THE BOOK OF ISAIAH
Lesson 16: Chapters 43:14-45:8
Part III: Prophecies of Consolation (Chapters 40-66)
Holy and Merciful Lord,
You have called us to worship You in spirit and in truth.
We accomplish this by offering up our sanctified lives to You in every celebration
of the Eucharist in which we are called to "lift up our hearts" to Heaven. It
is the sacrifice of our humble and contrite hearts in obedience to Your Law of
love that pleases You. In this the Year of Mercy, help us Lord to be true
instruments of Mother Church's mercy to a heartbroken world. Help us to
recognize human needs both small and great and to respond with hearts filled
with compassion. Help us to remember that the life of our Blessed Mother Mary
was the first door of mercy that was opened to come to the aid of a fallen
world. Please send Your Holy Spirit to guide us in our lesson as we delve more
deeply into the mystery of the promise of God's Servant who is Jesus Christ. We
pray in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
+ + +
In the previous
passage, prophecies were made of the covenant of Christ and the graces bestowed
by him, because he had promised that he would make a way in the wilderness and
streams in the arid land, on account of which the beasts of the field would
bless him. This may be understood as the praise of spiritual sacrifice and the
fruit of the new covenant in Christ. Here in the present passage, he tries to
assure Israel that they have been ransomed out of Egypt and delivered from the
grievous burden of slavery there but not so that they would offer cattle to him
and find access to God through blood and smoke! For such things are refuse in
God's sight and are shadows rather than the truth itself.
Cyril of Alexandria, (Commentary on Isaiah, 4.1.43.22)
In Isaiah 41:8 we returned to the concept of "servanthood" mentioned nine times previously (see the chart on the term "Servant" in Isaiah). The word "servant" appears forty times in the Book of Isaiah: nine times in chapters 1-39 and thirty-one times in chapters 40-66. Sometimes the term designates the nation of Israel as God's covenant people. But at other times it denotes an individual. In Isaiah 41:8-10 the servant's identity is Israel: But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham my friend, 9 whom I have taken to myself, from the remotest parts of the earth [ends of the earth], and summoned from countries far away, to whom I have said, "You are my servant, I have chosen you, I have not rejected you," 10 do not be afraid, for I am with you; do not be alarmed, for I am your God. The words "Israel", "Jacob" and "you descendants of Abraham" designate the covenant people as the servant and remind us of Israel's historical divine election (Ex 19 and 24) as well as God's three-fold covenant with Abraham that will culminate in a world-wide blessing (Gen 12:1-3).
However, in the same passage, the words "my servant," "whom I have chosen," and "my friend" are relationship words that emphasize Israel's special relationship to God. God called Israel from the ends of the earth (Is 41:9). The Assyrian and Babylonian exiles had dispersed many of God's people far apart across the ancient Near East, but the time of their restoration was coming. Consequently, God told them they were not to be afraid (Is 41:10, 13). God promised to strengthen and uphold them; their enemies would be shamed as God intervened to end their oppression (Is 41:11-12).
Then in Isaiah 41:21-29 the prophet introduced one of the major themes of chapters 40-66: the Babylonian captivity proves that God is who He says He is because He predicted it and it came to pass. This assertion is an indictment against the Biblical commentators who deny predictive prophecy and claim that there are multiple authors of the Book of Isaiah because of the prophecies of the future liberator and Israel's return from exile did not come to pass until the 6th century AD.
Another theme introduced in chapter 41 that will be repeated is the theme of the failure of the pagan false gods (Is 41:21-29). Once again Isaiah uses the legal term "riv/rib" (Is 41:21). The Lord God who is Jacob's king is calling the false gods into court to challenge them to prove their power (Is 41:22-23) by asking three questions:
The verdict in 41:24 is that they cannot! They are from nothing, they produce nothing, and they are nothing.
Then in Isaiah 41:25-43:13 Yahweh presents His own works as evidence of His sovereignty:
The verdict is that Yahweh alone is God (Is 43:8-13), and it is through this unnamed individual that Israel, God's "blind and deaf" servant, was to be liberated from the Babylonian captivity (Is 42:19-20).
