the Canaanites in order that they might worship the Lord outside of the designated place of worship which was in Jerusalem. Now the commander used Hezekiah’s military failures to insinuate that he had made a huge mistake. Furthermore, he added the following:
- It was the Lord who had sent him to destroy Jerusalem (v. 10b) — which was in tune with many of the prophecies of Isaiah. God is using the nations to punish His people for their sins.
I wonder what we would do, if we were Hezekiah:
- In view of the fact that only Jerusalem survives, but is under siege, and given the sin that he has committed, has God certainly left him? Or...
- Given his faithfulness to God in destroying all high places and even Moses’ bronze snake, would God remain faithful to him in spite of his sin — if he would confess and ask for forgiveness? And/or...
- With his discernment, he understands that the oracles of Isaiah only speak of God using Assyria as a tool to totally destroy Israel, and not Judah (e.g. 9:8ff) — Judah would survive, but would Assyria be punished (10:12)?
As we read on (in the following chapter of the book of Isaiah), we shall find out that Hezekiah did listen to the exhortation of Isaiah (30:15) and “In repentance and rest” (in God alone), he did find his deliverance! (37:36-37). Indeed, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).
36:11-22—The Insult by the Field Commander
(1) What do you think of the response of the king’s officials to the challenge of the Assyrian commander? (v. 11)
(2) How then should they have responded? (36:21)
(3) The reply of the commander:
a. How did he respond to their request? (vv. 12-13)
b. In speaking to the people in their own Hebrew language, the commander tried to persuade the people in these ways:
- Not to trust Hezekiah and God;
- By promising the sparing of their lives and prosperity, but in the foreign land;
- By citing the fall of Hamath, Arpad (both in northern Syria) Sepharvaim (the southernmost city of Mesopotamia) and Samaria to prove that their gods could not save them;
- By concluding, “How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my [Assyria's] hand?” (36:20).
What do you think the likely impact these words would have on the people of Jerusalem? Why?
(4) Why did the king’s official tear their clothes at this point of time?
37:1-13—Hezekiah’s Response
(5) Hezekiah’s immediate response included the following:
a. Tearing his clothes too: Why did he do that?
b. He sent the officials to see Isaiah. Why?
c. Why did he not go to Isaiah himself? What did he do instead? (v. 1) Why?
(6) Consider carefully the words related by these official say to Isaiah (vv. 3-4):
a. How did Hezekiah describe their present plight in v. 3? Why?
b. What did he call the Lord in v. 4? Why?
c. What did he rest their final hope on? (v. 4)
d. How did he call themselves at the end of v. 4?
e. What did he request of Isaiah?
(7) Consider the reply of the Lord in vv. 5-7.
a. The Lord confirmed that those words by the commander were indeed blasphemous words.
b. The Assyrian king will withdraw because of a report or rumor.
c. But God will cut him down with the sword back in his own country.
Do you think this was the answer Hezekiah expected? Why or why not?
(8) How was the reply of the Lord fulfilled in according to vv. 8-9?
(9) Although the king of Assyria had to retreat, what was the core of the message he sent to Hezekiah?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” (Isa. 36:20)
It is indeed hard to take insults. If we are insulted, especially in public, it may be hard to take, but to allow the enemies of the Lord to insult His name in front of us, and we can do nothing or say nothing in reply is even harder to take.
This was the situation faced by the officials of King Hezekiah. First, they made the mistake of begging the commander of Assyria not to speak in Hebrew, lest the people could hear and understand his insults to king Hezekiah and the Lord. They were such losers that they basically had surrendered before the Assyrians even invaded the city. They had not only admitted their failure, but also that of the Lord in whom Hezekiah had put his trust and hope.
The result was double-humiliation in that they were likened to people who “will have to eat their excrement and drink their own urine” (36:12) and the commander continued to speak in Hebrew and openly insulted the Lord as incapable of delivering Jerusalem (36:20). At the end they had no answer for the challenge of the commander (36:21).
