Panorama of the Prophets
Isaiah Overview Part 2, Chapters 40-66
Ever
notice how you can have different reactions when reading the Bible?
A)Sometimes – Conviction – 1
Chapter
Another Chapter
– Comfort
B)The reason typically for
that has to do with the condition of our hearts!
C)When we find ourselves Challenged or convicted – it is usually because
there is an area of our hearts that we need to deal with.
D)Or when we find ourselves
being comforted it is because of something we are going thru
1)God’s word brings comfort
and healing
E)Been said that the same
Sun that hardens the clay – melts the wax.
1)It is contingent on the
substance – in the same way the WORDS effective is contingent upon our hearts
Now
what is interesting about the Bible is when you can read the same author –
experiences both things
A)One chapter convicted –
Next comforted
B)Well that is exactly what
we see divinely laid out in the Book of Isaiah
1) Bible in Miniature 1-39
OT Condemnation
2)
C)Having
said that all throughout chapters 1-39 there is this glimmer of Hope – Isaiah
prophesies of a coming Savior – Ch.7-9 Immanuel {God is with us}
D)That is consistent with
the whole of the OT – which over and over – pointed to a Messiah
1)A coming Savior
Isaiah
writes from a 3 fold perspective:
A)Past – Warning to
B)Present situation – current
the trouble and their need to repent
C)Future – Coming Savior –
restoration { Now and the not yet – blended together
1)Like a Dad – Present in
his living room – sons toys his daughters shoes
2)Photo album –Past birth
toddler yrs
3) Looking ahead to future –
College weddings
D)Isaiah combines those
three perspectives as he writes
Why
was Isaiah Written?
Historical Purpose
Isaiah
was sent of God to warn
His
message to them was twofold:
God
will bring condemnation on
He will also one day provide Salvation through
Doctrinal
Purpose
The
Book Comprehends all the great truths of the Old Testament regarding Salvation
from Man’s sin.
Through
Christ redemptive work
And
the final glorious restoration of this earth.
Christological
Purpose
Isaiah
presents perhaps the most complete and comprehensive descriptions of Christ
found in the Old Testament. His Virgin birth, life, death, Resurrection and 2nd
coming are all depicted in this book –
Isaiah saw the dual aspect
of Christ coming – and lays them out sometimes side by side in the same
paragraph like two MT peaks –
Concerning
Christ – Two MT Peaks
1. Jesus comes to Save by Suffering.
See’s both sometimes in the
same Chapter
What
Isaiah didn’t see was the Valley called the Church age in the middle of those two
peaks
Last
week our focus was on Chapters 1-39 – Lost of Woes – woes upon
A)For 39 Chapters things
look pretty bleak – the storm clouds are hovering – thunder and darkness of a
storm is brewing
B)Suddenly there is a
rainbow – shines to his readers of the blessing that is to come!
C)Ch.40-66 the tone changes
dramatically
Chapters
40-66 divide into three sections each having nine chapters
I. Ch. 40-48 The Deliverance from God.
II. Ch. 49-53 The
Deliverer from God.
III.Ch. 58-66 The Delivered of God.
I. Ch. 40-48 The Deliverance from God.
A)Ch. 40-42 The Deliverance
is proclaimed.
B)Isaiah 40 is one of the
great chapters in the Bible. It’s a classic.
1)And
immediately you notice a shift in tone. From the first 39 chapters of Isaiah were full of “woes”,
as chapter 40 begins, V.1-2
"Comfort, yes, comfort My
people!" says your God. "Speak comfort to
A)Isaiah 40 begins a message of hope Now
it’s time to comfort a downtrodden and contrite people..
B)God exemplifies a great Pattern in Discipline for parents to follow.
1)Discipline
– then Comfort
C)Discipline without any
comfort afterwards is bad
1)Comfort
without any Discipline is enablement – worse
D)God the Father has a
balanced approach.
Next
Isaiah announces a Herald a Crier!
A)Verse
3 has significant New Testament implications. It tells us, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
"Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for
our God.”
B)All four Gospel writers
identify this voice as John the Baptist.
1)John
was the forerunner, who set the table for Jesus’ ministry.
C)John prepared people for
the love and forgiveness Jesus offered.
