The Book of Immanuel: Isaiah 7 – 12

Continuing in S. Lewis Johnson’s Isaiah series, I now look at Isaiah chapters 7 through 12, a subset within the overall book of Isaiah:  the book of Immanuel.  This book itself has many interesting things, including an outline that follows the “signs” given in Isaiah 8:  Isaiah and his two sons:

• Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (speed, spoil, hurry, prey):  Divine Judgment on the nation, as told in Isaiah 9:8 – Isaiah 10:4:

• Shear-Jashub (a remnant shall return):  Isaiah 10:20-34

• Isaiah (Salvation of the Lord):  Isaiah 11

The details in Isaiah carry great meaning.  Consider the well-known words of Isaiah 9:6-7:  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.
The order is important — it is not “a child is given” and “a son is born.”   The “child is born” part refers to Christ’s human nature.  He was born as we are.  The “son is given” refers to the Divine side of Christ, the Eternal Son (ref. Psalm 2:7).

Isaiah 11 presents the Coming of the King and the Anointing of the King, but skips over the Suffering of the King.  As S. Lewis Johnson points out, this part is reserved for later chapters in Isaiah.  Yet it is also significant that Isaiah (as with all the prophets) skips over the interval of this the Church Age without mention, directly from the Anointing of the King to His reigning in the Kingdom.  From the human perspective at least, it was (theoretically) possible for Christ to come and then to inaugurate the Kingdom, if the Jews had accepted their Messiah.  Yet we understand that in God’s sovereign purposes this was planned as well, that the Jews would reject their Messiah.  The first mention of the interval, the long delay between Christ’s First Coming and Second Coming, is in the gospel accounts when Jesus brings this new revelation, in the parables told to the apostles and the people concerning the delay.

The Importance of Prophecy
In 2 Thessalonians 2 Paul refers to Isaiah 11:4,
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Here also is a lesson concerning the importance of prophecy.
In response to those who say, we should not teach prophecy to a young Christian, because “prophecy is really confusing.  Give them the simple truth of the Bible, like the person of Christ, and the work of Christ, and how to live the daily life,” we see the example of the apostle Paul and the Thessalonian church.  Paul spent just 15 days in Thessalonica, and from that ministry a small church developed.  Acts tells us he was only there 15 days, and according to the chronology of Acts he could not have spent more than six weeks there, but apparently it was only 15 days.  SLJ continues:

And you know what he taught them?  He taught them all about the cross.  He taught them all about the work of the Holy Spirit.  He taught them all about Christian living.  And furthermore, he taught them about the man of sin.  He said remember when I was with you, I told you these things.  He taught them about the rapture of the church.  He taught them about the tribulation period, the 70th week of Israel.  He taught them about the kingdom.  He taught them not only these facts, but he taught them about the individuals themselves and what they would do.  And he told them that the man of sin was going to arise; that is, what he is talking about right here.  So we do not apologize for teaching the prophecy.  If Paul did it, we can do it too.  And if the Thessalonicans could take it, so can you.

The Importance of the Kingdom

Isaiah 11:6-9 describes the kingdom age — the words are not just symbolical, empty words.  Another good point from S. Lewis Johnson:

Now, theological contemporaries tell me … there is no such thing as the kingdom of God upon the earth.  But when I look at the Book of Revelation, I notice that not only is the kingdom of God upon the earth prophesied, but I read that the angels are saying, thy kingdom come too.  And to tell you the truth, I am glad to be associated with the angels.  And I say to my friends, I am very interested in what you say to me, but as soon as the angels stop praying thy kingdom come and as soon as the saints down through the years stop saying thy kingdom come, and as soon as our Lord’s prayer is changed to thy kingdom will not come, not until that time will I stop praying for the kingdom.  And as far as I am concerned the company of the apostles and the company of the prophets, and the company of the angelic beings in heaven is the kind of company I want to keep.  And so I will pray “thy kingdom come.”  That is precisely what that text meant and what it means.  And this in Isaiah is the fulfillment, expressed in the description of “thy kingdom come.”  And it is a beautiful picture of course.

As to why the kingdom is necessary:

Now, some people say, “A kingdom” is kind of an appendage to God’s plan — the ones who have the cross, the coming of the spirit, the preaching of the gospel, the last events in which Jesus Christ comes and then go right into eternity.  We do not need any kingdom.  It is a useless appendage attached to the plan of God.

