Encountering the Book of Isaiah - Baker Publishing Group

Encountering the Book of Isaiah

Bryan E. Beyer, Encountering the Book of Isaiah: A Historical and Theological Survey, Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2007. Used by permission. Beyer_Enc-Isaiah_BKB_bb.indd 1

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Encountering Biblical Studies Walter A. Elwell, General Editor and New Testament Editor Eugene H. Merrill, Old Testament Editor Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer Readings from the Ancient Near East: Primary Sources for Old Testament Study Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer, editors Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey, Second Edition Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough Readings from the First-Century World: Primary Sources for New Testament Study Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, editors Encountering the Book of Genesis: A Study of Its Content and Issues Bill T. Arnold Encountering the Book of Psalms: A Literary and Theological Introduction C. Hassell Bullock Encountering the Book of Isaiah: A Historical and Theological Survey Bryan E. Beyer Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective Andreas J. Köstenberger Encountering the Book of Romans: A Theological Survey Douglas J. Moo Encountering the Book of Hebrews: An Exposition Donald A. Hagner


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Encountering the Book of Isaiah A Historical and Theological Survey

Bryan E. Beyer

K Bryan E. Beyer, Encountering the Book of Isaiah: A Historical and Theological Survey, Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2007. Used by permission. Beyer_Enc-Isaiah_BKB_bb.indd 3

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© 2007 by Bryan E. Beyer Published by Baker Academic a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakeracademic.com Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Beyer, Bryan. Encountering the book of Isaiah : a historical and theological survey / Bryan E. Beyer. p. cm. — (Encountering biblical studies) Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 10: 0-8010-2645-8 (pbk.) ISBN 978-0-8010-2645-4 (pbk.) 1. Bible. O.T. Isaiah—Textbooks. I. Title. BS1515.55.B49 2007 224 .1061—dc22 2007012918 Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Scripture quotations labeled NASB are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.


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To Mom and Dad, with deep gratitude for your immeasurable contribution in shaping my life to follow Jesus. Proverbs 6:20–22


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Contents in Brief

Preface    17 To the Student    19 Abbreviations    21

1. Who Was Isaiah, and What Do We Know about Him and His Book?    23 2. Isaiah’s Opening Words to God’s People: Isaiah 1:2–31    37 3. God’s Call to Live in Light of the Future: Isaiah 2:1–5:30    47 4. Isaiah’s Call to Prophetic Ministry: Isaiah 6:1–13    59 5. The Signs of Immanuel and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz: Isaiah 7:1–8:22    69 6. God’s Kingdom Will Surpass All Earthly Kingdoms: Isaiah 9:1– 12:6   81 7. Oracles against the Nations: Isaiah 13:1–23:18    95 8. The “Little Apocalypse”: Isaiah 24:1–27:13     111 9. Oracles of Woe: Isaiah 28:1– 33:24    121 10. Eschatological Summation: Isaiah 34:1–35:10    133 11. Highlights from Hezekiah’s Reign: Isaiah 36:1–39:8    141

12. Introduction to Isaiah 40–66    153 13. God’s People Are Coming Home! Isaiah 40:1–31    163 14. Proclamation of Deliverance and Restoration: Isaiah 41:1– 45:25    171 15. The Fall of Babylon: Isaiah 46:1– 47:15    185 16. Israel’s Release and Exaltation: Isaiah 48:1–52:12    191 17. The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 52:13–53:12    203 18. Celebrating the Return: Isaiah 54:1–59:21    215 19. The Grand Finale of God’s Restoration: Isaiah 60:1– 66:24    229 20. Isaiah and the Old Testament    243 21. Isaiah and the New Testament    253 22. Isaiah and the Great Commission    263 Notes    277 Glossary    282 Select Bibliography    288 Scripture Index    291 Subject Index    301


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Isaiah’s Opening Words to God’s People Isaiah 1:2–31

Outline • God’s Witnesses against the People (1:2–3) • God’s Description of the People (1:4–9) The People (1:4–6) The Land (1:7–9) • God’s Indictment of the People (1:10–15) The Situation (1:10–14) The Result (1:15) • God’s Solution for the People (1:16–20) God’s Commands (1:16–17) God’s Promises (1:18–20) • God’s Lament over the People (1:21–26) Jerusalem’s Sinful Condition (1:21–23) Jerusalem’s Coming Purge (1:24–26) • God’s Promise to His People (1:27–31) Blessing to the Repentant (1:27) Judgment to Transgressors (1:28–31)

Objectives After reading this chapter, you should be able to 1. Explain the relationship of chapter 1 to the rest of Isaiah’s message. 2. Describe specific details of Judah’s sin. 3. Articulate Isaiah’s remedy for Judah’s sin problem.


