09 August

Bible In 365 Days                     

Isaiah 54-58

Isaiah 54

We now come to the section which deals with the triumphant singing resulting from the work of the Servant of God, and this chapter is the song of assurance. It first sets forth the glorious fact of restoration. The people, forsaken on account of their own sin, are to be restored to the sacred relationship to Jehovah, in which He is the husband. The borders are to be enlarged in order that the growth of the people may find room, and all this because the end of forsaking has come. It must not be forgotten that this song of restoration follows immediately the description of the suffering and triumph of the Servant of God.

The second half of the song describes the glory of restoration. The city is to be rebuilt in material magnificence. Its life is to be conditioned in moral rectitude. The children are to be taught of Jehovah. The civic strength is to be righteousness, and all oppression is to be banished.

Finally, the reconstituted people are to be impregnable. No enemy will be able to gain an a vantage over them, and no weapon formed against them shall prosper.

Isaiah 55

Immediately following the song we have the prophet's great appeal. It is made in the consciousness of the victory won by the Servant of the Lord and the consequent possibility of restoration offered to the people. Nevertheless it distinctly sets forth the solemn conditions on which advantage may be taken of the great provision.

It first recognizes the need of the people in the verses which describe their condition as thirsty, as being without money, as spending "money for that which is not bread," and earnestly urges them to turn and listen to Him who has been given as a "Witness to the peoples," as a "Leader and Commander."

In this second part the appeal is made with greater directness, and the terms on which the people may find their way back into relationship with God are distinctly stated.

The whole ends with a description, full of poetry and beauty, of the conditions of fruitfulness and joy and prosperity which must follow return to the Lord and submission to His government.

Isaiah 56

This division ends with two chapters (56 and 57) which set forth certain aspects of the administration of the Kingdom. The first is intended to comfort those who by recent promises of restoration made to the people of God were likely to be discouraged. Strangers would say, "The Lord will surely separate me from His people," and, in view of the hope of the growth of the nation, the eunuch would declare, "Behold, I am a dry tree." Both these are comforted. To the latter is promised a memorial and a name in the house of God better than that of sons and daughters. The strangers are told that as they join themselves to the Lord, to be His ministers who love His name, they also will be welcomed to His holy mountain. It is a declaration which reveals the prophet's understanding that the coming victory will have a wider application than merely to the chosen people.

While there is welcome for the strangers who submit to the Lord, there is to be the severest judgment of evil, even when it manifests itself among the chosen people. The beasts of the field are summoned to devour the blind watchman and the drunken leaders.

Isaiah 57

Because of the failure of these blind watchmen and drunken leaders, righteous men perish, while none lay it to heart. Moreover, the people have yielded to the evil influences of such leaders; "sons of the sorceress" are summoned to judgment. Their sin has been exalted and manifest, and their judgment is to be conspicuous and complete.

Yet again the declaration turns to such as are contrite and penitent. Jehovah declares Himself to be the One inhabiting eternity, and yet dwelling with the contrite and humble in spirit. In the case of such His judgment is turned into a ministry of healing. All this again follows, and is dependent on, the suffering Servant as described in the previous section. Again, the division ends with solemn warning against wickedness. Although in the economy of God the Prince is to be sustained and finally victorious, yet there is no peace to the wicked.

Isaiah 58

We now commence the last division of the book, which deals with the program of peace as it sets forth the conditions, describes the ultimate realization, and insists on a principle of discrimination.

In dealing with conditions the prophet first declares the moral requirements. This message consists of a condemnation of formalism and a description of true religion. Jehovah's charge against the people is that they have observed the external ordinances of religion, and yet have complained that God has not answered them. In reply to this complaint Jehovah charges them with selfishness even in worship, and declares that their prayer is not heard, affirming that He does not accept the prostration of the body which is unaccompanied by diction of soul.

In a passage full of beauty true religion, with its rewards, is then described. It is expressed in rightness of action, and tenderness, which is rewarded by light, and fellowship, and answered prayer. In these external observances, such as that of the Sabbath, they must be free from all selfishness, and characterized by delight in the Lord. This is followed by true exaltation, and the realization of the promises of Jehovah.