Chapter 31 - The Second Isaiah

Persian King Cyrus - Babylon god: Marduk
Nabonidus - moon-gad: Sin

Second Isaiah - hears news of Cyrus, the liberal ruler. Writes from 550-540 BCE

Finally: "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God."

Handel’s Messiah:
(1) Overture.
(2) Isaiah 40:1-3 “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned ...“
“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord) make straight in the desert a highway for our God”.
(3) Isaiah 40:4 “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain"
(4) Isaiah 40:5 “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it”.

Error in the text: 48:18-20 should read 40:18-20 (page 538)

It's a fine line, eh? We were taken into exile not because their gods are greater than our God but because our God wanted it. Sounds suspicious to me. We went into exile because we were bad not because your armies were stronger. Because we were bad God made our armies weak and yours strong. Hmmm... yeah, yeah.

"Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see!" - reminds me of Jesus and some of the things he did. Were Jesus' acts to be taken literally or a continuation of this concept: we see and we hear but we don't get it... we don't understand.

I struggle with this: present circumstances reflect the righteous judgment of God. I look around me today and see bad things happening to good people and good things happening to bad people and I can't believe that this reflects the righteous judgment of God.

YHWH will give Egypt and Ethiopia and Seba in ransom for Israel. I struggle with this too. Unless, to the Egyptians, God says, "I will give Ethiopia and Seba and Israel in ransom for Egypt." ...and to the Ethiopians God says, "I will give Egypt and Seba and Israel in ransom for Ethiopia." ... and to the people of Seba God says, "I will give Egypt and Ethiopia and Israel in ransom for Seba." As, in my eyes, we are all part of God's creation. Get over yourselves Israel!

This is good: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."

In Hebrew the word for "word" and the word for "deed" are the same. Well, this is significant. If I once new this I had forgotten it. So God's words are deeds.

The Servant. Establishing justice but gently. The Servant will establish a way of life and will provide teachings that will bring about life. (Sounds like Jesus)

Exiles, Servant, suffering, sin-offering, glorification because of suffering, bore the sin of many... WOW. This language is familiar.

Suffering: a medium of salvation. Only through the suffering of the righteous. The unrighteous cannot be the means of salvation for themselves. Interesting...

It is only by reading the Old Testament that we begin to understand the New Testament.

More Servant: Servant's task is given by God, Servant's task may involve suffering, this suffering will be for the many, Servant is a light to the nations.

The Messiah (kingly) and the Servant (intercessory) are separate images. It is Jesus who brings them together: Who do you say that I am? The Messiah. The Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected.