Theology of Isaiah

Bro. Gary Spaeth

The Theology of Isaiah• The Character of a Holy God• The Covenant of a Holy God• The Carnality of a Holy People– Forgot God– Transgressed God’s commands

• The Justice of God in Punishing Sin– Sovereignty of God– Punishing Israel– Punishing Judah– Punishing the pagan Nations

• The Salvation of God providing a means of Restoration– Through the promised messiah

• The Promise of future blessings and glory

THE JUSTICE OF GOD IN PUNISHING SIN

Isaiah’s Vision

• Isaiah 6– Holy God– Unholy prophet– Unholy people– A messenger of Judgment– A message of Judgment

What is the Sovereignty of God?

• God’s exercise of power over his creation.

• His absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure

• (Dan. 4:25, 35; Rom. 9:15–23; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 4:11).

God’s Sovereignty in Isaiah

• Divine decree, Isaiah 14:24.• As God plans, so it will be, Isaiah 16:14.• Perfect faithfulness of God, Isaiah 25:1.• Victory ordained long before coming of enemy,

Isaiah 37:26.• Impossible to reverse acts of God, Isaiah 43:13.• Divine acts of God demonstrate his, authority,

Isaiah 44:24–25.• There is no one like the LORD, Isaiah 45:5–6.

God’s Sovereignty in Isaiah• Isaiah 1:2– He is the Provider.

• Isaiah 1:10– He is the Law maker.

• Isaiah 6:8– He calls and sends individuals and nations.

• Isaiah 8:10-18– He Should be feared.

• Isaiah 14:21, Isaiah 21:17– He had purposed.

• Isaiah 24:1-3, 5– He brings judgment.

God’s Titles In Isaiah

• Judge, lawgiver, and King– Isaiah 33:22

• Redeemer, LORD of hosts, Holy One of Israel – Isaiah 47:4

• Almighty– Isaiah 13:6

• First and the Last, I am– Isaiah 41:4

God is Sovereign

• Jehovah is the LORD almighty, the Lord of Hosts. (Isaiah 13:6)

• No one can counsel the LORD• He has a plan for Israel’s redemption that

cannot be thwarted.

God is Righteous

• God’s righteous servant shall justify many! – Isaiah 53:11

• The Messiah will be righteous when He judges.– Isaiah 11:4-5 4

God is Just

• Seen in the way God deals with Israel, with all the other nations, and in punishing sin and providing a savior.– He does not allow sin to continue.– He does not cover our sins; he deals with them!

The Justice of God

• Hebrews 10:30-31 (KJV) 30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

God’s JudgmentsChastening Amos Leviticus Deuteronomy 1 KingsHunger/famine

4:6

26:26, 29

28:17, 48

8:37

Drought

4:7–8

26:19

28:22–24, 48

8:35

Blight/mildew 4:9

26:20

28:18, 22, 30, 39–40

8:37

Locusts

4:9

—

28:38, 42

8:37

Plagues

4:10

26:16, 25

28:21–22, 27, 35, 59–61

8:37

Military defeat

4:10 26:17, 25, 33, 36–39 28:25–26, 49–52 8:33

Devastation

4:11

26:31–35

29:23–28

—

Purpose of God’s Judgments

• To learn righteousness– Isaiah 26:9

• To Exalt God– Isaiah 5:16, 30:18

• To express His nature– Isaiah 61:8

• To Redeem Israel– Isaiah 1:24-27

The Proud would be made humble

• Isaiah 2:10-21 – Humbled– bowed down– brought low– idols he shall utterly abolish– The will fear of the LORD

God’s Judgments• The Lord Himself would actively oppose Israel

and their allies – (Isaiah 5:25; 9:19; 29:2-3; 31:3).

• He would regard His people as an enemy and take vengeance on them (Isaiah 1:24).

• They would become the objects of His warfare, just as Israel's enemies had been in earlier days (28:21). – Mount Perazim - (2 Sam 5:20), – Gibeon - (Josh 10:10-13).

Areas of God’s Judgments• The produce of the land – Isaiah 1:7 – Isaiah 5:5-6 – Isaiah 5:9-10– Isaiah 6:11 – Isaiah 8:21

• People killed or exiled – Isaiah 3:25 – Isaiah 5:13-14 – Isaiah 5:24-25– Isaiah 6:12 – Isaiah 39:7 – Isaiah 10:4

Judgment by the Assyrian army

• Hail and wind storm - 28:2-3 • Sweep into Judah like a flood - 8:6-8 • Roaring like a mighty lion - 5:26-30 • Besiege and terrorize Jerusalem - 29:1-4

• 2 Kings 17:4-41, 18:9-12

Judgment by the Babylonian army

• Prophesied by Isaiah– Isaiah 39:6-7

• Actual events recorded– 2 Kings 25– 2 Chronicles 36:10-21

• Reason for 70 years– Leviticus 25:1-7, 26:34-35– Jeremiah 25:9-12, 29:10– 2 Chronicles 36:21

The Ironic Judgments

• The people worshiped pagan gods under "sacred oaks" and in gardens, they would become like an oak or garden that is deprived of water (1:29-30).

• Jerusalem's haughty women would be humiliated, their luxurious clothing and jewelry replaced by captives' ropes and mourners' sackcloth (3:16-4:1).

