Teaching Isaiah: Unlocking Isaiah for the Bible Teacher (Teaching the Bible)
Overview
In the period that Isaiah the prophet lived there was immense political upheaval across the ancient Near East. The people of God had a choice: to follow their own human policies or to follow the promises of God. They chose to be unfaithful. The prophet breaks in and calls them to repent, asking them to stop violating the covenant. This is a message today’s Christians can identify with and can learn from. This is not just another commentary, but a useful resource for anyone communicating a message of grace when speaking from the book of Isaiah. Sections on background, structure, key points, and application guide you in crafting your lesson or sermon.
Top Highlights
“To do this, we need to remember Isaiah’s central theological purpose for his own hearers, which is to look beyond the coming judgement to encourage faith in the unchanging promises and purposes of God for his people. He wants those who read the prophecy to be assured of the dependability of God’s steadfast word, so that whether they are in Judah or Babylon, they will learn to trust his promises and so obey his commands.” (Page 175)
“This ‘comfort’ is God himself visiting his people, stepping into history to rescue and restore, which he does in three spectacular and comforting ways. He reveals his glory in bringing his exiled people home (vv. 3–5). He demonstrates his faithfulness by fulfilling his promised word (vv. 6–8). He shepherds his flock, as he exercises on their behalf both his sovereign power and his detailed personal care (vv. 9–11). The shepherd-king who powers his way through the trackless desert, so that nothing can resist his advance, is the one who ‘gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart’ (v. 11).” (Page 176)
“We relate to the original context in at least two basic ways. Firstly, because the biggest picture of the Bible is that God is preaching himself to us, we recognise that everything the unchanging Lord reveals of his nature and character in the Old Testament text is still true for us as its twenty-first century readers. Secondly, because human nature does not change, we can only too easily see ourselves reflected in the deceitful hearts of the people of Judah and learn from their mistakes how our own divided hearts may equally lead us astray. All of this stems from careful reading of the text and sensitive immersion of ourselves in the circumstances and world-view of Isaiah’s original hearers.” (Page 29)
- Title: Teaching Isaiah: Unlocking Isaiah for the Bible Teacher
- Author: David Jackman
- Series: Teach the Bible
- Publishers: Proclamation Trust, Christian Focus
- Print Publication Date: 2010
- Logos Release Date: 2013
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible. O.T. Isaiah › Commentaries; Bible. O.T. Isaiah › Study and teaching
- Resource ID: LLS:TCHISAIAH
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-02-11T15:54:18Z