Isa 63:1

Isa 63: The Edomites were enemies of Israel in Ahaz’s day (2Ch 28:17). Hezekiah sent expeditions against Edom (1Ch 4:39-43). Cp Joel 3:19: Edom, desolate wilderness.

Perhaps no geographical ref, if read: “Who is this that comes, more than man, raiment more crimsoned than the grape-gatherer?” (TofE 73). But cp Isa 34: esp vv 6-8 re Edom. Also, generally, cp Psa 83 re Edom.

In // Rev 19:13,15, Christ is wearing many crowns and already bearing the title “King of kings” — an indication that he is already enthroned at Jerusalem, and not proceeding there for the first time (WRev 224).

Isa 63:2

TREADING THE WINEPRESS: // Rev 14:19,20; 19:15.

Isa 63:3

FROM THE NATIONS: Or, “from the nation”, ie, Israel. So, from Israel, none to help. But from the saints, Yes! See // in Rev 19:13-15 and cp with Rev 19:8: Christ’s army, arrayed in white linen.

TROD THEM DOWN: “Trampled” (RSV). Such language necessarily involves a multitude (cp Psa 60:12).

Isa 63:4

THE YEAR OF MY REDEMPTION: Jubilee!

REDEMPTION: “Redemption” is the Hebrew “gaal”. A “gaal” or “kinsman-redeemer” was responsible for protecting the extended family’s interests, often by redeeming property that had been sold outside the family. However, his responsibilities extended beyond financial concerns. He was also responsible for avenging the shed blood of a family member (see Num 35:19-27; Deu 19:6-12). In Isa 63:4, where vengeance is a prominent theme (note the earlier part of the verse), it is probably this function of the family protector that is in view. The LORD pictures himself as a blood avenger who waits for the day of vengeance to arrive and then springs into action on behalf of his “kinsman”!

Isa 63:9

THE ANGEL OF HIS PRESENCE: “This may refer to the ‘angel of God’ mentioned in Exo 14:19, who in turn may be identical to the divine ‘presence’ (lit ‘face’) ref in Exo 33:14-15; Deu 4:37. Here in Isa 63 this messenger may be equated with God’s ‘holy Spirit’ (see vv 10,11) and “the Spirit of the LORD” (v 14). See also Psa 139:7, where God’s ‘Spirit’ seems to be equated with His ‘presence’ (lit, ‘face’) in the synonymous parallelistic structure” (NET notes).

Isa 63:10

AND GRIEVED HIS HOLY SPIRIT: Hence Paul’s exhortation in Eph 4:30.

HE HIMSELF FOUGHT AGAINST THEM: “Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth” (Rev 2:16).

Isa 63:11

MOSES… BROUGHT THEM THROUGH THE SEA, WITH THE SHEPHERD OF HIS FLOCK: “The God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep” (Heb 13:20).

SHEPHERD: Plural in Heb; prob ref the “Great Shepherd” — plural of majesty.

Isa 63:14

THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD… YOU GUIDED YOUR PEOPLE: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth” (Joh 16:13).

Isa 63:15

Vv 15-19: A sustained appeal to God for His help (cp Isa 64:8-12).

Isa 63:16

THOUGH ABRAHAM DOES NOT KNOW US: More important than literal kinship with Abraham was spiritual kinship with the God of Abraham!

Isa 63:17

AND HARDEN OUR HEARTS: Hard-heartedness is first seen in Pharaoh (Exo 4:21; 7:3,13; 8:15,32; 9:12,34; 10:1,20,27; 11:10; 14:4,8). So when this description is used of anyone in Israel, it is very pointed: ‘You are being like the oppressing Egyptians from whom I have delivered you!’ Cp Deu 15:7; 2Ch 36:13; Psa 95:8; Isa 63:17; Mark 10:5; 16:14; John 12:40; Rom 2:5.

Isa 63:18

NOW OUR ENEMIES HAVE TRAMPLED DOWN YOUR SANCTUARY: A ref to Assyrian soldiers garrisoned in the Temple area: “Ahaz took some of the things from the temple of the LORD and from the royal palace and from the princes and presented them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help him” (2Ch 28:21). 2Ch 28:21. Lit, “divided up a portion of the temple” — giving it to the Assyrian soldiers as a place to rest and reside. (A similar policy was followed by the Assyrians with other vassal nations; cp also the Roman garrison next to the Temple in NT times). Cp idea, Isa 63:18; 64:11; Psa 74:3-8; 79:1; Isa 7:13; 11:9; 52:1; Mic 5:5.

Isa 64:1

Isa 64: A mighty theophany, reminiscent of that in Sinai.

REND THE HEAVENS AND COME DOWN: “Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently… The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain” (Exo 19:18,20).

NT: At the baptism of Jesus, the heavens were torn apart, and the Spirit like a dove descended (Mar 1:10). Cp, at crucifixion, the veil in the Most Holy (the heavenly place) was torn from top to bottom (Mat 27:51), as by a divine hand.

Isa 64:2

AS WHEN FIRE SETS TWIGS ABLAZE: The Glory of God appearing in the burning bush (Exo 3:2-4).

TO MAKE YOUR NAME KNOWN TO YOUR ENEMIES: “But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth” (Exo 9:16).

Isa 64:4

NO EAR HAS PERCEIVED, NO EYE HAS SEEN ANY GOD BESIDES YOU…: At the wonders they saw in Sinai, the people removed far off and hid themselves (Exo 20:18,19). “Thereafter the divine revelation which Israel refused at Sinai became the special privilege of those who saw the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But the wisdom of God in him was shut to Israel’s leaders — ‘ “Eye did not see, nor did ear hear, what things God prepared for them that love him.” BUT GOD revealed them by His Spirit’ (1Co 2:8-10)” (WIsa 538).

