Apart from the fact that he was the son of Amoz, little is known of the prophet Isaiah, yet the mention of his name floods the mind with those wonderful word-pictures which are characteristic of the book. His name means Yah is salvation, an apt title for his writings, which are full of the fact that God alone can save. He has provided the wells out of which we can draw the water of salvation and they who have rejoiced in such a wonderful provision exclaim, “Behold, God is my salvation: I will trust and not be afraid” (Is. 12. 2). Through his prophet, God calls to all men everywhere to repent: “Look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else . . . a just God and a saviour” (Is. 45. 22).
It is Isaiah who so powerfully tells the sad story of the suffering Messiah and that peace and salvation can only come through righteousness; that righteousness which should be established by God’s “righteous servant”. Upon such a servant came “the spirit of the Lord God”, an anointing “without measure” that to the captives liberty might be proclaimed. The word-pictures of the prophet show us the vision of the Redeemer in Zion and of the creation of a “new heavens and new earth” in which righteousness will be the order of the day; then in all the earth there shall be “quietness and assurance forever”.
This great salvation of Yah is conveyed to us by many visions in which we can see and hear the Word of the Lord concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Let us draw the curtain here and there to behold some of these scenes.
The visions concerned Judah and Jerusalem as Isaiah records in his opening words. Here in this land and city God’s salvation was to be seen, as is recorded in chap. 46. 13: righteousness and salvation were “to draw near” and “salvation to be placed in Zion for Israel, God’s glory”. All other lands and cities enter the picture, remain or retire only insofar as they are involved in the Divine plan centred in Zion.
It is a sad story that also in the prophet’s opening words the Lord speaks of his rebellious children who in the midst of the land should be rejoicing in those wonderful things of Zion but “they regarded not the work of the Lord, neither considered the operation of his hands” (chap. 5. 12). So appalling was their lack of this knowledge that God charges them as being devoid even of animal instinct: “The ox knoweth his owner and the ass his master’s crib, but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. (chap. 1. 3). They had gone away (or alienated themselves). They had been stricken, yet their revolt increased.
The impact of the words in v. 5 might be summed up in the often heard modern saying, “What’s the use”. The use will be seen in the day when the remnants shall return, not only to the land, but to the Lord their God with the plea, “Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously” (Hos. 14. 2).
Today the doctor talks of sounding the heart of his patient to see if it has good health. In the days of Isaiah God sounded the heart of Israel and pronounced “the whole head is sick and the whole heart faint . . . from the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it”. When the great physician came to them that they might have life more abundantly, they refused his advice and “set him at nought”. Until this day blindness rules in Israel and so their heart is faint.
In refusing God’s counsel they refused his protection. When God led them forth from Egypt he gave them a “pillar of cloud by day and by night” to separate, lead and protect them from their enemies. So far had their revolt removed his blessing that God says through Isaiah (v. 8): ” . . . the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard and as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.” The cottage was a “hut” erected in the vineyards to house the watchman, whose duty was to look out for the approach of marauding tribes who might come down to plunder and take possession: similarly with “the booth” in the garden of cucumbers. Israel dwelt in booths in the days of the ingathering of the fruits; it was designed to be a time of great rejoicing, because “the Lord had done great things tor them”. The word of the Lord tells us that the vineyard of Israel ceased to bring forth fruit and “the keepers of the vineyard said, This is the heir, come let us kill him!”
However much they may have relied upon their own “hut” and “lodge”—the protecting arm of the Lord had gone. Their suffering Messiah wept over the city saying, “The days shall come upon thee that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee . . . and shall lay thee even with the ground . . . and they shall not leave one stone upon another . . .” (Luke 19. 44). The pillar of cloud and of fire had gone, so they were left desolate. This must continue until the day when they shall say, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord”. Then, as Zechariah records (chap. 2. 5), “The Lord will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her”.
The purpose of the feasts and sacrifices commanded of Israel by the law was to cause them to remember they were called to be an holy nation, cleansed from their sins by the divine appointments provided; but they refused to “wash their hearts from wickedness”. So lawless had they become that God refers to their leaders as “rulers of Sodom” and their subjects as “people of Gomorrah”! Because of their hypocrisy God had no delight in their sacrifices; their oblations were vain and their incense an abomination. They multiplied their prayers but the hands that were spread forth were full of blood. The wise man said in the Proverbs (ch. 28. 9), “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination”. It was “the sacrifices of righteousness” that God required. These involved a “learning to do well, a seeking of judgment, a relieving of the oppressed and fatherless and widow”.
In chap. I. 18, the call of God through Isaiah comes to Israel in the words, “Come let u$ reason together”. God is always reasonable and “his commandments are not grievous.” As Paul wrote to the Romans (chap. 12. 1), “The presenting of our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, is our reasonable service”. When the Lord called upon Israel to “reason”, it was not an approach to the subject of peace by agreeing to differ upon some points. The word in the Hebrew means “to be right”. God is always right, as Isaiah records later: “I the Lord speak righteousness; I declare things that are right. ” Only by means of all their obedience and willingness could they be “washed white as snow”. The promise of God concerns a day in which “Zion will be redeemed with judgment and her converts with righteousness”. To accomplish this God will “restore judges and counsellors as at the beginning”. .
Exodus 18 relates the burden of judge and counsellor that fell upon the shoulders of Moses. His father-in-law offered the very good advice that he should have helpers in so great a work: “Hearken now unto my voice. I will give thee counsel and God shall be with thee; Be thou for the people to Godward that thou mayest bring the causes Unto God: and thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk and the work that they must do. Moreover, thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness . . let them judge the people.” The terrific responsibility that was Moses’ is seen in his own plea to God (Ex. 33. 13), “. . . show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight and consider that this nation is thy people”. Such “able men” became extinct in Israel—their shepherds proved to be hirelings. When the good shepherd came to them they refused his counsel and judgment.
“Able men”, “men of truth” are, however, to return (perhaps Elijah can be named as: one of them), and, to the praise of God they will be found willing to heed the voice: “This is the way, walk ye in it.” At this time Israel will certainly be ashamed of “the oaks and of their gardens which they made to worship idols”.
We look forward to this grand day, when they will be content with “the garden of the Lord in which will be thanksgiving and the voice of melody”.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One