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Have you ever noticed how news items in a newspaper follow a standard format? Typically, everything the reader really needs to know appears in the first sentence. Who, what, when, where, why, and how—if those things are important, they appear in that first sentence. Other items in the story may be important, but that first line usually summarizes everything that follows. Isaiah 1 functions in a similar way for the book of Isaiah. The chapter lays a solid foundation for the rest of Isaiah’s message by including important themes the prophet develops in the next sixty-five chapters. Isaiah 1:1 gives no date for the delivery or composition of chapter 1, though scholars have proposed various suggestions.1 Perhaps it includes the first words Isaiah prophesied to God’s people. Perhaps God gave them to him later as a summary of all he had prophesied. Either way, the chapter prepares readers well for the prophetic words that lie ahead.

God’s Witnesses against the People (1:2–3) Sounding much like a prosecuting attorney, God called heaven and earth as witnesses against his people. Why heaven and earth? Because they had seen everything Judah had done. And why should heaven and earth listen? Because the Lord was speaking. The sovereign God of the universe commanded the attention of all his creation. God then spoke: “I reared children and brought them up” (1:2). God was describing his tender care of the nation of Israel from its birth. He had cared for his people every step of the way—during Abraham’s life, during his people’s slavery in Egypt, and through the wilderness wanderings. He had brought them into the land triumphantly, a land he had promised their ancestors cen-

turies earlier. When the people failed him, he continued to act graciously toward them. In response to their cries for a king, he gave them a king. But no matter what God did for his people, little seemed to change their rebellious attitude. God illustrated the people’s rebellion by comparing them with common animals. Oxen and donkeys learned respect for and dependence on their human masters. But the people of Israel—led through the centuries by God’s sovereign hand—didn’t seem to understand the first thing about following him. Nonetheless, God continued to love them; notice how he referred to them as “my people” (1:3).

God’s Description of the People (1:4–9) God the prosecutor then continued to build his case. Now that his witnesses were in place, he began to describe in more detail the sin of his wayward people. The People (1:4–6) The Hebrew word translated “ah” at the beginning of verse 4 can also be translated “alas.” The Lord lamented the sinful condition into which his people had fallen. Have you ever tried to run or move quickly while carrying a heavy burden? When we carry something heavy, we cannot move as fast as we can when we are carrying nothing. God’s people carried the heavy load of their own sin. Isaiah described them as “loaded with guilt” (1:4). Israel’s sinfulness was like a burden, prohibiting the nation from becoming all it could be in God’s purpose. Even today, sin keeps people from achieving God’s highest purpose. Israel’s sin had continued over many generations. The Hebrew word translated “brood” (1:4) literally means

38 Bryan E. Beyer, Encountering the Book of Isaiah: A Historical and Theological Survey, Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2007. Used by permission. Beyer_Enc-Isaiah_BKB_bb.indd 38

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Isaiah’s Opening Words to God’s People

“seed” or “offspring.” Israel’s ancestors had strayed from God’s ways, and their children followed in their footsteps. The sin problem had compounded over the generations, and God’s people were having a hard time breaking the cycle. In today’s families, sin can also carry its effect across generational lines, but the power of God remains available to those who seek it to break sin’s hold. Why had the people become so immersed in their sin? Because they had turned their backs on the Lord. The expression “Holy One of Israel” (1:4) occurs twenty-five times in Isaiah as a designation for the Lord. God’s character displayed infinite holiness, and he called his people to uphold his holy standard (see sidebar 1.5). Isaiah then described the pitiful condition of God’s people, using the metaphor of a human body. He described the body as totally sick, covered with wounds, bruises, and welts. Perhaps the wounds were marks of God’s loving discipline. God had struck the people to get their attention, but they had refused to acknowledge his discipline (see Am 4:6–11). Or perhaps God had simply allowed the nation to experience the sad consequences of its sinful actions. In effect, the wounds had been self-inflicted, and Israel would only get worse until the nation turned back to God.

