ISA 54Isaiah 54

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NLT

English Standard Version (ESV)

New Living Translation (NLT)

54 “Sing, O childless woman, says the LORD. 2 “Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home, and spare no expense! 3 For you will soon be bursting at the seams. and resettle the ruined cities. 4 “Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. and the sorrows of widowhood. 5 For your Creator will be your husband; the God of all the earth. 6 For the LORD has called you back from your grief— says your God. 7 “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will take you back. 8 In a burst of anger I turned my face away for a little while. says the LORD, your Redeemer. 9 “Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I will never again be angry and punish you. 10 For the mountains may move says the LORD, who has mercy on you. 11 “O storm-battered city, and make your foundations from lapis lazuli. 12 I will make your towers of sparkling rubies, and your walls of precious stones. 13 I will teach all your children, and they will enjoy great peace. 14 You will be secure under a government that is just and fair. and terror will not come near. 15 If any nation comes to fight you, Whoever attacks you will go down in defeat. 16 “I have created the blacksmith And I have created the armies that destroy. 17 But in that coming day I, the LORD, have spoken!

Introduction to Isaiah

Background of Isaiah

What is the Book of Isaiah About?

Time: 4 Minutes

If you open the Bible to the middle, you’re likely to land in Isaiah, one of the biggest books in the Old Testament. Isaiah was a prophet like many others in the Bible, but his book is the epic of the Old Testament—not in length alone, but also in scope.

The prophet Isaiah belonged to the Southern Kingdom of Israel, after the nation had fractured in two. He witnessed the collapse of the Northern Kingdom to the Neo-Assyrian Empire in 722 BC during the reign of Ahaz, the Syro-Ephraimite wars in 734-732 BC, and Hezekiah’s crisis with Sennacherib (King of Assyria) in 701 BC. Isaiah lived in wartime, under the stress of national insecurity.

Isaiah spoke to three audiences: the pre-exilic generation of his time, those taken into exile by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar, and those returning from exile. In this context, he often gave political instruction to Israel’s kings. He was God’s means of direction for their state. Some people wonder how this is possible, because Isaiah didn’t live long enough to personally address each audience. Surprisingly, God not only gave Isaiah foresight into the present course of his nation, but also into the cosmic course of history. Some scholars are so astounded by the visions given to Isaiah by the Holy Spirit that they try to explain it away by saying his book had to have been authored by three different people!

The book of Isaiah helps us understand the complex nature of biblical prophecy. Here’s how.

Prophecy is like a photograph of a mountain range. Imagine it. Looking at the photo, there seems to be one row of mountains, all different hues of color.

You know, though, that if you were to fly over those mountains, they would no longer look like they stand in a line. The mountain ranges would be separated by great lengths.

When we open Isaiah and read his prophecy, we are looking at a sort of mountain photo—a beautiful polaroid of God’s promises. They seem to be indistinguishable from one another, all scrunched together and overlapping.

But if we were to fly over the Bible’s story, we would see clearly that the closest range of promises found their fulfillment in Isaiah’s day. The range of promises beyond that found their fulfillment in the coming of Jesus—the one Isaiah speaks about as “The Suffering Servant.” But the mountains in Isaiah’s photo span even further. Isaiah’s prophetic photograph spans all human history.

At the beginning and end of his prophecy, Isaiah clarifies that his audience includes all of creation, because God has one plan for the entire world. At the beginning, he writes: “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken…” (Isaiah 1:2). At the end, God says, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind… From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord” (Isaiah 65:17; 66:23). God’s plan of redemption involves all of creation.

Isaiah is a collection of one man’s sermons from the 7th and 8th century BC given to his home country. When Isaiah’s first hearers looked at the picture he painted through his prophecy, they saw judgment, for Israel had sinned against the Lord and broken his covenant, thus they would be driven into exile by their political enemies, away from their homeland. But even in that near vision, God promised to restore Israel and bring Israel home from exile one day.

A vision far grander than Isaiah’s first audience could imagine stood behind their present circumstances. God would rescue his people through a coming suffering servant who would bear the exile of sin and death for us and free us from our bondage to sin.

Isaiah is also a poetic anthology that retells God’s plan to redeem all of humanity. A vision far grander than Isaiah’s first audience could imagine stood behind their present circumstances. God would rescue his people through a coming suffering servant who would bear the exile of sin and death for us and free us from our bondage to sin. We find out as we read the rest of the Bible that this servant is God himself, come to us as one of us in the person of Jesus, the Christ.

We pray that as you open Isaiah, that photo would turn to flight for you, and the Holy Spirit would help you soar through God’s promises, and recognize the magnitude, beauty, and significance of each one.

What Is the Background of Isaiah?

Time: 20 Minutes

The Background of Isaiah

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Author and Date

Isaiah was called to his prophetic ministry “in the year that King Uzziah died” (Isaiah 6:1), around 740 BC He lived long enough to record the death of Sennacherib (Isaiah 37:38), in 681. However, most of the book can be dated only in very general terms because few specific dates are given.

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Theme

The central theme of the book is God himself, who does all things for his own glory (Isaiah 48:11). Isaiah defines everything else by how it relates to God: is it rightly related to him as the center of all reality (Isaiah 45:22–25)? God’s people find strength only as they rest in the promises of their God (Isaiah 30:15). They find refreshment only as they delight themselves in his Word (Isaiah 55:1–2). To serve his cause is their worthy devotion (ch. 62), but to rebel against him is endless death (Isaiah 66:24).

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Simplified Overview of Isaiah

Background of Isaiah

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Key Themes

1. God is offended by religious practices that come from an empty heart or a careless life (Isaiah 1:10–17; 58:1–12; 66:1–4).

2. God’s true people will someday become a multinational community of worship and peace that will last forever (Isaiah 2:2–4; 56:3–8; 66:18–23). They will be the predominant culture of a new world (Isaiah 14:1–2; 41:8–16; 43:3–7; 60:1–22).

3. God opposes human pride (Isaiah 2:10–17; 13:11; 23:9).

4. The foolish idols that man creates are destined for destruction (Isaiah 2:20–21; 44:9–20; 46:1–7).

5. God’s judgment will reduce Israel to a remnant. From this remnant he will raise up a holy people (Isaiah 1:9; 6:1–12:6; 40:1–2).

6. God sometimes judges people by making them deaf and blind to his saving Word (Isaiah 29:9–14).

7. The only hope of the world is in one man. He is the promised Davidic king (Isaiah 7:14; 9:2–7; 11:1–10), the servant of the Lord (Isaiah 42:1–9; 52:13–53:12), the anointed preacher of the gospel (Isaiah 61:1–3), and the victor over all evil (Isaiah 63:1–6).

8. God uses everything, even human sin, for his own glory (Isaiah 44:24–45:13).

9. All people are called to repent of sin and trust in God alone (Isaiah 12:2; 26:3–4; 32:17–18; 50:10; 66:2).

10. Often, when God’s people feel abandoned by him (Isaiah 40:27), they foolishly trust in worldly powers (Isaiah 31:1–3; 39:1–8).

11. God will vindicate his cause with a world-transforming display of his glory (Isaiah 11:10; 40:3–5; 52:10; 59:19).

12. God is guiding all of human history (Isaiah 41:1–4; 44:6–8; 46:8–11).

13. God’s faithfulness and the certainty of his final victory should motivate his people to pray and to be obedient (Isaiah 56:1–2; 62:1–64:12).

14. The wrath of God is to be feared above all else (Isaiah 9:19; 13:9, 13; 30:27; 34:2; 66:15–16).

5

Outline

I. Introduction: “Ah, Sinful Nation!” (1:1–5:30)
II. God Redefines the Future of His People: “Your Guilt Is Taken Away” (6:1–12:6)
III. God’s Judgment and Grace for the World: “We Have a Strong City” (13:1–27:13)
IV. God’s Sovereign Word Spoken into the World: “Ah!” (28:1–35:10)
V. Historical Transition: “In Whom Do You Now Trust?” (36:1–39:8)
VI. Encouragement for God’s Exiles: “The Glory of the Lord Shall Be Revealed” (40:1–55:13)
VII. How to Prepare for the Coming Glory: “Hold Fast My Covenant” (56:1–66:24)

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The Near East at the Time of Isaiah

Background of Isaiah

The Global Message of Isaiah

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A God-centered Vision of All Things