Let me remind you of something:  Sin occurred in history.  God gave a promise of redemption in history so Christ is King and he suffered in history.  Now, furthermore, he says that in history when Jesus comes here, we are going to be caught up to meet him in the air, and we are going to be given a resurrection body in history so that men may see in history what God is doing.  Not out of history, in history.

Furthermore, when man sinned, vicariously he placed the creation under a curse, in history.  So, in history, the creation is going to be redeemed.  Its time of redemption is not when we believe on Jesus Christ — its time of redemption is when the children of God receive the resurrection bodies and then God will bring the quick provision, his program for the creation, in history.  And because of sin in history and redemption in history, sin that affects the man and affects the creation, so we must have redemption in history that affects the man and affects God’s creation and not until then shall we enter into the eternity.  You see God’s philosophy of redemption is very, very to the point.

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Bible Study: Types of Prophecy

I’m enjoying S. Lewis Johnson’s Isaiah series, already learning a lot about this oft-neglected yet very instructive book.  Johnson taught this class on Monday nights in the fall of 1968, with occasional reference to then- contemporary persons and events.  He sounds much younger here than in his later teachings (from the 1980s and especially the early 1990s), though he was already 53 by this time:  proof that sometimes a man is used by God more so in his later years than earlier.  The Isaiah series is one that I wish had been videotaped (of course such technology wasn’t readily available then), for sometimes he made use of a blackboard and pointed to “this here” and “this” in discussions of a timeline of events.  But most of it is straightforward enough for audio listening.

Now, from message 6 in the Isaiah series . . .
Old Testament Prophecy can be understood by grouping into different categories, different types of prophecy.
1.  Direct Messianic Prophecy:  Prophecy that is altogether predictive, a vision of the Lord Jesus.
Examples include Isaiah 9:6-7, and Isaiah 53.

2.  Indirect Messianic Prophecy:    Prophecies like these are quoted by NT writers, but the prophecies themselves only say “the Lord” without direct reference to Jesus Christ.  However, the apostles understood the trinity and the different activities of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  When OT passages refer to activities done by the Son — such as reigning over the Kingdom, etc. — the apostles recognized these as talking about the Second Person of the trinity.
Example:  Psalm 102, especially verses 25-27.

3.  Typical Messianic Prophecy:  Illustrative Messianic prophecy, as seen in the prophets, priests and kings of Israel.  They had experiences that are typical (that is, an example) of Christ.  This category can be sub-divided into two types:
a.  Historical Typical:  A historical event as an example, as a prophecy that has no direct reference to the future.  Example: Psalm 8.
b.  Historico-Prophetical Typical:  Cases where the activities of the prophets, priests or kings go beyond themselves.  Isaiah and his children (Isaiah 8:17-18)  are typical of Christ and His people, and typical of a Messianic community.   Examples:  Psalms 16 and 45, and Isaiah 8:17-18.

Studying Isaiah, Understanding Prophecy and Good Theology

As I now work through a chapter-by-chapter Bible Study in Isaiah, with S. Lewis Johnson (up through Isaiah 8), the following words from Horatius Bonar concerning the prophets again come to mind:

To attach a general meaning to a whole chapter, as is frequently done, shows not only grievous irreverence for the Divine Word, but much misconception of the real nature of that language in which it is written. Yet such is often the practice of many expositors of prophecy. They will take up a chapter of Isaiah, and tell you that it refers to the future glory of the Christian Church; and that is the one idea which they gather from a whole chapter, or sometimes from a series of chapters. Their system does not admit of interpreting verse by verse and clause by clause, and affixing an exact and definite sense to each. Bring them to this test, and their system gives way. It looks fair and plausible enough, so long as they can persuade you that the whole chapter is one scene, out of which it is merely designed that one grand idea should be extracted; but bring it to the best of minute and precise interpretation, and its nakedness is at once discovered. Many prophecies become in this way a mere waste of words.  What might be expressed in one sentence, is beaten out over a whole chapter; nay, sometimes over a whole book.

These expositors think that there is nothing in prophecy, except that Jew and Gentile are all to be gathered in, and made one in Christ. Prophet after prophet is raised up, vision after vision is given, and yet nothing is declared but this one idea! Every chapter almost of Isaiah foretells something about the future glory of the world; and every chapter presents it to us in some new aspect, opening up new scenes, and pointing out new objects; but, according to the scheme of some, every chapter sets forth the same idea, reiterates the same objects, and depicts the same scenes. Is not this handling the Word of God deceitfully?

