Isaiah, “Jesus the Suffering Servant”
Chp. 1-35 The throne of God
Chp. 36-39 The throne of man
Intro
Moving through the Bible from Genesis, we have the Pentateuch which are the first five books of the Bible: There we see God working in our lives.
Then we see the 12 historical books: There we find the perils and pitfalls that await us as we seek to follow God.
Next are the five poetical books: These books express the joys and sorrows of being human, and as well they reveal how to maintain a relationship with God throughout all of our human emotions and experiences.
The final section of the Old Testament is the 16 books of the Prophets, and in them we read of the promises of God. I suppose many don’t think of the prophetic books in terms of God’s promises, but they are. Some of God’s promises we like very much; others, such as when He promises to us that if we choose not to trust Him, that harm will come to us, we don’t like very much. Thirteen out of the 16 prophetical books were written before or during the Babylonian captivity; only the last three were after. What we learn through reading all 16 books is that God has kept all of His promises right down through history, and because of this, we can trust Him with His promises towards us now.
The book of Isaiah is like a miniature Bible. The first half has 39 chapters like the Old Testament (has 39 books), and is filled with judgment as the pages are filled with immoral and idolatrous men. The first part of those 39 chapters centers on the throne of God and His holiness. In the sixth chapter, Isaiah writes that he had a vision of the throne of God during a time when Uzziah the king had died and Judah’s earthly throne was vacant. Oh, what a great perspective for all of us that during the times when it appears that no one is on the throne in control of our lives, God lets us know that He is still “high and lifted, and the train of His robe fills the temple.”
But with the throne of God, we will be made aware of our shortcomings and the failure of our choices. All of us want a Savior; few of us want a Lord who, upon His throne, judges our foolish attempts to rule our own lives. The final 27 chapters, (40–66) resemble the New Testament as they declare hope and grace. It is in these chapters that we are introduced in the clearest way to the Messiah, where judgment and mercy join together in God’s only begotten Son, Jesus. The first 39 chapters reveal man’s need for salvation, and the following 27 chapters show God’s provision for man’s need in the Messiah.
Isaiah has been called the apostle Paul of the O.T. and was from a very important family, and his education is evident by the use of his vocabulary. He maintained close contact with the royal court. He was married and had two sons based upon 8:3 and 7:3 and prophesied during the reigns of four kings of Judah for around 40 years, 740 years before Jesus. He spoke right at the time when the 10 northern tribes were taken captive by the Assyrians and prophesied of Judah’s future captivity to Babylon even before it was a world power. He was not the lone voice speaking to the nation, as his ministry overlapped that of Amos, Hosea, and Micha. Jewish tradition has him fleeing the wicked king Manasseh, hiding in a hollowed tree and being sawn in two, which is most likely referenced in Hebrews 11:37. His name means “the salvation of Jehovah,” and it seems through these 66 chapters that he is either looking for such salvation or speaking of it.
The throne of God
Chp. 1-35 The first chapter summarizes the whole book as he starts with the rebellion of the nation and finishes with the grace of God. In Isaiah 1:4 he says, “Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord; they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel; they have turned away backward.” The nation had maintained religion but had abandoned their relationship with God, to which God responds in 1:11. “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? Says the Lord. I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats.”
Then in 1:16–17, God says, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil; learn to do good; seek justice; rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless; plead for the widow.” Then, in a wonderful glimpse of what Isaiah will speak of more in the 53rd chapter, God breaks through with these pleading words in 1:18: “Come now, and let us reason together.” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
He speaks of a future time when all of humanity will allow God to rule, a time when, in 2:4 we are told that “He shall judge between the nations and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; the nation shall not lift up swords against the nation, nor shall they learn war anymore.” A time when, according to 4:6, “there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.” It is from this that God warns of the consequences of those who, according to 5:20-21 “call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight!”
And to this void of human leadership, Isaiah in 6:1-3, “saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” Oh, what comfort, what peace these should bring our weary hearts—not only is our God on the throne, but He is Holy, and His glorious will is going to win. With such a vision of God comes a call to proclaim His truths to a needy world, and Isaiah wants to know “How long” (6:11), to which God replies, “Until the cites are laid waste and without inhabitant.” Facing the invading Assyrian army, which had already defeated the 10 northern tribes, God moves on to Isaiah to reassure Ahaz, the new king, not to be fainthearted. And to show him that God was in control, he asks Ahaz to ask for a sign from the Lord, but Ahaz refuses, to which the Lord says in 7:14, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
Imagine Ahaz hearing this being fainthearted and going, “Wow, I’m worried about a little invasion, and God grants me a miraculous sign of a virgin giving birth to a son named “God with us.” In the 9th chapter, Isaiah reveals more about this mysterious Savior, as we read in 9:6-7 that “unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulder. and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” In 11:1-2 we are told that “There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” Then in 11:5-10 we are told of Him that “Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.”