In Isaiah chapters 43:14-45:25 Isaiah announces Israel's redemption from Babylon:
|
The Use of the
Term "Slave/Servant" in the Book of Isaiah The word "servant/slave" appears forty times in the Book of Isaiah: nine times in chapters 1-39 and thirty-one times in chapters 40-66 |
| Nations that become the servants of Israel in the day of restoration (Is 14:2) |
| Isaiah (Is 20:3) |
|
Israel who is God's chosen servant (41:8, 9; 42:19;
43:10; 44:1, 2, 21; 45:4; 48:20; 49:3, 5(?); remnant of Israel 49:5, 6, 7; 54:17; 63:17; 65:8, 9, 13, 14, 15; 66:14) |
| Eliakim the Davidic vicar (Is 22:20) |
| Judgment on master and slave of apostate Israel (Is 24:2) |
| King Sennacherib's servants/ministers (Is 36:9) and King Hezekiah's servants/ministers (Is 36:11) |
| King David (Is 37:35) |
| Messiah/Jesus (Is 42:1= Mt 12:18-21; Is 52:13; 53:11) Jesus/Israel (Is 50:10) |
| Prophets (Is 44:26) |
| Gentiles/foreigners (Is 56:6) |
| Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 2015 |
The unnamed liberator and protector in Is 41:1-3 and 25 is never called "servant."
Chapters 43:14-28: The Promised Miracles of the New Exodus
In Isaiah 43:14-44:8 Isaiah announces Yahweh's coming blessing upon Israel. The coming blessing is described in terms of four key concepts:
Isaiah 43:14-21 ~ God's Mighty Works for Israel in the
Past Repeated
14 Thus says
Yahweh, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I have sent to
Babylon, I shall knock down all the prison bars, and the Chaldaeans' shouts of
joy will change to lamentations. 15 I
am Yahweh, your Holy one, the Creator of Israel, your king. 16 Thus says Yahweh, who made a way through the
sea, a path on the raging waters, 17 who
led out chariot and horse together with an army of picked troops: they lay down
never to rise again, they were snuffed out, put out like a wick. 18 No need to remember past events, no need to
think about what was done before. 19 Look,
I am doing something new, now it emerges; can you not see it? Yes, I am making
a road in the desert and rivers in wastelands. 20 The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches,
for bestowing water in the desert and rivers on the wastelands for my people,
my chosen one, to drink. 21 The
people I have shaped for myself will broadcast my praises.
In predicting future events, God will use Babylon as His instrument of judgment to punish Israel/Judah for her sins. The Babylonians will rejoice in their conquest of Judah, but then God will bring them to judgment and they will lament like the covenant people lamented when they were punished by the Babylonians. The "Chaldaeans" in verse 14 were one of several groups of ancient Semitic peoples who came together to form the Babylonian Empire. Abraham was called a Chaldaean who migrated from Ur near the Persian Gulf to Haran in northern Syria before traveling to Canaan at Yahweh's invitation (Gen 11:28, 31; 15:7).
Question: According to verse 15, who is Israel's
true king? Also see 44:6. Who then are the Davidic kings?
Answer: Yahweh is Israel's true king and the
Davidic kings are His civil representatives to the people in the same way the
chief priests are His religious representatives.
Question: How did Yahweh "create" Israel and what
events does God recall through His prophet in verses 16-17? See Exodus 14:21-29 and Exodus chapter 19 for your answer.
Answer: God redeemed an enslaved people from Egypt
and created a free nation as His chosen people. These verses recall His mighty
works on behalf of Israel in the crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of
Pharaoh's army.
The use of the present tense in verse 16 in the literal Hebrew is, "who makes a way", is deliberate. God's work of salvation in the Exodus liberation is not all in the past but is going to be repeated "the Exodus liberation is a pattern in salvation history. Jesus' work of redemption in Luke 9:31 is described as His "exodus" in the Greek text of the New Testament: "...and they were speaking of His exodus which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem."
18 No need to
remember past events, no need to think about what was done before. 19 Look, I am doing something new, now it
emerges; can you not see it? Yes, I am making a road in the desert and rivers
in wastelands.
The past mighty works of God in the Exodus liberation
will pale in comparison to the greater works of God in the new Exodus out of
Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah, more than a century later, will also speak of
Yahweh doing "something new" in Jeremiah 31:22, 31 (also see 2 Cor 5:17 and CCC
711). The "road in the desert" is the path God will create for His people to
return to their homeland and where they will have water to sustain them on the
journey "springs in the desert (verse 20) like the Exodus miracle in Exodus 17:1-7.
