Isaiah excels himself today - his vision of God’s greatness in chapters 40 and 41 is unsurpassed. To portray such hope and confidence in a time of despair is breathtaking.
Hezekiah’s illness and healing
Isaiah 38:1-22
Words of hope
Isaiah 40:1-9
God’s care and protection
Isaiah 40:10-11
Israel's incomparable God
Isaiah 40:12-26
God reassures his people
Isaiah 40:27-31
God’s promise to Israel
Isaiah 41:1-20
The Lord’s challenge
Isaiah 41:21-29
Isaiah tells the story of Hezekiah’s healing, and includes a song from the king. Not much evidence of pride here - it seems properly grateful.
Then something disappointing happens - we go on to chapter 40. I don’t mean that chapter 40 is disappointing - far from it - but I was very much hoping my chronological reading plan wouldn’t do this to me. Briefly - there is disagreement over when the second half of Isaiah was written, it seems to jump ahead from the story of Hezekiah versus the Assyrians, and be much more relevant to the tine of the Babylonians, who supplanted Assyria as the dominant empire and were finally successful in defeating Judah and carrying God’s people into exile. We haven’t got there yet in their story. Traumatic though the fall of Samaria in 721BC was, it was nothing compared to the fall of Jerusalem in 587BC. This was what really made the remnant of Israel rethink their understanding of God, and it was Isaiah’s stupendous vision that inspired their faith to new heights, when they were in the depths of despair. This bit just doesn’t belong in the 700s, I should be reading this later, when we get to the 500s.
Oh well. It’s still wonderful stuff - words of hope, that God hasn’t forgotten his people, that he will restore them, that he is actually even more powerful than they imagine. “ Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales.” (40:15) In verse 26, there is a poke at the Babylonian faith (they worshipped the stars) “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” Isaiah says that God created the star, and when he calls, not one of them is late on parade.
There is supreme confidence in what God says in chapter 41, challenging the idols of Babylon: “declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless.” (41:23-24) The power of these words, when set against the backdrop of the despair of exile, is overwhelming.
Hezekiah’s illness and healing
Isaiah 38:1-22
Words of hope
Isaiah 40:1-9
God’s care and protection
Isaiah 40:10-11
Israel's incomparable God
Isaiah 40:12-26
God reassures his people
Isaiah 40:27-31
God’s promise to Israel
Isaiah 41:1-20
The Lord’s challenge
Isaiah 41:21-29
Isaiah tells the story of Hezekiah’s healing, and includes a song from the king. Not much evidence of pride here - it seems properly grateful.
Then something disappointing happens - we go on to chapter 40. I don’t mean that chapter 40 is disappointing - far from it - but I was very much hoping my chronological reading plan wouldn’t do this to me. Briefly - there is disagreement over when the second half of Isaiah was written, it seems to jump ahead from the story of Hezekiah versus the Assyrians, and be much more relevant to the tine of the Babylonians, who supplanted Assyria as the dominant empire and were finally successful in defeating Judah and carrying God’s people into exile. We haven’t got there yet in their story. Traumatic though the fall of Samaria in 721BC was, it was nothing compared to the fall of Jerusalem in 587BC. This was what really made the remnant of Israel rethink their understanding of God, and it was Isaiah’s stupendous vision that inspired their faith to new heights, when they were in the depths of despair. This bit just doesn’t belong in the 700s, I should be reading this later, when we get to the 500s.
Oh well. It’s still wonderful stuff - words of hope, that God hasn’t forgotten his people, that he will restore them, that he is actually even more powerful than they imagine. “ Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales.” (40:15) In verse 26, there is a poke at the Babylonian faith (they worshipped the stars) “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” Isaiah says that God created the star, and when he calls, not one of them is late on parade.
There is supreme confidence in what God says in chapter 41, challenging the idols of Babylon: “declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless.” (41:23-24) The power of these words, when set against the backdrop of the despair of exile, is overwhelming.
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