daughter of Zion Sodom and Gomorrah

The Land (1:7–9) Isaiah then described how Israel’s sin had affected the land. God had allowed and sometimes brought sad consequences in an effort to turn his people back to him, just as he said he would (Lv 26:14–29). But the land lay desolate, with fields devoured by enemy and famine. Perhaps the people saw drought, nomadic raiding parties that looted their crops, and foreign nations that invaded them as flukes of history, but Isaiah saw them as God’s instruments of judgment against his wayward people. The expression “daughter of Zion” often occurs in Isaiah as a metaphor to describe the population (10:32; 16:1;

37:22; 52:2; 62:11). Isaiah used three similes to describe the daughter of Zion’s desperate situation. First, she was as a shelter in a vineyard and a hut in a field of melons (1:8). Such a hut provided a place out of the sun and wind. A watchman often could stay there and protect the field or vineyard from wild animals. But these structures provided no protection at all from an invading army. That wasn’t their purpose. Second, Isaiah described the daughter of Zion as “a city under siege” (1:8). An invading army typically surrounded the city to cut off any hope of assistance or escape. A besieged city needed to have access to water, because invaders were certain to try to cut off its water supply.2 When King Hezekiah prepared to face Sennacherib’s army, he ordered a tunnel dug from the Gihon Spring near Jerusalem’s wall to the Pool of Siloam further inside the wall (2 Chr 32:30). But third, as isolated as the people were, Isaiah said they would have been far worse apart from God’s grace. Their fate would have become as that of Sodom and Gomorrah, two cities God destroyed for their wickedness during the days of Abraham (Gn 19:24–25). Sometimes when we face difficult circumstances, we are tempted to blame God or to think he is no longer listening. However, the Lord knows our every circumstance. Usually when we stop to reflect, we can think of many blessings remaining in our lives.

God’s Indictment of the People (1:10–15) The heavenly prosecuting attorney now took his case to the next step. He had called his witnesses—heaven and earth—into the courtroom (1:2–3). He had described his people’s sinful condition and the sad consequences that befell both them and the land because of it (1:4–9). In the next section, the Lord 39


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Encountering the Book of Isaiah View of the Dead Sea from Masada. Scholars have usually identified the southern edge of the Dead Sea as the area formerly occupied by Sodom and Gomorrah. (Courtesy of Chris Miller)

would bring an indictment against his people in which he challenged the value of their responses to him. Perhaps they thought they were appeasing his wrath or even pleasing him, but Isaiah assured them this was not the case. The Situation (1:10–14) Isaiah’s words must have shocked the people, for he had described them as Sodom and Gomorrah. Why would the prophet associate them with those names? Perhaps someone even challenged him: “Isaiah, this is Jerusalem, not Sodom and Gomorrah!” Isaiah no doubt would have replied that God was having a hard time telling the difference between the cities. The prophet used strong words against his people, but he did so to get their attention so they would turn back to God. He had no desire to condemn them for their sin only to leave them in it. Christians today need to remember that God hates their sins, but he also loves them and wants to rescue them from sin. The people were certainly already surprised that Isaiah had referred to Jerusalem as Sodom and Gomorrah, but now Isaiah really must have confused them. He maintained that God was

sick of their sacrifices and wanted no more of them. In fact, he considered them absolutely worthless. They were not the blessing he had intended them to be, but rather, they had become a burden. The book of Leviticus describes in detail all the sacrifices and festivals God desired his people to observe (Lv 1:1–7:38; 23:1–44; see sidebar 2.1). Had God now changed his mind? He wanted no more burnt offerings and took no pleasure in sacrifices. In fact, he called Israel’s appearance before him the “trampling” of his courts (1:12). He counted their offerings meaningless, as he did all their assemblies. Moreover, God went further than that: he hated them (1:14). Why? The Result (1:15) Verse 15 indicates the reason for God’s displeasure. The people had committed great sin against one another. Isaiah’s reference to their bloody hands means not the blood of sacrifices but the blood of their fellow Israelites that they had shed.3 The people lived lives filled with sin and injustice and then turned to God with their prayers and sacrifices. God wanted none of it. It was as if he would hide his eyes and


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Isaiah’s Opening Words to God’s People sacrificial system

Sidebar 2.1

The Place of the Sacrificial System in Israel’s Faith Isaiah 1:11–15 appears at first to read like an utter denunciation of Israel’s sacrificial system. Among the many offerings and festivals God prescribed, these offerings, described in Leviticus 1–7, played a key role.

1. Burnt Offering (Lv 1) This was the typical Hebrew offering, dominant throughout Old Testament history, and probably the oldest form of atonement sacrifice. The term describes an “offering of ascent,” or an offering that goes up to the deity. The animal was completely burned on the altar, its smoke rising toward heaven. A male animal without blemish was required. Various animals were used according to the worshiper’s financial means.

