We are nearing the end of our journey through the Book of Isaiah. One of the themes in Isaiah’s ministry is to point out the deep pride and self-deception of God’s people, even in their religiosity, or maybe, especially in their religiosity. It seems like the LORD needs to light a spiritual dynamite stick in […]

In the Apostle Paul’s great Letter to the Romans, we have the most detailed explanation of God’s plan of salvation for the world. We have a systematic presentation of God’s powerful redeeming work in and through Jesus Christ, the LORD. Paul summarizes the teaching of this Letter in Romans 1:16-17: I am not ashamed of […]

In the major subsection of Isaiah 40-55, the prophet Isaiah foresees a time when the Israelites will be restored back to their land from Babylonian exile. God’s ‘servant’, Cyrus, the Persian king, will issue a decree that will bring the Jewish exiles back to Canaan. Even though this foreign leader does not know Yahweh God, […]

In our reading today, we have two of the four Servant Songs in Isaiah 40-55 that prophesy the coming of the Servant of the LORD. In Isaiah 49:1-7 and 50:4-9, we have a more detailed explanation of the identity and work of this Servant, who was initially introduced to us in Isaiah 42:1-9. He is […]

Just put yourself in the shoes of a Hebrew who has just seen his nation conquered by Babylon and has seen the Jerusalem Temple destroyed by this invading army. Now he is being carted off to Babylon where he will spend the rest of his life in exile. What conclusions would he be tempted to […]

In our last blog, we mentioned that Isaiah 42:1-9 is the first of four Servant Songs that appear in Isaiah 40-55 (Is. 42:1-9; 49:1-7; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12). They are songs that prophesy a coming individual who will accomplish Yahweh God’s purpose for the redemption of the world. Israel as a nation was called by God to […]

In our reading this morning, we have the beginning of the second major section in this great Book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 1-39, we have read glimpses of hope for the people of God. There will be a future day when people from all the nations of the world will worship Israel’s God (Isaiah 2:1-4). […]

There are 2 major sections in the Book of Isaiah: Isaiah 1-39 and Isaiah 40-66. Our reading today concludes the first major section. In Isaiah 36-37, we have the account of Judah’s miraculous deliverance from the superpower Assyria. It is very significant that the army commander of Assyria issues his threat to the leaders of […]

In Isaiah 34 & 35 we have a stark contrast between two ways of life. In Isaiah 34, we see what happens when human beings try to make life work without dependence on their Creator God. Eventually a godless life falls under God’s judgment (Is. 34:1-4). “I Did It My Way”: Not The Best Song […]

In the early part of Isaiah’s ministry, Judah’s King Ahaz was under great threat from the northern kingdom of Israel and its ally Aram. In Isaiah 7:2, we read that Ahaz and the Judahites were shaken in their hearts by this threat, like the trees of a forest are shaken by the wind. Isaiah exhorts […]