Isaiah 42

Study Guide 57: Isaiah 40-48 THE EVERLASTING GOD Overview Some argue that the second half of Isaiah was written by a person other than Isaiah the son of Amoz. There is a dramatic change in theme and emphasis. But the real reason for postulating two Isaiahs lays in the refusal of liberal scholars to accept the supernatural. Isaiah spoke of Babylon before that city was capital of a world power. He even named Cyrus, the Persian who overcame Babylon. Only God could have known ahead of time. Why do conservatives maintain the unity of this great book? The Jews treated this book as a unity and believed Isaiah wrote it. New Testament writers who quote Isaiah treat passages from the first and second halves the same. Jesus, given the “ scroll of the Prophet Isaiah” read from Isaiah 61:1-2 (Luke 4:17-19). Similar passages occur in both parts of the book (cf. Isaiah 1:15 with Isaiah 59:3; Isaiah 30:26 with Isaiah 60:19). The book maintains a strong theological unity, and uses terms and names of God in both sections unique to Isaiah. Prophetic utterances often foretell distant events. The predictive elements in Isaiah are in full harmony with the Bible’ s general supernaturalism. The two-Isaiah theory was not introduced until the 18th century. It was offered by antisupernaturalists to explain away the predictive accuracy of the book. That view has no basis in history, nor is compelling evidence found in Scripture. How good to know that in the Word of God we have revealed truth. The God who speaks through Isaiah was well able to tell the future then, and still speaks to us today.

Commentary This is what the Lord says — Israel’ s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from Me there is no God. Who then is like Me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before Me what has happened since I established My ancient people, and what is yet to come — yes, let him foretell what will come. Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one. Isaiah 44:6-8With Isaiah 40:1-31 we move into the second half of Isaiah, and immediately burst into a fresh and joyful world. A tone of optimism and celebration pervades these last chapters of the prophet’ s work. We hear that tone in the very first words of Isaiah 40:1-31: 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. Isaiah 40:1-2In this half of Isaiah the prophet seems to look back on judgment past. The prospect of terror is gone. Now comes the promised joy. Isaiah looks beyond even the Babylonian Captivity of Judah, still a hundred years in his future. There Isaiah sees Babylon’ s power shattered by Cyrus of Persia (Isa. 45-46). He looks even beyond this to the restoration of all things. In prophetic vision Isaiah sees history’ s end, when God will say to His redeemed people: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. . . . To give drink to My people, My chosen, the people I formed for Myself that they may proclaim My praise. Isaiah 43:18-21In the new world, former things will not be remembered or come to mind. God will make all things new. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT What kind of God speaks to us in Isaiah 40-48? As your group members come in give each one of these nine chapters to skim. Ask each to select a few verses that express God’ s nature and character as He reveals it here. Then when class opens, have each person read in turn the verse he or she has selected as an introduction to this powerful Old Testament section.

Pivotal Themes Isaiah’ s looking back at terrible judgment from the perspective of the joyful experience of God’ s promised blessings brings two pivotal themes of Scripture into fresh focus. Theme 1: Scripture as revelation. In Isaiah one dramatic means that God used to reveal Himself is through His names. But there came a point in time when God also revealed Himself in man’ s language. God communicated Himself to us through words spoken by prophets and recorded in written form in the Scriptures. Through the written Word, we too are invited to know and trust God. We can watch an individual’ s actions. We can learn his titles. But we can never know his motives or his feelings, what is in his heart, unless he explains himself to us in words. The Apostle Paul made this point in 1 Corinthians. “ For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’ s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” Paul went on to point out that in the Bible we have knowledge not in “ words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:11, 1 Corinthians 2:13). Scripture is far more than the record of man’ s groping after God. It is more than human theories of the meaning of history. The Bible, as prophet after prophet has proclaimed, is the recorded Word of God. It is His revelation, through which we come to know Him as He shares His inmost thoughts with us. Isaiah 40-48 presents one aspect of God’ s inmost thoughts: His intentions. We are given a unique insight into God’ s person as we read these words about His plans for man’ s better tomorrow: I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make the rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. Isaiah 41:17-19God intends to restore the shattered land and the shattered people, so He may bring a celebrating people back to Himself. We do not study the Bible just to gain information. We come to Scripture to meet God. If we truly want to know God, you and I must look into the Word of God and listen to Him share what is in His heart. We must look beyond the darkness of our todays to catch a vision of the bright sunshine of God’ s promised tomorrow. How can we be sure it’ s really Him we see in Scripture, and not some dream or strange vision drawn from an overactive imagination? This was a problem for Israel as well as for modern man to which God gave a distinct answer. He challenged Judah concerning the idols on which she had fixed her hope: Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen. . . . Declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Isaiah 41:22-23Then God established His unique claim: I foretold the former things long ago, My mouth announced them and I made them known. . . . I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, “ My idols did them. . . .” From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you. Isaiah 48:3, Isaiah 48:5-6God announced through the prophets what would happen in Israel’ s history; invariably His words came true. God has verified His trustworthiness through fulfilled prophecy. Just how accurate prophecy has proven to be is something we’ ll see in the next unit as we consider the Servant of the Lord. For now, we simply want to note that the Old and New Testaments alike speak with sure conviction that the words recorded are God’ s. They accurately reveal Him. Prophecy not only vindicates God’ s claim of self-revelation; it moves the expression of God’ s good intentions for mankind beyond possibility to certainty! In Scripture’ s statement of God’ s plans, we meet Him, and we read history before it happens! LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Prophecy is presented here as something which makes our God unique, and which gives us great confidence in the Word of God. Here is a list of Old Testament prophecies. Your group members will enjoy a “ prophecy search.” Give teams slips of paper on which the following Old Testament prophecy references are written. The team which locates the most fulfillments in the Gospels in six minutes wins. Prophecy references to use: Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:1-2; Isaiah 9:6-11; Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 53:1; Isaiah 53:9; Isaiah 53:12; Micah 5:2; Zechariah 9:9; Zechariah 11:12-13; Psalms 22:1; Psalms 22:18; Psalms 31:5; Psalms 34:20; Psalms 69:21. Theme 2: God as ever-living. How can we be sure that what is portrayed by Isaiah will come to pass? He has an answer for us in God’ s revelation of Himself as everlasting. He Himself will be present in the future to keep the wondrous promises He gives. But Israel and Judah had turned aside from the living God to follow idols! Isaiah in these chapters contrasted the power of God with the ineffectiveness of idols: To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare Him to? As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled craftsman, to set up an idol that will not topple. Isaiah 40:18-20But God is no idol that must be nailed down so it won’ t topple (Isaiah 41:7). God sits enthroned above the earth. He looks down and sees mankind as we see grasshoppers, insignificant below Him (Isaiah 40:22). How foolish the idol maker. He cuts down a tree, uses some of it to build a fire and cook his food, and then he makes an idol from the rest. He . . . fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. Half of the wood he burns in the fire. . . . From the rest he makes a god, his idol. . . . He prays to it and says, “ Save me; you are my god.” Isaiah 44:15-17To bow down to a block of wood! And to choose such gods when the Living God, the Maker of heaven and earth, presents Himself to us to be known and worshiped, to be our Healer and Redeemer. The Lord says: Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from Me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed. Isaiah 43:10-12I have revealed. I have saved. I have proclaimed. It is the Living God who has revealed Himself to us in His Word. On Him Isaiah based all his hope and his confidence. A vision of the Everlasting God dominated Isaiah’ s thoughts. The Everlasting God, the First and the Last, the Living One whom we meet in Isaiah 40-48, is the One on whom all our hopes must rest.