1) John’s
goal was not to attract a crowd, or win a following, but to point people to
Jesus.
This
should be our mission. In a sense, we’re all forerunners of Jesus.
A)When
famous conductor, Leonard Bernstein, was asked to name the most difficult
instrument to play, he answered, “Second fiddle.”
B)Guys,
we’re all called by God to play second fiddle. We’re to point
people to Jesus, not promote ourselves!
C)What
was the voice Crying to Proclaim Verses 6-8 are John’s message in a nutshell, “All flesh is grass, and its loveliness is like the flower of
the field… the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God abides
forever.”
D)A dozen roses cost $30 –
they’re beautiful for a few days - but how quickly they shrivel, and dry out,
and die.
E)So it is with human
achievement and beauty and righteousness.
1)Only
God’s Word remains forever.
The
Lord wants us to see the temporalness of our lives and the Eternal nature of
His Word
A)Voltaire death bed 1778
100yrs – Christianity will die out
B)50 yrs later the
1)Who says God doesn’t have
a sense of Humor
10 Behold, the
Lord God shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, His
reward is with Him, And His work before Him.
11 He will feed
His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather
the lambs with His arm,
And carry them
in His bosom,
And gently lead
those who are with young.
Dual aspect of the Lord’s
coming 2 verses
V.10 Strong Conquering
ruling King
V.11 Tender Shepherd – Both
peaks
The rest of chapter 40
describes Messiah’s grandeur. He holds the oceans in the cup of his hand,
and measures the heavens with the width of his fingers.
Side note:
Verse
22 has interesting historical and scientific implications. The Lord says He “sits above the circle of the earth.”
Over
2000 years before
Man’s wisdom said the earth
was flat, not the Bible. The God who created the earth certainly knows its
shape.
Verse 26 tells us
God numbers and names the billions and billions of stars.
That’s why Isaiah asks in verse 27, “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O
The Jews
complained God was unaware of their situation. How foolish!
Remember at the
time the Jews would be reading this they would be in
A)Reading this 150 yrs later – Receive comfort
Isaiah writes to comfort them:
If God numbers the stars, He’s surely aware of our
needs, and He will come to their aid.
Isaiah continues Rd
V. 28-31
A)What comfort to a group of pp who would have to
travel 900 miles back Home
B)Wait upon the Lord – you shall renew your strength
–
C)Great promise for us as well!
1)A
Christian is a rechargeable battery.
D)When
we run low of energy we can plug into the Holy Spirit for a fresh surge.
And
the way to plug into the power is to wait on God. A)Think of waiting on God
as a waiter serving a table in a restaurant – he’s attentive, compliant,
engaged.
Bb)Worship
and prayer -
B)Wait on God in the same
manner and He’ll give you energy, elevation, and endurance.
First
we gain new strength. - those who wait on the
Lord shall renew their strength
Our
strength is renewed, the Lord meets our weakness with His strength.
Second
we gain a better perspective.
The passage says we will mount up with wings like
eagles.
Eagles sour, eagles fly above the normal
terrain. Eagles
see things from a higher vantage point, they can spot a fish in a lake several
miles away on a clear day.
When
we wait on the Lord, we gain a higher or a heavenly perspective on the things
we are dealing with!
Third we gain extra energy.
We
can run spiritually and do not get tired. God supplies us in our time of need
with extra energy.
Fourth, we gain an extra
ability to persevere.
We
keep on walking without fainting. When we wait on the Lord, He enables us with
the ability to endure.
Ch.41
Deliverance further proclaimed as God taunts the foreign gods of the other
nations.
A)V.8 He refers to Abe as
His Friend. – By Faith
B)Jesus us – no longer do I
call you servants – Friend
1)Our Faith = Friend of God
Chapter
42 the ultimate deliverance will be through a Person – Jesus the Messiah. V.1-4
"Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My
soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not
quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.
4 He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established
justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law."
In 42:3 is
quoted of Jesus in
A)This is how Jesus treats
people…
B)Look
at the river reed that’s been beaten down by the wind, or the torch made of
flax that’s about burned out. 1)Rather than focus on what’s been lost, Jesus
takes the little that’s left, and nurses it to health.
C)
Jesus props up the person who’s been beaten down by life. He’s a splint.