The Catechism quotes Isaiah 43:19 in CCC 711: " Behold, I am doing a new thing.' Two prophetic lines were to develop, one leading to the expectation of the Messiah, the other pointing to the announcement of a new Spirit. They converge in the small Remnant, the people of the poor, who await in hope the consolation of Israel' and the redemption of Jerusalem.'"
This oracle is to fill the people with hope that they will survive the Babylonian captivity and will be able to return home. In it Isaiah presents the Exodus liberation as the prototype of every act of liberation brought about by Yahweh in salvation history. But the future exodus liberation from Babylon will be "new" "surpassing all that happened in the past (verses 18-19). This is the doctrinal core teaching of the "Book of Consolation" in chapters 40:1-48:22.
Isaiah 43:22-28 ~ Israel's Ingratitude
22 But, Jacob,
you have not invoked me; no, Israel, you have grown weary of me. 23 You have not brought me lambs as your burnt
offerings and have not honored me with your sacrifices. I have not subjected
you to cereal offering, I have not wearied you by demanding incense. 24 You have not brought expensive reed for me or
sated me with the fat of your sacrifices. Instead you have subjected me with
your sins, you have wearied me with your crimes, 25 I, I it is who blot out your acts of revolt for my own sake
and shall not call your sins to mind. Remind me, and we will judge this
together; state your own case and justify yourself. 27 Your first ancestor sinned, your interpreters
revolted against me. 28 That is
why I deposed the chief men of my sanctuary, why I put Jacob under the curse of
destruction and subjected Israel to insult.
In verses 22-24 God identifies the part of Israel that is
the Southern Kingdom of Judah as the transgressor (the Northern Kingdom of
Israel has already paid for their sins in the Assyrian exile). The people
demonstrate a lack of loyalty and commitment to their covenant with Yahweh by
not invoked Yahweh in liturgical worship and in not repenting their sins.
Question: In what ways have they failed to worship
Yahweh? See Ex 29:38-42 and 30:34-37
Answer: They have failed to observe the daily
liturgical sacrifices of communal whole burnt offerings of the lambs and the
accompanying cereal offerings. They have also failed to offer the prescribed
incense offering.
What God asked in the liturgy of worship was not meant to weary the people, but they have wearied God with their repeated sins and offenses (verses 23b-24). The reed and fat in verse 24 probably refers to fragrant reeds made as offerings and burned in religious and secular occasions (see Song of Songs 4:14 and Ez 27:19). The fat of the animal is what was burned on the altar fire when God returned the main portion of the animal in a communion or sin sacrifice (Lev 3:1-5; 7:15/5 and Lev 6:17-22/24-30).
25 I, I it is who
blot out your acts of revolt for my own sake and shall not call your sins to
mind.
It is only God who has the power to forgive their sins.
25b Remind me,
and we will judge this together; state your own case and justify yourself.
Once again in verses 25-28, Isaiah, as God's voice to the
people, uses legal language to outline God's case against them. If they repent
and remind God of their sins, the conditions for reconciliation can be decided.
27 Your first
ancestor sinned, your interpreters revolted against me. 28 That is why I deposed the chief men of my
sanctuary, why I put Jacob under the curse of destruction and subjected Israel
to insult.
"Your first ancestor" probably refers to Jacob-Israel
(see verse 22) who was a most imperfect man "deceiving his own father to cheat
his brother of his birthright. The "interpreters" who revolted are the false
prophets of the past (see 1 Kng 13:11-32; 19:2-4) and the present. The point
is, Israel/Judah has been sinful from the beginning. Consequently, Isaiah
promises God's judgment of all sin (verse 28).
Israel is God's chosen people and He will never abandon them; however, the lawsuit in verse 26 calls the people to a necessary examination of conscience that leads to confession of sins. The reasons God has given for the people's failures in verses 22-27 is the reason God has subjected Judah to judgment and deposed the chief priests of His Sanctuary, which will be destroyed by the Babylonians in 587/6 BC, when the people are disgraced and sent into exile.
