II. Isaiah [MacArthur Study Bible, 952-4; SOTI, 363-6]
A. Introduction
1. Title: “Isaiah” [“Yahweh is Salvation” or “Yahweh will Save”]
(1:1; 2:1; 7:3; 13:1; 20:2, 3; 37:2, 5, 6, 21; 38:1, 4, 21; 39:3, 5, 8; see 2 Kin. 19:2, 5, 6, 20; 20:1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 14, 16, 19; cf. 2 Chron. 26:22; 32:32)
2. Focus: Judah (1:1; 2:1; 3:1, 8; 5:3, 7; 7:1, 6, 17; 8:8; 9:21; 11:12, 13; 19:17; 22:8, 21; 26:1; 36:1, 7; 37:10, 31; 38:9; 40:9; 44:26; 48:1; 65:9) and Jerusalem (1:1; 2:1, 3; 3:1, 8; 4:3, 4; 5:3; 7:1; 8:14; 10:10, 11, 12, 32; 22:10, 21; 24:23; 27:13; 28:14; 30:19; 31:5, 9; 33:20; 36:2, 7, 20; 37:10, 22, 32; 40:2, 9; 41:27; 44:26, 28; 51:17; 52:1, 2, 9; 62:6, 7; 64:10; 65:18, 19; 66:10, 13, 20); Zion (1:8, 27; 2:3; 3:16, 17; 4:3, 4, 5; 8:18; 10:12, 24, 32; 12:6; 14:32; 16:1; 18:7; 24:23; 28:16; 29:8; 30:19; 31:4, 9; 33:5, 14, 20; 34:8; 35:10; 37:22, 32; 40:9; 41:27; 46:13; 49:14; 51:3, 11, 16; 52:1, 2, 7, 8; 59:20; 60:14; 61:3; 62:1, 11; 64:10; 66:8); city [ir] (1:8, 26; 22:2, 9; 26:1; 32:14, 19; 36:15; 37:33, 34, 35; 38:6; 45:13; 48:2; 52:1; 60:14; 62:12; 66:6); city [qiryah] (1:21, 26; 22:2; 29:1; 32:13; 33:20)
3. Date: 739-681 B.C. ( 1:1; 6:1; 37:38)
a. Uzziah (1:1; 6:1; 7:1; see 2 Kin. 14:21-22; 15:1-7 [790-739 B.C.])
b. Jotham (1:1; 7:1; see 2 Kin. 15:5-7, 32-38 [750-731 B.C.])
c. Ahaz (1:1; 7:1, 3, 10, 12; 14:28; see 2 Kin. 15:38; 16:1-20 [743-715 B.C.])
d. Hezekiah (1:1; 36:1-39:8; see 2 Kin. 18:1-20:21 [728-686 B.C.])
{e. Manasseh (see 2 Kin. 21:1-18 [695-642 B.C.])}
B. Major Themes
1. Yahweh, “The Holy One of Israel” (cf. 2 Kg 19:22; Ps. 71:22; 78:41; 89:18; Jer. 50:29; 51:5; Ezek. 39:7; 25x – 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); “The Holy One of Jacob” (29:23); “The Holy One” (10:17; 40:25; 43:15; 49:7) [MSB, 955]
2. The Sinfulness of Judah (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 29, 30, 31, 39) & Yahweh’s Judgment (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 29, 30, 31, 32, 39)
3. The Sinfulness of the Nations (10, 13-23, 28, 34) & Yahweh’s Judgment (10, 24, 34, 47)
4. The Salvation of Yahweh (11:11-16; 12:1-2; 19:20; 25:9; 33:2, 6; 37:35; 38:20; 43:11-13; 45:17, 22; 49:6; 51:5, 6, 8; 56:1; 59:16, 17; 60:16; 61:10; 63:1, 8)
a. The Light (9:2; 42:16; 49:6; 58:8-11; 60:1, 19, 20) [MSB, 968]
b. The Child (7:14; 9:6-7) [MSB, 968]
c. The Shoot, Branch (11:1) [MSB, 972, 960]
d. The Stone (28:16-17; 32:1-2) [MSB 995, 1002]
e. The Servant (42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12) [MSB, 1017, 1030, 1033, 1037]
f. The Redeemer of Israel (41:14; 43:14; 44:16, 24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16; 63:16) [MSB, 1016]
