Isaiah with Training Wheels: 42:18 – 43:21

More Isaiah for the interested student!

42:18 Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.

19 For I will send my servant unto you who are blind; yea, a messenger to open the eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf;

20 And they shall be made perfect notwithstanding their blindness, if they will hearken unto the messenger, the Lord’s servant.

21 Thou art a people, seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears to hear, but thou hearest not.

22 The Lord is not well pleased with such a people, but for his righteousness’ sake he will magnify the law and make it honorable.

23 Thou art a people robbed and spoiled; thine enemies, all of them, have snared thee in holes, and they have hid thee in prison houses; they have taken thee for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

23 Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come?

24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law.

25 Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.

43:1 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

3 For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

8 ¶ Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.

9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled:

who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.

10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

11 I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.

12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.

13 Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?

A: 14 ¶ Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel;

B: For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.

A: 15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.

A: 16 Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;

17 Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.

B: 18 ¶ Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

B: 19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?

A: I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

20 The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

21 This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.

Notes:

Spiritual Failure leads to Captivity

42:18-25 These verses are a bit incoherent in the Masoretic text. But the Joseph Smith Translation makes it both clearer, and restores two chiasmi. The first one is v. 19-20. I will leave that to the interested student. The larger second one, is from v. 19-25. This is, of course, what we would expect if the JST were a genuine restoration of ancient text.

A: 42:18 Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.

19 For I will send my servant unto you who are blind; yea, a messenger to open the eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf;

20 And they shall be made perfect notwithstanding their blindness, if they will hearken unto the messenger, the Lord’s servant.

B: 21 Thou art a people, seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears to hear, but thou hearest not.

C: 22 The Lord is not well pleased with such a people, but for his righteousness’ sake he will magnify the law and make it honorable.

B’:23 Thou art a people robbed and spoiled; thine enemies, all of them, have snared thee in holes, and they have hid thee in prison houses; they have taken thee for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

A’: 23 Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come?

24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law.

25 Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.

Section A,A` Blind, and Deaf refer to Israel, contrasting their blindness with their disobedience.
Section B,B`  Their disobedience is paired with their problems and suffering. Blind & Deaf compared with robbed and spoiled.
Section C (pivot) The Law of God

National Needs Met

A: Lord’s Relation to his People – Creator, Former, Name-er (43:1)

B: Personal Salvation (43:2)

C: Lord in the Past – “I gave…” (43:3)

C: Lord in the Future – “I will give…” (43:4)

B: All Israel Salvation (43:5-6)

A: Lord Relationship with his People – Created, Formed, Named  (43:7)

Lord Compared with Idols

43:1 The “But now” contrasts the blessings with the punishment and trials of 42:18-25
Note the increasing levels of intimacy in the way the Lord refers to Israel.
Created
Formed – moulded as a potter, to fashion
Redeemed – become next of kin
Called by name

43:2 Compare the fire not burning you, with 42:25 burned because of sin, yet unaware
Contrast between opposites is a idiom of totality, meaning all possible trials. Also the examples go from General to Specific.

43:3-4 These verses are understated and easily overlooked. The Lord casually mentions he destroyed Egypt because his people were important to Him. And that he will do it again in the future.

43:5-6 Some have suggested this is a Return Journey from Babylon, but context indicates this is a Worldwide return. If we understand Babylon, then we must understand it to mean Idolatry, the ways of the World and the globe at large.

43:8 Again, addressed to the Blind and the Deaf – to those who have heard the Gospel but have refused to hear and see things as they are.  Compare 42:18-19

Redemption from Babylon

As Isaiah often does, he introduces a court session to settle an important fact.

43:9 “former things” – is this the earlier works of God, or the Exodus specifically? If it is the Exodus from Egypt, then is this relating the Exodus to a new Exodus from Babylon, or from all the world?

43:10 Who is the servant? This has been a vigorous debate between Jews and Christians. But in this case, I think the synthesis of the two views is ultimately correct. This is indeed the Messiah, the very Christ. But who are we to become like and emulate? The Savior’s work is our work, so in many cases, we fill the role of the servant as well.

43:13 “yea and from ancient days” – /gam miyyom/ – can mean distant past, present, and forever in the future.

This is an new exodus from Babylon, gathering Israel. But not literal ancient Babylon.

(A) (14a) Lord, Redeemer, Holy

(B) (14b)

(A) (15) Lord, Creator, Holy

(A) (16-17) Path through waters, Enemies destroyed

(B) (18-19a) I will do a new thing

(B) (19b-20a) World Transformed

(A) (20b-21) Waters in the Wilderness, People saved

43:16-17 Exodus imagery

43:18 ‘former things’ – Exodus

43:19 ‘shall you not know it’ – you can’t miss it!

43:20 transformed world

Also, for those who are interested, a free class on Isaiah is being offered. I am signed up as well. Isaiah will be studied, chapter by chapter.
Class starts on March, 20th.