THOSE WHO WAIT FOR HIM: Moses going up into the mount to wait for a revelation from God.

Isa 64:5

YOU WERE ANGRY: Poss ref to incident of golden calf.

Isa 64:6

FILTHY RAGS: “Menstruous rags” (NET); “polluted garment” (RSV; ASV). Cp idea of “rubbish” in Phi 3:8. Also cp Mat 23:25; Luk 11:39,40.

Isa 64:7

YOU HAVE HIDDEN YOUR FACE FROM US: “The LORD saw this and rejected them because he was angered by his sons and daughters. ‘I will hide my face from them,’ he said” (Deu 32:19,20).

Isa 64:8

Vv 8-12: Once again (as in Isa 63:15-19), Isaiah breaks forth into an impassioned prayer of intercession for the nation as a whole: note the “we… all”, etc.

OUR FATHER: Along with Isa 63:16, the only refs to God as “our Father” in the OT.

WE ARE ALL THE WORK OF YOUR HAND: Cit Eph 2:10.

Isa 64:11

A ref to Assyrian soldiers garrisoned in the Temple area: “Ahaz took some of the things from the temple of the LORD and from the royal palace and from the princes and presented them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help him” (2Ch 28:21). 2Ch 28:21. Lit, “divided up a portion of the temple” — giving it to the Assyrian soldiers as a place to rest and reside. (A similar policy was followed by the Assyrians with other vassal nations; cp also the Roman garrison next to the Temple in NT times). Cp idea, Isa 63:18; 64:11; Psa 74:3-8; 79:1; Isa 7:13; 11:9; 52:1; Mic 5:5.

HAS BEEN…: Or “will be”? Does Isaiah speak of the plans and threats of Sennacherib and Rabshakeh as though they had already happened?

Isa 62:1

BLAZING TORCH: A fitting reminder of God’s great covenant with Abraham (Gen 15:17). “Lamp” may sig a son and heir to the throne of David (1Ki 15:4; Psa 132:17).

Isa 62:3

DIADEM: Related High Priest (Exo 28:36-38; Lev 16:4; Zec 3:5; Rev 19:12).

Isa 62:4

“Hephzibah’s reunion with Hezekiah after the miraculous recovery from leprosy would be like remarriage after a disheartening period of divorce. All the circumstances presented a most attractive miniature of God’s recent dealings with His people — their spiritual sickness and desolation, the sudden dramatic divine deliverance, the regathering of the people to their God, the glorifying of Zion’s Temple, and the awe-struck wonder of Gentile nations” (WIsa 526).

DESERTED: The word describes a wife put away or divorced (Isa 54:6,7; 49:14). The Land of Israel, deserted and forsaken, becomes a garden paradise: Isa 35; 41:18-20; 51:3; 55:13.

Isa 62:5

AS A YOUNG MAN MARRIES A MAIDEN: “Hasty marriage is utter folly: tempting God, and courting disaster. Even the more sensible element of the world realizes, and strongly counsels, that acquaintance of at least two years is essential for any reasonable hope of success. A true believer marries after long and prayerful consideration, doing all in seemliness and order, and seeking God’s guidance every step of the way — in joyful harmony with the Body, and with all who are intimately concerned and affected” (GVG).

MAIDEN: Temple virgins (2Ch 36:17; cp ref to priest: Isa 61:10)?

SO WILL YOUR SONS MARRY YOU: “Richer expression than that never could be given to the essential poetry of men’s vital union with one significant land” (TM 39).

SONS: Or “disciples”, as in 1Ki 20:35; Heb 2:13; Mat 12:27. Or “builders”, by slight emendation (see v 6: walls, etc; cp idea, Psa 147:2).

Isa 62:6

Vv 6,7: “Here is a clear mandate to the Lord’s faithful remnant to besiege heaven with their prayers for the open assertion of the authority and righteousness of God in the earth. Isaiah knew nothing of the doctrine that God is working to a rigid unadjustable chronological timetable. He had no use for disciples who faithlessly omit to pray with all their heart and soul for the vindication of the holiness of their God. The NT counterpart to these words is the Lord’s intense parable about the importunate widow [Luk 18:1-8], a parable framed before and behind with warnings about the 2nd Coming” (WIsa 527).

DAY OR NIGHT: Same word “continual” burnt offering.

Isa 62:8

RIGHT HAND: Strength (Exo 15:6; Psa 20:6; 63:8; 118:15,16); righteousness (Psa 48:10); authority (Isa 62:8); honor (Gen 48:13-18; 1Ki 2:19); salvation (Psa 17:7; 60:5); and fellowship (Psa 16:11).

Isa 62:10

PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE PEOPLE: Cp Isa 40:3,9,10.

Isa 62:12

SOUGHT AFTER: “The surpassing grace of God is seen very clearly in that we were not only sought, but sought out… We were mingled with the mire: we were as when some precious piece of gold falls into the sewer, and men gather out and carefully inspect a mass of abominable filth, and continue to stir and rake, and search among the heap until the treasure is found. Or, to use another figure, we were lost in a labyrinth; we wandered hither and thither, and when mercy came after us with the gospel, it did not find us at the first coming, it had to search for us and seek us out; for we as lost sheep were so desperately lost, and had wandered into such a strange country, that it did not seem possible that even the Good Shepherd should track our devious roamings… No gloom could hide us, no filthiness could conceal us, we were found and brought home… Strange and marvellous are the ways which God used in their case to find His own. Blessed be His name, He never relinquishes the search until the chosen are sought out effectually” (CHS).

