Isaiah 56

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 56 God calls for his people to be fair and just, for he was coming to rescue them.  The people who observe the Sabbath and stays out of trouble are happy.  God says that Gentiles and eunuchs are not going to be second-class-citizens and they must not think of themselves as […]

Isaiah 55

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 55 Free! God spread a banquet for the exiles─He provided the nourishment for their physical needs and their soul food.  All of this was provided by abundant harvests─ample rains and fertile fields.  He renewed the Davidistic covenant and made them a witness for all nations.  Israel became a model for the […]

Isaiah 54

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 54 This chapter deals with the future glory of Zion.  (Future from Isaiah’s day but fulfilled when the exiles returned.)  The prophet speaks of enlarging their tent and that there would be a population explosion.  New towns would spring up and devastated places re-inhabited.  He encourages them and tells them that […]

Isaiah 53

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 53 This chapter takes us from the crib to the cross to the crown.  When God came in human flesh no one believed the report─he grew up as a root out of dry ground─the first 30 years of his life is shrouded in mystery.  He wasn’t the most handsome man in […]

Isaiah 52

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 52 God tells the exiles to put on the garment of praise and strength─remove the fetters and the metal band that encircled the neck─they were no longer prisoners.  They had sold themselves and now God was reclaiming them without paying anything.  When deliverance came God put his spirit in them and […]

Isaiah 51

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 51 They were quarried from the Rock─God.  They are told to reflect upon their roots─Abraham and Sarah─no children but God made their offspring as numerous as the stars in multitude.  God will once again bless Zion─this forsaken place will look like the garden of Eden,and as a bonus joy and gladness […]

Isaiah 50

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 50 God had not divorced Israel, she had left God by her misconduct.  God had not sold Israel, she sold herself to sin.  God had called but there was no answer─God lets them know that his hand was not too short to reach down and release them─He tells them that he […]

Isaiah 49

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 49 God had called Cyrus before his birth and made him sharp as a sword.  His words penetrated from mainland to islands.  His commission was to restore the exile─ yes even more he would be a light to the nations of the world.  He tells him that kings will stand at […]

Isaiah 48

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 48 Jacob who was surnamed Israel was boasting and proud that they lived in the Holy city and pretended that they were living by the commandments of God all the while it was nothing but a sham.  God had declared things in advance but they were too thick-headed to understand.  The […]

Isaiah 47

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 47 Nebuchadnezzar abandoned himself to idolatry, pride, and other pieties.  Out of his immense spoils he formed a monstrous golden image for Bel his principal god, who, he imagined, had rendered him so successful; which, together with its pedestal, was at least 90 feet high and 9 feet in breadth.  His […]