Reading Isaiah • 3 Goals – Gain practice in close reading of a prophet Isaiah 1-12 – Gain a sense of Isaiah’s themes and structure – Gain facility in reading academic writing on the prophets Isaiah 1-39 Isaiah 1: Invitation • Date of Isaiah’s activity • The opening oracle – Standard prophetic themes • Accusation (standard 8th century) • Call to repent (“wash”) • Threat of judgement – God’s sovereign restoration • God’s mercy in 701 • Judgement as purification (1:25) – Individual judgement as key (1:27-28) • An invitation to the book – Which possibility will the reader choose? Isaiah 2-12 1 Isaiah 2-4: The Two Possibilities Isaiah 5: God’s Decision • “Inclusio” or “chiastic” structure – Blessing (2:1-4) • Jerusalem as the cosmic mountain • The love-song of the vineyard (5:1-7) • “Torah” going into whole world • An end to violence • 6 “woe” oracles (5:8-25) • Fulfilling Israel’s original commission –5:8-10 – Curse (2:5-4:1) • Social chaos (leaders gone, desperate widows) – 5:11-17 • Destruction of the city • Again, individual judgement (2:10) – 5:18-19 – Blessing (4:2-6) –5:20 • The “branch of the LORD” glorious • The land “fruitful” –5:21 • Holy after cleansing (cf. Exod 19) • Cloud/flame over Mt. Zion – 5:22-25 – The hinge: “Come, let us walk in the light of the LORD” (2:4) • The form of the judgement (5:26-30) • The timing: “In that day” – God’s time meets human time – Who is coming? – Ambiguity of historical reference – Why the ambiguity? • Themes – Human pride vs. God’s exaltation – Powerless idols vs. God’s strength Isaiah 2-12 Isaiah 6: Isaiah’s Commission •Date • Isaiah’s vision of God – Compared to Ezekiel’s call- visions – Compared to Jeremiah’s call • Isaiah as representative of the people • Isaiah’s strange commission Isaiah 7-8: Commission Fulfilled Isaiah 2-12 • Encounter with Ahaz – Context: Syro-Ephraimite war – Message: “If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all” – Response: refusal to trust • Immanuel (7) – A sign of what will happen “on that day” – Nature of the day determined by Ahaz’ reaction • Maher-shalal-hash-baz (8) – Further reference to Immanuel (8:8) – “bind up the testimony” (8:16) 2 Isaiah 9-12: The Two Sides of Isaiah 9-11: The Two Sides of God’s “Day” God’s “Day” • Future: Restoration promised (9) • Remnant restored “on that day” (10:20-27) – Why Zebulun, Naphtali, Galilee? – Interlude during oracle of Assyrian judgement – The Messianic child (9:6-7) • Present: people still under judgement (9-10) • The “shoot from the stump of Jesse” (11) – Refrain: “his hand is outstretched still” – Spirit of LORD rests on him – Reason for Israel’s destruction: “The people did not turn to him – Judges with righteousness & faithfulness who struck them” (9:13) – Word destroys the wicked – Jerusalem too facing destruction “on that day” (10:3) – Cosmic peace • Context: late-8th century (9:21; 10:32) • Broader application – Earth full of the “knowledge of the LORD” – Assyria as God’s instrument (10:5-11) – Remnant of Israel re-gathered • Punished herself afterward for pride (10:12-19) • Done with God’s “outstretched hand” • Interpreted as broader symbol (10:24) • Overpower hostile neighbours Isaiah 12: Israel’s Hymn of Praise Reading Questions • Song of the restored people • Why include such a long section of oracles – What do they sing? against other nations here? • If the core of these oracles comes from the 8th-century Isaiah, what signs of redaction do you see? 3.