Week 19 Study Page - Isaiah 13-35

Week #19 Study Page

Isaiah 13-35

About the Book(s)

Isaiah

Date of Authorship: 740-690 BC. Isaiah is writing during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah as mentioned in 1:1 (see picture below).

Author: Isaiah is the author of this book. Tradition maintains that Amoz (Isaiah's father) was a brother of Amaziah, the son of Joash king of Judah (2nd Kings 14:1). This would make Isaiah a close relative to those who were kings during his lifetime, and would explain his close association with the kings and priests. This close relationship to the rulers of Jerusalem may explain why our reading this week includes a 10-verse prophecy (Is. 22:15-24) about who the palace administrator should be. There are some* good (not conclusive in my opinion) reasons to consider Isaiah to be the author of only chapters 1-39 of this book, while chapters 40-66 may belong to to the Babylonian period two centuries later. We'll talk more about that next week.

Purpose: Isaiah is a prophetic message of judgment, coming punishment, deliverance, and restoration. This book defies summary because of its extremely wide variation of oracles directed to a number of different objects (recipients) and for a number of different purposes. Isaiah's prophetic field of vision was broad, widening out to the Messianic age when Israel's hopes and destiny found fulfillment in Christ. With his eyes fixed on the troubled societies of Israel and Judah, and his heart fixed on the faithful covenant God, Isaiah exemplified the spiritual trauma of God. Isaiah's message is as multifaceted as is God's own regard for all the peoples of the World and their faithfulness and unfaithfulness. His message keeps pointing forward, promising a reconciliation, restoration, and justice that will certainly not be realized in his lifetime. these words would have chastened the Israelites for living unfaithfully and given them hope that - despite their behavior - God has a plan and he will make all things right.

structure: the book of Isaiah is an "anthology" of Isaiah's oracles and historical accounts that does not necessarily follow a chronological order. Already, last week, we discussed how the first event in his ministry - his calling - is recorded in chapter six behind five chapters of prophecy that would have been spoken afterwards. the passages appear to be arranged thematically, sometimes according to genre, sometimes according to message. C. Hassell Bullock (An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books) outlines the major sections of Isaiah in the following manner:

1-12: oracles of judgment and hope
13-23: oracles against the nations
- 24-27 eschatological (regarding the end or 'purposed end') summation
28-33: Jerusalem, Egypt, and a prophet in between
- 34-35 eschatological summation
36-39 Historical Bridge
40-66 Oracles of Consolation

As you Read Notes

Historical setting of Isaiah

It is still crucially important to remember that Isaiah is written in a world threatened with destruction at the hand of the Assyrian Empire. Even while Isaiah is writing, Judah and the surrounding countries are being invaded, demolished, and exiled by this terrifyingly powerful army from the East. The kind of destruction that we see Isaiah describing in chapters 24 and 34 should give you an idea of the dread that these people experienced in anticipation of the day when the Assyrians would arrive

The Neo-Assyrian empire was inaugurated soon after Tiglath-Pileser III's accession to the throne in 745 BC. It was not to be overthrown until 612 when Nineveh fell to the alliance of the Medes and Babylonians. The Assyrian kings Tiglath-Pileser III, Shalmaneser V, Sargon II, Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, and Ashurbanipal, are known from the biblical text as well as from many documents recovered from the period. The empire expanded in all four directions; absorbing Uratu to the north, the Medes to the east, Babylonia and Elam to the south, and Syro-Palestine to the west. At its height it included all or part of the modern countries of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Egypt. Assyria's reputation as a militaristic regime is supported by extensive documentation and stands as its historical legacy. Its strategy of psychological warfare included terrifying rhetoric, brutal destructions, and carefully chosen examples of cruel torture. Its expansion was fueled by the potential for economic gain, which would come through the plunder, tribute, and tariffs that would result from control of trade and the trade routes. (The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, Walton, Matthews, & Chavalas)

Isaiah 13-23: The Oracles against the Nations

There are a number of places in the prophetic literature of the Bible where God speaks against certain nations in the near-eastern world. We have already read a section like this, in March of this year, in Amos 1-2; other examples are Jeremiah 46-51, and Ezekiel 25-32. In these passages, it becomes clear that God is not only* concerned with his chosen people Israel. God is also watching, judging, and guiding the nations of the earth and he has a standard that he is holding them to. Reading the Old-Testament, it is easy to get caught up in the Israel story and, for me, to regard the other nations as "the enemies." in doing so, we are forgetting the greater cosmic truth that God is the creator and father of all peoples, not just the nation he chose to bring Jesus through. in most of these oracles, the nations addressed are condemned for some form of injustice and their doom is prophesied. note that Isaiah is not gleeful over their destruction as you might expect him to be as an Israelite. He is depicted at being wracked with pain, and experiencing terror upon hearing from God and proclaiming the fate of these nations (15:5, 16:9, 21:3-4, 22:4). Enemies or not, Isaiah is saddened by the punishment awaiting them.