However, we have to understand that there is no use in fact, there is no need to win any argument as God always has the final say. In fact, we should fear for those who openly insult the name of God as Hezekiah rightly understood: God will not take their blasphemy lightly, and in the case of the king of Assyrian, He “will have him cut down with the sword” (37:7).
However, God is such a gracious God that His forgiveness will still be extended to those who might have blasphemed Him in ignorance as we recall His promise that in the Last Days, even the Egyptians and the Assyrians will worship Him together (19:23) and He even calls Assyria, “my handiwork” (19:25).
37:14-20—The Prayer of Hezekiah
(1) What did Hezekiah do upon receipt of the letter of insult from Sennacherib?
(2) How did Hezekiah address the Lord? What was the significance of this address? (v. 16)
(3) How did Sennacherib ridicule God in his letter?
(4) What reality did Hezekiah recognize that he was facing? (vv. 18-19)
(5) How did these gods differ from the Lord? (vv. 18-19 versus v. 16)
(6) On what basis did Hezekiah use for his appeal for God’s deliverance?
(7) What might you have learned from Hezekiah’s prayer?
37:21-35—God’s Answer to Hezekiah’s prayer
(8) Why did the Lord refer to the virgin and daughter of Zion and Jerusalem? (v. 22)
(9) Whom had Sennacherib ridiculed and blasphemed? (vv. 23-24)
(10) Did he know who the God of Israel was?
(11) Assyria under Sennacherib was indeed very powerful and his bragging was not too exaggerated; even the Lord seemed to affirm his success (v. 27). However, he had overlooked something very significant. What was it according to v. 26?
(12) How did the Lord describe His omniscience? How does this echo the words of David in Psalm 139:1-6? (vv. 28-29)
(13) What metaphor did the Lord use in describing the fate of Sennacherib? (v. 29)
(14) What will be the sign of God’s deliverance? (v. 30)
(15) Although secular history does confirm the retreat of the Assyrian army and the subsequent death of Sennacherib, what have they failed to recognize? (37:36)
(16) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning — there were all the dead bodies!’” (Isa. 37:36)
I find it rather disturbing that whenever the biblical account appears to be different from secular history, commentators try to find ways to defend the biblical account which, at the end, tend to discredit the accuracy of the Bible. Most resort to blaming scribal errors and seek to change the spelling of certain words to fit the secular historical account, others opine that the entire section might have been put in the wrong place by a later redactor of the book, and still others think that they are spurious additions of a later time. Isaiah 37:36 is a case in point. Secular history obviously does not attribute the retreat of the Assyrian army to the word of the angel of the Lord, and many doubt if the death of 185,000 was even possible.
Allow me to share with you the insight of Oswalt in this respect:
“This verse is the crux of the entire account, so it is not surprising that it has come under severe scrutiny by biblical scholars. Isaiah insists that the Assyrian monarch did not go home because he was satisfied with Hezekiah’s surrender, or because his objectives in the West had been reached, or because of some crisis elsewhere in the empire. He went home, says the prophet, because of the upshot of two issues: Sennacherib had asserted that human glory was superior to God’s, and Hezekiah had dared to trust God. Because of these God intervened in natural events and decimated a significant number of the Assyrian army. Cut out this event as a historical fact, as all too many commentators wish to do, and the whole theological content of the passage falls to the ground...As to the terrific losses involved…Smith notes that the Third Crusade mounted over a million and a half men and that the losses of the First Crusade have been estimated at more than 300,000. Perhaps more to the point, H. W. Saggs, on the basis Assyrian reports, concludes that the Assyrian “Grand Army” must have numbered in the hundreds of thousands…it does demonstrate that the account is not merely fantasy but is within the realm of possibility.”
(NICOT, Isaiah 1-39, 669-670)
38:1-8—Hezekiah’s Prayer for Healing:
(1) It is perhaps helpful to note the following concerning Hezekiah’s time of illness:
a. He reigned at age of 25. (2 Kings 18:2)
b. And he reigned for 29 years, making his year of death at 54.
c. The Lord added 15 years to his life after this illness.
d. At the time of his illness, he should be at age 39.