– Crutch – Hospital
D)The Smoking Flax is like the wick on a
candle –he doesn’t quench or blow out
1)He
fans the flame of the person who’s tired and burned out.
E)He doesn’t put out the fire He further
ignites the fire.
Much
of the rest of chapter 42 speaks of Jesus. He’s “a light
to the Gentiles”, verse 6. He will “open
blind eyes”, verse 7.
He
does “new things”, verse 9.
Thus
verse 10 tells us, “Sing to the LORD a new song,
and His praise from the ends of the earth…”
The
first half of chapter 42 speaks of Jesus’ first advent – the last half, His
second.
Ch.
43-45 The Deliverance is promised.
A)V.1-2 Through Trials
In
Here’s a key phrase. God
doesn’t promise we’ll sail over the waters, but neither will we go under.
We’ll
go through. Trials are inescapable, but God promises us what’s needed to
get us through.
V.2 “I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not
overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor
shall the flame scorch you.”
A)The
last half of the verse reminds us of
B)No matter the trial the
Lord promises to get you through.
1)Come
tide, flood, or fire – the Lord is able to deliver His people.
V. 5-6 the Lord promises to bring back His people to
their land. Verses 5-6, “I will bring your descendants
from the east, and gather you from the west; I will say to the north, 'Give
them up!' and to the south, 'Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar,
and My daughters from the ends of the earth…”
After
World War 2 and the Holocaust, European Jews flocked to
In the early 1980s Jews from
And in the 1990s Russian
Jews streamed into
The
prophecy in these verses has been fulfilled in our own generation.
Jehovah, God
of Israel, makes a statement in 44:6 that has important ramifications, "Thus says the LORD, the King of
A)Understand
there’s only one first, and only one last - yet
B)Either
there’s a contradiction or Jesus and Jehovah are one in the same.
1)Here’s
a proof text for the Triune nature of God.
C)When a Jehovah Witness comes to the door take them
to
1)You can even use their own heretical translation –
where they have doctored passages
D)Turn to
1)Revelation 1:17 Who? Clearly Jesus
Another
Interesting note: Ch.44
A)In
B)Chapter 44:28 and the 45:1 refer by name to the
king of the east who will liberate the Jews from
C)This Persian king won’t be born for 100 years -
the fall of
This makes the
mention of the name Cyrus one of the most amazing prophecies in all the
Bible.
A)We’re told by the Jewish historian, Josephus, that
when
B)He was so impressed one of the king’s initial
decrees was to permit the Jews to return to
C)Cyrus even paid for the rebuilding of the temple
with money from his own treasuries.
25 book today
that claim to be Scripture: You know what separates the Bible from all of them?
A)Prophecy – 2500 prophecies – 2000 fulfilled
B)Prophecy reveals God’s eternal nature.
Ch. 46-48 The Deliverance is
prophesied.
God says of Himself in 46:10, “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times
things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do
all My pleasure…”
You and I live on the timeline. The words “past”
and “future” are meaningful to us.
But God lives
outside of time altogether. And the way He demonstrates that to us, is by
declaring an event before it happens.
Chapter 47-48 God Prophesies of the Judgment that
would come upon
A)But also how
B)They’re told in verse 10, “Behold,
I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of
affliction.”
C)The Babylonian captivity purified the Jews.
Seventy years in
D)After they returned to
1)Their captivity had a refining or purifying
effect.
E)Trials purify – Bring out the impurities – in our
lives
The judgment God
brings on the world in the last days – what the Bible calls the Great
Tribulation – will also have a twofold effect:
It will punish the wicked, and purify the
Jews. Again the Hebrews will pass through a furnace of affliction.
II. Chapters 49-53 The Deliverer from God.
A) Ch. 49-53 His
B)Chapter 49 opens with the Messiah describing His
preparation.
1)He was given a special name before He was born. He
was polished like the shaft of a sleek arrow.
C)God destined Him to re-gather Jacob, and be a
light to the Gentiles.
1)Of course, Jesus did the latter at His first
coming, and the former He’ll do at His second.
As Isaiah continues we find that His calling is to
Suffer. – One MT Peak
In chapter 50
Isaiah tells how
In contrast
God’s other Servant, the Messiah, suffers to carry out the will of God.