Dating from the eighth century BC, and centering on God’s promises of protection, deliverance, purging, and restoration for his guilty and defiled covenant people, the book of Isaiah presents an incredibly rich landscape of salvation history in all its eternal and global scope. God has a purpose and plan, and his eternal decree will stand. It will be neither thwarted by strong and aggressive nations (Isaiah 14:26–27) nor derailed by unfaithful ones (Isaiah 1:4, 9). God has a message for the world that he created, and he declares without equivocation,

“I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’” (Isaiah 46:9–10)

At the center of this global and eternal stage stands the Lord. He stands as the sovereign God (Isaiah 43:13), the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19; 30:11, 12, 15; 31:1; 37:23; 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3, 14; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5, 60:9, 14), our redeemer (Isaiah 41:14; 43:14; 47:4; 48:17; 54:5), and the only Savior of the world (Isaiah 43:11).

2

Judgment and Salvation for All Nations

A Righteous God

God himself is our salvation (Isaiah 12:2; 17:10; 33:2, 6). He alone is “mighty to save” (Isaiah 63:1). He is incomparably great (Isaiah 40:25), and he is “holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3). The message of the book of Isaiah to the world begins with warning. Human pride and boasting are utterly foolish and a great danger before this righteous God (Isaiah 2:11–17; 10:33; 13:11; 16:6; 23:9; 28:1–4). Indeed, a day of judgment is coming (Isaiah 2:12–22, 24:1–23), so let all the nations of the earth take heed. Whether it is corporate greed, national pride, individual self-dependence, or Babel-like self-exaltation (Genesis 11:1–9), this is a message for our world today. Sin will not go unpunished. The sovereign Lord is watching.

A Saving God

But warning gives way to merciful promises of salvation. The message of the book of Isaiah to the world is that there is indeed a Savior, the Messiah, who has humbly, painfully, and gloriously won salvation for sinners and for all who would trust in him (Isaiah 4:2; 7:14; 9:6–7; 11:1–5; 42:1–4; 52:13–53:12; 61:1–3). Death itself is swallowed up, and our reproach is removed (Isaiah 25:8). What an astonishing salvation! There is no one in our world today too sinful to be saved, too hurt to be healed, too lost to be found, or too far away to be brought near. God, our Savior, is Immanuel, God with us (Isaiah 7:14). He saves. It is who he is.

A Global God

This salvation is for all nations. God’s promise to Abraham to bless the nations of the world (Genesis 12:1–3) is affirmed throughout the book of Isaiah. Even as the seraphim declare that “the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3), so it shall be, and so it is coming to pass even today, that the whole world will be filled with God’s glory (Habakkuk 2:14; Numbers 14:21; Psalm 72:19). In Isaiah 19 we read that one day even the hated nations of Assyria and Egypt, both of whom at some time enslaved Israel, will be included within God’s gracious purposes (Isaiah 19:16–25).

A Trustworthy God

Our confidence in our global missionary endeavor is not in our techniques, resources, or strategies. It rests instead upon the promises and faithfulness of God. As declared in Isaiah 25:5–7, the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind will see it; the feast of the Lord Almighty will be enjoyed by all peoples, and the veil of sin, ignorance, and death will be removed from all peoples and nations! No tribe, language, people, or nation will be excluded from the salvation of the Lord (Revelation 5:9). This is not the language of exaggeration. It is the declaration of the invincible determination of our almighty and trustworthy God (Isaiah 46:9–10).

3

Gospel Freedom and Proclamation to All Nations

A Divine Liberation

The gospel is a message of freedom to a world that is weary from bondage. So many among the nations are burdened—burdened by the relentless demands and empty promises of mankind’s religions, philosophies, and idols. Such things are “borne as burdens on weary beasts” (Isaiah 46:1). But God’s message to a weary world today is that, rather than being a burden to us, the Lord himself has borne his people; he has carried us from the womb, and will carry us to our dying day, finally saving us (Isaiah 46:3–5).

A Proclaimed Salvation

God’s people worldwide have the glorious privilege of proclaiming this message of freedom: “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord” (Isaiah 43:10, 12; see also Acts 1:8). Indeed, our very lives are an indispensable part of our witness that God uses to attract the nations to himself. As Christ taught, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). The glory and goodness of God is reflected in and through his people, by their words and by their actions.

