The Vision of the Prophet Isaiah

Hope in a War-Weary World—A Commentary

A. Joseph Everson

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN:
  9781532667480
  9781532667497
• eBook ISBN:
  9781532667503
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

"Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!" Isaiah's words are deeply loved by many who attend Sunday services. But how many can say that they have actually read this book? This commentary invites you to read Isaiah from the era when it reached its sixty-six-chapter form and came to be part of Israel's sacred writings. Three memories helped to give shape to the Isaiah scroll. The first memory is of the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. How could God have allowed that to happen? The opening section of the scroll addresses that question. The second memory involves the fall of Babylon after 562 BCE. People, nations, and even empires rise and fall. The second section of the scroll addresses war and the sorrows of war. The third memory is of Cyrus of Persia, who allowed the exiles to return home after 539 BCE. His actions are presupposed, not just in the joyful poetry of the latter chapters of the scroll, but also in the confidence in God's love that runs through the entire scroll. God is the Lord of all nations and of all creation. Isaiah is a theological interpretation of past history. It is a passionate call for people to live with integrity, compassion, and hope.

The Commentary

1.

An Introduction to the Vision

Isaiah 1:1–31

The Introductory Superscription—Isaiah 1:1

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz,

which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem

in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah,

kings of Judah.

(Isa 1:1)

The Isaiah scroll was inspired by and named for a specific human being, Isaiah ben Amoz, who lived in Jerusalem in the era between 750 and 680 BCE. Isaiah is remembered as a man of faith, one who felt called by God to address issues related to the political, spiritual, and economic well-being of the people. He was clearly well versed in the Torah traditions. For three hundred years after his lifetime (700 to 400 BCE), Isaiah’s vision was remembered, affirmed, and expanded by later generations of people.

The new poetry that was added to the scroll affirms the continuing relevance of Isaiah’s vision for later generations of people. In the Hebrew Bible, the prophetic books (the Nevi’im) follow directly after the five books of the Pentateuch (Torah) and are intended as commentary on the Torah. In both Jewish and in Christian traditions, Isaiah is the first of the four prophetic scrolls (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book of the Twelve), indicating the prominence given to this scroll by later generations.1

The Human Predicament and the Lord’s Complaint—Isaiah 1:2–6

The opening poem in Isaiah, chapter 1, is a memory of God’s word of judgment against the people of Judah. They have become so utterly estranged from their creator that they are no different than the residents of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah. They do not seem to know or understand what it means to be compassionate human beings! Their condition is likened to an illness which has afflicted both their heads and their hearts. They are sick from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads.

In the opening stanza or strophe, Yahweh, who is depicted as the father of Israel and author of all creation, sets forth a legal case. Heaven and earth are summoned as witnesses. The charge is that human beings are in revolt against their maker.

Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth:

for the Lord has spoken:

I reared children and brought them up,

but they have rebelled against me.

The ox knows its owner,

and the donkey its master’s crib;

but Israel does not know,

my people do not understand.

Ah, sinful nation,

people laden with iniquity,

offspring who do evil,

children who deal corruptly,

who have forsaken the Lord,

who have despised the Holy One of Israel,

who are utterly estranged!

Why do you seek further beatings?

Why do you continue to rebel?

The whole head is sick,

and the whole heart faint.

From the sole of the foot even to the head,

there is no soundness in it,

but bruises and sores

and bleeding wounds;

they have not been drained,

or bound up,

or softened with oil.

(Isa 1:2–6)

The illness allowed human beings in an earlier era of history to justify actions that were corrupt and hurtful to others. Oxen and donkeys recognize their masters; humans refuse direction and refuse to acknowledge that they are mortal; wit...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Introductory Essays
• The Commentary
• Bibliography