One thing that perplexes me is why people buy music albums that include all of the TOP HITS from the past year...you know those WOW Hits albums for Christian music lovers or the NOW (That's What I Call Music) albums for the secular music scene. Why do I feel this way? Well, let's be honest, they should name these albums "The Most Overplayed Songs of the Past Year." After a year of repetitive playing, I want nothing to do with these songs! In fact, I curse the day that the artists who wrote these songs were born. My overfamiliarity literally breeds contempt! In my contempt, the artist and the overplayed song become one and the same to me and the artist's entire musical identity is encapsulated in the overplayed song (even though the artist has actually written many other songs!). And so Michael W. Smith is whittled down to the song "Friends" and One Direction is whittled down to "What Makes You Beautiful" and Justin Bieber becomes "Baby."
Well, in a similar way, the book of Isaiah has fallen victim to the problem of overfamiliarity. Maybe people don't have contempt for the book but in their overfamiliarity they certainly have made the book out to be one-dimensional...a book of predictions about the coming of Jesus. This is because the book of Isaiah contains many of the Bible's TOP HITS passages (7:14; 9:6; 53:5) and they all seem to relate to the future coming of Jesus. And so people think that predictions about the coming Messiah encapsulate the entire book. But the book is about so much more than this! So what is the book about? Let's take a look...
THE STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 1-39
Isaiah 1-39 appears to be a self-contained unit of thought. This is a common conclusion based on the twin facts that 1.) Isaiah BEGINS by mentioning that Isaiah's tenure as prophet spanned the reigns of King Uzziah through KING HEZEKIAH (1:1) and 2.) Isaiah 39 ENDS with Isaiah's prophecy concerning KING HEZEKIAH. This is a neat and tidy way to begin and end a SINGLE book, don't you think? And this is why Isaiah 1-39 is commonly called BOOK ONE of Isaiah.
BOOK ONE is structured very carefully. And out of this careful structure, Isaiah's primary message emerges. Chapter 1 introduces the main themes that will be played out and developed throughout BOOK ONE. Then things get interesting! Chapters 2-12 and 28-39 parallel each other. How so? Both tell of God's judgment against Israel and Judah (that is, the northern and southern tribes of the divided kingdom). Also, there is ONE extended narrative in each of these two sections that contrast with each other. King Ahaz's UNFAITHFULNESS (Isa. 7-8) contrasts with King Hezekiah's FAITHFULNESS (Isa. 36-39). Between these two sections in chapters 13-27 God announces His judgment against the NATIONS (AND surprisingly judgment also against Jerusalem!). So here's the structure of Isaiah 1-39...
ISRAEL JUDGED -> ALL NATIONS JUDGED -> ISRAEL JUDGED
What does this structure tell us so far? BOOK ONE is primarily about God's judgment against ALL NATIONS. But the structure is more intricate than this. Within each of the three JUDGMENT sections are glimmers of hope for BOTH God's people and the NATIONS. In each section, God makes it clear that out of judgment, SALVATION will be made available to ALL NATIONS who turn to Him. Here are those passages of hope...
[Section 1: Isa. 2-12] 2:1-5; 4:2-6; 7:14-17; 9:1-7; 11:1-16; 12:1-6
[Section 2: Isa. 13-27] 14:32; 16:5; 17:7-14; 18:7; 19:16-25; 20:1-6; 23:15-18
[Section 3: Isa. 28-39] 30:18-26; 32:1-33:24; 35:1-10
Notice that these are the passages that most people are familiar with; these are the TOP HITS passages. I guess happy verses sell well!
THE BOTTOM LINE
So how are we to make sense of all this information? A unique aspect of BOOK ONE of Isaiah is that it highlights the NATIONS (they literally stand at the center of the book!). Sure Isaiah singles out God's people at various points (Chapters 1-12 & 28-39). BUT it is also interesting that God's people are treated just like any other nation in Isaiah 13-27 where they are included in the judgment oracles against the NATIONS (22:1-25). This simply reinforces God's heart that has existed from the very beginning (and certainly from the time of Abraham)...The scope of God's affection (for better or worse, for blessing or curse) extents to ALL NATIONS!
But even though the NATIONS seem to be a central focus of the book, God makes it clear that SALVATION is still to be mediated through His chosen people, Israel. We see this especially in those passages where God offers hope to the NATIONS (see above & 19:16-25). Notice that in all of these passages, Israel plays a pivotal role in bringing God's blessings to the NATIONS. And so God's plan has NOT changed! The Abrahamic Covenant is still in play! ALL NATIONS will still be blessed through Abraham!
But how do we (and the NATIONS) get our hands on God's salvation and blessing? This question is answered through the two contrasting narratives of Ahaz and Hezekiah. But diving into this will have to wait until part 2...
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