In today’s section, we read about:
God’s suffering servant
The promise of future salvation and an invitation to accept it
A call to true worship, with concomitant blessings, and a command to shun idolatry
Future glory for Jerusalem, good news for the oppressed and judgment against God’s enemies
A vision of the future glorious world
Some thoughts that occurred to me today:
The poem of the suffering servant is very well known and all-too often the words seem to wash over us without our really taking them in. The thing that was fresh to me was the contrast between other people’s reaction to the suffering servant and God’s purpose – “he was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was OUR weaknesses he carried” (53:3-4). “We thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins. But he was pierced for OUR rebellion, crushed for OUR sins” (53:4-5). “He was beaten so WE could be made whole. He was whipped so WE could be healed” (53:5). “Noone cared about his descendants … yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants” (53:8,10) “His life was cut short in midstream … he will enjoy a long life” (53:8-10). “He was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal” (53:8-9). “He was buried like a criminal … I will give him the honours of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death” (53:9, 12).
54:2 – “Enlarge your house”. Is this also the marriage image that we have discussed in relation to Jn 14:6? This theme of the bridegroom and married comes back very strongly in 61:10, 62:4,5
These chapters are full of God’s rescue for us. He is described as calling us back (54:6), taking us back (54:7), brings us back (56:8)
54:8 - “With everlasting love I will have compassion on you.”
God is renewing his covenant with his people (54:10; 55:3)
God has promised to teach his people (54:13), and the amazing thing is that this teacher has wisdom beyond our wildest imaginings (55:8-9)
God’s plan is being fulfilled and nothing can thwart it (53:10; 54:10; 55:11)
Ch 56 demonstrates how God’s plan of salvation is not just limited to Israel, but also to all who seek him. Equally judgment is not reserved to those who are not part of His chosen people – indeed, punishment will be all the greater for those who should know better (56:10-57:13)
57:15 – “I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.”
57:16 is very humbling of our place in the grand scheme of life – “I will not fight against you forever; I will not always be angry. If I were, all people would pass away.” Yet this holiness is mixed with mercy, “I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway” (v18).
Ch 58 shows us what God regards as true worship – justice, humility, generosity, selflessness. We then have the encouragement of v8 “your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.”
58:13-14 – I was struck not just by the fact that the Israelites were called to observe the Sabbath, but also to enjoy observing it, not doing it grudgingly.
Ch 59 drives home the point that the reason for the separation between God and his people was purely due to the sins of Israel. 56:15-16, God was amazed at how his people had turned away from his way. Then we see in v17 the armour of God, an idea which Paul reprises in Eph 6:14, 17.
59:21 – “This is my covenant with them”, says the Lord. “My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and the lips of your children forever. I the Lord have spoken!”
What should we make of 60:8 (and 66:8), other than this must refer to the foundation of the modern state of Israel and the influx of Jews from around the world.
There are lot of references here which have echoes in Revelation – 60:19 – Rev 21:23; 65:17 – Rev 21:1; 65:19 – Rev 21:4.
61:1-2 was the passage Jesus read in the synagogue in Capernaum in Lk 4:18-19, after which the Jews wanted to stone him. 61:3 is beautiful “to all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair.” 61:7 refers to the double portion, which is the portion of the firstborn (Deut 21:17)
I like 62:2 – “The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory.”
In ch 62, there are lots of new names that come when God reorders everything. In Gen 2:19-20, it is man who names things, but now it will be God in total charge.
63:9 – “In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.”
63:17 encapsulates the problem of free will from our perspective, “why does God allow us to be disobedient and sinful?”
The end of Isaiah is a picture of the God of heaven fully acknowledged as such: “As surely as my new heavens and earth will remain, / so will you always be my people, / with a name that will never disappear,” says the Lord. / “All humanity will come to worship me from week to week / and from month to month. / As they go out, they will see / the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me. / For the worms that devour them will never die, / and the fire that burns them will never go out. / All who pass by / will view them with utter horror” (Is 66:22-24).
Two last thoughts. Our western mindset has become so sanitised into thinking that we are more civilised in resolving things without recourse to war, that the end of Isaiah comes as a real shock, and not at all the cosy, comfortable God we would prefer.
The second point was that the Israelites who came shortly after Isaiah were living in a time of God’s judgment, when there would be no comfort, exile, humiliation, defeat and despair. Paul writes in 2 Cor 6:1-2 (quoting from Is 49:8) “For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. / On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation.” We live in an incredibly privileged age, since we can call on God and be saved, we are living in the day of salvation, not judgment. Imagine a world where God no longer provided a way back to Him and to His favour. It’s a horrendous thought, but as Isaiah has prophesied through the four distinct time frames (immediate, exile and post-exilic, messianic and end times), we see how God’s plan of salvation is set out through Jesus, God’s chosen servant, who will one day be king (Is 45:23). Praise God for Jesus!!! Amen and Amen (2 Cor 1:19-20).
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