A Fearless Proclamation

As we serve our God, make known his deeds among the peoples (Isaiah 12:4; 66:19), and herald the good news from high mountaintops (Isaiah 52:7), we are commanded not to fear (Isaiah 40:9). Because God is our salvation, we “will trust, and will not be afraid” (Isaiah 12:2). To those persecuted because of their witness to Christ around the world today, we have the great comfort of Isaiah 43:

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2)

God will protect, renew, and restore his global people. Our assurance rests in his deeply comforting words to us:

“Because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
peoples in exchange for your life.” (Isaiah 43:4)

He has proven this love in an ultimate way by sending us his Son to give his life in exchange for ours.

4

A Message of Cosmic Significance

We have a glorious message to proclaim to the world. We are to be “beautiful feet” bringing good news of happiness and salvation to the nations (Isaiah 52:7). We are privileged and called to “walk in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5). We are to present to the world the open invitation of God—the invitation for cleansing and forgiveness (Isaiah 1:18). The invitation to receive compassion, feeding, care, and life (Isaiah 55:1–3). The invitation to seek the Lord and turn from our wicked ways (Isaiah 55:6–7).

With joy we will draw water from the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3), and on that day we will all say,

“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.” (Isaiah 12:4–5)

54:1 In the ancient world, a woman who had never given birth after being married for a time would be ashamed. Isaiah compares Jerusalem to a barren woman who rejoices at the long-awaited blessing of children (see Gal 4:27).

54:1-54:3 The prophet encourages Jerusalem, likened to a barren woman, to rejoice because its fate was rapidly changing. She would have so many children that she would outgrow her home (see Gal 4:27).

54:1-54:17 Salvation flows from the vindication of the suffering servant. The promises mentioned here go beyond the return from Babylonian exile and apply to the coming of Jesus Christ, the extension of the kingdom to the church, the benefits of the second coming of Jesus Christ as the bridegroom of the church, and the new Jerusalem.

54:1-55:13 This is an invitation to participate in the restoration to God’s favor made possible through the ministry of the promised servant.

54:3 Israel’s descendants (cp. 53:10) would occupy other nations in fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham (Gen 22:17) and to Jacob (Gen 28:14). • As desolation took place (Isa 6:11; 14:21), the people of God would inherit the earth and resettle the ruined cities (51:6; 52:10; 65:17; see also Matt 5:5; Rom 4:13).

54:5 Creator . . . husband: The Lord committed himself to the abandoned woman (his people in exile) as her maker (44:24) and husband (see also 62:4-5; Hos 2:19-20). • The Redeemer transforms misery into freedom and fulfillment (see also Isa 41:14).

54:7-54:8 The pain of separation would be brief compared to the depth of the renewal of love and compassion. • The Lord abandoned Israel in exile for a little while because of the people’s sins. • everlasting love: The Lord is eternally committed to his people, making the seventy-year punishment of exile seem short indeed (see 25:1; Hos 2:1).

54:9 The Exile was similar in both drama and trauma to the flood in the time of Noah. In both instances, people sinned grievously against the Lord, but the Lord renewed his commitment to creation (after Noah’s flood) and to his people (after the Exile).

54:10 God’s faithful love for his people endures despite their unfaithfulness. • God’s covenant of blessing was the assurance of his presence, resulting in wholeness, blessing, and protection. It replaces the shame and disgrace of the Exile (see Ezek 34:25; 37:26).

54:11 The Lord himself would rebuild the city (see Heb 11:10). • Lapis lazuli is a semi-precious stone.

54:11-54:17 This is a vision of the renewed Jerusalem as a city under God’s protection, a place of peace and righteousness (see 59:21–60:22). This section forms the background of John’s vision of the new Jerusalem (Rev 21:10-21).

54:13 I will teach: Jesus alluded to this verse in John 6:45. • They will enjoy great peace, the benefits of God’s presence and protection (Isa 53:5; see 48:17-18; 54:10).

54:14 Jerusalem would again be a righteous city, secure under a government that is just and fair (see 1:26).

54:15 God gives assurance that no nation can defeat his people . The Lord has promised to protect them, just as he had promised Abraham (Gen 12:3; see Isa 49:25).

54:17 no weapon . . . will succeed . . . accuse you . . . vindication: God will protect his people in war and in the courtroom. • These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord: Only the true children of God—people who come out of Israel and the nations—will enjoy the promised blessings of the age to come that God establishes.

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