That under His righteous rule ,“the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.” Though none shall defeat the Messiah’s reign, many will accept it no more than the description given us in 4:12-16, where we read, “How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart, ‘I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. Those who see you will gaze at you and consider you, saying, Is this the man who made the earth tremble? Who shook kingdoms?”
But do not worry, my friend, as we are told in 22:22–23 that “the key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one shall open. I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, and he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house.” We can be still and rest in His glorious rule over our hearts. As 25:1 sings His praises, we too can say, “O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You; I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” That looks forward, but what of the past and future heartbreaks? Well 25:8 tells that “He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.” He will, as in 26:3, “keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You.”
He promises this and more, saying in 26:19, “Your dead shall live; together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” O death, where is your sting, where is your victory? Conquered by the Love of God for those who have surrendered their hearts to Him. But how shall the world know of such truths? Well, we are told in 28:10 that they shall be taught, “Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” And what shall be taught to them? 28:16 tells us that it is the promise that, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily.”
To this Isaiah hears the Lord’s warning again in 29:13, saying, “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.” But with that warning also comes this promise in 30:18: “The Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.” And 35:5-6 promises that “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” Then in 35:8 we are told that “A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray.”
The throne of man
Chs. 37-39 gives us the story of Hezekiah’s stand upon the Lord during the Assyrian invasion found in 2 Kings 19, and how the Lord defeated 185,000 soldiers with one angel in one night. Then in the 38th chapter, Hezekiah becomes ill and prays that he may live and does so for 15 more years, but during that time he shows God’s blessings in the Israelites treasury to representatives of Babylon, which will set up a future invasion.
Isaiah, “Jesus the Suffering Servant”
Chps. 40-66 Now, we will conclude our study in the first book of the promises of the prophets, Isaiah. By way of review, these books make up the final 16 books of the Old Testament. Some of God’s promises we like, and others not so much, such as when He promises to us that if we choose not to trust Him, that harm will come to us. Thirteen out of the 16 prophetical books were written before or during the Babylonian captivity; only the last three were after. What we learn through reading all 16 books is that God has kept all of His promises right down through history, and because of this, we can trust Him with His promises towards us now.
Isaiah was married and had two sons based upon 8:3, 7:3, and prophesied during the reigns of four kings of Judah for around 40 years to 740 before Jesus. He spoke right at the time when the 10 northern tribes were taken captive by the Assyrians and prophesied of Judah’s future captivity to Babylon even before it was a world power. He was not the only one speaking to the nation, as his ministry overlapped that of Amos, Hosea, and Micha.
You will recall that the book of Isaiah is like a miniature Bible.
- The first half has 39 chapters like the Old Testament and is filled with judgment as the pages are filled with immoral and idolatrous men. The first 35 chapters’ center on the throne of God and His holiness. Chapters like the sixth chapter where Isaiah writes of a vision of the throne of God during a time when Uzziah the king had died and Judah’s earthly throne was vacant. God shows him a true perspective: during the times when it appears that no one is on the throne or in control of our lives, God is still “high and lifted, and the train of His robe fills the temple.”
- Then the next four chapters make us aware of the shortcomings and the failure of our choices. All of us want a Savior; few of us want a Lord who, upon His throne, judges our foolish attempts to rule our own lives.
- The final 27 chapters (40–66) resemble the New Testament as they declare hope and grace. It is in these chapters that we are introduced in the clearest way to the Messiah, where judgment and mercy join together in God’s only begotten Son, Jesus. The first 39 chapters reveal man’s need for salvation, and the following 27 chapters show God’s provision for man’s need in the Messiah.
In this last section, God offers through Isaiah promises of hope, comfort, and restoration. In chapters 40-48, the basis of these promises is not man’s compliance but rather it is centered upon God’s sovereignty and majesty. There are 216 verses in those nine chapters, and 115 of them speak specifically of God’s greatness and power. What can we deduce from this truth? Namely, that God’s promises are only appropriated by recognizing His nature and not by us exalting our nature!