A literary and historical analysis of these oracles indicates that they were very likely written at various times throughout Isaiah's ministry - not all-at-once. These Oracles seem to span from as early as 734 (the most likely date for the oracle against Syria and Israel in chapter 17) to as late as 701 (the most likely date for the oracle against Tyre/Phoenicia in chapter 23). They are not preserved in chronological or geographical order.

The Nations of Isaiah 13-23

The following is summarized from both The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, Walton, Matthews, & Chavalas, and An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books, Bullock.

Chapters 13-14a: Babylon - Babylon will come to play a huge role in the Old Testament. However, during the time of Isaiah's ministry, they are the conquered vassal state of the Assyrian empire, located just to the south of the Assyrian capitol of Ninevah. Babylon will overtake Assyria as the dominant regional empire in 612 BC, 70 years after the last events recorded in Isaiah.

Chapter 14b: Philistia - At the beginning of Isaiah's ministry, Judah's neighbor to the west was controlled by Judah during the reign of Uzziah. However, they rebelled against Ahaz and became the aggressor ("the rod that struck you is broken" 14:29), attacking Judah. The Philistines would become a vassal state of the Assyrian empire before the end of Isaiah's ministry, and a century after Isaiah, they would be invaded and exiled by the Babylonians at the same time that fate befell Judah. Unlike Judah, the Philistines never regained their territory or kingdom.

Chapters 15-16: Moab - Moab was Judah's neighbor to the east. This oracle seems to be pronounced against them around the time that they formed an alliance with the Philistine city-state Ashdod to oppose the Assyrians in 714. That opposition was short lived and Moab was a vassal state of both the Assyrian and later the Babylonian empires.

Chapter 17: Aram (Damascus) - Aram was an ally of Israel (the northern 10 tribes) and they, together, attacked Judah during the reign of Ahaz and opposed Assyria. This opposition of Assyria was a really bad idea for both of those nations. in 734-732 BC, the Assyrian king Tiglath Pileser III would conduct a brutal, punitive invasion of both of them and deport many of their people away from their homelands.

Chapter 18: Cush (Ethiopia) - This country is not located where the modern nation of Ethiopia is found on a map today. but immediately to the south of Egypt along the Nile in modern-day Sudan. This Oracle seems to coincide with an occasion in 714 BC when the nation of Cush sent emissaries to Jerusalem to invite Judah to join an Anti-Assyrian plot. Isaiah seems to tell these emissaries that the Lord will deliver Judah without their help and that Jerusalem's power is greater than theirs.

Chapter 19: Egypt - Egypt is a divided nation during much of the eighth century, with three different major cities vying for control with varying degrees of success. During the ministry of Isaiah, Egypt would be overtaken from the south by the Ethiopian king Shabaka (which would become the 25th Dynasty of Egypt) , and then they would be invaded from the north and Thebes sacked by the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal in 663 BC.

Chapter 20: Egypt and Cush - later oracles to both Egypt and Cush after the Ashdod revolt of 714 BC. More on Isaiah's warning to not trust Egypt below.

Chapter 21 - (skipping Babylon (pt 2), Edom, and Arabia)

Chapter 22: Jerusalem - here "the valley of vision" is probably referring to the valley of Hinnom just outside of Jerusalem which was often used for pagan divination rituals (see Jeremiah 7:31-34). Judah (the nation of which Jerusalem is the capitol) was nearly swallowed up by the Assyrian empire, under the command of Sennacherib in 701 BC. They resisted and were delivered from siege by God under the reign of Hezekiah (more on him next week) and were one of the few (if not the only) nation to resist Assyrian rule within the vast borders of the Assyrian empire. One reason that Hezekiah and Jerusalem were able to withstand the siege is because of an aqueduct that he constructed to ensure a protected and consistent water supply within the city walls - which makes sense of Isaiah 22:9-11. for pictures of Hezekiah's aqueduct look here http://www.generationword.com/jerusalem101/25-hezekiah-tunnel.html . Judah would not have the same success resisting the Babylonian empire a little more than a century later.