Chapter 44: Yahweh, the First and the Last
Isaiah 44:1-5 ~ Yahweh's Blessings for Israel
1 And now listen,
Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen. 2 Thus says Yahweh who made you, who formed you in the womb; he
will help you. Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant. Jeshurun whom I have
chosen. 3 For I shall pour out
water on the thirsty soil and streams on the dry ground. I shall pour out my
spirit on your descendants, my blessing on your offspring, 4 and they will spring up among the grass, like
willows on the banks of a stream. 5 One
person will say, "I belong to Yahweh," another will call himself by Jacob's
name. On his hand another will write "Yahweh's" and be surnamed "Israel."
Israel has sinned and they have wearied the Lord God with their faults, but God's love is so great that, in spite of everything they have done, He will forgive them and will take them back.
44:2 Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant. Jeshurun whom I have chosen. Jeshurun is a poetic name for Israel also found in Deuteronomy 32:15; 33:5, 26. There is word play between the words "Jeshurun" and "Jacob." The term Jeshurun probably means "loyal"; it is from the Hebrew root "ysr", with vowels yashar, meaning "honor," or "upright," as opposed to "Jacob" which means "he who supplants."
3 For I shall
pour out water on the thirsty soil and streams on the dry ground. I shall pour
out my spirit on your descendants, my blessing on your offspring, 4 and they will spring up among the grass, like
willows on the banks of a stream.
God promises to redeem both the land and the people. The
promise in 3b is fulfilled on the Jewish feast of Pentecost in 30 AD when the
community of the new Israel of the New Covenant in Christ Jesus received the
gift of God the Holy Spirit. The Old Sinai Covenant was only a tutor and a
guide. It could not forgive original sin, therefore Heaven remained closed and
there was only the hope of eternal salvation; and it could not give the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The New Covenant in Christ gave both.
5 One person will
say, "I belong to Yahweh," another will call himself by Jacob's name. On his
hand another will write "Yahweh's" and be surnamed "Israel."
This verse speaks of a "sign" of belonging to Yahweh.
Converts will be joined to Yahweh and will be integrated into Jacob-Israel. In
Christ, the Gentiles will be joined with the Jews as a New Covenant order.
Isaiah 44:6-23 form Isaiah's assertion that Yahweh is the only God "there is no one or thing that can be compared to Him. Legal language is also employed in these passages in the form of a "riv/rib" as in earlier passages. There are four stages to Isaiah's argument:
Isaiah 44:6-8 ~ There is Only One God
6 Thus says
Yahweh, Israel's king, Yahweh Sabaoth, his redeemer: I am the first and I am
the last; there is no God except me. 7 Who
is like me? Let him call out, let him affirm it and convince me it is so; let
him say what has been happening since I instituted an eternal people, and predict
to them what will happen next! 8 Have
no fear, do not be afraid: have I not told you and revealed it long ago? You
are my witnesses. Is there any God except me? There is no Rock; I know of
none.
The Church's Catechism refers to verse 6 where it notes that "...our profession of faith begins with God, for God is the First and the Last (cf. Is 44:6), the beginning and the end of everything" (CCC 198). Notice that Isaiah strings together a series of names and titles that emphasize the power of God alone to bring about these promises for Israel's future: "Yahweh", "Israel's king", "Yahweh Sabaoth (of hosts)", "Redeemer", the "I AM" who is the "first and the last" "the beginning of all and the end of all.
Isaiah says that God challenges any false god to give evidence of past or future events he has predicted. God assures the people through Isaiah that they have nothing to fear because God is their "rock" who has brought to fulfillment events He promised in the past and they are His eyewitnesses to the fulfillment of those events.
Question: What is the point in verse 7?
Answer: The accurate fulfillment of predictive
prophecy is proof that God is who He says He is and is proof of God's power and
sovereignty over mankind.
In verse 8 "Rock" is a title for God often used in Biblical poetry, and can also be used for false gods. It is used for Yahweh in Deuteronomy 32:4, 15, 18 and 31b; but for false gods in Deuteronomy 32:31a (also see "Rock" as a title for God in 2 Sam 23:3; Ps 18:2/3, 46/47; 19:15; 28:1; Is 17:10; 30:29; etc., and for Christ is 1 Cor 10:1-4).