In teaching from Isaiah 6, S. Lewis Johnson brings out some important lessons concerning the value of good theology, as illustrated in Isaiah’s experience:  his sin,  cleansing, and commission.  Isaiah understood both sides of truth, the balance between two extremes.  On the one hand, we have total acceptance with God, yet we must also maintain a moment-by-moment relationship to God.

If we so stress our total acceptance with God that we forget the other, then we leave ourselves open to license.  If we so stress the necessity for this relationship moment by moment with God that we forget our acceptance with him, we come to the place where we are morbid, where we are unstable because we are not sure that we really are accepted with God.  That is the value of theology, because we do not go to extremes.  We know both sides of the truth.

SLJ spoke of a recent trend in his day (1968) towards emphasizing our total acceptance — without the need for daily confession of sin and repentance.  In my recent experience with Sovereign Grace, Reformed churches I have observed the opposite extreme of focus on the moment-by-moment relationship with God:  over-emphasis upon the need to confess our sins, remembering that we are creatures of wrath and God should have just stomped us out like a bug; and that God is still ticked off about the fall and Adam’s sin.  As SLJ said so well, such a view — that neglects teaching concerning our adoption, the great promises of the biblical covenants and God’s Divine Purpose — leaves us with overwhelming guilt and a lack of assurance concerning our acceptance before God.

One simple outline for Isaiah 6 is:  Woe, Lo, and Go.  The woe comes in verse 5, Isaiah’s sin, followed by “Lo” in verse 7 when Isaiah is cleansed, then “Go” in verse 8, Isaiah’s commission.

Another great excerpt from S. Lewis Johnson:

Now, I want you to notice that as Isaiah is cleansed he immediately hears the voice of the Lord.  One of the reasons we do not hear the voice of the Lord is because we have not bothered to be cleansed.  We have not cared for many others.  We have put our trust in Jesus Christ, and we know that our future is secure because of the cross and we like it that way and we do not really be want to be disturbed anymore.  We want to be sure that we are going to heaven and that is about as far as we want to go.  And furthermore, we even have some who say that it is hopeless to get beyond that.  It is hopeless to think about the growing in grace.  We do not want to become like the Pharisees and proud of our growth.  Of course not!  But our salvation is our means to grow.  We do not want to stay children all our lives, do we?  It is good to know the truth of the cross, that is where life begins — but that is the beginning of life.  It is not the end.

A Lesson in Hermeneutics: Zechariah Interpreting Isaiah

S. Lewis Johnson has mentioned that the apostle Paul in his epistles would often string together many Old Testament quotes, as part of his flow of thought.  The apostle John did likewise in Revelation, in which many passages contain allusions to Old Testament texts.  Often in Revelation, many different OT allusions are likewise strung together within the same sentence.  See Johnson’s exposition of Revelation 19:15, for example, which contains references to Isaiah 42, Isaiah 49 , and Psalm 2 in its references to a sharp sword and ruling the nations with a rod of iron.  I’ve observed a similar quality also in Spurgeon’s sermons, wherein he quotes various scriptures as part of his normal sentence structure.

Another principle of interpretation:  not only are we to interpret the Old Testament by New Testament, but also we should interpret the Old Testament (earlier texts) by later Old Testament texts that reference the earlier texts.  For example, Isaiah 53 describes the same event as Zechariah 12:10.  From these texts we can observe that Zechariah (a later prophet) was a student of the earlier prophet Isaiah.  Zechariah 3 also relates to similar content in Isaiah’s servant passages.  An excerpt from S. Lewis Johnson:

when you read the prophecy of Isaiah, some of the greatest of those chapters are the chapters I’ve referred to a number of times in this series.  Isaiah 42, Isaiah 49, Isaiah 50, Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12, and perhaps, chapter 16.  But all students of Isaiah agree that those four great sections are sections that have to do with “The servant of Jehovah,” a reference, ultimately, to the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah.  But here, we have the same kind of thing referred to by Zechariah.  He refers to the Lord as the “servant.”  Now, we know Zechariah was a student of Isaiah.  Anyone who reads these two discovers that.  And if you read Zechariah, after having read Isaiah, you’ll understand exactly what I’m talking about.

