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Words of a Fether

I am the way, the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father except through me. ~Jesus

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Isaiah 54-66

Introduction

Isaiah is one of the major prophetic books, and many consider it a “mini-Bible” of its own. Though chapter/verse markings were not part of the early copies, it happens that the 1st 39 chapters are more about judgment just as the Old Testament’s 39 books are, while the last 27 chapters are more about consolation just as the New Testament’s 27 books are. Isaiah literally means, “The Lord is Salvation”, which summarizes the book. Isaiah’s focus was on Jerusalem and Judah, and his message was that they would be overrun by Gentiles for their sins. But though God’s judgment had to be harsh, he would never abandon the people of Israel forever. He deals with Israel as a nation, not necessarily as individuals, and the prophecies are not necessarily in chronological order. Please refer to these resources as well: this commentary, the NETS Bible, and this LXX Interlinear.

Isaiah 54-57

Ch. 54 begins with a familiar passage quoted in Gal. 4:27, whose context is the difference between faithful and unfaithful Israel. Here, the prophecy speaks of ultimate future blessings to come upon faithful Israel. The women in ancient Israel were in charge of putting up the family tent, so it is to the “wife of God” that such a happy command is given.

The blessing is a large nation with plenty of land, and verse 5 continues the “wife” theme by identifying the “husband” as the Lord of Armies. But be careful with analogies; too many leap to the conclusion that this means a wife must treat her husband as God, but that would be idolatry. Rather, this symbolizes the care and nurturing of God toward his people.

In ch. 54 the symbolism continues and explains that God had indeed rejected Israel in anger, but it was temporary. Ch. 55 begins with another familiar passage quoted in the Gospels by Jesus. By doing so, Jesus was offering to Israel the consumation of the earthly kingdom, but they rejected him so it was delayed. Verses 8-11 are yet another familiar passage, which should remind us to trust God, whose promises will be fulfilled.

Ch. 56 continues, but some read about keeping the sabbaths as applying to the church, when in fact it applies only to the people of Israel during the future Millennium. Then the text turns back to the present condition of Israel, the result of which is seen in Ch. 57: the famine of justice and compassion. This is also what happens when churches bring the world into our midst instead of going out to the world to evangelize, which makes decent believers leave the congregation. And when only apostates are in the churches, the churches become the centers of disgusting acts and teachings, such as what’s described in this chapter.

Isaiah 58-66

Ch. 58 reminds us that sin must be faced and confronted, not hidden and denied. When we don’t, yet we continue religious practices, we have the audacity to ask why God seems so far away. Then God tells us what a real “fast” is: to renounce sin, to free the oppressed, and to lift burdens. James 1:27 and 2:16 adds that true religion is to care for the helpless and needy, and strive for holiness. For Israel under the law of Moses, they also needed to do everything in that law.

In ch. 59 God assures Israel that he’s quite capable of restoring and blessing them, but quite unwilling as long as they persist in rebellion. But then we see that God won’t wait forever, but will have pity and intervene, out of shock that none among them would rise up and stand against evil. Do Christians today stand up and show any backbone while such grievous sins as abortion and the corruption of our youth continue? Do we stand for the truth of the Word of God against all other religions? It’s no wonder that in Luke 18:8 Jesus asked if he’d find faith on the earth when he returns.

Ch. 60, as also Jesus taught in Mat. 5:16, reminds us that we’re not here to hide ourselves away but to be light in a dark world. That was Israel’s mandate, and for the most part it was never achieved, though it will be in the future Millennium. You can read details of that, and notice in verse 19 it moves beyond the Millennium to the time described also in Rev. 21:23,25 after the new heavens and earth are created. Notice also in verse 22 that it switches back to the Millennium, since people will still be mortal and having children.

Ch. 61 begins another passage quoted in Luke 4:18, but Jesus stopped short of the part where God was to bring vengeance, since it was not yet time for that. Here again we see an undeniable gap in prophecy, even within a sentence. Then there are more descriptions of the Millennium, continuing into ch. 62, and in ch. 63 is a passage referenced in Rev. 14:19 and 19:13 as applying to Jesus, who will indeed bring vengeance and wrath.

Ch. 63 and 64 turns to remind Israel of God’s great deeds once again. Then in ch. 65 is a passage quoted in Rom. 10:19-20 which is applied to the Gentiles. Israel had failed in its mission to make the Gentiles jealous for God, and the church for the most part has failed to do the same for Israel, per Rom. 11:14. Then we see that during the Millennium only the rebellious will die young; since there’s still mortality, it can’t refer to eternity, and an allegory about good and evil makes no sense at all when it comes to dying young.

Ch. 66 begins with God calling heaven his throne and earth his footstool, in the context of showing that whatever puny humans do is no match for their Creator. No amount of temples or sacrifices could ever compensate for the people’s rebellion. But notice verse 7 and forward; this seems to be an accurate description of how modern Israel, in unbelief though it is, literally became a nation at the stroke of a pen. Yet in context it certainly also means the future restoration of Israel after the Tribulation. Just as scripture prophesies both a secular and a spiritual Babylon, so also there is and will be both a secular and a spiritual Israel.

Verse 20 says that the nations will literally carry Jews back to their homeland, not in revulsion but in joy and love for God. Then God tells again of the new heavens and earth that will be made, awaiting the end of the Millennium, during which time people can still see the disgusting sight of the dead bodies of the wicked. There are some helpful maps of the names in this passage in the commentary.