Purposes of the Living God: Isaiah 40-48 In these opening chapters we are shown God’ s intentions and reassured that what He intends will come to pass. I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. Isaiah 46:9-10What, then, does God please to do? Comfort (Isaiah 40:1-31). In this chapter God is seen coming with power. But He does not come to judge. Instead: He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11He who will never grow weary or tired is now seen giving strength to weary people, renewing their strength. God’ s intentions for us are good; He cares for His sheep. Help (Isaiah 41:1-29). The idols in which Israel and Judah trusted are vain things. But God Himself will lead His people to a time of rejoicing: I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. . . . For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “ Do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 41:13Fully restore (Isa. 42-43). In these chapters God contrasts the past and the future. When all the former things have been put behind, there will be a new song of praise for God’ s people to sing. Then the Lord Himself, apart from whom there is no savior, will be their Redeemer, bringing them forgiveness and joy. Yes, and from ancient days I am He. No one can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can reverse it? Isaiah 43:13To be forever (Isaiah 44:1-28). God committed Himself to restore Jerusalem and to stand forever as Israel’ s King. In this chapter is the most devastating critique of idolatry in all of Scripture. Because our God is not an empty man-made idol, we can even now: Sing for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst out into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, He displays His glory in Israel. Isaiah 44:23To destroy Babylon (Isa. 45-48). Looking beyond the current Assyrian danger the prophet foresaw the end of another nation, Babylon. It would be another hundred years before Babylon would carry Judah away captive even as Sargon had carried away Israel. For unaided men, this kind of prophecy seems impossible. In fact, scholars who dismiss the possibility of propositional revelation have argued that someone other than Isaiah must have written the latter half of his book. But God reminds us in these very chapters: I foretold the former things long ago, My mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. Isaiah 48:3The Bible presents God as the Living God, the Everlasting One, who not only announces the future but who acts to bring about foretold events. If we accept the possibility of a Living God, as opposed to a mere expression of man’ s imagination or need, then there is nothing terribly unlikely about the prophet looking back on a day that is still future to his own time. After all, it is God who speaks through him. The Living God who is always present with His people is in a unique position to know. The Living God speaks to us now and, in His promise of restoration, reveals Himself to us as a God of endless love.

Teaching Guide Prepare Read through Isaiah 40-44 quickly. Then jot down several words or phrases that seem to you to express the vision of God given in them.

Explore

1. Have class members select one or two verses from each chapter which unveil something special about God’ s nature or character. Read them consecutively as a worshipful opening to this week’ s session. See “ link-to-life” above.
2. These chapters contain striking prophecies — and make powerful statements about prophecy. To check out the authenticating power of the prophetic word, play the six-minute “ prophecy search” game explained in “ link-to-life” above. Then read and discuss Isaiah 41:22-23; Isaiah 46:9-10; Isaiah 48:3, Isaiah 48:5-6. What do these passages tell us about the significance of prophecy in revealing the nature of God?

Expand Read and study Isaiah 44:1-28 together. This classic chapter discusses the folly of idolatry. Your group will want to answer the following questions: (a) What are some modern idols? (b) What is the contrast between modern idols and the Living God? (c) What is the most important thing that God seems to want to get across in this chapter?

Apply Reproduce on sheets of paper the following verses. Ask each person to select a “ most significant verse to me.” Go around the circle so each can share why he or she chose the verse he did. Verses are: Isaiah 40:11Isa_40:28-31Isa_41:13Isa_43:1-2Isa_46:10-11