…  And, in fact, we can learn a great deal about the interpretive principles of the prophets, by the way in which they handle earlier Scripture.  And it’s obvious that this Book of Zechariah is one that we can learn a lot about hermeneutics from.  And, I think, we will see that when Zechariah interpreted previous Scripture, he interpreted it according to the grammatical, historical, theological method of interpretation.  That is, he did not give it spiritualized force. He interpreted it generally in the grammatical, historical fashion.  And here, he is using a term given to him, of course, in this vision by the Lord, which Isaiah had used and clearly a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Various Scripture Thoughts for Today

God’s Divine Providence, Fore-ordination, and Omniscience, as Shown in 1 Samuel 23

From S. Lewis Johnson’s “Lessons from the Life of David,” I’m now in 1 Samuel 23, a chapter that shows God’s amazing providence in the ways that He delivers David from Saul.  The incident at Keilah, where David inquires of the Lord if the men of Keilah will give him over to Saul, shows both God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, with no contradiction in these two seemingly incompatible ideas.  But an appeal exclusively to God’s sovereignty, in the case of Keilah, would have left David and his men passively waiting around for Saul to show up and to be handed over to Saul by the Keilahites.  After all, God said they would hand him over to Saul, so leave it to fate.  But no, David understands the message from God and decides that it’s time to get out of Keilah.

This incident from David’s life also shows God’s divine foreordination and omniscience.  Our God not only knows everything that will come to pass, from beginning to end, past to future — He even knows the things that could happen given certain contingencies, and He knows what the men of Keilah will do given a set of circumstances.

In my daily Bible reading, I’m a few weeks away from 1 Samuel, back in Joshua 15 — a very tedious chapter filled with lists of land descriptions and names of the many cities and villages given to the tribe of Judah.  Yet amongst the many obscure names listed there are a few familiar names, including Ziklag, and Keilah.  I probably would have missed the reference to Keilah but for the SLJ bible study in 1 Samuel 23 today.

Another verse to add, from today’s readings, to go with the above theme of God’s providence and sovereign control:
Proverbs 16:33, The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

God’s Faithfulness and Promises
From some of my other recent readings, some great verses that show God’s faithfulness and His great promises:

(From list 7) — Isaiah 61:11:   For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.

The first part of that verse reminds me of Genesis 8:11 (list 2):  God’s mercy in bringing forth the new world after the flood.  The dove found the olive leaf, a sign of new plant life, that God was already causing the earth to bring forth its sprouts.  Isaiah 61-62 also tell us that, as surely as we can observe plant life, so we can count on God to fulfill what He has promised, that He will “cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations” at His second coming.  God’s promise to restore Israel to the land, and to give them great blessings and prominence among the nations, is just as sure as what we can observe in how the earth and gardens bring forth the plants.

Daily Bible Reading Update

My 8 list Bible reading continues, and here are my current readings:

John 13-14
Deuteronomy 5-6
Galatians 5-6
Job 38
Psalms 51-52
Ezra 7-8
Isaiah 21-22
Acts 13

Deuteronomy and Galatians have good reading, and a good contrast between the Mosaic covenant (law) and the New Covenant (grace).  Deuteronomy also has some great passages concerning God’s faithfulness, His greatness, and His concern for His people.

Here are a few really good passages from recent readings out of Deuteronomy, the Psalms, and Galatians:

Deuteronomy 4:32-39:
“For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of. 33 Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live? 34 Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him. 36 Out of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you. And on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire. 37 And because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power, 38 driving out before you nations greater and mightier than yourselves, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day, 39 know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.

Psalm 50:7-15:

“Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9 I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Galatians 6:2-5:
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.

In Isaiah I’ve been reading through the chapters dealing with judgments on the surrounding nations, including Babylon, Egypt, and others.  This ties in with a recent article I read, “Biblical Arguments for the Rebuilding of Babylon,” that discusses the question of Babylon’s future judgment, and describes the various judgments in Isaiah chapters 13 – 23.  Understanding more of the actual history of Babylon, and reading the actual words of the text, all the things associated with the destruction of Babylon,  helps to further appreciate the prophecy as one awaiting the Lord’s return.

