DOCSLIB.ORG

SOCIAL JUSTICE: a MANIFESTO to the MISSIO DEI Joseph M

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
SOCIAL JUSTICE: a MANIFESTO to the MISSIO DEI Joseph M SOCIAL JUSTICE: A MANIFESTO TO THE MISSIO DEI Joseph M. Goodwin, Nazarene Theological Seminary student The Texts Isaiah 61 he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, 61 The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, ORD and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. because the L has anointed me; 11 he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, For as the earth brings forth its shoots, to bind up the brokenhearted, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to proclaim liberty to the captives, 2 and release to the prisoners; to spring up before all the nations. 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; Luke 4:14-21 to comfort all who mourn; 14 3 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, to provide for those who mourn in Zion— returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread to give them a garland instead of ashes, through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to the oil of gladness instead of mourning, teach in their synagogues and was praised by the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. everyone. They will be called oaks of righteousness, 16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been the planting of the LORD, to display his glory. 4 brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath They shall build up the ancient ruins, day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and they shall raise up the former devastations; the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He they shall repair the ruined cities, unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was the devastations of many generations. 5 written: Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines; 6 because he has anointed me but you shall be called priests of the LORD, to bring good news to the poor. you shall be named ministers of our God; He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations, and recovery of sight to the blind, and in their riches you shall glory. 7 1a to let the oppressed go free, Because their shame was double, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” and dishonor was proclaimed as their lot, 20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the therefore they shall possess a double portion; attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the everlasting joy shall be theirs. 21 8 synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to For I the LORD love justice, b say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled I hate robbery and wrongdoing; in your hearing.” 3 I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the LORD has blessed. 10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, 2The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard my whole being shall exult in my God; Version. 1989 (Is 61:1-11). Nashville: Thomas for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, Nelson Publishers. 3The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard a Heb your Version. 1989 (Lk 4:14-21). Nashville: Thomas b Or robbery with a burnt offering Nelson Publishers. 2 Social Justice: A Manifesto to the Missio Dei The aim of this paper is to help the reader find herself or himself within this greater ongoing epic of a story narrated by God; it is for the Church to recognize its location in human history, particularly within the history of God’s dealings with the people of Israel, and to identify itself as a “continuation of Biblical history.”4 My hope is that the reader will recognize that social justice is a part of the ongoing mission and character of God, and as a part of the Church my prayer is that she or he will choose to participate counter-culturally in that mission as a ‘continuation of biblical history.’ May the reader recognize that God’s character is drawn toward the poor, the captive, the oppressed, and the broken-hearted, and may they be spurred to act alongside the Spirit of God in order that good news be spoken to the poor, freedom proclaimed to the oppressed and the captive, and the recovery of sight given to the blind. The approach that will be taken in this paper will begin by examining the given texts, Isaiah 61 and Luke 4:14-21. The correlation between these texts will be examined through exegeting the passages and seeing how the people whom Jesus spoke to in Luke, relate to the people Jesus spoke of in Isaiah; the title of this section is called A People Gathered. Next, in the section entitled Who God is and What God Does we will examine the character of God in comparison to the will of God. Theologically we will examine the ontological and moral claims of the missio dei that are identifiable through reading these two passages side by side. Subsequent to this, we will examine briefly in Justice through Grace, not Vengeance, how God’s interactive love often stands counter-cultural to humankind’s natural preconceptions. Finally, within the section titled, A People Sent, we will examine how God has invited his Church to join him on his ongoing mission and what the implications are for those who do so. It ought to be noted that while sectioned off, these categories often overlap; this should not be read as a distraction but as authentication to the character of God. A People Gathered In reading these two texts (Luke 4:14-21 and Isaiah 61) allow us first to examine Luke 4 and read Isaiah 61 in light of what is happening in the historical Jesus’ context. Preceding the Nazareth pericope we examine what is taking place in Luke prior to Jesus’ reading of Isaiah in the synagogue. Though too extensive to cover in great detail here, it may be worth noting that Luke seems to set up this particular passage in a way that ties Jesus’ life directly to the servant of the Lord that is spoken of in Isaiah; we see this first with the foretelling of the birth narratives in Isaiah 7:14 and Luke 1:26-35. After the birth narrative, we see the baptism in Luke 3 and Jesus being filled with the Spirit paralleling the Spirit that brings justice to the nations being laid upon the servant of the Lord in Isaiah 42:1. And finally, after being filled with the Spirit and retreating to the wilderness where he was tempted, we have Jesus returning to his home town and beginning his ministry – he does so by proclaiming the mission that has been given to him from 4 Hays, Richard B. The Moral Vision of the New Testament: A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics (New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996), 113. Didache: Faithful Teaching 12:1 (Summer 2012) ISSN: 15360156 (web version) – http://didache.nazarene.org 3 the Father by the Spirit. Jesus, who has yet to speak publically, we see in Luke sets up his first words to be central to the ministry that he is about to live out. These first words, this essential basis for his ministry, however, are not his own; his first words are those of Isaiah. As we have briefly seen, both the build-up to this event as well as the context in which Luke places this event signifies that Luke himself regards the incident as exceptionally significant. “It stands as a ‘preface’ to Jesus’ entire public ministry, even as a condensed version of the gospel story as a whole. It is a ‘programmatic discourse’ which fulfills the same function in Luke’s gospel as the Sermon on the Mount does in Matthew’s.”5 These first words concerning the mission of God to reverse the destiny of the poor and oppressed become in Luke’s gospel “a sort of manifesto of Jesus: ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’ (4:21). The prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed (or the bruised) are all subsumed under ‘the poor’; they are manifestations of poverty, all in need of ‘good news’.”6 Luke portrays the tensions, persecutions, frustrations, theological and social problems that seem to stand outside the hands of time. Luke recognizes, if by no other way unintentionally, that there are indeed deep aspects of life that will remain significant to those who seek to advance the kingdom of God through the mission He has initiated far before, apparent even in Isaiah. We see in Luke, when Jesus reads the Scripture from the scroll of Isaiah, that Scripture is the story that identifies God’s people. By reading from the particular passage of Isaiah that he did, Jesus is identifying his hearers, who claim to be God’s people, with God’s people from the Scripture of Isaiah. Luke sets his narrative within the larger backdrop of God’s plan to bring salvation to the world. This larger backdrop and connection to Israel allow Luke to better demonstrate that it is part of God’s ancient plan to include the Gentiles into the people of God.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sermons on the Old Testament of the Bible by Jesus of Nazareth
    Sermons on the Old Testament of the Bible by Jesus of Nazareth THROUGH DR. DANIEL G. SAMUELS This online version published by Divine Truth, USA http://www.divinetruth.com/ version 1.0 Introduction to the Online Edition For those already familiar with the messages received through James Padgett , the Samuels channelings are a blessing in that they provide continuity and integration between the teachings of the Bible and the revelations received through Mr. Padgett. Samuels’ mediumship differed from Padgett’s in that it is much more filled with detail and subtlety, which makes it a perfect supplement to the “broad strokes” that Padgett’s mediumship painted with. However, with this greater resolution of detail comes greater risk of error, and it is true that we have found factual as well as conceptual errors in some of Samuel’s writings. There are also a number of passages where the wording is perhaps not as clear as we would have wished – where it appears that there was something of a “tug-of-war” going on between Samuels’ and Jesus’ mind. In upcoming editions we will attempt to notate these passages, but for now the reader is advised (as always) to read these messages with a prayerful heart, asking that their Celestial guides assist them in understanding the true intended meaning of these passages. The following is an excerpt from a message received from Jesus regarding the accuracy and clarity of Dr. Samuels’ mediumship: Received through KS 6-10-92 I am here now to write...and we are working with what is known as a "catch 22" on earth at this time, which means that it's very difficult to convince someone about the accuracy and clarity of a medium -through the use of mediumistic means.
    [Show full text]
  • The Septuagintal Isaian Use of Nomos in the Lukan Presentation Narrative
    Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations (2009 -) Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Projects The eptuaS gintal Isaian Use of Nomos in the Lukan Presentation Narrative Mark Walter Koehne Marquette University Recommended Citation Koehne, Mark Walter, "The eS ptuagintal Isaian Use of Nomos in the Lukan Presentation Narrative" (2010). Dissertations (2009 -). Paper 33. http://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/33 THE SEPTUAGINTAL ISAIAN USE OF ΝΌΜΟΣ IN THE LUKAN PRESENTATION NARRATIVE by Mark Walter Koehne, B.A., M.A. A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin May 2010 ABSTRACT THE SEPTUAGINTAL ISAIAN USE OF ΝΌΜΟΣ IN THE LUKAN PRESENTATION NARRATIVE Mark Walter Koehne, B.A., M.A. Marquette University, 2010 Scholars have examined several motifs in Luke 2:22-35, the ”Presentation” of the Gospel of Luke. However, scholarship scarcely has treated the theme of νόμος, the Νόμος is .תורה Septuagintal word Luke uses as a translation of the Hebrew word mentioned four times in the Presentation narrative; it also is a word in Septuagintal Isaiah to which the metaphor of light in Luke 2:32 alludes. In 2:22-32—a pivotal piece within Luke-Acts—νόμος relates to several themes, including ones David Pao discusses in his study on Isaiah’s portrayal of Israel’s restoration, appropriated by Luke. My dissertation investigates, for the first time, the Septuagintal Isaian use of νόμος in this pericope. My thesis is that Luke’s use of νόμος in the Presentation pericope highlight’s Jesus’ identity as the Messiah who will restore and fulfill Israel.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gospel According to Luke, Isaiah, and Origen
    Lumen et Vita 9:2 (2019), doi: 10.6017/lv.v9i2.11125 “To Evangelize the Poor:” The Gospel According to Luke, Isaiah, and Origen James E. Kelly Boston College School of Theology and Ministry (Brighton, MA) Abstract In this essay, I will examine the scriptural basis for Origen’s interpretation of Luke 4:18-19 as an allusion to Jesus’ identity as savior, not as a call to social justice. I argue that this interpretation is consistent with the intentions of the gospel writer. The essay begins with an analysis of the gospel writer’s redaction of Mark 1 in Luke 3-5. Based on that redaction, I hypothesize that Luke intends to emphasize Jesus’s identity with the anointed one mentioned in Isaiah 61:1-2. This excerpt from Isaiah not only gives Luke 4:18-19 its Christological significance but also clarifies Luke’s understanding of poverty in relation to the Gospel. I then examine Origen’s application of the Lucan passage for his pastoral purposes. To conclude, I suggest that we, like Luke and Origen, read Scripture Christocentrically in order to better facilitate the church’s encounter with Christ during the liturgy. Text If you want to see what it means to preach the Gospel, look at Jesus in the Nazareth synagogue. Within the Gospel of Luke,1 this occasion marks the first time Jesus preaches—and the first time he is rejected—during his public ministry. The other three evangelists don’t seem to remember it well. For Matthew and Mark, the rejection at Nazareth pales in comparison to the many miracles Jesus previously performed throughout Galilee; for John, this event goes unmentioned.2 What matters to Luke is the message Jesus preaches in the Nazareth synagogue, an excerpt from the book of the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, on account of which He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
    [Show full text]
  • Mystery Babylon Exposed
    Exposing Mystery Babylon An Attack On Lawlessness A Messianic Jewish Commentary Published At Smashwords By P.R. Otokletos Copyright 2013 P.R. Otokletos All Rights Reserved Table of Contents About the author Preface Introduction Hellenism a real matrix Hellenism in Religion The Grand Delusion The Christian Heritage Historical Deductions Part I Conclusion Part II Lawlessness Paul and Lawlessness Part II Conclusion Part III Defining Torah Part III Messiah and the Tree of Life Part IV Commandments Command 1 - I AM G_D Command 2 - No gods before The LORD Command 3 - Not to profane the Name of The LORD Command 4 - Observe the Sabbath Love The LORD Commands Summary Command 5 - Honor the father and the mother Command 6 - Not to murder Command 7 - Not to adulterate Command 8 - Not to steal Command 9 - Not to bear false testimony Command 10 - Not to covet Tree Of Life Summary Conclusion Final Thoughts About P. R. Otokletos The author Andrew A. Cullen has been writing under the pen name of P. R. Otokletos since 2004 when he began writing/blogging Messianic Jewish/Hebraic Roots commentaries across a broad range of topics. The author is part of an emerging movement of believing Jews as well as former Christians recapturing the Hebraic roots of the Messianic faith. A movement that openly receives not just the redemptive grace of the Gospel but also the transformational lifestyle that comes with joyful pursuit of G_D's Sacred Torah … just as it was in the first century Ce! Despite a successful career in politics and business, the author is driven first and foremost by a desire to understand the great G_D of creation and humanity's fate.
    [Show full text]
  • Book of Enoch – an Evaluation by Dr
    Book of Enoch – An Evaluation By Dr. Alan Cobb The purpose of this study is to evaluate the book of Enoch that is quoted in Jude verses 14 and 15 where he writes: “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: ‘See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him’” We will seek to try to understand why Jude quoted the work and yet the early believers did not include it in the writings they chose to include in their canon that believers were encouraged to study. Background There are four different people named Enoch mentioned in the Bible. In Genesis 4:17 we are told that Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, had a son whom he named Enoch. This is the first mention of a person named Enoch. The second mention is in Genesis 5:18 where we learn that Jared, the great great grandson of Adam had a son that he named Enoch. With that bit of information, we can determine that he is the seventh in Adam’s line with Adam being counted as number one. The third mention is in Genesis 25:4 where we learn that Midian, the son of Abraham and Keturah, had a son whom he named Enoch (another way of spelling the name is Hanoch). The fourth mention is in Genesis 46:9 where we learn that Reuben, the firstborn son of Jacob, had a son that he named Enoch (Hanoch).
    [Show full text]
  • Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Psalm 126 the Common English Bible the Common English Bible
    Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Psalm 126 The Common English Bible The Common English Bible 1 1The LORD God’s spirit is upon me, because the LORD has When the LORD changed Zion’s circumstances for the anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the better, it was like we had been dreaming. poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release for 2 captives, and liberation for prisoners, 2to proclaim the year Our mouths were suddenly filled with laughter; of the LORD’s favor and a day of vindication for our God, to our tongues were filled with joyful shouts. comfort all who mourn, 3to provide for Zion’s mourners, to give them a crown in place of ashes, oil of joy in place of It was even said, at that time, among the nations, “The LORD mourning, a mantle of praise in place of discouragement. has done great things for them!” They will be called Oaks of Righteousness, planted by the 3 LORD to glorify himself. 4They will rebuild the ancient Yes, the LORD has done great things for us, and ruins; they will restore formerly deserted places; they will we are overjoyed. renew ruined cities, places deserted in generations past. 8I, 4 the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and dishonesty. I will LORD, change our circumstances for the better, like dry faithfully give them their wage, and make with them an streams in the desert waste! enduring covenant. 9Their offspring will be known among 5 the nations, and their descendants among the peoples.
    [Show full text]
  • Structural Analysis of Isaiah 61 with a Special Focus on Verses 1-3
    298 De Vries, “Structural Analysis of Isaiah 61,” OTE 26/2 (2013): 298-314 Structural Analysis of Isaiah 61 with a Special Focus on Verses 1-3 PIETER DE VRIES (V RIJE UNIVERSITEIT , AMSTERDAM ) ABSTRACT An analysis of the structure of Isa 61 underlines the priestly charac- ter of its content. There are weighty reasons to depart from the Mas- oretic division of the text in Isa 61:1. The Masoretes placed a rebia suggesting that we have here a major division. I suggest ֲ נָוִ ים above . לְבַשֵּׂ ֣ ר that a new metrical verse starts in Isa 61:1 with the expression In verses 1-3 the prophet, or the person to whom the prophets refers, לְ is anointed seven times by YHWH: every time the colon opens with followed by an infinitive construct. My division of the cola however results in more bicola than tricola as suggested by the Masoretic accents. In Hebrew poetry the bicolon is far more usual than the tri- colon. So, when possible, a division in bicola must be preferred above tricola. I give my reasons to divide v. 3c not as a bicolon, but as a tricolon. Consequently I notice several stylistic features at the end of the first part of the hymn. My division suggests that the whole hymn consists of fifty cola, a number that corresponds with the num- ber of the Jubilee. My aim is to show that the structure of the poem undergirds its priestly message and character. A INTRODUCTION In this article I provide a structural analysis of Isa 61 with a particular focus on vv.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ot Background and Lukan Fulfillment of the Ethics of Jubilee
    Cedarville University DigitalCommons@Cedarville Biblical and Theological Studies Faculty School of Biblical and Theological Studies Publications 3-2010 Jesus Is Our Jubilee... But How? The TO Background and Lukan Fulfillment of the Ethics of Jubilee Christopher R. Bruno Cedarville University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/ biblical_and_ministry_studies_publications Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Bruno, Christopher R., "Jesus Is Our Jubilee... But How? The TO Background and Lukan Fulfillment of the Ethics of Jubilee" (2010). Biblical and Theological Studies Faculty Publications. 306. http://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/biblical_and_ministry_studies_publications/306 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Cedarville, a service of the Centennial Library. It has been accepted for inclusion in Biblical and Theological Studies Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Cedarville. For more information, please contact [email protected]. JETS 53/1 (March 2010) 81–101 “JESUS IS OUR JUBILEE” . BUT HOW? THE OT BACKGROUND AND LUKAN FULFILLMENT OF THE ETHICS OF JUBILEE christopher r. bruno* i. introduction In the contemporary Christian church, one does not need to look far to find references to the biblical Jubilee. On the campus of Wheaton College, the World Christian Fellowship sponsors a yearly Jubilee week, in which students are challenged to think globally about the world Christian move- ment. A branch of a local charitable organization is called the “Jubilee Furni- ture Company.” This group raises funds for Christian outreach through the re-sale of furniture and supplies needy families with home furnishings.