NO LONGER DESERTED: Ct Christ’s words in Mat 23:38.

Isa 60:1

Isa 60: Numerous //s with Psa 72: Gentiles, glory, Arabs, etc. Also, //s with Rev 21: Gentile kings, open gates, city of God, glory, light, etc.

THE GLORY OF THE LORD RISES UPON YOU: The Shekinah Glory returning from heaven (Eze 43:2-7; cp Zec 14:4).

Isa 60:2

DARKNESS COVERS THE EARTH… THE PEOPLES: “How is it possible for drunken nations, overspread with strong delusion as a thick veil, to hew out for themselves cisterns capable of holding water from the fountain of life?” (Eur 1:27).

Isa 60:3

Gentile tribute brought to the God of Israel (2Ch 32:23). And Gentile “kings” or “wise men” bringing gifts to the baby Jesus (Mat 2:1-12).

Isa 60:4

LIFT UP YOUR EYES AND LOOK ABOUT YOU…: Similar to Isa 49:18.

YOUR SONS COME FROM AFAR…: Similar to Isa 49:22.

Isa 60:5

THE WEALTH ON THE SEAS… THE RICHES OF THE NATIONS: “All the earlier sanctuaries of the Lord were made of Gentile materials. Israel plundered the Egyptians, and from their riches fashioned the tabernacle. David dedicated all the gains of his long series of Gentile wars to the temple which Solomon built. The second temple, built after the Captivity, had the practical encouragement of Cyrus and Darius Hystaspes. The temple built in the time of Jesus was financed by Herod the Great, an Edomite. So it is fitting that in the coming era God will be glorified by the votive offerings of Gentiles (cp Jer 33:9; Deu 33:19)” (WIsa 520). See Exo 12:35,36; 35:21-29; 1Ch 18:11; 22:2,4; 2Ch 2:17,18; Ezr 1:4; Neh 2:8; Rev 21:24; Rom 15:16; 1Pe 2:9,10. See also WEnj 16.

THE WEALTH ON THE SEAS: The gospel “net” gathering in all kinds of fish (Mat 13:47-50; Luk 5:4-7).

RICHES OF THE GENTILES: “But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!” (Rom 11:12).

Isa 60:6

Vv 6,7: “It is noteworthy that nearly all the regions mentioned are Arab territories. The very peoples who are described in the prophets as gloating over the LD discomfiture of Israel (Eze 35:10; 36:2; Oba 1:12; Psa 79:4; 83:3-12) now join Israel in humble submission. Here is the final solution of the vexatious Jew-Arab problem” (WIsa 520).

SHEBA: Cp 1Ki 10:2: Queen of Sheba visiting Solomon.

GOLD AND INCENSE: Brought by the wise men of Mat 2:1-12, who come to the “brightness” of the “star” (Isa 60:3)!

Isa 60:7

MY GLORIOUS TEMPLE: But in the millennium kingdom, will there be animal sacrifice? Consider that in Rev 21, there is a description of the glorified City of God — in which the entire city is the Most Holy (v 16) — there is no mention of sacrifice. Also consider that so much of Isa 60 (vv 4c,8,10a,11a,16ab,17,20a) is figurative language. Christ is the “altar” and the “house of God’s glory”. Also see Lesson, Animal sacrifice in the Kingdom?

Jerusalem: filled with the Glory of God, a center of world renewal: Isa 35:6; 45:4; 46:12; 49:14-26; 51:3-11; 52:1,8-10; 54:11-14; 55:12,13.

Isa 60:8

WHO ARE THESE THAT FLY ALONG LIKE CLOUDS, LIKE DOVES TO THEIR NESTS?: “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1Th 4:17).

DOVES: Suggesting the final Deluge is now past (Gen 8:11; 6:16).

Isa 60:9

WITH THEIR SILVER AND GOLD: Did the returning captives from Assyria/Babylon bring back also the great tribute previously paid by Ahaz and Hezekiah (2Ki 18:15)? Cp v 17. Silver and gold also sym converts: 1Co 3:12.

SHIPS OF TARSHISH: “Trading ships” (NIV mg). The use of “Tarshish” prob expresses type of ship, not origin (MNIV 97,98). Cp usage in Psa 48:7; Isa 23:1,14; Eze 27:25. See Lesson, Tarshish.

Isa 60:10

FOREIGNERS WILL REBUILD YOUR WALLS… KINGS: Cp vv 3,5.

Isa 60:12

THE NATION OR KINGDOM THAT WILL NOT SERVE YOU WILL PERISH; IT WILL BE UTTERLY RUINED: Sennacherib’s Assyrian host (Isa 36: 18-20; 27:11-13,18,20). As to application in Kingdom era, cp Zec 14:17,18.

Isa 60:13

THE PLACE OF MY FEET: The ark of the covenant (1Ch 28:2; Eze 43:7; Isa 66:1).

Isa 60:16

Figure of mother and children in Isaiah: Isa 8:3,4; 11:8; 26:17,18; 28:9; 45:10,11; 46:3,4; 49:15,20-23; 54:1; 60:16; 66:11-13.

YOU WILL… BE NURSED…: Similar to Isa 60:23.

Isa 60:17

INSTEAD OF BRONZE I WILL BRING YOU GOLD: Ct the brass shields which replaced Rehoboam’s shields of gold (2Ch 12:9,10).

GOLD… SILVER: Cp v 9.

Isa 60:19

// Rev 21:23; 22:5.

