Engaging Gospel Doctrine 115.2
Lesson 38 (Study Notes): “Beside Me There Is No Saviour”
Class Member Reading: Isaiah 40- 49Isaiah 40-49
God’s People Are Comforted
40Comfort, O comfort my people,says your God.
2Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from theLord’s hand
double for all her sins.What a touching beginning… Comfort, God speaks comfort. Note again that according to this passage, both comfort and punishment come from God.
3A voice cries out:
‘In the wilderness prepare the way of theLord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5Then the glory of theLordshall berevealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of theLordhas spoken.’
6A voice says, ‘Cry out!’
And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’
All people are grass,
their constancy is like the flower of the field.
7The grass withers, the flower fades,
when the breath of theLordblows upon it;
surely the people are grass.
8The grass withers, the flower fades;
but the word of our God will stand for ever.
9Get you up to a high mountain,
OZion, herald of good tidings;
lift up your voice with strength,
OJerusalem, herald of good tidings,
lift it up, do not fear;
say to the cities of Judah,
‘Here is your God!’
10See, the LordGodcomes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in hisarms,
and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep.What touching, nurturing language. The juxtaposition of power and tenderness is remarkable.
12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in ameasure,
and weighed the mountains inscales
and the hills in a balance?Knows creation intimately.
13Who has directed the spirit of theLord,
or as his counsellor has instructed him?
14Whom did he consult for his enlightenment,
and who taught him the path of justice?
Who taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?
15Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted as dust on thescales;
see, he takes up the isles like fine dust.
16Lebanon would not provide fuel enough,
nor are its animals enough for a burnt-offering.
17All the nations are as nothing before him;
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
18To whom then will you liken God,(Worthwhile question. To what degree *can* we comprehend God?)
or what likeness compare withhim?
19An idol? —A workman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it withgold,
and casts for it silver chains.
20As a gift one chooses mulberry wood
—wood that will not rot—
then seeks out a skilled artisan
to set up an image that will nottopple.
21Have you not known? Have you notheard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to live in;
23who brings princes to naught,
and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.(Another theme: the grandeur of God compared to the “nothingness” of humanity. Worth discussing if there is time)
24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.The author portrays God as being in control of life on earth—another worthwhile discussion with trickier implications than we often realize. Does God have “loose” or “tight” control over life and creation? In what ways do they intervene? What are their limitations imposed by themselves or something greater?)
25To whom then will you compare me,
or who is my equal? says the Holy One.(Compare and contrast Ex. 15:11, a very old text “Who among the gods is like you, Lord?” It is instructive to compare the portrayal of God here and in other Biblical passages—this is the first place that full, unambiguous monotheism shows up.)
26Lift up your eyes on high and see:
Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
calling them all by name;(“Far from being rival gods, the heavenly host were created by God and are subject to him, appearing promptly at God’s call” Harper Collins Study Bible note. This is a transition in religious understanding)
because he is great in strength,
mighty in power,
not one is missing.
27Why do you say, OJacob,
and speak, OIsrael,
‘My way is hidden from theLord,
and my right is disregarded by my God’?
28Have you not known? Have you notheard?
TheLordis the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of theearth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
30Even youths will faint and beweary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
31but those who wait for theLordshall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.Love this verse.
Israel Assured of God’s Help
41Listen to me in silence, Ocoastlands;let the peoples renew their strength;
let them approach, then let themspeak;
let us together draw near for judgement.
2Who has roused a victor from theeast,
summoned him to his service?
He delivers up nations to him,
and tramples kings under foot;
he makes them like dust with hissword,
like driven stubble with his bow.
3He pursues them and passes onsafely,
scarcely touching the path with his feet.
4Who has performed and done this,
calling the generations from the beginning?
I, theLord, am first,
and will be with the last.
5The coastlands have seen and areafraid,
the ends of the earth tremble;
they have drawn near and come.
6Each one helps the other,
saying to one another, ‘Take courage!’
7The artisan encourages the goldsmith,
and the one who smooths with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil,
saying of the soldering, ‘It is good’;
and they fasten it with nails so that it cannot be moved.
8But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, myfriend;
9you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, ‘You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off’;
10do not fear, for I am with you,
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.How Firm a Foundation. Such a great hymn.
11Yes, all who are incensed againstyou
shall be ashamed and disgraced;
those who strive against you
shall be as nothing and shallperish.
12You shall seek those who contend with you,
but you shall not find them;
those who war against you
shall be as nothing at all.
13For I, theLordyour God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, ‘Do not fear,
I will help you.’
14Do not fear, you worm Jacob,
you insectIsrael!(well that is intense. “You are a bug! But don’t worry. My favorite bug. And I will keep you from getting squashed” Insect and worm likely refer to Israel compared to its enemies, not from the perspective of God)
I will help you, says theLord;
your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.(Remember that “Redeemer” is also “avenging kinsman”)
15Now, I will make of you a threshing-sledge,
sharp, new, and having teeth;
you shall thresh the mountains and crush them,
and you shall make the hills likechaff.
16You shall winnow them and the wind shall carry them away,
and the tempest shall scatter them.
Then you shall rejoice in theLord;
in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.