Horatius Bonar on Interpretation of Prophecy

Just some more great quotes from Horatius Bonar, on how we interpret scripture:

To attach a general meaning to a whole chapter, as is frequently done, shows not only grievous irreverence for the Divine Word, but much misconception of the real nature of that language in which it is written. Yet such is often the practice of many expositors of prophecy. They will take up a chapter of Isaiah, and tell you that it refers to the future glory of the Christian Church; and that is the one idea which they gather from a whole chapter, or sometimes from a series of chapters. Their system does not admit of interpreting verse by verse and clause by clause, and affixing an exact and definite sense to each. Bring them to this test, and their system gives way. It looks fair and plausible enough, so long as they can persuade you that the whole chapter is one scene, out of which it is merely designed that one grand idea should be extracted; but bring it to the best of minute and precise interpretation, and its nakedness is at once discovered. Many prophecies become in this way a mere waste of words.  What might be expressed in one sentence, is beaten out over a whole chapter; nay, sometimes over a whole book.

These expositors think that there is nothing in prophecy, except that Jew and Gentile are all to be gathered in, and made one in Christ. Prophet after prophet is raised up, vision after vision is given, and yet nothing is declared but this one idea! Every chapter almost of Isaiah foretells something about the future glory of the world; and every chapter presents it to us in some new aspect, opening up new scenes, and pointing out new objects; but, according to the scheme of some, every chapter sets forth the same idea, reiterates the same objects, and depicts the same scenes. Is not this handling the Word of God deceitfully?

Horatius Bonar on Interpreting the Prophets

Another great excerpt from Horatius Bonar, concerning those who would obscure the prophetic texts rather than simply understand them in the normal, plain language sense:

A great deal of obscurity has been ascribed to the prophets which does not really belong to them, and much that is both unmeaning and untrue has been spoken about the “necessary obscurity of figurative language.” . . .

What liberties do some interpreters take with the prophetic word! They find in every page almost what they call figurative language, and, under this idea, they explain away whole chapters without scruple or remorse. They complain much of the obscurity of the prophetic language. It is an obscurity, however, of their own creating. If they will force figures upon the prophets when they are manifestly speaking with all plainness and literality, no wonder that darkness and mystery seem to brood over the prophetic page. . . . Proceeding, then, upon this principle, that we must take all as literal till we are forced from it by something inconsistent or absurd, we shall find a far smoother and straighter way through the fields of prophecy than most men will believe. If we take the waters as we find them, we shall enjoy them clear and fresh; but if we will always be searching for some fancied figure at the bottom, or casting in one when we do not readily discover it, we need not be astonished nor complain that the stream is turbid and impure.

How plain, for instance, is that description in Isaiah 11:6-9, of the blessed condition of the renovated earth, and the share which even the lower creation is to have in this glad event! How can any one reading it not call to mind the peace of Eden, with all its rejoicing creatures, brought back to the harmony and happiness of their primeval being, or fail to contrast with that condition, thus foretold, the miserable state in which the apostle paints them, when he tells us that “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now?” [Rom. 8:22]. Who, in reading this plain prophecy, can fail to realize the time when Eden and its scenes shall revisit the earth; and when, as once, beneath its overshadowing verdure, the newborn crea-tures took their pastime, and tasted their sinless enjoyment; so again, beneath the shadow of that “Branch which is to grow out of the root of Jesse,” “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them?” [Isa. 11:1, 6]. Yet even this plain passage has been subjected to an allegorizing process, in order to compel it to yield another meaning. It is said to signify the harmony which will one day subsist between men of the most turbulent passions and discordant dispositions! When we ask, with astonishment, if words so definite and simple can have such a meaning, we are told that it is a far more noble and sublime idea that men of evil passions should be softened, than that the beasts of the field should become harmonious in their natures! It may be so. It may be a sublime meaning, but it will be difficult to prove it to be the meaning of the passage. Attempts of this kind to bring out a “spiritual and sublime meaning” from language so plainly literal, destroy the simplicity of Scripture. Instead of elevating, they degrade it, and, moreover, cast over it an air of puerility and feebleness which are ill redeemed by the fancied “sublimity” of the idea extorted from its imaginary figures.
.  . .
We freely consent that prophecy should be spiritualized, that is, should be made to give forth a spiritual utterance; and not prophecy only, but the whole Bible. Only we would first interpret it. Now here is the point at which so many stumble. They confound spiritualizing with interpreting Scripture. They think that when they have contrived to wedge in a spiritual observation (often by main force) between every verse or clause, they have succeeded in explaining it. It will generally be found that those who so spiritualize Scripture do little else than graft their own ideas upon it, instead of gathering the meaning of the Spirit from it; they force a sense into it, instead of drawing one out of it. Every verse, from Genesis to Revelation, may be spiritualized, and yet not one be interpreted.