In Isaiah 44:9-45:25 the focus is on:
Isaiah 44:9-20 ~ The Makers of False Idols
9 The makers of
idols are all nothingness; the works they delight in serve no purpose. And
these are the witness against them: they see nothing, they know nothing; and so
they will be put to shame. 10 Whoever
fashioned a god or cast an image without hope of gain? 11 Watch how all its devotees will be put to
shame, and the men who made it too, who are only human. Let them all assemble,
let them stand forward and feel both fear and shame! 12 The blacksmith makes an axe over the
charcoal, beats it into shape with a hammer, works on it with his strong arm.
Then he feels hungry and his strength deserts him; having drunk no water, he is
exhausted. 13 The wood carver
takes his measurements, outlines the image with chalk, executes it with the
chisel, following the outline with a compass. He makes it look like a human
being, with human standards of beauty, so that it can reside in a house. 14 He has cut down, cedars, has selected an oak
and a terebinth which he has grown for himself among the trees in the forest
and has planted a pine tree which the rain has nourished. 15 Once it is suitable to burn, he takes some of
it to warm himself; having kindled it, he bakes bread. But he also makes a god
and worships it; he makes an idol from it and bows down before it. 16 Half of it he burns on the fire, over this half
he roasts meat, eats it and is replete; at the same time he warms himself and
says, "Ah, how warm I am, watching the flames!" 17 With the remainder he makes a god, his idol, bows down before
it, worships it and prays to it. "Save me," he says, "for you are my god." 18 They knew nothing, they understand nothing,
since their eyes are incapable of seeing and their hearts of reflecting. 19 Not one of them looks into his heart, not one
of them has the knowledge and wit to think, "I burned half of it on the fire
and cooked food over the embers. Am I right to make something disgusting out
of what is left? Am I right to bow down before a block of wood?" 20 He hankers after ashes, his deluded heart has
led him astray; he will not save himself, he will not think, "What I have in my
hand is nothing but a lie!"
Isaiah makes an argument concerning the futility and
foolishness of worshiping idols in verses 9-20 in a satirical passage. It is
similar to Wisdom 13:10-12; to Jeremiah 2:26-28, and 10:1-16.
Question: In verses 9-11 Isaiah begins with a
general denunciation of man-made idols. What three points does Isaiah make
about the worship of idols?
Answer:
Then in verses 12-20 Isaiah illustrates the futility of idol worship giving a detailed account of the idol's creation from common materials that are also used for other purposes and ending with worshipper falling down in front of the useless idol "all of which demonstrates the spiritual blindness of those who worship idols (Is 44:18-20).
Question: What obvious truth does the maker of
idols and those who worship it miss? See verse 20.
Answer: A tree that is used to make an idol and
which was also used as fuel to cook a food for a meal could have no spiritual
power. They worship a lie they created.
Isaiah 44:21-23 ~ A Call to Remember
21 Remember these
things, Jacob, and Israel, since you are my servant. I formed you, you are my
servant; Israel, I shall not forget you. 22
I have dispelled your acts of revolt like a cloud and your sins like a
mist. 23 Come back to me, for I
have redeemed you. Heavens, shout for joy, for Yahweh has acted! Underworld
[Sheol] shout aloud! Shout for joy, you mountains, forests and all your
trees! For Yahweh has redeemed Jacob and displayed his glory in Israel.
Question: What does Yahweh ask Israel to remember and to do?
Answer:
It is for these reasons that Israel can trust God and can believe His promise to redeem His people. Then God asks the heavens, the grave and nature (that is worshipped by pagans) to express joy that the One True God has redeemed His people for the purpose of displaying His glory in them.
Isaiah 44:24-28 ~ Yahweh Alone is Creator of the World
and the Lord of History
24 Thus says
Yahweh, your redeemer, he who formed you in the womb: I, Yahweh, have made all
things, I alone spread out the heavens. When I hammered the earth into shape,
who was with me? 25 I, who foil
the omens of soothsayers and make fools of diviners, who confound sages turning
their knowledge into folly, 26 who
confirm the word of my servant and make the plans of my envoys succeed; who say
to Jerusalem, "You will be inhabited," and the towns of Judah, "You will be
rebuilt and I shall restore the ruins of Jerusalem"; 27 who say to the ocean, "Dry up! I shall make
your rivers run dry"! 28 who say
to Cyrus, "My shepherd." He will perform my entire will by saying to
Jerusalem, "You will be rebuilt," and to the Temple, "You will be refounded."
Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, he who formed you in the womb... The "you" is plural and refers to all human beings. God formed all of us and has known us since we were "in the womb."
