Traveling along the road through the Scriptures, we now come to rest at the book of Isaiah. Many of us have read portions from the book of Isaiah even if we didn’t realize we were doing so. Remember the Christmas stories? Many of the strands that weave the story together comes from Isaiah. Even read Matthew’s entire gospel? He is led by the Holy Spirit to look at Isaiah in order to understand Jesus. Throughout the book of Isaiah, especially the latter half (verses 40-66), we see verses that point to Jesus Christ’s birth, death, resurrection, glorification, and so much more. This is truly marvelous and miraculous when we consider the point that Isaiah was written nearly 700 years before Jesus had arrived on earth. Interestingly enough, because his writings have found fulfillment in the Savior, Isaiah has sometimes been nicknamed “the Fifth Gospel”. Furthermore, another interesting fact to point out is that there are 66 books in the Bible as there are 66 chapters in Isaiah. The first 39 books are known to us as the Old Testament, and the first 39 chapters of Isaiah deal with many Old Testament themes. The remaining 27 books of the Bible are what we Christians called the New Testament, and likewise Isaiah 40-66 has 27 chapters and the theme dramatically shifts, from Israel’s sin and God’s judgment to God’s promise of a deliverer in order to save Israel.
It was not easy for Isaiah to do this, for he had been the potential to make his way up into the world and become a part of high society. His could have lived his life on easy street, but God had more important work for him to do. His country was in the midst of political and international turmoil, and Isaiah was given the difficult task of speaking truth to power, not only by telling people of their sins and the impending judgment, but also that God is their only true source of salvation and that nothing else could save.
The relevance for this book for us living today is to remember that what happened to Israel on a small scale is what had happened to all of humanity on a grand scale. All human beings walked away from a relationship with God. Yet, the hope lies in the fact that just as a Savior had come as Isaiah predicted who would be called, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace” that this Savior is not merely meant to save Israel but all of humanity.
Isaiah also gives us a clue as to how this will all come about: the King of Kings would come, and He would bring victory, but that victory would come through His own suffering throughout His life and especially on the cross. There could be (and probably are) many books written on the topic of Isa. 52:13-53:12, but the key remains the same, “by His stripes, we are healed”. This healing means we have been forgiven of sin and given a new start.
The same message that was given to Isaiah has been given to us not simply to speak to one individual or one country but all the nations of the world. For just as all have been affected by sin, all now have the opportunity to come to this same Suffering Servant, this Glorious King of Kings. While Isaiah could only look forward in faith and catch a glimpse of who this Savior was, we in the church today have the blessing of looking back and knowing that He is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and by believing we may have life in His name. This holy responsibility is not always an easy one, and like Isaiah, we in the church stand as a prophetic witness, speaking truth to power today, but also like Isaiah, we do not have to fear that we do this alone. When Isaiah was first called by God to be a prophet, he admitted he was a sinner, and called himself a “man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips”, and yet God equipped Isaiah with the Holy Spirit to do the work He called Isaiah to do. So also we as Christians, although we too are sinners, have been summoned by God through His Son Jesus Christ. And like Isaiah, we have been equipped with the Holy Spirit to speak, think, act, and share this gospel to all.
Read through the book of Isaiah, especially the last 27 chapters and notice the picture emerging. What once was broken has become, through the Servant, restored and this means a new creation has come to birth. Keep reading to see what this new creation is like, as it starts with the coming of the Servant and continues on into eternity. This is done through the One that Isaiah had spoken of in his familiar words we read at Christmastime: “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him ‘Immanuel’ which means “God with us”, and the blessed news is that He is still with us today!
Your Brother,
Craig