Verse 6 he tells us, “I gave
My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the
beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.”
Here’s a detail of the crucifixion not mentioned in
the Gospels – not only was His back beaten to ribbons, but His beard was
plucked out.
Yet on the cross,
even through His scars, you could see the resolve in His face.
Verse 7 says, "For the
Lord GOD will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set
My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed...”
How did He maintain such confidence? In verse 8
Jesus tells us, “He is near who justifies Me…”
God was with him.
Verse 9, “the LORD God will
help me…”
In 52:14 takes it one step
further. So His visage was marred more than any man, And
His form more than the sons of men;
Hebrew scholar Keil translates verse 14, “so disfigured, His appearance was not human…”
Apparently, Jesus was beaten beyond recognition. His
face didn’t even look human.
Perhaps it was severe facial scarring that keep Mary
from recognizing Jesus after His resurrection.
When He appeared, she thought He was the gardener.
Remember Jesus bore the scars in His hands and feet, so why not His face?
Martin Luther wrote, “If you want to understand the Christian message you must
start with the wounds of Christ.”
The passage is prophetic, but when you read it you
get the impression, Isaiah was an eyewitness – standing at the foot of the
cross.
He wrote
describing it 400 yrs before it was even invented by the Persians.
A)We Spent about 5 weeks on this – great detail
B)Why Isaiah write about
the Crucifixion in such detail and the gospels tend to only state the
facts
1)And Jesus was crucified ….. nailed to a cross…?
C)Isaiah was describing a form of death that had not
even been invented yet –
1)So He Describes it in detail
D)Where as by the time that Jesus came along and was
crucified – Crucifixion was a common occurrence
1)The Romans had already Crucified – 30K Jews
E)So everyone living in Jesus day was well aware of
what happened to a person who was crucified.
F)Like us describing Hanging – gun shot wound
1)Vs before guns invented
So Chapters 49-53 His
Calling – to suffer
Ch. 54-55 His Comfort
A) Before we go further let me put chapters 54-66 in
context.
B)Think of
1)Circular ripples and waves emanate.
C)The larger the rock the further out the ripples.
Chapters 54-66 are the ripples that emanate from the
rock of chapter 53.
D)The cross of Jesus has far reaching ramifications.
Not only does it pardon our sins, the cross pays for the restoration of the
planet – even a new heaven and new earth.
In
A)Messiah’s suffering is a reason for our
singing!
RD
V.1-3
B)Fruitfulness and life are the result
Chapter 55 is a great invitation. "Ho!
Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy
and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
The blessings of
God’s kingdom are not purchased with money.
A)What’s the currency of heaven? God’s
blessings are bought with humility and faith and repentance.
B)Comfort in Knowing God is bigger than I am
In verses 8-9 God says, "For
My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the
LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher
than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
The word “theology”
means “the study of God”, but the first truth our study uncovers is that
God is infinite.
And since man is finite, this creates a problem for
the theologian. How does a finite mind comprehend an infinite God?
We’re immediately faced with our limitations. This
is one subject I can never master.
Yes, God reveals truth I can grasp, but He Himself
remains beyond my ability to comprehend. His ways are higher! His thoughts are
deeper!
I can only come humbly and grasp what He’s revealed.
There is no room for pride or arrogance.
The fact that God
is far greater than we are can excite you or frustrate you.
A)It excites me – when things are happening and I
don’t have a clue I know that He does
B)He has a clue – He knows – I will just trust in
His wisdom
C)Guys, we should never forget that we are kindergarteners
in the
Don’t get frustrated with the mysteries of God.
Don’t bail out when you run across threads of theology you can’t reconcile.
Remember, “What’s over my
head is still under His feet.” Always approach the study of God with a
humble heart and a broken spirit.
Ch.
56-57 His Cry!
A)Chapter 56 – let’s us know
there will be room for Gentiles in God’s future coming Kingdom.
B)V.7
1)Sunday Jesus quoted
Exclusion happening – missed
the point
III
Ch. 58-66 The Delivered of God.
Ch. 58-59 The Condition of
their Deliverance.