17When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none,
and their tongue is parched withthirst,
I theLordwill answer them,
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
18I will open rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the midst of thevalleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool ofwater,
and the dry land springs of water.
19I will put in the wilderness thecedar,
the acacia, the myrtle, and theolive;
I will set in the desert the cypress,
the plane and the pine together,
20so that all may see and know,
all may consider and understand,
that the hand of theLordhas donethis,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.God restores, brings life and abundance.
The Futility of Idols
21Set forth your case, says theLord;bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.
22Let them bring them, and tell us
what is to happen.
Tell us the former things, what they are,
so that we may consider them,
and that we may know their outcome;
or declare to us the things tocome.
23Tell us what is to come hereafter,
that we may know that you aregods;
do good, or do harm,
that we may be afraid and terrified.
24You, indeed, are nothing
and your work is nothing at all;
whoever chooses you is an abomination.
25I stirred up one from the north, and he has come,
from the rising of the sun he was summoned by name.
He shall trampleon rulers as on mortar,
as the potter treads clay.
26Who declared it from the beginning, so that we mightknow,
and beforehand, so that we might say, ‘He is right’?
There was no one who declared it, none who proclaimed,
none who heard your words.
27I first have declared it to Zion,
and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good tidings.
28But when I look there is no one;
among these there is no counsellor
who, when I ask, gives an answer.
29No, they are all a delusion;
their works are nothing;
their images are empty wind.
The Servant, a Light to the Nations
42Here is my servant, whom I uphold,my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.(Repition indicates God’s priorities).
5Thus says God, theLord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk init:
6I am theLord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
7to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8I am theLord, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
9See, the former things have come topass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.
A Hymn of Praise
10Sing to theLorda new song,his praise from the end of the earth!
Let the sea roarand all that fillsit,
the coastlands and their inhabitants.
11Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice,
the villages that Kedar inhabits;
let the inhabitants of Sela sing forjoy,
let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
12Let them give glory to theLord,
and declare his praise in the coastlands.
13TheLordgoes forth like a soldier,
like a warrior he stirs up his fury;
he cries out, he shouts aloud,
he shows himself mighty against his foes.
14For a long time I have held my peace,
I have kept still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out like a woman inlabour,
I will gasp and pant.
15I will lay waste mountains and hills,
and dry up all their herbage;
I will turn the rivers into islands,
and dry up the pools.
16I will lead the blind
by a road they do not know,
by paths they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do,
and I will not forsake them.
17They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame—
those who trust in carved images,
who say to cast images,
‘You are our gods.’
18Listen, you that are deaf;
and you that are blind, look up and see!
19Who is blind but my servant,
or deaf like my messenger whom I send?
Who is blind like my dedicated one,
or blind like the servant of theLord?
20He sees many things, but doesnot observe them;
his ears are open, but he does nothear.(God is noting that though Israel is chosen, it doesn’t realize the significance of God’s actions)
Israel’s Disobedience
21TheLordwas pleased, for the sake of his righteousness,to magnify his teaching and make it glorious.
22But this is a people robbed and plundered,
all of them are trapped in holes
and hidden in prisons;
they have become a prey with no one to rescue,
a spoil with no one to say, ‘Restore!’
23Who among you will give heed tothis,
who will attend and listen for the time to come?
24Who gave up Jacob to the spoiler,
and Israel to the robbers?
Was it not theLord, against whom we have sinned,
in whose ways they would notwalk,
and whose law they would notobey?
25So he poured upon him the heat of his anger
and the fury of war;
it set him on fire all around, but he did not understand;
it burned him, but he did not take it to heart.
Restoration and Protection Promised
43But now thus says theLord,he who created you, OJacob,
he who formed you, OIsrael:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consumeyou.
3For I am theLordyour God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopiaand Seba in exchange for you.
4Because you are precious in mysight,
and honoured, and I love you,(These are words we all long to hear; how powerful is it to see God expressing them. It is a precious gift to be able to feel these words from God. Or anyone, for that matter)
I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5Do not fear, for I am with you;(This is one of our most fundamental needs—to feel we are not alone, that there are people who care about us, who are with us)
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gatheryou;
6I will say to the north, ‘Give themup’,
and to the south, ‘Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth—
7everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.’
8Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes,
who are deaf, yet have ears!
9Let all the nations gather together,
and let the peoples assemble.
Who among them declared this,
and foretold to us the former things?
Let them bring their witnesses to justify them,
and let them hear and say, ‘It istrue.’
10You are my witnesses, says theLord,
and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believeme
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,(As noted, these passages provide the first unambiguous references to monotheism in the Bible)
nor shall there be any after me.
11I, I am theLord,
and besides me there is no saviour.
12I declared and saved and proclaimed,
when there was no strange god among you;
and you are my witnesses, says theLord.
13I am God, and also henceforth I amHe;
there is no one who can deliver from my hand;
I work and who can hinder it?
14Thus says theLord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One ofIsrael:
For your sake I will send to Babylon
and break down all the bars,
and the shouting of the Chaldeans will be turned to lamentation.
15I am theLord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.
16Thus says theLord,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,
17who brings out chariot and horse,
army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,