(2) In visiting a dying man, what normally would one say and do? What did Isaiah say to the king? Why? (Note that from the promise in v. 6, it is obvious that Judah was still under the threat of Assyria.)
(3) While Hezekiah might sense that his illness was terminal, what impact did the confirmation of his death by Isaiah have on him?
(4) How should one who belongs to God and loves God face death?
a. Why didn’t Hezekiah want to die to the point of weeping bitterly?
b. He indeed walked faithfully and whole-heartedly before the Lord and had done good in His eyes. Consider then these questions:
- Should he not accept his lot from the Lord submissively?
- Could he truly use this as his merit to ask God to spare his life? (64:6)
(5) From
the reply of God through Isaiah, respond to the following:
a. Did God chastise him for his self-righteousness? Why not?
b. What does it mean that God had seen his tears?
c. Apart from giving him 15 more years, what did God promise Hezekiah?
d. Would this be part of the reason for his desire to live a bit longer?
(6) V. 22 indicates that it was Hezekiah who asked for a sign:
a. Contrast his attitude toward a sign with that of Ahaz (7:10-13). What was the difference?
b. How fitting was the sign given by the Lord to His promise of giving him more years in life?
38:9-20—Hezekiah’s Song of Praise (in writing)
(7) Given the fact that Hezekiah was only 39, do you sympathize with his desire to be healed?
(8) What images did he use to describe his physical condition under sickness? (vv. 12-13)
(9) How did he describe his emotional condition under sickness? (v. 14)
(10) Have you gone through a similar struggle as Hezekiah did?
(11) In praising God for His healing
a. What did Hezekiah promise the Lord? (v. 15, but see 2 Chr. 32:24-26 for biblical comments of his life after healing)
b. How did he view his sickness now? (v. 17)
c. What other promises did he make to the Lord? (vv. 18-20)
(12) Overall, how you feel about Hezekiah’s desperate desire to live on?
(13) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: 'I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life'.” (Isa. 38:5)
I have to confess that I do have mixed feelings toward Hezekiah’s prayer for healing. On the one hand his desperate desire not to die is understandable:
- As he said, he was still in the prime of his life (v. 10); he was likely about 39 years old — too young to die.
- He had unfinished business: while we cannot say for sure that chapter 38 was arranged chronologically after the retreat of Sennacherib in the previous chapter, it was clear from God’s reply in v. 6 that they were still under the threat of Assyria. His repentance from depending on Egypt had steered the nation back toward the right path in trusting in God alone. He might feel that it was his unfinished business and it was affirmed by the Lord in His reply in v. 6.
- His prayer after healing indicated that he had learned a lesson from his illness (v. 17) and pledged to walk in humility (v. 15) and committed to teach his children of God’s faithfulness (v. 19).
On the other hand, what happened after his healing proved that the last 15 years of his life had turned out to be a curse, not a blessing to him and the nation:
- 2 Chronicles has this to say about his life after healing: “But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him…” (2 Chr. 32:25).
- His pride was further revealed in the next chapter of Isaiah in that he showed off his treasures to the envoys of the king of Babylon which, undoubtedly, contributed to the fall of Jerusalem directly or indirectly in the hands of the Babylonians.
- He failed to teach his son Manasseh the faithfulness of the Lord. This son succeeded him at his young age of 12 (2 Chronicles 33:1) which means that he was born during the added 15 years of Hezekiah’s remaining life. As we know, Manasseh turned out to be one of the worst kings of Judah who did extreme evil in the eyes of the Lord.
Perhaps, Hezekiah should have submitted to the will of God, since it is never how long we live, but how we live that really matters!
Chapter 39 marks the end of the historical portion of Isaiah, showing that in spite of all the oracles spoken through Isaiah during the successive reigns of the kings of Judah (1:1), even a relatively good king (Hezekiah) failed to remain humble and trust only in the Lord:
(1) Why did the king of Babylon send his son to visit Hezekiah? (Note that it was a time the Babylonians gradually rose in power, threatening to overtake Assyria as the dominant world power.)