    [Show full text]
  • The First Reading Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 the Spirit of the Lord GOD Is
    The First Reading Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory. They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. For I the LORD love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the LORD has blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
    [Show full text]
  • Isaiah 61 the Vision and Mission of God June 18, 2017 (Father's Day
    Isaiah 61 The Vision and Mission of God June 18, 2017 (Father’s Day) Main Point: Christians are oaks of righteousness put on display for the advertisement of the glory of God, the power of God, the mercy of God, and the love of God for the world. SI: Why this passage? One of the themes of the Bible is that God sees. In the beginning, on the first day of Creation, God created light. It is by light that we see. On the last day of Creation, God sees all that He had made and it was very good. Here in Isaiah, that God sees is a primary theme > He sees the oppression that rebellion against His fatherly care brings. Just before our passage in Is 59:15 > Isaiah says, “Truth is lacking…The Lord saw it and it displeased Him that there was no justice.” Isaiah goes on: “He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then His own arm brought Him salvation, and His righteousness upheld Him.” Then here in our passage > The emergence of an individual speaking in the first person singular - “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon ME…the Lord has anointed ME…” The appearance of This Anointed One is not out of nowhere - His appearing is prophesied throughout the OT and throughout Isaiah. He appears in the Servant Songs - The Servant who will mediate the work of the Lord for the good of the world. This is God fulfilling His own need for someone to do something about the troubles.
    [Show full text]
  • Offering Divine Grace: an Exegesis of Isaiah 61:1 9
    Scripture and Interpretation vol. 2, no. 1 (2007): 35-59 OFFERING DIVINE GRACE: AN EXEGESIS OF ISAIAH 61:1 9 Cristian G. Rata* Even though many centuries separate us from the prophet Isaiah,1 Holladay reminds us that he still speaks to us today when the book “is properly proclaimed by people of faith.”2 Indeed, one would expect this to be a favorite book for preachers who use the Old Testament in their sermons. However, the evidence indicates that few sermons are preached in our churches from this book. The main reason seems to be the difficulty of the content and the confusing arrangement of the book.3 In what follows, I would like to provide to the interested expositor some notes that will help with the preaching of Isaiah 61:1 9. I will start by discussing the literary context of the passage. This will be followed by the translation of the text and comments on each verse, and I will conclude with some final observations which will include a suggested sermon outline. * Cristian G. Rata is Lecturer in Old Testament at Torch Trinity Graduate School of Theology, Seoul. 1 Note that except for the Torah, it seems that “no other book had a greater impact on the faith of early Judaism and Christianity” than the book of Isaiah. He occupies the first place in the Latter Prophets, and there is also early documentary evidence for Isaiah’s popularity in the Jewish community of the Septuagint (Alexandria, Egypt). Ecclesiasticus (48:22) tells us that Isaiah “was great and faithful in his vision.” The fact that some twenty one Isaiah manuscripts were found in the Qumran caves is also strong evidence for the importance of this prophet in pre Christian times.
    [Show full text]
  • Isaiah 61, the Redeemer Overview This Chapter Is the Second of the Three Sections in Isaiah 58-66 That Describe the Redeemer (Chart)
    Isaiah 61, The Redeemer Isaiah 61, The Redeemer Overview This chapter is the second of the three sections in Isaiah 58-66 that describe the redeemer (chart). Correspondence among the other sections suggests that this is in fact the center of this nine-chapter segment, and its focal point. Like many other sections in Isaiah (such as ch. 60), this one is marked by frequent changes in grammatical person and verb forms that reflect a regular structure (chart). Also as in other sections, there are often strong transitional ties between the sections. The notes give technical details. Our working hypothesis will be that this chapter, like the previous one, is a conversation among multiple participants. • The conversation begins and ends with somebody speaking in the first person, claiming to have been sent by the Lord to care for the weak and to execute the Lord’s vengeance. These are the two missions of the Redeemer from 59:15b-21 (chart), so it makes sense to hear his voice in these paragraphs. This person is clearly distinct from the Lord, for he describes himself as sent by the Lord in vv. 1-2, and rejoices in the Lord in vv. 10-11. • The central section shows a conspicuous change in grammatical person in describing the redeemed. Contrast the exclusive use of 3mp pronouns in vv. 3-4 and 7b-9 with the exclusive use of 2mp pronouns in 5-7a. ◦ None of these forms is used in the outer sections where the Redeemer is speaking. Only in vv. 1-2 does he mention the object of his work, and always with a specific description, not a pronoun.
    [Show full text]