God’s nature is laid next to the idols that Israel was so prone to elevate to deity, and over and over again, Isaiah speaks to Judah that her future restoration lies in the hands of a loving Father, even though His children have chosen to reject His love and follow after and worship things that they themselves have created. Over 100 years before the event, Isaiah prophesied that Judah, though she has escaped the Assyrian captivity that took her sister Israel, will not escape the Babylonian one. Even though they would be carried off during the time of Jeremiah, Babylon would be judged, and Judah will be restored once she is released from captivity.
The next nine chapters (49–57) concentrate on the coming Messiah, who will be their savior and suffering servant. He will be rejected by the very ones that He has come to save. His purpose is to save them from their greatest adversary and tyrant, the one person that oppresses them more than any other, themselves. He will do this by placing their iniquities upon Himself and paying for their sins, as by His stripes they will be healed. But more than this, His coming will usher in a new kingdom of righteousness and peace, as all who place their trust in Him will be delivered.
In the final 8 chapters (58-66), Isaiah sees Jerusalem being rebuilt and Israel’s borders being enlarged as the Messiah will reign out of Jerusalem. God’s people will confess their sins, and those that oppose His righteous rule will be judged. His kingdom and reign will be without end and be characterized by peace, prosperity, and justice, and He will make all things new.
The Throne of Grace
In Isaiah 40:11, Isaiah speaks of the promise that “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.” Then, after stating God’s willingness to lead them, Isaiah reveals God’s ability in verses 12–13 by asking, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span, and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has taught Him?” Thus Isaiah states his conclusion in 40:28, saying, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.” The assurance the Saints have in the promises, lies with the promiser and not with the recipients’ of the promises!
In 41:17–18, we read of yet another promise, as we are told, “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues fail for thirst. I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in desolate heights and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.” And who is this One that will “hear them”? What is He like? Well, in Isaiah 42:2-4, we read that “He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice and truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth, and the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
Among other things, we are told in 24:7 that He will “open blind eyes…bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house.” In Isaiah 43:1-2, He promises, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.”
Dear ones, did you hear that promise? He did not say that you wouldn’t pass through the waters; no, He promised that He would be you and that they wouldn’t overflow you. He didn’t promise that you wouldn’t walk through the fire; no, he promised that you will not get burned and that the flame shall not scorch you! Why can we receive this promise? Because He says in 43:4-13 “you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you. Indeed, before the day was, I am He, and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?”
Oh, how wonderful these promises are, but what if we mess up? Well, listen to the Lord in Isaiah 43:25–26. “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Put me in remembrance; let us contend together; state your case, that you may be acquitted.” In Isaiah 46:4, God promises that, “Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs, I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and I will deliver you.” Then in 26:9-10 God says, “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.” Then in 48:12, God says, “Listen to Me. I am He; I am the First; I am also the Last.”
The next nine chapters (49-57) focus on the Messiah’s incarnation, and we are told in 49:2 that “He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, and made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden Me.” In 49:6b, the Messiah will be given “as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” In 49:16, the Messiah declares, “I have inscribed you on the palms of My hand.” Then He asks in 50:2, “Is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Indeed, with My rebuke, I dry up the sea; I make the rivers a wilderness.” In 50:6, He declares that He “gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” It is said of Him in 52:7, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Of Him who proclaims peace, we are told in 52:14–15 that “His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; so shall He sprinkle many nations.” We have that amazing description of His suffering in Isaiah 53, a must read by all.
Then we find out in 54:5 that our “Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name, and your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.” And with this revelation comes an invitation in 55:1. “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy, and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” How is it possible to be so satisfied with our cost? Well, it’s because, as we read in Chapter 53, He has already paid the cost for us! The majesty of this is beyond our understanding, thus His words to us in 55:8-9. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” And with such truth we are told the promises that according to 55:11 “My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” His promise is towards those according to 57:15 to “dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
In the final section of 8 chapters (56–66), we see the final benefits of living under the Messiah’s reign. Is it any wonder then that in 58:12 He will be known as “the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell in?” And in 59:17 we are told that “He put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.”
And it is because of this all will declare, as 60:1-3 declares, “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising.” And in 60:19 we are told that “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory.”
In 61:1-3 He declares that “The spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all those who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” And in 63:1b He says, “I who speak in righteousness, might to save.” And in 64:4 He declares that “since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God beside You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.
“Dear ones, what an invitation this is! If we wait for Him, we shall see Him act upon our behalf! As 64:8 says, “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; and all are the work of Your hand.” And such promises are not just for now but as 65:17-19 promises, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying.” And with that, 66:1-2 declares, “Thus says the Lord: Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build me? And where is the place of rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,” says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles as My word.”