Day 255

Isaiah 10:1–11:16; 2 Corinthians 12:11-21; Psalm 56:1-13; Proverbs 23:6-8

AS WE’VE PREVIOUSLY discussed, the book of Isaiah is one of the most quoted Old Testament books in the New Testament. This is largely because Isaiah gives clear promises of a coming deliverer —a messiah. The writers of the New Testament reveal Jesus as this promised Savior, in part, by showing how He fulfilled prophecies. But how were these connections made? What made Jesus a contender? We can find some of those answers in our reading today.

As we began chapter 10, Isaiah wrote, “What sorrow awaits the unjust judges and those who issue unfair laws. They deprive the poor of justice and deny the rights of the needy among my people. They prey on widows and take advantage of orphans” (Isaiah 10:1-2).

This utterance essentially named a pattern that had been happening long before Isaiah and would continue long after. We could easily say that these issues still exist in the world today. But the hope found in the prophetic writings was that one day a redeemer would come and set things right.

Next, Isaiah foretold the Assyrian invasion of the northern kingdom, which would carry away ten of the twelve tribes of Israel into exile and threaten Jerusalem. Because we’ve already read this story in Kings and Chronicles, we know that it happened. We also know that the Babylonian Empire conquered the remaining southern kingdom of Judah.

But Isaiah foretold that all would not be lost:

In that day the remnant left in Israel, the survivors in the house of Jacob, will no longer depend on allies who seek to destroy them. But they will faithfully trust the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return; yes, the remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God.

The Jewish people in the first century —the time of Jesus —were the descendants of this foretold remnant. The prophecy had become a reality. The problem was that they were in their homeland —but it wasn’t theirs. At that time, the land was controlled by the Roman Empire and was considered the province of Syria. They were again experiencing the oppression and injustice that Isaiah had written about —and they longed for restoration.

When we consider that Isaiah’s prophecies come from this perspective, we can see why they were expecting a redeemer and what this person would be like:

Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot —yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him —the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. He will delight in obeying the LORD. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.

As we can see, Jesus fit this criteria. Whether or not He was the foretold Messiah was a topic of discussion among people throughout His ministry, largely because the prophecies were known and a part of the culture. Later, the New Testament writers would use the Old Testament prophets extensively to further reveal what most had missed —that the Redeemer did come and that God’s work of restoring all things was fully at work through Jesus.

MEDITATION:

But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.