In this last section of chapter 44, Isaiah provides another argument from greater to lesser like 40:12-26 and 27-31. Returning to the theme of His omnipotence, Isaiah begins with a description of God's creation of the cosmos and then moves to Yahweh announcement that proof of His sovereignty over creation and human history is going to be manifested to His covenant people in their return to the Promised Land and in the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple. God will bring about the redemption of His people through a particular king at a determined time in human history.
Question: Who is God's agent through whom this
prophecy will be fulfilled? What is the connection to Isaiah 41:2-3?
Answer: It will be accomplished through God's
"shepherd" Cyrus who is the unnamed instrument of God's divine plan in 41:2-3.
"Shepherd" is a title of leadership in the Bible and is used for Yahweh, for kings, and for priests in both the positive and the negative. God is Israel's divine "Shepherd;" David is called "the shepherd of his people;" failed priests are "bad shepherds;" and Jesus will call Himself "the Good Shepherd" (e.g., Ps 80:1; 2 Sam 5:2; Ez 34:2; Jn 10:11). In Isaiah 44:28 God calls Cyrus "My shepherd" in the understanding that he will be God's agent in fulfilling a divine mission in returning the covenant people to their homeland so they can rebuild the Temple.
Cyrus was the king of Persia in the 6th century BC "keep in mind that Isaiah is writing this prediction at the end of the 8th century BC. Cyrus was one of the great military leaders and empire builders of history. Despite his great military successes, very little is known about him personally. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote that he was born in the region of the Zargos Mountains. This mountain range begins in northwestern Iran and spreads into Iraq and Eastern Turkey, spanning the whole length of the western and southwestern Iranian plateau. In 43:2-3 Isaiah said this individual would have his origin in the north but would come from the east.(1)
Isaiah 45:1-7 ~ Cyrus, God's Anointed-one (Mashiach)
1 Thus says
Yahweh to his anointed one, to Cyrus whom, he says, I have grasped by his right
hand, to make the nations bow before him and to disarm kings, to open gateways
before him so that their gates be closed no more: 2 I myself shall go before you, I shall level
the heights, I shall shatter the bronze gateways, I shall smash the iron bars.
3 I shall give you secret treasures
and hidden hoards of wealth, so that you will know that I am Yahweh, who call
you by your name, the God of Israel. 4 It
is for the sake of my servant Jacob and of Israel my chosen one, that I have
called you by your name, have given you a title though you do not know me. 5 I am Yahweh, and there is no other God except
me. Though you do not know me, I have armed you 6 so that it may be known from east to west that there is no one
except me. I am Yahweh, and there is no other, 7 I form the light and I create the darkness, I make well-being,
and I create disaster, I, Yahweh do all these things. 8 Rain down, you heavens, from above, and let
the clouds pour down saving justice [righteousness], let the earth open up and
blossom with salvation, and let justice sprout up with it; I, Yahweh, have
created it!
Isaiah 45:1-7 is a royal enthronement prophecy. See similar enthronement prophecies in Psalms 2 and 110. Cyrus is summoned by name and is called God's anointed, in Hebrew mashiach (verse 1). This is a title that has been reserved for Israel's kings, priests and prophets; and it will become the title of the promised Redeemer-Messiah. But in this case, the title is being given to a pagan, foreign ruler who does not know Yahweh (verses 4-5) but who God will endow with powers to bring about God's divine plan for Israel/Judah's return to the Promised Land. Cyrus is the only non-Israelite to receive the title "messiah." Isaiah ends this passage with another declaration of God's sovereignty over creation and the history of man in verses 5-7.
| Uses of the Title Mashiach/Anointed-one in the Old Testament |
| Priests: Lev 4:3, 5, 16; 6:22 |
|
Kings: Saul = 1 Sam 2:35; 12:3, 5; 26:9, 11, 16, 23; 2 Sam 1:14, 16 David = 1 Sam 16:6; 2 Sam 19:21; 22:51; 23:1; Ps 18:50; 20:6; 28:8 Probably King Zedekiah = Lam 4:20 Israel's Davidic kings in general = Ps 2:2; 28:8; 84:9; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17; Lam 4:20 The Davidic Messiah = Is 61:1; possibly Dan 9:25, 26 |
|
Others: Cyrus = Is 45:1 |
| Michal E. Hunt Copyright (C) 2015 |
In the Greek LXX Old Testament translation the Hebrew word "mashiach/masiah" is translated "christos" as it is in the New Testament. The word "Christos" for "anointed one" is found in the New Testament c. 350 times. The Greek transliteration of "mashiach/masiah" is "messias" and John 1:41 uses both Greek words: We have found the Messiah [messias] (which means Christ [Christos]).
