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Agape Bible Study
Isaiah 49 - 50
Isaiah 49:1-7 ~ The Second Song of the Servant
As noted earlier, the term "servant" is found in the Book of Isaiah forty times. Thirty-one of those times occur in the Book of Consolation in Isaiah chapters 40-66 (see the chart in Lesson 16 or the handout for that lesson).
In the first Servant Song (Is 42:1-7) God presents an individual as His Servant and describes him as:
- A gentle prophet of God with a divine mission and a divine destiny (verses 4 and 6).
- One who is anointed with the Spirit of God (verse 1).
- One whose mission is to reach the entire world in spite of opposition (verses 1-4).
- One whose mission transcends that of other prophets since he is both "covenant" and "light" as he performs a mission of liberation and salvation (verses 6-7).
The choosing of the Servant is accompanied by an outpouring of the Holy Spirit; this special outpouring of the Spirit is not mentioned in 41:8 for Israel who is God's servant collectively. But for this individual who is God's chosen Servant, he will be anointed with God's Spirit like God's prophets, priests and kings (Ex 29:7; Lev 8:12; 1 Sam 9:16; 10:1; 11:6; 16:1, 12-13; 1 Kng 1:39; 19:16; 2 Chr 20:14).
In the Second Servant's Song in Isaiah 49:1-6, unlike the first song in 42:1-4, it is not God who is announcing His Servant but the Servant is speaking about himself and his divine mission. He demands that all peoples listen to him and then the servant describes himself and his future coming in 49:1-2, 5:
- He will be chosen and named before he is born (49:1).
- He will be given authority to speak the truth "like a sharp sword" (49:2a).
- He will be hidden from those who might want to harm him (49:2b).
- He will have a special purpose like a "polished arrow" that is free of imperfections and can fly straight and true toward its objective (49:2c).
- He will be concealed in God's "quiver" that holds other men and woman of the human family until it is time for him to fulfill his destiny (49:2c).
- It is his mission to restore Israel to her covenant relationship with Yahweh (49:5a).
- He will be honored by Yahweh (49:5b).
First, the Servant describes himself as being set apart for his mission from the beginning of life "literally from the womb. That God chose his name means more than labeling someone with an identifying name. One's name reflected the true essence of the person, but we are not told what name was divinely selected.
Second, the expression "like a sharp sword" emphasizes the authority of the words spoken by the Servant. The inspired writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (believed by many to be St. Paul) wrote: The word of God is something alive and active: it cuts more incisively than any two-edged sword: it can seek out the place where soul is divided from spirit, or joints from marrow; it can pass judgment on secret emptions and thoughts (Heb 4:12). And, in the Book of Revelation, St. John used similar imagery to describe the divine authority of Jesus Christ:
- In John's first vision of Christ he wrote: In his right hand he held seven stars, out of his mouth came a sharp sword, double-edged, and his face was like the sun shining with all its force (Rev 1:16).
- And the same imagery is used by John to describe Jesus' Second Coming: From his mouth came a sharp sword with which to strike the unbelievers; he is the one who will rule them with an iron scepter, and tread out the wine of Almighty God's fierce retribution (Rev 19:15).
Isaiah 49:8-13 ~ Israel's Joyful Return
In the language of poetic imagery Isaiah describes God's marvelous guidance of Israel on their return journey to the Promised Land, once again using imagery that recalls the Exodus liberation in which Israel was called to "come out" of Egypt. Verses 9-11 resume the theme of the blessed "highway of the return" that was described previously in Isaiah 35:5-10; 41:17-20 and 43:19-20. The exiles will return not only from the east but from the north and the west. Sinim is probably a reference to the Jewish community in Syene, Egypt; it was known as Elephantine to the Greeks and today as Aswan. In verse 13 Isaiah asks all of creation to join in the joy of Israel's return.
Isaiah 49:14-21 ~ Zion's Doubt and God's Response
Despite all God's promises through His prophet, the people will still doubt the promise of deliverance, and they will accuse God of abandoning and forgetting them during their seventy-year exile.
The promise to "never forget" His covenant recalls God's oath to Israel in Leviticus 26:44-45 and in Deuteronomy 4:29-31. Then in verses 17-21 Isaiah challenges Israel to look and see the day of their salvation when their children will return from every direction. Israel's enemies will be far away or far removed by God, and the people will be astounded at the number of citizen that will return to rebuild the nation and the number of children to be born in spite of the days of exile and suffering "so many that the land will seem crowded.
Isaiah 49:22-26 ~ God's Hymn of Vindication
It is God's promise that He will bring about Israel's day of salvation Himself. He will raise the standard or signal that will allow the return of Israel (verse 22). The imagery of foreigners and their kings bowing down to Israel recalls Isaiah 2:1-4 where Isaiah described foreigners streaming to Jerusalem to learn how to worship Yahweh in the last days. On the day of Israel/Judah's return, Yahweh will be vindicated when all nations will witness the miracle of the reinstatement of the covenant people and will know that Yahweh reigns as Israel's Savior and Redeemer—He who is the "Mighty One of Jacob."