The Ironic Judgments

• Those who dishonestly accumulated houses and lands would be deprived of their ill-gotten gains (5:8-10).

• Their carousing would come to an end as they died of hunger and thirst in exile (vv. 11-13).

• In that day they would become the main course at Death's feast, while sheep would graze on the ruins of their banqueting halls (vv. 14,17).

The Ironic Judgments

• The darkness of judgment would descend on those who replaced light with darkness in the moral and ethical realm (5:20,30).

• Those who derisively mimicked the prophet's words and complained that his message was too childlike would come face to face with foreign invaders, whose words would be unintelligible to them (28:9-13).

FOCUS PROPHECIES OF CONDEMNATION HISTORICAL PARENTHESIS

PROPHECIES OF COMFORT

REFERENCE 1:1 13:1 24:1 28:1 36:1 40:1 49:1 58:1——66:24

DIVISION

PROPHECIES AGAINST

PROPHECIES OF HEZEKIAH’S SALVATION,

SICKNESS, AND SIN

ISRAEL’S DELIVERANCE

ISRAEL’S DELIVERER

ISRAEL’S GLORIOUS

FUTUREJUDAH THE NATIONS

DAY OF LORD

JUDGMENT & BLESSING

TOPIC PROPHETIC HISTORIC MESSIANIC

JUDGMENT TRANSITION HOPE

LOCATION ISRAEL AND JUDAH

TIME c. 740–680 B.C.

Judgments on the Nations

• Babylon (Isa. 13:1–14:23; 21:1–10)• Assyria (Isa. 14:24–27)• Philistia (Isa. 14:28–32)• Moab (Isa. 15:1–16:14)• Damascus and Ephraim (Isa. 17:1–14)• Ethiopia (Isa. 18:1–7)• Egypt (Isa. 19:1–20:6)• Edom (Isa. 21:11–12)• Arabia (Isa. 21:13–17)• Judah and Jerusalem (Isa. 22:1–25)• Phoenicia (Isa. 23:1–18)

Babylon (Isa. 13-14, 21)• Babylon was to be destroyed by the Medes (13:17-22).• Their armies would be chased back to their own land

as a wild dog would pursue a frightened deer (13:14).• Their soldiers would be butchered, their children

murdered, and their wives raped (13:15, 16).• The prophet Isaiah is horrified and becomes physically

ill at God’s description of Babylon’s punishment (21:3-5).

• The rulers of two Gentile nations are used by God as a basis of describing the person and ministry of Satan. One is Tyre (Ezek. 28:1-19) and the other is Babylon (Isa. 14:12-16).

Assyria (14:24-27)

• God had determined to crush the Assyrian army on the mountains of Israel (14:25).

• This would be done to remove the awful Assyrian yoke from his people.

Philistia (14:28-32)

• Philistia was warned not to rejoice over the death of King Ahaz of Judah, who had smote them while alive (14:29).

• His son (Hezekiah) would be even more demanding (14:29).

• Finally, Philistia was to suffer total doom under the cruel attack of Sargon, the Assyrian king.

Moab (15-16)• Moab was to be punished by God, with its chief cities

destroyed in one night (15:1).• The whole land would be filled with weeping from one

end to another (15:8).• Lions would hunt down the survivors (15:9).• Moab’s refugees were invited by God to avail

themselves of his mercies. They were enjoined to pay tribute to Israel according to their past arrangement (2 Ki. 3:4-9; Isa. 16:1).

• Pride was a great sin of Moab (16:6).• Judgment was officially set to fall within three years.

The Assyrians at that time invaded Moab (16:14).

Damascus (17)

• Damascus was the capital of Syria • Ephraim and Damascus had allied together

against Judah, thus linking that kingdom with the divine judgment. (17:3).

• Both allies were later besieged by Tiglath-Pileser (2 Ki. 15:29) and were finally deported by Shalmaneser (2 Ki. 17:6).

Ethiopia (18)

• This “land shadowing with wings” is thought to be African Ethiopia (18:1).

• This nation marches against Israel (historically or prophetically?) but is cut off by God himself. Their army will be left dead on the field for the birds and animals to eat (18:4-6).

• After this (the tribulation?) Ethiopia will bring gifts to the Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem (18:7).

Egypt (19-20)

• Egyptian would fight against Egyptian (19:2). • Egypt’s fishing industry was to disappear (19:8,

10).• Her linen industry was also to disappear (19:9). • Egypt was to stagger along in world history as a

“drunken man staggereth in his vomit” (19:14).• Judah would be a terror to Egypt (19:17).• Egypt was to be invaded within three years by

Assyria (20:1-6).

Edom (21:11, 12)

• Both morning and night are coming. What will be glory for some (the Medes, who would overrun Edom), would be shame for others (the Edomites).

Arabia (21:13-17)

• Arabia was the land of the Ishmaelites, the Bedouin tribes of the desert, the modern Arabs.

• They would be so severely judged that only a few of their archers would survive (21:17).

Tyre (23)

• Egypt, its ally, would sorrow over its swift destruction, along with its own sailors, who would not even be able to return home to port (23:5-7).

• Judgment was pronounced because of its pride and utter materialism (23:8-9).

• Nebuchadnezzar would lay siege to the coastland city, destroy its palaces, and make it a heap of ruins (23:13).

• After seventy years Tyre would be rebuilt, but would soon degenerate into the same gross materialism and pride of former days (23:17).