Isa 60:21

THE SHOOT THAT I HAVE PLANTED: Anticipates the blessing of the Year of Jubilee (2Ki 19:29; Isa 61:3). Ct Christ’s sarcastic ref: Mat 15:13.

THE WORK OF MY HANDS: Cp Eph 2:10-12: “We are his workmanship.”

FOR THE DISPLAY OF MY SPLENDOR: Similar to Isa 49;3.

Isa 60:22

THE LEAST OF YOU: The “little child” of Isa 7:14; 9:6,7; 11:6.

Isa 61:1

THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME: “The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the LORD and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the LORD’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see Isa 42:1-4,7; 49:2,9; 50:4; 51:16)” (NET notes).

FREEDOM FOR THE CAPTIVES: The 200,000 carried captive by Sennacherib’s armies. Cp Isa 42:22; 45:13; 48:20; 49:9,20,21; 51:14; 60:9.

(NT) Fulfilled “this day” by Jesus in Luk 4:17-21. “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me” (cp Joh 1:32; Isa 11:2; 42:1; 48:16; Mic 3:8).

Isa 61:2

TO PROCLAIM THE YEAR OF THE LORD’S FAVOR: Why did Jesus stop here when quoting this passage? Poss to give added impact to what follows. Examples of this technique: Stephen in Act 7:47-50; Jesus in Mat 21:15,16 (Tes 50:251).

Isa 61:3

THOSE WHO GRIEVE IN ZION: Or, perhaps, “mourners OF Zion” — ie, those carried captive to Babylon, lamenting their separation from Zion (cp Psa 137:1-5).

Isa 61:4

THE ANCIENT RUINS… THE PLACES LONG DEVASTATED: The 46 walled cities that Sennacherib destroyed (and prob burned) (Taylor Prism). Ct Moses’ words in Lev 26:21,23 — which follows immediately after the proclamation of Jubilee.

Isa 61:5

ALIENS… FOREIGNERS: “Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ” (Eph 2:12,13).

Isa 61:6

THE WEALTH OF NATIONS: Assyrian plunder, and gifts of tribute from other Gentile nations (2Ch 32:23). Cp Isa 60:5,17.

Isa 61:7

A DOUBLE PORTION: The double blessing of the Year of Jubilee: Lev 25:22.

Isa 61:9

The “seed” or descendants of my people — spiritually — will be found among the Gentiles (nations, goyim) and also among the peoples (amim, ref Israel).

Isa 61:10

DELIGHT… REJOICE: “After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied” (Isa 53:11). For this JOY he endured the cross (Heb 12:2). And so John the Baptist, the friend of the BRIDEGROOM, rejoiced too (Joh 3:29).

GARMENTS OF SALVATION: The “garments of salvation” are the garments of a priest (Exo 28:2,40; Psa 132:9,16; Isa 62:3; Exo 39:22); but they seem also to be the garments of a bridegroom — an interesting combination!

Likewise, also, the priestly garments are in Scripture likened to the uniform and armaments of a warrior (cp Eph 6:10-17).

Both these additional aspects of the priest’s service are instructive: (a) firstly, the priest as the mediator for God Himself, would represent God in His aspect as the Bridegroom, or Husband, of His people Israel, the Bride; and (b) the priest, like a warrior, would wage war against sin in all its manifestations, both personal and institutional — cp 2Co 10:3-5: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

In Psa 45, as well as the Song of Songs, and especially in Rev 19; 21, our great High Priest Jesus Christ appears in his joint “offices” as a victorious general and a loving Bridegroom. And both these (superficially quite disparate) occupations are very appropriate!

BRIDEGROOM… BRIDE: Allusion to Hezekiah and his renewal of marriage with Hephzibah (Isa 62:4,5).

Isa 57:1

THE RIGHTEOUS PERISH: Hezekiah: “In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, ‘This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover’ ” (Isa 38:1). Cp Abijah the son of Jeroboam, the only righteous of his family (1Ki 14:13), and Josiah (2Ki 22:15-20).

THE RIGHTEOUS ARE TAKEN AWAY TO BE SPARED FROM EVIL: (1) For the righteous individual, an evil may await that is so terrible it can make death look like a blessing in disguise — if only we would know. Only the LORD knows for certain, and He “is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works” (Psa 145:17). Accordingly, we can believe and take comfort in the fact that all His choices are right. (2) Or poss “because of wickedness” (cp NET) — ie, the wickedness of the nation. “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa 53:6).

Isa 57:2

“For all his burning enthusiasm, Hezekiah had not been able to carry more than a fraction of the nation with him: ‘The godly man is perished out of the land: and there is none upright among men’ (Mic 7:2)” (WIsa 497).

Isa 57:3

OFFSPRING OF ADULTERERS: “An evil and adulterous generation” (Mat 16:4).

PROSTITUTES: Cp Jezebel, priestess of the Phoenician Baal.

Isa 57:5

YOU BURN WITH LUST: Heb “inflame yourselves”. This verse alludes to the practice of ritual sex that accompanied pagan fertility rites.

YOU SACRIFICE YOUR CHILDREN: “It is even possible that Hezekiah only came to the throne because his older brothers died in this way (2Ki 16:3)” (WIsa 497). Child sacrifice: Jer 7:3; 32:35; Lev 18:21; 20:2-4; 2Ki 23:10.

Isa 57:6

THE SMOOTH STONES: Used, poss, for images of phallus — sym the god’s sexual prowess.

Isa 57:8

YOU UNCOVERED YOUR BED, YOU CLIMBED INTO IT AND OPENED IT WIDE: More graphically, “You have uncovered yourself, mounted your bed, and spread it wide” (Anchor Bible).

