29 July

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Isaiah 5-8

Isaiah 5

With the thought of judgment, and the necessity for it still in mind, the prophet utters his great denunciation. This falls into three parts.

The first is a song of accusation. By the simple and familiar illustration of the rights of the proprietor in his vineyard, the prophet appeals to the listening people. The nature of the parable is such as to compel their assent to the rightness of the judgment indicated. The prophet immediately makes a blunt application of his song as he declares that the "vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant."

He then proceeds to utter woes against the prevailing sins of the time. The first is against monopoly, and the consequent oppression of the poor; the second, against the life of dissipation which the rulers were living; the third, against that unbelief which persists in iniquity and scoffs at the idea of divine intervention; the fourth, against that moral confusion which is unable to distinguish between good and evil; the fifth, against the false wisdom which acts without reference to God; the sixth, against the perversion of justice by the judges.

He finally describes the instrument of judgment. The inspiration of judgment is the anger of Jehovah, who calls a people from far. These are then described in their perfect equipment, in their terrible fierceness, and in the overwhelming impetuosity of their onslaught.

Isaiah 6

We now begin the second part of the first circle of prophecy, which contains the prophecies during the reigns of Jotham and Ahaz. When Uzziah died, Isaiah was called to the exercise of a larger ministry, and was prepared for it by the special vision granted to him.

This vision of the Lord was full of grace and of glory. The majesty of the Most High was manifest in the uplifted and occupied throne, in the solemn chanting of the seraphim, and by the earthquake which made the very foundations of the thresholds tremble. The revelation of grace is as remarkable as that of glory. In answer to the prophet's cry of need, one of the singing seraphim bears to him a live coal from the altar, and his sin is expiated. It is a wonderful unveiling of truth concerning God. The center of all adoring worship, He nevertheless hears the sigh of the sinner in his need, and the song of a seraph's worship ceases in order that the sigh of the sinner may be answered.

Following this vision, the voice of the Lord calls for a messenger, and the prophet, cleansed from his sin, answers. He is then commissioned to the ministry of judgment. In answer to an inquiry on his part, a word is spoken which limits judgment and reveals that the purpose of God in His people is not to be utterly frustrated.

Isaiah 7

Immediately following this new call of the prophet, we have the account of his encounter with Ahaz. Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel had entered into a confederacy against Judah, and a great fear possessed the people. The prophet declares to him that the counsel of these kings shall not prevail if he, that is, Ahaz, will be quiet and trust in God. A sign from Jehovah is offered, but he refuses to ask one. This refusal is an act of unbelief, which the prophet rebukes, and then declares that the sign shall be given, namely, that a child shall be born of a virgin.

This sign had an immediate application, but is the beginning in Isaiah's prophesying of a thought which grows as he proceeds, until it is seen to be Messianic in intention. He ends his message to Ahaz by declaring that judgment will fall on Judah, and proceeds to describe the Assyrian invasion, with its terrible results to the people.

Isaiah 8

In this section we have the account of how the prophet turns from his more public ministry to devote himself to a small circle of believing souls. This departure was signalized by his writing on a tablet the ominous word, Maher-shulal-hash-baz, which means "the spoil speedeth, the prey hasteth."

The prophet then turns to his children, the spiritual children who are faithful witnesses, and his own children. Jehovah declares to him that as the people have refused the gentle method of His persuasion, they are now to be dealt with by the overwhelming method of judgment. In the midst of the uproar Jehovah is to be a sanctuary for those who trust Him, and a rock of offense for the disobedient. The prophet is instructed to bind the testimony and seal the law, and his children are to be for signs and wonders. He then turns to the instruction of this small group of disciples, first describing the false way of seeking familiar spirits and wizards, with disastrous results, and then delivering to them the message of hope.