Chapter 23: Tyre (Phoenicia) - This is Judah's neighbor to the North-West, north of Philistia. They were a sea-faring people who conducted trade all around the Mediterranean Sea. Tyre had both a mainland city and an island city 600 yards off the coast. The mainland was conquered and subjected multiple times by the Assyrians who made the Island city a vassal state. the Babylonians, however, only succeeded in conquering the mainland territory and the Island city remained unconquered until Alexander the Great did so in 332 BC.

Isaiah 14:12 The Morning Star

Isaiah 14:12 is a verse that many modern readers understand as describing the fall of Satan. I do not believe that such an interpretation is supported by the context or exegesis of this passage. Instead, this verse is describing the fall of a king of Babylon to whom Isaiah is issuing an oracle.

In the third stanza Isaiah depicted the meteoric fall of the tyrant. Lucifer (this name comes from Jerome's Latin translation of the word translated here: "morning star" - this is the only place that it occurs in the Old Testament) is actually the king of Babylon, not Satan. This king fell like a star from the heavens, i.e., from great political height. He aspired to the assembly of gods in the heights of the north. His destiny, however, was to lie abandoned in the depths of the pit of Sheol (14:12–15). While the king’s spirit had descended to Sheol, his body on earth remained unburied. In the fourth stanza Isaiah described the astonishment on earth over this ultimate disgrace. The onlookers could not believe the terrible fate which the king of Babylon had experienced. Earth’s inhabitants expressed the hope that the name of the tyrant would be forgotten and his heirs destroyed (14:16–21).
James E. Smith, The Major Prophets, Old Testament Survey Series (Joplin, MO: College Press, 1992), Is 14:4b–21.

While Jesus' account of the fall of Satan in Luke 10:18 is very similar to this passage, it is only because he is said to have fallen from heaven. Jesus is called the "morning star" in the New Testament at least once (Revelation 22:16), and possibly twice (2nd Peter 1:19), so it would certainly be a mistake to necessarily associate the 'morning star" of Isaiah 14:12 with Satan.

Isaiah 28-33: The Thing About Egypt is...

The second half of our reading is dominated by Egypt, and Judah's relationship with them. Here, some historical context will be a great deal of help. in 710 (at the height of the power of the Assyrian Empire) the prolific Ethiopian king, Shabako, invades Egypt and ascends to the throne as Pharaoh. five years later, in 705, the prolific Assyrian king, Sargon, dies, and he is succeeded by his less capable son, Sennacherib. During these events, Hezekiah is king of Judah in Jerusalem. Judah had been paying tribute to the Assyrians under the rule of Sargon, but now that he has died and the Assyrian empire seems vulnerable, Hezekiah sends envoys to Pharaoh Shabako in Egypt to seek an alliance through which they can resist Assyrian rule. Isaiah's message to king Hezekiah is clear; do not put your trust in Egypt, God himself will deliver Jerusalem and then punish the Assyrians.

Isaiah 35: 4-5, Are You the One?

look at Isaiah 35:4-5's promise that God will come to deliver God's people and compare it to this conversation between John the Baptist ('s disciples) and Jesus in Luke 7:20-23. It appears that Jesus refers to this passage, among others, to tell John the Baptist that he is indeed the Messiah

Luke 7:20-23

When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”

At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

Isaiah 35:4-5
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.”
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
    and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Study Questions:

in Isaiah 13:11, God promises to punish the world for its evil. Why is God concerned with how the world behaves? is it fair for him to punish wicked people? Who can be counted as a fair object of God's wrath?
(Fun question day) In Isaiah 20:2-3, we learn that God had Isaiah spend 3 years barefoot and without an outer-cloak to show the shame that would come upon Egypt and Cush. What is the craziest way that you have ever seen a pastor make a point? do you remember what he was talking about when he did that?
Isaiah 22:11 tells the people of Jerusalem the mistake that they made in preparing their defenses against Assyria. What was the mistake that they made? how can we avoid making the same mistake?
Isaiah 26:18 contains a fairly humorous word-picture. What had the Israelites failed to do? how would God accomplish what Israel could not? how is our mission like Israel's was, and how is it different?
Isaiah 28:16 contains a famous messianic prophecy. What does the next verse say about how God will judge after he has laid the the cornerstone? Is this standard different or the same as God's regard for mankind before Jesus? What difference is there?
in Isaiah 30:15, God tells Judah how they should attempt to be delivered. What mistake were they making instead? how do we sometimes make the same mistake?
read Isaiah 33:6, how can we practice the fear of the Lord?

Joel NielsenMay 4, 2018Madison Church of Christ