YOU LOOKED ON THEIR NAKEDNESS: “Gaze longingly on their genitals” (NET). The Heb is lit “[at] a hand you gaze.” The term “hand,” probably has the sense of “power, manhood” here, where it is used, as in Ugaritic, as a euphemism for the genitals (HAL).

Isa 57:9

YOU WENT TO MOLECH: To the idol, Moloch, not to the king (malak).

YOU SENT YOUR AMBASSADORS FAR AWAY: For example, to Egypt (Isa 30:1-5; 31:1).

Isa 57:12

YOUR WORKS… WILL NOT BENEFIT YOU: The failure of works to justify; salvation is to be acquired without price (Isa 55:1; cp 1Co 13:3).

Isa 57:13

THE WIND WILL CARRY ALL OF THEM OFF: As happened to the residue of Nebuchadnezzar’s image in Dan 2:35.

THE MAN WHO MAKES ME HIS REFUGE: Hezekiah, with allusions to a Passover deliverance.

Isa 57:14

THE OBSTACLES: Cp Christ crucified (Isa 53), to the Jews a stumbling block (1Co 1:23). Yet believers glory in the cross (Gal 6:14)!

Isa 57:15

Vv 15-17: // Isa 6: the vision of Yahweh in the temple: high and lifted up, contrition, and purging of iniquity.

HE WHO LIVES FOREVER: The Most Holy, entered only on Day of Atonement.

Isa 57:17

Vv 17,18: “Hezekiah, dazzled by the allurements of an influential political alliance and egged on by his less godly advisors, signed a treaty of friendship and mutual aid with the men sent by the wily king of Babylon. Hezekiah should have known better” (WIsa 499): Isa 39.

Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler (Barnabas?): ” ‘For the iniquity of his covetousness (‘great possessions’: Luke 18:23) for a little while (ie until Act 4:36) I grieved him (sw Mar 10:22)… and he went (away) sorrowful (sw Mar 10:22)… I have seen his ways (Luk 18:24), and I healed him, and exhorted him, and have given him true exhortation (Act 4:36 sw); peace upon peace to them that are far off (Gentiles: Eph 2:17… the gospel preached to Gentiles by Barnabas and Paul), and to them that are nigh (to Jews also)’ (vv 17-19)” (WIsa 500).

Isa 57:19

PEACE, PEACE… AND I WILL HEAL THEM: ” ‘The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,’ Hezekiah replied. For he thought, ‘There will be peace and security in my lifetime’ ” (Isa 39:8).

Isa 57:20

THE WICKED ARE LIKE THE TOSSING SEA: The chaotic waters are perhaps intended to conjure up the picture — familiar in Canaanite and Babylonian mythology — of the god’s (ie, in this case, Yahweh’s) primordial victory over Leviathan the “god” of the sea: see Lesson, Leviathan — esp “OT History”.

THE WICKED: (1) Sennacherib, and/or (2) Merodach king of Babylon (Isa 39).

Isa 57:21

Cp Isa 48:22. These two similar references to the wicked divide the last portion of Isaiah (40-66) into three equal divisions of 9 chapters each (40-48; 49-57; 58-66).

Contrast with Isa 66:24: “the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me”. Thus the three-fold division of this section of Isaiah: ending with wicked… wicked again… and finally, NO wicked! — for they have all perished.

Thus, there is no peace for the wicked (Isa 48:22), and still no peace for the wicked (Isa 57:20,21)… until, finally, they all perish. Then, at last, they find “peace”: the peace of death!

Isa 58:1

Background: Hezekiah’s treaty with the king of Babylon brought stinging rebuke from Isaiah (Isa 39), as well as from Micah (Mic 3:12). This caused Hezekiah to repent immediately (Jer 26:18,19), and the threatened destruction of Jerusalem was stayed. Isa 58 (actually Isa 57:14 – Isa 58), with its Day of Atonement allusions, commemorates this royal and national repentance.

LIKE A TRUMPET: Ref the Shofar which sounded at the Feast of Trumpets 10 days earlier, and also to bring in the Day of Atonement itself.

DECLARE TO MY PEOPLE THEIR REBELLION AND… THEIR SINS: Yom Kippur was the outstanding day in the year when remembrance was made of sins committed.

Isa 58:3

Vv 3-6: Sustained allusions to fasting. The only prescribed fast of the LM was on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:29,31). Cp Mat 9:9-18: Matthew’s feast, and Pharisees’ criticisms: re fasting and new garments.

WHY HAVE WE FASTED… AND YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT?: Self-satisfaction with the externals of worship! But nothing was changed underneath the “veneer” (vv 4-7).

YET… YOU DO AS YOU PLEASE…: They had come to think that their physical acts of worship on this one day were sufficient, and they need not examine and change their spirits, nor their actions, for the other 364 days of the year!

Isa 58:5

FOR BOWING ONE’S HEAD LIKE A REED: “Let us not bend ourselves over so far that we can only see our own prostration” (Xd 92:203).

Isa 58:6

Isa 58:6,

Vv 6,7: “What if we shut up the bowels of our compassion towards those who suffer? What if with plenty in our hands, we think only of our own need, and our own comfort, and our schemes are shaped and burdened only and continually with our own cares and our own interests? What if we never help the heavy burdens under which so many around us are staggering to the grave? What if we practice a habit of absolute indifference to the yokes, and the oppressions and difficulties which are crushing to the earth our neighbours on every hand? Is it not obvious that in that case, we are in the exact position of Israel, ‘delighting in Yahweh’s ways’ after a fashion, but to no profit, because He takes no pleasure in us?” (SC 27).