A)Isaiah 58 uncovers
B)Call to turn from their hypocrisy going through the motions and get back to basics
1)Honoring the Sabbath and taking care of the poor
C)Notice how
V. 20 "The Redeemer will come to
Says the Lord.
21 "As for Me," says the
Lord, "this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My
words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor
from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants'
descendants," says the Lord, "from this time and forevermore."
Condition deal with your sin
A)Isaiah 60 is a chapter of hope. It calls for God’s
people to put off complacency. “Arise, shine; for your
light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.”
B)In the world’s darkest day, God will raise up
The last 7
chapters take us to the opposite Mt Peak as they look to the day when Jesus
returns and establishes His earthly kingdom.
A)Everyone thinks most of our info about end times
comes from the book of Revelation.
B)But not so - particularly when it comes to the
Kingdom Age.
C)Revelation 20 tells us Satan will be bound, and
the kingdom will last 1000 years,
1)but the rest of what we know about Jesus’ future
reign we learn from the Old Testament prophets - and especially these last chapters in Isaiah.
A)It’s ironic, but the most battered and bloodied and
maligned and hated nation on earth for the last 4000 years,
B)The chapter describes how the world’s wealth will
be used to build up
C)Isaiah 61 opens with the words Jesus quoted at the
synagogue in
Jesus came to
spread good news, heal hurts, issue pardons, and free those who are bound.
In
Jesus will come again to bring judgment, but today
He wants to heal and help.
Even after his second coming, Jesus will heal
He says in 62:1, “For
God is not through with the Jewish people. He’s made
promises to
Notice in 62:7 we’re told the Lord will make “
A)Today the city is a source of contention. One day it
will be a reason for praise!
A)The Lord Jesus is seen coming out of Bozrah.
Bozrah was the city of
B)It’s the sight where the Jews of the last days
will run to escape from the Antichrist.
1)Now here comes Jesus out of Bozrah.
C)His Robe is red – why And Jesus tells us in verse
3, “I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them
in My fury; their blood is sprinkled on My garments… For the day of vengeance
is in My heart…”
D)Notice what Jesus says in verse 5 “I looked, but there was no one to help… Therefore My own arm
brought salvation…”
Jesus rescues
A)Traditionally, the
B)Apparently, by this time either that support has
eroded, or we’ll no longer be militarily capable to fight.
C)The good news for
A)He’ll come to
A)It’s a prayer of repentance prayed by the Jews who
somehow manage to survive the Great Tribulation, and flee to Bozrah.
They cry out for deliverance, “Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come
down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence… that the nations may
tremble…”
In verse 6 the Jews repent and confess, “all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…”
Literally in the original Hebrew it reads, “like used
menstrual cloths”.
Guys, that’s how God views our religious acts and
good deeds. They’re dirty and filthy in His sight.
This is why we can’t save ourselves. There’s nothing
we can do that will atone for our sin, or make us worthy before God.
And that’s why we need a Savior. The cross of Christ
is our only hope. We need to trust in Jesus.
Ch.65b-66 The
Consummation of their Deliverance
A)These Chapters give us details into what life will
be like when Jesus establishes His earthly kingdom and reigns 1000 years.
Verses 20-25 gives us a glimpse of life in the
Kingdom Age, "No more shall an infant live but a
few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; for the child shall
die one hundred years old…”
Notice, a person 100 years old is still considered a
kid. I believe people will live as long as they did before the flood.
Verse 22 tells us, “For as
the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people.”
The Kingdom Age will
be a unique time.
A)The Earth will be shared with saints like us –
folks who either died or were raptured, and have already received their
glorified bodies –
B) along with sinners who survived the Tribulation.
1)Babies will be born –
C)This is the time when resurrected believers will
reign and rule over the earth’s mortal inhabitants.
The remainder of
the chapter describes how the curse of thorns and thistles will be lifted.
A)The Earth is transformed into an
B)Isaiah 66:8 records an incredible prophecy, “Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a
nation be born at once? For as soon as
C)Isaiah looks to the future rebirth of the state of
And that’s exactly how it happened.
D)Five months after the United Nations voted to
partition
On
May 14, 1948, Jews in
E)Never in the history of the planet has a nation
been reborn after 1900 years of exile. The nation
F)Her most glorious days are still ahead Rd v.20-24