8 Rain down, you
heavens, from above, and let the clouds pour down saving justice
[righteousness], let the earth open up and blossom with salvation, and let
justice sprout up with it; I, Yahweh, have created it!
The words translated "saving justice/righteousness,"
"salvation," and "justice," correspond to three Hebrew abstract nouns. The
first and third mean the same thing, "righteousness" (Navarre Bible: Major
Prophets, Isaiah, page 202). St. Jerome interpreted the first two words as
adjectives ""righteous" and "saving," interpreting them as having a direct
reference to the Messiah, the "Just," "Savior" Jesus Christ.(2) In
this passage, the prayer is for the deliverance and "saving justice" that Cyrus
is to bring, but which is in reality Yahweh's intervention in human history for
the sake of His people.
In some older translations, Isaiah 45:7 reads: "I form the light and create the darkness; I make well-being and create evil: I the LORD do all these things" (KJV). Atheists like to use this verse as a textual proof against the goodness of God, claiming that God cannot be completely good if He admits to creating evil. Keep in mind that this verse is within an extended warning to King Cyrus of Persia that the God of Israel is ultimately in control of his fate. The Book of Wisdom teaches: Because God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living [...] But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are in his possession experience it (Wis 1:13; 2:24 NAB). St. James also taught: No one experiencing temptation should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one (Jam 1:13; also see CCC 2846-47).
The cause of this confusion is the meaning of the Hebrew word "ra." It is a word often translated as "evil," but there are various other meanings. First, there are "moral evils," which take place when someone consciously chooses to sin (see Sir 15:11-20 and Jam 1:14-15). The holiness of God (Lev 11:44) precludes Him from creating this kind of evil as St. James wrote in James 1:13. However, there is another kind of evil called "natural evil." The use of the word "ra" can refer to events in the natural world which are perceived as bad because they inflict hardship on human beings and animals. We know God can cause or allow those kinds of destruction as He did in the destruction of the Tower of Babel, the great Flood, and the ten Egyptian plagues. The Bible uses the Hebrew word "ra" for the calamities that are usually a result of divine judgment for sins and crimes against humanity.
Therefore, looking at the use of "ra" in Isaiah 45:7, the question is what sort of "ra" or "evil" is the passage identifying? Is it moral evil or destruction associated with the result of divine judgment? We can determine the meaning by considering how Isaiah contrasts "evil" with the well-being and prosperity in the first part of verse 7, associated with the warning that follows in the second half of verse 7 and the blessings in verse 8. In the context of God's warning to King Cyrus, God is saying He can bring prosperity and well-being, or He can bring judgment and ruin to Cyrus' empire, depending on how Cyrus responds to God's divine plan for Israel. Isaiah is not suggesting that God is the author of sin or evil.
Questions for reflection or group discussion:
Question: In what different ways did God use
Gentile rulers in the Old Testament: for example, Pharaoh, the Assyrian kings,
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and Cyrus?
Question: Do you think God still uses earthly rulers to bring about His divine plan whether for judgment or blessings today, and if so in what ways?
Endnotes:
1. Cyrus the Great of Persia ruled the largest empire the
world had known at that time for between 29 and 0 years. He was believed to
have been born c. 600 or 576 BC and was killed in 530 BC. He was the founder
of the Achaemenid Empire, and under his rule his empire embraced all the
previous civilized states of the ancient Near East except Egypt. Cyrus the
Great was a tolerant ruler who respected the religions and customs of the
people he conquered. He not only allowed the exiled Judahites to return to
Judah and gave them the funds to rebuild their Temple, but he also permitted
all the peoples who had previously been conquered and exiled by the Assyrians
to return to their homelands.
2. A sermon attributed to St. Augustine applies this
verse to Christ and the Virgin Mary (De Navitate Domini, 1). In Latin
this prayer is known as Rorate coeli desuper, and it used in the Advent
liturgy.
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2016 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.