2. Grain Offering (Lv 2) This offering may have originally been a gift, since the term often means “gift.” In Levitical regulations, the grain offering carried an expiating sense and was also linked to the agricultural seasons. Some scholars believe it may also have served as a less-expensive burnt offering for those who could not afford an animal.

3. Peace Offering (Lv 3) The peace offering was a celebrative offering consumed by both the priest and the worshiper. It could be offered for general thanksgiving, in fulfillment of a vow, or freely by the worshiper for no reason in particular.

4. Sin Offering (Lv 4:1–5:13) The sin offering was expiatory for offenses against God. It emphasized the act of purification and served for cleansing from ceremonial defilement, deception, misappropriation, and seduction. The details of the sacrifice varied depending on the class of the one offering it (priest, congregation, ruler, individual).

5. Guilt Offering (Lv 5:14–6:7) The guilt offering was a subcategory of the sin offering. It was expiatory but devoted to restitution and reparation. It often related to the profaning of sacred items and violations of a social nature. Isaiah was not condemning the sacrificial system per se in his words to Judah. Rather, he decried the emptiness of sacrifices offered apart from genuine repentance marked by faithful obedience to God’s commands. Ritual apart from a change in attitude was worthless. Adapted from Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer, Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1999), 120.

cover his ears whenever they called to him. God’s strong words indicate the importance of a proper attitude toward

him. Merely attending worship services does not make one a Christian. The Bible affirms that genuinely Christian faith comes from a personal relation41


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Encountering the Book of Isaiah Artist’s impression of priests making a burnt offering on the altar. Isaiah denounced the people for bringing their sacrifices apart from attitudes of genuine repentance. (Courtesy of Tim Dowley Associates Ltd.)

ship with Jesus Christ (Rom 3:21–22). When believers depend on the Holy Spirit’s power, they are able to serve God faithfully, and he makes them more like Jesus (2 Cor 3:18; Eph 2:10).

God’s Solution for the People (1:16–20) God’s words to the people now took an interesting twist. Up to this point, he had functioned as a prosecuting attorney, calling his witnesses into court, describing the people’s basic sinful state, and bringing indictments against them for their wickedness. But now God Almighty became their advocate, their encourager. He told them it didn’t have to be this way. God had, in fact, provided a solution for the people if they would only listen and follow it. God gave the

people certain commands to follow and promised blessing if they did. God’s Commands (1:16–17) Verses 16–17 contain nine imperatives. The first six stress the basic heart decisions the people would have to make. They needed to choose to cleanse themselves from their wicked ways. Doing that involved washing, but it also involved getting out of the filth of their sin. Once they had washed and cleansed themselves of their evil deeds, they would be able to see clearly to choose between right and wrong. God encouraged them to “seek justice” (1:17) when they reached that point. The last three imperatives in verse 17 describe specific actions the people could take to follow through on their decisions to refuse evil and choose good. The words translated “encourage the oppressed” also can be translated “rebuke the oppressor.” If the first is correct, Isaiah was calling the people to stand alongside


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Isaiah’s Opening Words to God’s People lament social justice

and support those who felt the oppression of society. If the second is correct, Isaiah was calling his listeners to challenge the wickedness of their day. The second and third imperatives focus on the fatherless and widows, who often became the focus of oppression because they did not have the power or means to fight back against a corrupt system (Ex 22:23–24; Dt 24:17). Even today, one sign of a person’s true character is the way he or she treats people who either cannot possibly repay them or who cannot fight back (see sidebar 2.2). God’s Promises (1:18–20) The Lord called his people to personal dialogue with him. They should understand the wonderful blessing he planned to bring them if they would only listen. He would wash away their

sins, and they would eat of the land’s bounty. But if they refused and continued to resist him, the sword would eat them. The words “eat” (1:19) and “devoured” (1:20) translate the same Hebrew word and thus constitute a wordplay in the Hebrew. In Isaiah 1:2, the Lord called heaven and earth to pay attention because the Sovereign was speaking. Now, that same Sovereign called his people to heed his promises.

