Isaiah 58-59

Often we blame God when God seems far away from us.  That is what Isaiah's readers were doing.  But God explains that the root problem is their sin, not him.  They fast and do lots of other religious things, but they don't care for the poor and they don't obey God's commands.  This passage is a great call to repentance, to ask ourselves where we are falling short in these areas and to seek forgiveness and to begin obeying.  In chapter 59 we see that the problems of sin and injustice are rampant, and that ultimately it is God and God alone who will bring justice and salvation.  Read it here.

Isaiah 56-57

One of the themes in Isaiah, is that the good news is good for more than just Israel.  In Isaiah 56 two groups traditionally excluded from worship are given hope: they will be brought to the house of God to worship, they will be invited to join in prayer with God's people.  We are beneficiaries of that promise.  Jesus was frustrated with the people of his day who ignored it and did not take seriously the idea that God's temple was to be a place where all nations would pray to God. The passage then moves to an accusation against those who are wicked, but ends on another note of comfort.  Those who are humble will receive grace.  It is a great reminder that the path to God is always repentance and humility not pride and boasting.  God in chapter 57 sees the sin, yet accepts those who are contrite.  Read it here.

Isaiah 54-55

I don't think it is a coincidence that after presenting us with a vivid account of the good news about Jesus in Isaiah 52-53 that the tone of the book of Isaiah begins to change.  In light of Jesus having suffered for us, God can now reassure us that the day of his wrath toward us is over.  In fact he can invite us to come to him.  Chapter 55 is a beautiful picture of blessing and grace.  When God says that his thoughts are not our thoughts, that we cannot understand his ways, he speaks the truth.  Isaiah himself didn't even understand the full implications of what he was writing.  But God's word was not going to be in vain. His promise to send his servant to suffer and the invitation to return to him that that made possible would surely come to pass, but not for many years and in ways no human could have predicted.  These verses are a great opportunity to begin looking forward to the future blessing we have in Christ and to know that just as God's promise to them came true, so will his promise to us.  Read it here.

Isaiah 52-53

Today we reach the highpoint of the entire Old Testament.  If the whole point of the Old Testament was to prepare us for and point us toward Christ, if Christ himself was the end of the law (Romans 10), if Jesus could open the scriptures and show how they all pointed toward him (Luke 24), then we must delight in Isaiah 52-53.  For the Ethiopian eunuch, the confusion about who the servant was that had been building as he read Isaiah reached its highest point when he got to chapter 53.  This is the last and greatest of the servant songs.  In it we see Jesus described more vividly than anywhere else in the Old Testament, how he bore our transgressions and how he is brought back to life and vindicated by God.  Take time just to worship a God who suffered for us and who has also triumphed for us.  Read it here.

Isaiah 50-51

Today we have another one of the "Servant Songs" in Isaiah.  Do you remember how in the book of Acts the Ethiopian eunuch had been reading from this part of Isaiah and was confused about who it was talking about?  He was confused for a good reason.  Isaiah uses "I" here, so he doesn't seem to be talking about Israel.  In fact in places in these chapters there is a contrast with Israel.  We might think "I" is Isaiah himself, but in places in these chapters the I seems to be God.  But the picture of God as a suffering servant didn't seem to make sense either.  God intended for these verses to be confusing until Jesus would come to fulfil them.  He is the one who allowed himself to be beaten and humiliated.  He is the one who would remove the cup of God's wrath by drinking the cup himself.  Read it here.

Isaiah 48-49

Now the focus shifts back to Israel.  These chapters show the depth of God's love for his people.  On the one hand, he loves them to much to let them go in their sin and rebellion, but on the other hand he will not let them go in captivity, he will free them.   Chapter 49 in particular has a lot of incredible imagery that shows the depths of God's love for his people.  It will be a long time before I can read 49:16 and not remember the drama Cornerstone did about the wood carver.  Read it here.

Isaiah 46-47

In these chapters the focus is on Babylon.  These would have been words of hope to those living in exile under Babylonian rule.  God used Babylon to punish Israel, but God sees its wickedness and will humiliate both it and its gods.  When I read passages like this it is a reminder that whatever powerful forces there are in our day that set themselves up against Jesus Christ will not triumph in the end.  In their day and in ours, God wins.  Read it here.