Day 190 (Isaiah 1-4) - Year 4
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Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. Today we meet our first major prophet. We've already read two of the minor prophets, Obadiah, which had one chapter, and Jonah, which had four. This book, on the other hand, is 66 chapters long. So that gives you a bit of an idea about what makes for the difference between major prophets and minor prophets. It's not related to their quality of words, but to their quantity of words.

Isaiah's prophetic ministry spanned 40 years, so that's a lot of time to say a lot of things. It's especially helpful to notice where the quotation marks happen in books of prophecy. Sometimes Isaiah is quoting God, sometimes he's telling us about a vision he saw, and sometimes he's prophesying about what God said or showed him. This can be a bit more challenging if you're reading the Bible with your ears instead of your eyes. So if you're listening to an audio version and you find yourself getting confused, try to check out a print version.

By the way, if you are reading with your eyes, you'll notice that a lot of this book is laid out like poetry. It's rich with images and metaphors, which means the more you dig, the more layers of meaning you're likely to find. Two interesting facts about the book of Isaiah. First, it's the Old Testament book that is quoted most often in the New Testament.

And second, here's a brief, fun history lesson. Scribes made lots of copies of the scriptures around the time of Jesus, and they hid them in caves because the Roman army was oppressing them. In 1947, nearly 2,000 years later, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in a cave by the Dead Sea.

In one of the ancient clay pots, they discovered the entire book of Isaiah on one long scroll, 21 feet long. And today's Hebrew version of the book of Isaiah is the very same as that ancient copy, to the very letter. Isaiah used to really confuse me because in all these prophecies, it was hard for me to tell what applied to when. That's where reading chronologically has really helped me. So let me give you the lay of the land.

In these 66 chapters, there are three general sections of prophecy. And first, we should probably establish that prophecy as we understand it here is more of a truth-speaking generality. That means, technically, you can prophesy about something that has already happened. For instance, that's what Nathan the prophet did when he confronted David about Bathsheba and Uriah.

Isaiah is writing to the southern kingdom of Judah, and in the first section, which is chapters 1-39, he's talking about what's been happening in the northern kingdom of Israel and how God is dealing with their sins.

Yesterday, we talked about how Israel has just crossed the fourth generation threshold where God was protecting them. And at this point, they've actually been attacked, besieged, and destroyed by the invading Assyrian army. As far as today's reading is concerned, the northern kingdom of Israel is finished. But we'll continue to go back to the kingdom of Israel and read about that over the days to come.

So what Isaiah is doing here is using what has happened in Israel to warn Judah about what will happen to them in the future. He's like, hey, pay attention to what God's doing with your brothers up there, because if you don't repent, you're next. So for the most part, chapters 1 through 39 are happening as he writes or are about to happen in the years immediately following. The middle section, chapters 40 through 55, includes prophecies of the coming Messiah, which would happen about 700 years later. So far, Isaiah is two for two.

I wonder what the third section of the book will be about. You guessed it! In the last section, chapters 56 through 66, Isaiah prophesies about the final judgment and restoration when God establishes the new heavens and the new earth. Those are things we still await. God's people have broken the covenant with him, so right out of the gate in chapter 1, God calls creation, heaven and earth specifically, as his witness in what is presented as a legal trial between him and his people.

Isaiah depicts Assyria's attack on Israel as Israel's corporal punishment, beaten from head to toe, from the greatest to the least, and implores them to repent. But in a situation that probably shocks them, God tells them that repentance looks different than they think it does. He says to stop bringing him vain offerings because they disgust him. Do you remember how long we spent reading about the offerings and the altars and how important it all was? Why did God change his mind?

He didn't. It was never about the animals. God doesn't need dead animals. It has always been about their hearts. When their offerings are just meaningless rituals, it's offensive to him. It'd be like your spouse buying you a present when they cheated on you, not because they were gutted by what they'd done, but because they thought it gave them a pass to continue.

These sacrifices are an insult to God's holiness and to his love for his people. He's after their hearts. And he marks out what a changed heart would look like for them, which includes caring for the most vulnerable in their society. The leaders have become greedy, though, and greed and injustice go hand in hand. Let's zoom out on what's been happening in the Promised Land.

Assyria has just destroyed Israel and they're right next door to Judah. So Judah grows fearful and begins to make foreign alliances to protect themselves. As though God himself were insufficient so they had to call for backup. This may look like Judah is making peace but they aren't. They're rebelling against God so they can feel safe and flourish by their own means.

Isaiah says Judah may be living in abundance and presumed safety, but they're prideful. He depicts them as a vain woman and tells them God is about to destroy all the vain things they find their pride in. In chapter 4, things take a turn for relief. The prophecy of the branch of the Lord in verse 2 is referring to the Messiah.

The word for branch here is often translated as sprout or shoot. And this is the same imagery Jesus uses in John 15 when he says, I am the true vine. The end of chapter four is where my God shot comes in today.

Did you see all that imagery from Israel's time in the wilderness? First, we see the fire and the cloud, reminders of God's presence with them in the wilderness. But then what's even more beautiful is that it wraps up with a reminder that we're not in the wilderness anymore. There's a dwelling place, a place of protection and refuge, just like the tabernacle and the temple, where God came to dwell with them in the promised land.

All of that imagery is bound up together to demonstrate exponentially all the ways God is present with his people. And now his spirit dwells in us. There's even reason to believe that the canopy referenced in verse 5 is referring to the ancient Jewish wedding canopy. Despite our fearful bargaining, our idolatry, our selfishness, our vanity, God still wants to unite himself to us.

The Father still sent the Son and the Spirit so that He could make a home with His people and purify us and dwell with us forever. Best news ever. He's where the joy is.

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