Chapter 50: Yahweh's Faithfulness and the Third Song of the Servant
In Last week's lesson on chapter 49, we saw the contrast between God's anointed Servant who is the ideal Israel and the covenant people. The people of Judah continually doubt God and fail to trust Him, even though nothing happens without God first revealing the events that will impact His chosen people before those events happen. The same contrast was made in the first Servant Song in chapter 42 between the divinely anointed Servant in 42:1-9 and Israel/Jacob in 42:18-20. Chapter 50 begins with God's rebuke of the covenant people for their refusal to believe in their deliverance, God's promise to never abandon them (a continuation of Isaiah's theme in 49:24-26), and the shameless continuation of their sins.
Isaiah 50:1-3 ~ Yahweh's Testifies to His Faithfulness
It is Israel/Judah who is responsible for the coming affliction which Isaiah has foretold, but the people prefer to blame their unavoidable fate on God. Throughout salvation history this has been the case with people who neglect God and willingly sell themselves to the devil. But God always redeems His own, and He will use the credit merited by His anointed Servant, Jesus Christ, as collateral to redeem mankind from sin and death.
In verses 1-3 God continues to answer the accusation the people made in 49:14 when Zion was saying, "Yahweh has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me." God demands proof that He has abandoned His covenant people.
Question: Who is "your mother" who claims a writ of divorce has been issued?
Answer: Their "mother" is "Zion," the Church of the Sinai Covenant, the Bride of Yahweh who has become an unfaithful wife.
God continues to rebuke Israel/Judah. Isaiah, acting as God's spokesman, announces that the conquest and exile of the covenant people is entire their own fault (50:1c). According to the Law, an Israelite husband could write a certificate of divorce against a wife on account of the indecency found in her (see Dt 24:1-4). Covenant marriage is one of the reoccurring images of the Old Testament prophets in describing God's relationship or lack of a relationship with His covenant people. When Israel, God's Bride, becomes rebellious she is compared to an adulterous wife, and divine judgment, which is always meant to be redemptive, results in the unfaithful Israel being humiliated and abandoned by her lovers "the false gods with whom Israel has replace Yahweh.
| Image Group | Part I Covenant relationship | Part II Rebellion | Part III Redemptive Judgment | Part IV Restoration Fulfilled in God's Servant, Jesus Christ |
| Covenant Marriage | Israel (Zion) Bride of Yahweh | Unfaithful adulteress/harlot | Humiliated, abused & abandoned by lovers; | The Bride restored to her Bridegroom |
| examples in Scripture | Ezekiel 16:4-14; Isaiah 61:10-11; Jeremiah 2:2 | Ezekiel 16:15-34; 23:1-12; Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 3:6-8; 13:22-23, 26; 23:10; Hosea 4:10-14 | Isaiah 50:1-3; Ezekiel 16:23-61; 23:35-49; Amos 4:7-8; Jeremiah 3:1b-2; 4:30-31; Hosea 2:4-15 | Matthew 9:15; John 3:28-29; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:7-9; 21:2; 9; 22:17 |
Isaiah 50:4-9a ~ The Third Servant's Song: Trusting the Lord in the Midst of Suffering
Once again Isaiah contrasts imperfect Israel with God's ideal Servant. Isaiah presents the Servant's testimony in the first person, allowing the Servant to speak for himself. In this passage, the Servant emphasizes three points in giving testimony about himself:
- He testifies to his strength in the Lord (50:4-5).
- He testifies to his suffering in fulfilling his mission (50:6-7).
- Finally, he makes a challenge to those who oppose him (50:8-10).
Agape Bible Study
Ezekiel 10 -11
Chapters 10-11
Ezekiel's Vision Continued: The Jerusalem Temple Defiled and Abandoned
Yahweh examines the upright and the wicked, the lover of violence he detests. He will rain down red-hot coals, fire and Sulphur on the wicked, a scorching wind will be their lot. For Yahweh is upright and loves uprightness, the honest will ever see his face.
Psalm 11:5-7
Ezekiel 10:1-6 ~ The Man Dressed in Linen Prepares to Carry Out His Orders
Chapter 10 continues after Ezekiel's vision of the massacre of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the destruction of the city. He witnesses the return of the winged creatures he first saw in 1:26 that he identifies as cherubim (plural): 20 This was the winged creature I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the River Chebar; I knew that they were cherubim [Hebrew translation]. He now knew they were cherubim because he heard God call them "cherubim" in verse 2
Cherubim
Ezekiel 10:7-17 ~ Ezekiel's Second Vision of the Chariot-Throne and the Winged Creatures
As the man in linen stops beside the wheels, the cherub fills his hands with the burning coals (verse 7). Verses 8-17 give another description of the cherubim and the chariot-throne similar to but not exactly like the description in Chapter 1. Perhaps the differences can be accounted for by the fact that Ezekiel is used to divine visions now and can give a better account of what he sees.