TO SET THE OPPRESSED FREE AND BREAK EVERY YOKE: The Year of Jubilee (with the release of slaves) began on the evening of the Day of Atonement (Lev 25:9). The year of deliverance from Sennacherib’s hordes was the only Year of Jubilee mentioned in the Bible (2Ki 19:29). What God had done for them (Exodus, Sennacherib’s destruction), they must now do for others!

Isa 58:7

“This eloquent passage surely applied the judicial pronouncement which dominates Christ’s own picture of the Last Judgment… Mat 25:35,36” (WIsa 503).

Isa 58:8

THEN YOUR LIGHT WILL BREAK FORTH LIKE THE DAWN: In this context, the manifestation of the Shekinah Glory over the mercy seat (cp Isa 60:1; Psa 80:1).

THE GLORY OF THE LORD WILL BE YOUR REAR GUARD: Links this with the pillar of cloud and fire which guided and protected Israel in their deliverance from Egypt (Exo 14:19).

BREAK FORTH… RIGHTEOUSNESS… GLORY: These terms also appear together in a psalm for the Day of Atonement (Psa 85:9-11).

Isa 58:9

THEN YOU WILL CALL: The communal prayer of the nation whilst the High Priest was in the Most Holy on the Day of Atonement.

YOKE OF OPPRESSION… FINGER: “They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them” (Mat 23:4).

Isa 58:10

YOUR LIGHT WILL RISE IN THE DARKNESS…: Another allusion to the Shekinah Glory shining forth on the Day of Atonement (cp v 8).

Isa 58:12

YOU WILL BE CALLED REPAIRER OF BROKEN WALLS…: Of course it is Yahweh who actually does all this, but the repentance of the nation will bring about such repairs and restorations!

Isa 58:14

TO RIDE ON THE HEIGHTS OF THE LAND…: Cp Deu 32:9,13.

Isa 59:2

YOUR INIQUITIES… YOUR SINS: Continuation of Day of Atonement background/theme from Isa 58.

YOUR SINS HAVE HIDDEN HIS FACE FROM YOU: Isaiah’s vision of the seraphim with the covered faces (Isa 6:2). Adam and Eve driven from garden of Eden. Ct Isa 53:3.

Isa 59:3

YOUR HANDS ARE STAINED WITH BLOOD: A grim irony: it was supposed to be the hands of the High Priest stained with blood, as he offered the sacrificial blood on the mercy seat on Day of Atonement!

LIPS… TONGUE: Respectively, open and secret lies.

Isa 59:4

Isa 59:4

THEY CONCEIVE TROUBLE: Cit Psa 7:14, re the traitor who plots against the life of God’s Beloved.

Isa 59:5

“Here is all the quiet evil of the serpent, as in Eden. It is even possible that the worship of the brazen serpent, stamped out by Hezekiah, had secretly come into being again” (WIsa 506).

Israel as a generation of serpents: Luk 3:7; Mat 12:34.

SPIDER’S WEB: “Custom, reputation, praise, advancement, and other flies, are the small game which hypocrites take in their nets. A spider’s web is a marvel of skill: look at it and admire the cunning hunter’s wiles. Is not a deceiver’s religion equally wonderful? How does he make so barefaced a lie appear to be a truth? How can he make his tinsel answer so well the purpose of gold? A spider’s web comes all from the creature’s own bowels. The bee gathers her wax from flowers, the spider sucks no flowers, and yet she spins out her material to any length. Even so hypocrites find their trust and hope within themselves… But a spider’s web is very frail. It is curiously wrought, but not enduringly manufactured. It is no match for the servant’s broom, or the traveller’s staff… Hypocritical cobwebs will soon come down when the besom of destruction begins its purifying work… Such cobwebs are not to be endured in the Lord’s house: He will see to it that they and those who spin them shall be destroyed for ever” (CHS).

WHEN ONE IS BROKEN, AN ADDER IS HATCHED: If one seeks to crush their eggs (as in Gen 3:15), then the serpents break forth anyway.

ADDER: Heb “ephgeh”, from rt “to hiss”. Used only here. The serpent lie: Gen 3; 2Co 11:3,4. The seed of the serpent: sin and death: Jam 3:14,15. See Article, Viper of Isa 59.

Isa 59:6

THEIR COBWEBS ARE USELESS FOR CLOTHING: Like the sinners in Eden, they fashion ingenious coverings of their own, contrary to what God has commanded, and in a vain attempt to hide themselves from God (Gen 3:7).

Isa 59:7

Cit Rom 3:15-17, to prove that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin (Rom 3:9). This whole passage (Isa 59) suggests the plans and trials of High Priest, Herod, and Pilate [both Jews and Gentiles] to destroy Jesus: cp Mat 27:4.

Isa 59:8

THE WAY OF PEACE THEY DO NOT KNOW: Cp Isa 57:21. They cannot receive the blessing of “Peace” from the lips of the High Priest. Cp Christ’s words in Luk 19:42.

THEY HAVE TURNED THEM INTO CROOKED ROADS: And John the Baptist urges that crooked roads should/must be made straight (Isa 40:3,4; Luk 3:5). Cp Paul’s charge against Elymas the sorcerer: Act 13:10.

Isa 59:9

WE LOOK FOR LIGHT: The shining forth of the Shekinah Glory on Day of Atonement, signifying forgiveness of sins and renewal of nation.

BUT ALL IS DARKNESS: But there is no Glory of God to shine forth…

BRIGHTNESS: Heb “nogah” (Isa 60:3; 62:1) — which always ref the Shekinah Glory of Yahweh.

Isa 59:10

LIKE THE BLIND WE GROPE ALONG THE WALL: The Wailing Wall!

