Journey Through Isaiah & Micahਨਮੂਨਾ

This lesson is a review of all of Isaiah.

Intro

Nicole introduces this lesson on the authorship of Isaiah.

Authorship & Unity of Isaiah: In the Text

The book of Isaiah has many unifying themes, but it also shifts focus to three different time periods—under the Assyrians before exile, under the Babylonians during exile, and under the Persians after exile. Let’s step back and appreciate the way this book addresses concerns that will emerge during more than a century.

Unique Emphases in Isaiah

Read Isaiah 56:6-8.

This passage from Isaiah 56:6-8 might address a post-exilic situation. In this time, their main issue is not a military threat but God’s calling of foreigners, both outside their borders and those who had settled into their land.

This passage represents a compact summary of Isaiah’s message to the people focusing on peacetime relationships with foreigners once the region becomes stabilized under Persian rule.

Foreigners will settle in the exiles’ homeland during their absence. The people will return to a tense situation where we might think of these foreigners as having something like “squatter’s rights.” The people will face the threat of home not really being home anymore. God is promising that these immigrants will be “joined to the LORD” and that he “will gather yet other (foreigners) to him, besides those already gathered” in the land.

Chapters 1–39 anticipate the exile to come.

Chapters 40–55 are the centerpiece, highlighting promises for return and restoration from exile.

Chapters 56–66 address the impact the exile is having (and will have).

In the midpoint of the central section, chapters 40–55, we find a message of redemption that will come in the time of Cyrus’ decree:

Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it out to the end of the earth; say, “The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!”

Isaiah 49:20 (ESV)

This is the key moment in the exilic narrative where the people see clearly that YHWH is worthy of their hope—not only in this moment, but also in the trials to come. He will comfort them in loss and bring them through loss to victory. This victory has obvious connections to the Exodus and will become a hallmark in the people’s long and tested history with their God.

The Holy One of History: Covenant Images

Covenant Images in Isaiah

Much of the rich imagery in Isaiah relates to God’s covenant relationship with his people. As it turns out, many of these metaphors are used throughout the book.

The LORD as Father

Isaiah 9:6; 64:8

The LORD as King

Isaiah 6:5; 43:15

The LORD as Rock

Isaiah 17:10; 44:8; 51:1

The LORD as Shepherd

Isaiah 40:11; 63:11

The LORD as Husband

Isaiah 54:5

The LORD as Creator

Isaiah 27:11; 40:28

The LORD as Potter

Isaiah 29:16; 45:9; 64:8