g. The Second Exodus (11:11-16; 40:3-5; 41:17-20; 42:14-16; 43:1-3, 14-21;
48:20-21; 49:8-12; 51:9-10; 52:11-12; 55:12-13; 58:8; 60:2, 19; 63:7-9)
[MSB, 972]
h. The Second Moses
1) Endued with Yahweh’s Spirit (42:1; cf. Num. 11:25)
2) Will Establish Justice (42:1, 3, 4; cf. Deut. 4:8)
3) Called by Yahweh (49:1-2; cf. Ex. 3:1-4:12)
4) Will Give a Covenant (42:6; 49:8; cf. Ex. 24:1-11)
5) Will Be Rejected (49:7; 50:6; 53:3; cf. Ex. 2:14; Num. 12)
6) His Humility (42:2-3; 53:2; cf. Num. 12:3)
5. The Spirit of Yahweh (11:2; 32:15; 34:16; 40:7, 13; 42:1; 44:3; 48:16; 59:19; 61:1; 63:10, 14)
6. The Sovereignty of Yahweh (41:21-23; 42:9; 43:9-10; 44:6-8; 45:21; 46:9-11; 48:3)
C. Purpose: The holy Yahweh will not permit unholiness in His people, so He will therefore deal with them in such a way as to chasten and purge them and make them fit to participate in His program of extending His rule over the Gentiles.
D. The Literary Structure (see outline)
[note: Assyria - 7:17, 18, 20; 8:4, 7; 10:5, 12, 24; 11:11, 16; 14:25; 19:23-25; 20:1,
4, 6; 23:13; 27:13; 30:31; 31:8; 36:1, 2, 4, 8, 13, 15, 16, 18; 37: 4, 6,
8, 10, 11, 18, 21, 33, 36, 37; 38:6; 52:4
Babylon - 13:1, 19; 14:4, 22; 21:9; 39:1, 3, 6, 7; 43:14; 47:1; 48:14, 20]
E. Bibliography
1. Exegetical: Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah (NICOT) 2 vols.
Young, The Book of Isaiah. 3 vols.
2. English Interpretation: Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah.
3. Expositional: Wiersbe, Be Comforted.
F. Selected Interpretive Problems
1. The Child/Son (7:14) [MSB, 964]
a. A Child of Ahaz/Isaiah’s Day Only
b. The Virgin-born Child Only (i.e. Exclusively Messianic)
c. A Child of Ahaz/Isaiah’s Day Who Foreshadowed the Messiah
2. Babylon (13:1-14:23) [MSB, 973-7]
a. Assyria (cf. 14:24-25)
b. The Fall of Babylon in 689 B.C.
c. The Fall of Babylon in 539 B.C. (cf. 13:17-18)
d. The Fall of Babylon Foreshadowing the Future Fall of Babylon (cf. 13:6, 9, 20-22)
1) Double Meaning
2) Blended, yet Distinct
3. The King of Babylon (14:12-14) [MSB, 977]
a. The Human King Only
b. The Human King as a Type of Satan
c. Satan Only
4. The Identity of the “Servant” [MSB, 1017]
a. The Nation, Israel (41:8-9; 42:19; 43:10; 44:1-2, 21; 45:4; 48:20; 49:3;
cf. 49:5-6)
b. The Righteous Remnant of Israel
c. An Individual
1) The Prophet, Isaiah (cf. 20:3)
2) The Coming Messiah, the New Moses
5. The New Heavens and the New Earth (65:17; 66:22) [MSB, 1054]
a. The Temporal Kingdom Only
b. The Eternal State Only
c. The Temporal Kingdom and the Eternal State
1) Double Fulfillment
2) Blended, yet Distinct
Bookmarks