Ezekiel 10:18-22 ~ The Glory of Yahweh Comes Out of the Temple
The threshold of the Temple faced toward the east while the Holy of Holies, where God's Divine Presence dwelt among His people, was in the westernmost part of the Sanctuary (Ps 24:7-9; 118:19-20). God's glory passed from the west to the east through the Temple complex. In verse 20, Ezekiel says that for the first time he realized that the living creatures are cherubim because he heard God call them cherubim in verse 2 when God addressed the man dressed in linen, saying "Go in between the wheels below the winged creatures [cherubim]."
Ezekiel 11:1-12 ~ Judgment for the Sins of Jerusalem and Ezekiel's Question
In 11:1-13, Ezekiel continues to receive a message of God's judgment that uses the image of sacrifice for the people's destruction. The spirit of God transports Ezekiel to the east gate of the Temple where he now sees the faces of the twenty-five leaders in 8:16 from the front. Previously his view was from the back as he stood behind them and they looked to the east worshipping the rising sun. Again, he recognizes men he knew before his exile, identifying Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people.
Ezekiel 11:13-21 ~ Yahweh Answers Ezekiel with a New Covenant Promised to the Exiles
As Ezekiel witnesses the events unfolding in his vision, he sees the death of Pelatiah, bringing home to him that what he sees and hears will take place. In verse 13, like Moses and other prophets before him (Ex 32:11-14; Num 14:13-19), he cries out to God on behalf of his condemned people a second time (see 9:8), asking if Yahweh will fail to leave a remnant of the covenant people.
Ezekiel 11:22-25 ~ The Glory of Yahweh Leaves Jerusalem and Ezekiel's Vision Ends
The glory of Yahweh departed the Temple and Jerusalem through the eastern Temple Gate and stopped on the mountain east of the city.
Question: What is the mount directly to the east of the city?
Answer: The Mount of Olives.
Question: What are some significant events associated with the Mount of Olives in the New Testament Gospels and Acts of Apostles? How does it figure in the Second Advent? See Mt 21:1-11; 26:30-31, 47-57; Acts 1:12 and Zec 14:4-5.
Answer:
- Jesus rode from the Mount of Olives into the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
- Jesus and His Apostles spent the nights on the Mount of Olive during His last week in Jerusalem before His crucifixion.
- After the Last Supper, Jesus withdrew with His Apostles to a garden on the Mount of Olives where He prayed to the Father, submitted His life to the will of the Father, and it was there that the Temple guards arrested Him.
- Jesus' Ascension took place on the Mount of Olives.
- An angel told the disciples that Jesus would return to the Mount of Olives in His Second Advent. The post-exile prophet Zechariah gave the same prophecy when he wrote that it is to the Mount of Olives that "the LORD your God will come, and all the holy ones with him."
DAY 214 The Stolen Body Hypothesis
CHALLENGE: “The disciples stole Jesus’ body and lied about the Resurrection appearances.”
DEFENSE: This does not fit the data, particularly of the apostles’ later careers.
Matthew reports that the tomb was guarded, that the Jewish authorities paid the guards to say the disciples stole the body after they fell asleep, and that this story was circulating in the Jewish community (Matt. 28:11–15). That Matthew responds to the charge indicates it was viewed as the most plausible alternative to the Resurrection.
However, that doesn’t mean it was likely. Guards were paid not to fall asleep and faced severe disciplinary action if they did (cf. Matt. 28:14), including death (Acts 12:18–19, cf. 16:27).
Further, if the guards were asleep, how did they know what the disciples did? Having previously run away when Jesus was arrested (Matt. 26:56), why would the disciples tiptoe around sleeping guards and risk waking them and being caught and executed? Finally, the guards’ report indicates their complicity with the Jewish authorities. If the authorities hadn’t bribed the guards, why didn’t they complain to Pilate about the guards’ dereliction of duty? The stolen body hypothesis is not plausible on its face.
Even more serious problems emerge when considering the later careers of the apostles. They experienced serious hardship because of their testimony to Jesus and his Resurrection. The book of Acts alone records they and other Christian leaders faced numerous incidents of arrest and imprisonment (Acts 4:1–3, 5:18, 6:12, 8:3, 9:1–2, 16:19–24, 21:33–34), beating (Acts 5:40, 16:22–23, 21:32, 23:2), torture (Acts 22:24–25), mob violence (Acts 16:22, 17:5–6, 13, 19:23 41, 21:27–30, 23:10), and both attempted an actual martyrdom (Acts 7:58–60, 9:23, 29, 12:1–4, 14:5, 19, 23:12–13, 25:2–3). Other New Testament books confirm these dangers (cf., e.g., 2 Cor. 11:23–27), as do the writings of the Church Fathers.
On repeated occasions, the apostles could have avoided them by denying the message of Jesus or even just ceasing to preach it—yet the apostles defied orders to stop preaching (Acts 4:18–19, 5:27–32, 40–42) and even remained in Jerusalem when other Christians fled under violent persecution (Acts 8:1).
Their enduring of repeated, extreme hardships and—ultimately—martyrdom for the message of Jesus does not suggest they were a bunch of crooks who stole the body and then lied, but that they were honest and profoundly convinced of what they had witnessed.
Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist
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