God’s Lament over the People (1:21–26) Biblical lament often begins with the word “how” (2 Sm 1:19; Lam 1:1). What

Sidebar 2.2

The Prophets and Social Justice Isaiah 1:21–26 denounces social injustice. Indeed, for the prophets, a proper relationship with God demanded that God’s people treat others fairly. What about today? Are issues such as feeding the poor, providing shelter for the homeless, working for civil rights for all, and fighting abortion part of the gospel? Should Christians care about social justice? The gospel message centers on Jesus Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection. Through repentance and faith, we can receive his offer of salvation. The Holy Spirit then begins to work in us to make us more like Jesus (Rom 8:29). The Bible teaches that social justice should be a natural product of our relationship with God. Consider the examples below: • The law of Moses insists on fair treatment of foreigners, widows, and orphans (Ex 22:21–24). • The prophets speak of God’s concern for social justice and demand fair and compassionate treatment of underprivileged people and/or those who have no advocate to speak for them (Is 1:21–26; 58:6–7; Am 2:6–7). • The early church sends famine relief to Jerusalem on more than one occasion (Acts 11:27–30; 1 Cor 16:1–3). • James, the Lord’s brother, encourages Christians to put their faith into action and help those in need (Jas 2:14–26). As the Holy Spirit makes Christians more like Jesus, we learn to share God’s concerns. Christians today should work to bring about social justice in our society. Adapted from Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer, Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1999), 446.


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typically follows then is a statement of great contrast. In 2 Samuel 1, the mighty warriors have fallen in battle. In Lamentations 1, a formerly rich and populous city lies desolate and deserted. And here in Isaiah, Isaiah writes of how Jerusalem has experienced utter moral collapse. Jerusalem’s Sinful Condition (1:21–23) Notice the moral extremes Isaiah described for his audience. The once faithful city had become like a harlot, a woman faithful to no one. The city once full of righteousness now only had room for murderers. So often a society’s direction is directly linked with its leaders, and Jerusalem was no exception. Its rulers loved bribes and did not judge criminals but associated with them. Isaiah had encouraged his people to defend the helpless, but the rulers brushed them aside. Jerusalem’s Coming Purge (1:24–26) God again identified himself in the most sovereign of terms: he was “the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel” (1:24). He would bring vengeance on his foes and judge sin wherever he found it. He would remove their impurities and restore their leaders as in earlier days when the city experienced faithful leadership. Isaiah used an image from metallurgy to drive home his point. Metal

Study Questions 1. How does Isaiah 1 prepare the reader for the rest of Isaiah’s message? 2. Why did Isaiah suggest God was not pleased with the people’s sacrifices when the law of Moses had commanded them?

Key Terms daughter of Zion lament redeem sacrificial system social justice Sodom and Gomorrah workers removed a metal’s impurities by heating it until it was molten. Typically impurities of lighter weight would come to the surface and be removed by the metal worker. When the metal worker could look into the molten metal and see his image reflected, the metal was pure. What a picture of God’s work in people’s lives! Isaiah had described the city as having fallen from the state of faithfulness and righteousness (1:21). But God promised a day in which the city would again lay claim to the name “City of Righteousness, the Faithful City” (1:26). God wanted to restore his people, just as he wants to restore people today.

God’s Promise to His People (1:27–31) Before he died, Moses set before Israel words of blessing and words of curse (Dt 28:1–68; 30:19–20). If Israel demonstrated its faithfulness by obeying God’s commands, blessings would follow; if people showed their lack of faith by disobedience and rebellion, judgment would follow. God had laid before them both choices in Isaiah 1:18–20. In the chapter’s closing verses, he did so again.


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Isaiah’s Opening Words to God’s People

Blessing to the Repentant (1:27) Isaiah prophesied Zion’s redemption. The word “redeem” means to buy back or to restore from a fallen state. But God’s plan included more than simply buying his people back. He wanted to restore their moral character so that it displayed justice and righteousness. Today God’s desire is not only to redeem people but also to make them into his image again (Col 3:10). Notice too how God’s offer of redemption was linked to repentance. God was not promising blanket redemption for all the nation regardless of how individuals responded to his grace. He wanted to see genuine repentance, to which he would respond with grace and restoration.

redeem

Judgment to Transgressors (1:28–31) Isaiah also warned of the impending disaster looming just ahead for rebels and sinners. They would be broken, and they would perish. They would experience great shame at their pagan practices when the light of God’s holiness shined on them. The fire of their judgment would burn forever. The Christian faith—like the message of Isaiah 1—calls us to embrace one of two options. We can experience a personal relationship with God by faith, along with all the blessings that relationship includes. Or we can choose to reject God’s ways—either intentionally or by neglect—and miss everything he has to offer. Isaiah warned his people, and the Bible warns us, that God has left us no other choice.


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