AT MIDDAY WE STUMBLE: Saul of Tarsus, making haste to shed innocent blood (Isa 59:7), is struck blind at noon (Act 22:6)! At crucifixion, darkness over Land from 6th to 9th hr (Luk 23:49). Cp the men of Sodom (Gen 19:11).

Isa 59:12

Vv 12-16: “The point here is simple: no amount of human effort or cleverness, no reliance on legalism or the keeping of rules, can acquit mankind from a sweeping and utterly justified condemnation before God. V 13 compresses the proven indictment into ‘Guilty on two counts — crime against God and against one’s neighbour’… From this guilt there is no escape by any human means… Was His great purpose, begun in Eden, to come to nought? So He went into action” (WIsa 509).

Isa 59:16

HE SAW THAT THERE WAS NO ONE: Similar ideas in Isa 63:5; Jer 5:1; Eze 22:30. This also explains Exo 2:12: when Moses saw no man.

HIS OWN ARM: Cp Isa 51:9; 53:1.

Isa 59:17

“Sin has not only to be atoned for, but also slain. So the equipment of the High Priest — breastplate, crown, ephod, girdle and the rest — become the accoutrements of a warrior: a different kind of breastplate, a helmet of salvation, garments of vengeance (ct v 6), zeal as a cloak (sw Isa 9:7), the girdle of truth, and the sword of the Sprit (v 21). And all who join in this war must be similarly equipped with ‘the whole armor of God’ — it is called that because He is the Commander-in-chief and He provides the equipment (Eph 6:14-17; 1Th 5:8)” (WIsa 511).

THE HELMET OF SALVATION ON HIS HEAD: The crown of thorns.

Isa 59:20

To fulfill prayer of Psa 14:7. See Rom 11:26 — blindness to Israel (v 10), fullness of Gentiles (Isa 60), then Israel is also saved (here): Jer 31:34. Zion — site of Shekinah Glory (Isa 56:7; 60:7). The glory departed (Eze 10:18; 11:23), but will return (Eze 43:2-5). “Thy light is come” (Isa 60:1).

REDEEMER: Heb “gaal” = near-kinsman.

ZION: See Rev 14:1n; Isa 60:16.

Isa 59:21

OR FROM THE MOUTHS OF YOUR CHILDREN: At the time of the great Assyrian invasion, Hezekiah had no child ; here is a promise of the birth of a seed — Manasseh.

Isa 54:1

Figure of mother and children in Isaiah: Isa 8:3,4; 11:8; 26:17,18; 28:9; 45:10,11; 46:3,4; 49:15,20-23; 54:1; 60:16; 66:11-13.

Perhaps, Hezekiah’s 2 wives: 1st, a concubine, with children, carried captive to Nineveh (as implied in the Taylor Prism; cp Mic 4:8-11); 2nd, Hephzibah, remained in Jerusalem, but no children, treated as a widow due to Hezekiah’s leprosy (cp Isa 26:17,18). Or poss, both women are Hephzibah!

Cp Isa 51:2,3: “Look to Abraham… and Sarah.” Sarah and Hagar, an allegory: Gal 4:21-31: 2 women, 2 sons, 2 mountains, 2 cities.

Zion, as the “mother” of God’s family: Isa 49:14,15; 51:3; 60:7,10; 62:4,6; 66:7-14; Gen 2:22; Eph 2:21 with 5:27; Rev 21:9,10.

A great miracle: a “eunuch” (cp Isa 53:8) and a barren “woman” (Jerusalem) conceive a “seed” (Isa 53:10). This amazed the Ethiopian eunuch (Act 8:33,34; cp Isa 56:3-8). Many more “children” were born to Israel in her “desolate” state (ie AD 70 and after) than at any other time.

Isa 54:2

PLACE: Maqom = a sanctuary!

CURTAINS… CORDS… STAKES: The impermanence of the figure (ie, tent rather than temple) suggests earthly Jerusalem, which 1st-cent Christians were to abandon.

Isa 54:3

NATIONS: Philistines, Edomites, Moabites, gathered into Hezekiah’s kingdom (Taylor Prism; Isa 63:1-4; 11:14). Gentile inheritance: Isa 55:5; 61:9; 65:1.

THEIR DESOLATE CITIES: Cities in Judah ravaged by Sennacherib (Isa 44:26).

Isa 54:5

YOUR MAKER IS YOUR HUSBAND: Intensive plurals: “Your mighty maker shall be your glorious husband.” Cp Isa 62:5.

HE IS CALLED THE GOD OF ALL THE EARTH: “The whole earth is his glory” (Isa 6:3 mg).

Isa 54:8

SURGE: Heb “shetseph”, only here. According to BDB, a variant of a word for “flood” (cp v 9).

Isa 54:9

LIKE THE DAYS OF NOAH: The reference to the days of Noah suggests the Assyrian invasion was like the Flood! (Isa 8:7,8; 17:12). Then Jerusalem was the only “ark” of safety (Isa 1:7,8). There, at Passover, Judah was saved (cp Isa 26:20,21), whilst all about there was death.

For the future: Eze 37:11.

Isa 54:10

// Psa 46:2,5-11.

NOR MY COVENANT OF PEACE BE REMOVED: Peter’s stmt: “Be it far from thee, Lord” (Mat 16:22) is lit (Mercy to thyself, O Lord” — an allusion to Isa 54:10 (LXX). Peter’s response to Christ’s warnings re his sufferings (Isa 53).

