In Isaiah 55:1-5, Isaiah describes the glorious and abundant banquet that God has prepared and bids all to attend — both Israel and the Gentle nations. This banquet is none other than the life offered through the work of his Servant, Jesus Christ. We saw that the way into the feast was to listen and believe. Now we’re going to see that part of that listening and believing is repentance.
In the Servant Songs, we saw that a Servant would come who would bear our iniquities and inaugurate a new age through his death and resurrection. Now Isaiah invites all to a banquet feast to celebrate and share in the reign of the Messianic King.
In 54:11-17 Isaiah speaks of a New City to demonstrate that what the Servant accomplished through his death and resurrection not only fulfilled the Old Covenant, but it far surpasses Israel’s grandest dreams.
Can believers expect prosperity in this life? What happened to the promises of prosperity in the Old Covenant? When the Servant finished his work of atonement, a new age will be born which promises a prosperity which far surpasses the prosperity of this age.
Isaiah describes the work of the Servant and how his work will be received by the Lord, by the nations and by Israel.
Isaiah describes the work of the Servant and how his work will be received by the Lord, by the nations and by Israel.
The Servant will be equipped with divine speech as he goes through the school of suffering.
The exile raised the question, can we forfeit the promises of God? Can God’s people fail in such a way that God will abandon them? In the Servant Songs, God demonstrates that not only will He remain committed to His people, He will willingly choose to endure horrific suffering in order to free His people from their sinful hearts and make them righteous before Him.
The Servant will not only restore the people of Israel, He will also bring salvation to all the nations.
If God is truly sovereign, where is justice to be found? Where is justice to be found when terrorists plan attacks on tourists and innocent bystanders? Where is justice n the face of school shootings and other acts of senseless violence? Isaiah answers that question for the Jewish exiles in Babylon in the first Servant Song. The foundation of this new kingdom will be a suffering servant who will be everything Israel was intended to be and who will bring justice to the nations.
The exiles in Babylon faced three insurmountable obstacles: the nations, their rulers and their religions. These 3 obstacles dominated and permeated every aspect of their daily lives. How could they be overcome? In 40:12-31, Isaiah contrast these three formidable adversaries with the power of God as author and creator of history. He concludes this new kingdom God is announcing is so powerful nothing will threaten it and it will stand forever because it is build by the word of the Lord.
The nation of Judah was facing exile, the destruction of their land, their community, their temple, and their religion. The critical question before them was: Have we forfeited the promises God made to Abraham and David? Into that despair and doubt, Isaiah announces the end of the exile, the birth of a new kingdom and the arrival of its King.
Krisan Marotta is a Bible teacher and host of Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.