(2) Why was Hezekiah so glad that he even showed off all his palace’s treasures to the envoys, to the point that “There was nothing in his palace…that (he) did not show them” (39:2)?
(3) What do you think was the purpose of Isaiah’s visit to the king?
(4) In giving his reply to Isaiah, based on the words that he said, do you think Hezekiah felt that he had done anything wrong? Why or why not? (v. 4)
(5) What was the result of his pride according to Isaiah? (vv. 5-7)
(6) What was the reply of Hezekiah to this horrible judgment? (v. 8)
(7) What did Hezekiah’s reply reveal about his heart?
(8) What should have been his reply?
Chapter 40 onwards provides the glorious answer to the question posted by the preceding 39 chapters, and that is “How can sinful and rebellious Israel be saved and become holy?” As we shall find out, the answer miraculously points to a salvation that goes far beyond the land and people of Israel, but to the whole world.
40:1-2—A People Who Need to be Comforted
(9) While Jerusalem has yet to suffer at this point, how is her suffering being portrayed?
(10) Why does the Lord see her suffering as being “double for her sins”?
(11) How will God deal with her after her suffering?
40:3-5—The Forerunner of the Messiah — This comfort will arrive through the coming of God Himself (v. 4).
(12) Why does His coming require a forerunner? What is his task?
(13) Who is this forerunner? (See Mk. 1:3-4; Lk. 3:4-6; Jn. 1:23)
(14) What did John the Baptist do to fulfill his role? (See Jn. 1:19-34)
40:6-11—The Coming of God
(15) What does this voice say (vv. 6-8) and how does it sum up the message of the previous 39 chapters?
(16) What will the coming of God accomplish according to the voice in v. 10?
(17) However, how will this Sovereign Lord of power treat His own? (v. 11)
(18) What is this good news? Who is this God?
(19) How does the Apostle Paul respond to this call of the bringing of the good tidings? (See Rom. 10:9-15)
(20) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Comfort, comfort my people.” (Isa. 40:1)
The first 39 chapters of Isaiah form the first unit of this lengthy book of prophecy and have greatly enriched our understanding of the great plan of salvation, not only for His Chosen People, Israel, but for all mankind.
The relentless rebukes of both the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom highlight the inability of His Chosen People to keep His covenant. Even the relatively good kings of Judah have failed to maintain their total trust in the Lord, not to mention the degeneration of the people, priests and prophets alike into a false piety and phony religion, marked by lip-service while their hearts were far from Him (Isa. 1:10-15; 29:13).
Their fate, inevitably, is one of destruction in the hands on the nations. But even during these relentless charges and words of judgment, a message of hope is always present, with the promise of a remnant, and a restored kingdom under the kingship of a descendant of David, marked by forgiveness and righteousness (e.g. 11:16; 9:7; 16:5).
This first unit of Isaiah also reveals the sins of the nations — their worship of false gods, their ruthlessness and pride. They, too, will face total destruction as their judgment. However, amazingly, they will also be included in the future restored Kingdom, and worship along with Israel (chs. 13-27; especially 19:23-25).
The big question is, "How can all these happen?".
The answer is already given in the first unit, and that is the incredible good news of Immanuel-God with us — not just His presence through men of God like Moses and Joshua, but His actual birth as a child! (7:14; 8:8; 9:6). While this answer permeates throughout the first 39 chapters, we have to admit that it is still like looking at a blurred mirror.
However, beginning with chapter 40, what was blurred in the first unit will be made clear, much clearer in the chapters that follow. So will the heart of compassion of the Lord to His people and the message of grace be. This is powerfully conveyed by the first two verses that mark the beginning of the rest of the book:
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” (40:1-2)
I do not have to elaborate on the meaning of these two verses, except to ask:
- Do the people of Israel (and for that matter, do we who are rebellious children) not deserve the punishments that have been pronounced?
- And yet, does the Lord consider that they have been too much for them?
- How could Israel (and again, how could we) ever pay for our sins?
The amazing answer of grace and compassion awaits us as we explore the rest of the book.