Isa 54:11

LASHED BY STORMS: And then, in one of those breath-taking figurative leaps which the prophet Isaiah seems to enjoy, the ship of salvation, tossed by the tempest, is all at once transformed into a beautiful temple! // Isa 33:23,31.

“It is no wonder, when we consider the part gems play in the glory of man and the pleasure they give to him when he feasts his eye upon their glory and the riot of colour, that the Creator of this earth with all its treasures takes hold of that which constitutes its radiance and glory and teaches by it a lesson. A perfected gemstone in its relation to light is a fitting symbol, of that relationship that will obtain when the living gemstones, gathered from among the peoples of the earth, shall ornament the earth with the charm of colour and beauty that they are to reflect from the Sun of Righteousness, whom God has formed to be His light bearer to the sons of men. To them, during the painful time of their cutting and polishing, the symbol when understood, will bring a message of hope, and patience and comfort, the requisites required to sustain them during the trial” (Wright).

NOT COMFORTED: A play of word “Noah”!

Isa 54:13

Moses was shown the tabernacle pattern in mount (Exo 25:40). Bezaleel and Aholiab were endowed with wisdom (Exo 31:3). Cp David in 1Ch 28:19.

ALL YOUR SONS WILL BE TAUGHT BY THE LORD: “No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth” (Rev 14:3).

GREAT WILL BE YOUR CHILDREN’S PEACE: Or, “Great will be the Salem of your builders.”

Isa 54:17

NO WEAPON: Assyrian weapons!

EVERY TONGUE: Including Rabshakeh’s!

Isa 55:1

Isa 55: See Article, “My soul thirsts for God” (Isa 55).

Outline of Isa 55: Vv 1-3: Messiah’s appeal (cp Joh 7:37,38; 19:34); v 4: God proclaims Messiah to nation; v 5: God speaks to Messiah; vv 6-13: Messiah’s appeal renewed.

The gospel message: For all who thirst, open to everyone, no price to pay, not to be gained by one’s own work (v 2), promise of kingdom (v 3), for Gentiles as well as Israel (v 5).

COME, ALL YOU WHO ARE THIRSTY: Historical relevance: the conduit of Hezekiah? Cp Psa 42:1,2; 63:1-3.

WITHOUT MONEY AND WITHOUT COST: “[Some] men sometimes think that they give all that is required of them in giving money. This has been one of the great errors of Christendom, the attempt to buy that which is ‘without money and without price’. It is true that the apostle Paul says something regarding spiritual and carnal things which seems to suggest reciprocity in these matters. We must not put his teaching upside down, however. He says that Gentiles who are partakers of Israel’s spiritual riches have a duty to minister in carnal matters. He certainly does not suggest that carnal wealth can buy the spiritual treasures. The two kinds of riches are on a different plane. The currency is different and there is no known rate of exchange. The wealthy man who goes to his chapel with a feeling that he can purchase anything and a readiness to give of his abundance [only] if the service pleases him, is not likely to receive any real spiritual food. He is not in the right condition to appreciate it. Possibly husks please him best. If so he can buy what he requires” (PrPr).

Isa 55:3

“If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever” (Joh 6:51).

MY FAITHFUL LOVE PROMISED TO DAVID: AV has “sure mercies”. Psa 132: ref promise to Hezekiah of a continuance of Davidic Kingdom through him.

Isa 55:5

Gentile nations come to worship the God of Israel: 2Ch 32:23. In NT, cp Gal 3:16,27-29; Col 1:26,27.

Isa 55:6

Vv 6,7: Repentance and humility: uncommon to all men: Jer 3:17; 17:9; Ecc 8:11; Mat 19:17.

SEEK THE LORD WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND: Or else, “you shall seek me, and shall not find me” (Joh 7:34; cp Pro 1:28). The theme of seeking, all through Joh 7: Joh 7:11,18-20,25,30,34,36).

“We must get closer to God. It is pressing and urgent. It is the whole purpose of our lives. We are never close enough. Our whole life’s main endeavor must be a continuous drawing closer to Him. His Word is the great bridge across the chasm, the golden pathway through the vast wilderness. We get closer to Him by study and meditation and prayer and love and holiness — not little dabs lost in the endless busy-ness of other things, but as a total dedication that overshadows everything, and gives direction and color to everything we do: a fixed and constant purpose in life to which all else takes a proper secondary position. Let us realize the immensity of this call to divinity and eternity — brief, crawling worm that man is. If it does not totally seize and transform us, we are not of the people of God, but a mere incidental part of the passing background for the development of the people of God. Orthodoxy, with its bloated views of human worth and ‘natural immortality’, may well expect painless, effortless salvation: and automatic passing on to a naturally-destined higher state. But those who have been enlightened to man’s utter perishing and mortal insignificance should know much better than this” (GVG).

Isa 55:8

Vv 8-11 focus on the reliability of the divine word and support the promises before (vv 3-5,7) and after (vv 12,13) this. Israel can be certain that repentance will bring forgiveness and a new covenant relationship because God’s promises are reliable. In contrast to human plans (or “thoughts”), which are destined to fail (Psa 94:11) apart from divine approval (Pro 19:21), and human deeds (or “ways”), which are evil and lead to destruction (Pro 1:15-19; 3:31-33; 4:19), God’s plans are realized and His deeds accomplish something positive.

Isa 55:10

The very sign of great fertility promised by God in midst of Sennacherib’s siege (Isa 37:30).

// Ecc 11:1-6.

Isa 55:13

The feast of tabernacles. The gracious rain of God’s word transforms “thorns” and “briers” into beautiful, fruitful trees.

AN EVERLASTING SIGN: Cp Isa 56:5: everlasting name. Ct Isa 53:8: cut off out of land of living.