Isaiah Seminar Notes

Seminar on Isaiah – the Fifth Gospel
St. Michael Lutheran Church – Led by Dr. Reed Lessing
Dr. Reed Lessing wrote commentaries on Isaiah 40-55 and 56-65 for the Concordia Commentary
series. He became pastor at St. Michael Lutheran Church in Ft. Wayne and led this seminar on Isaiah.
This seminar is available on Youtube. I watched the seminar and took the following notes.
Isaiah Seminar 2019 - Session 1

2019 Bible Seminar - Isaiah - Session 01 - YouTube (Length = 1:24:49)
Introduction to Seminar
Isaiah is the theologian, the teacher of the OT par excellence. Isaiah is often called the Fifth Gospel.
Isaiah’s chief doctrine or teaching comes from his name. Isaiah means Yahweh saves, which is the
gospel. 72 times in Isaiah the root for “saves” is used. 1 in every 17 verses in the NT is inspired by
Isaiah. Isaiah has much to say on who Christ is (Christology), who the church is (Ecclesiology), and
what the mission of the church is.
Christ in Isaiah
Very familiar quotes about Jesus come from Isaiah. Immanuel, Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, the shoot that comes from Jesse’s stump, tested cornerstone – a
sure foundation. It is in the fourth Servant Song where we see Jesus clearest in Isaiah. It is the
pinnacle of Isaiah and the pinnacle of the OT.
Sin and Grace in Isaiah

Idolatry is the chief sin in the book. When Israel is called “this people,” it is being judged and
condemned. When God calls Israel “my people,” he is extending grace to them. We will see sin and
grace, Law and Gospel, and judgment and salvation throughout the book. The names of Isaiah’s two
children also convey sin and grace. One is called “hasten the plunder.” He is the judgment child. The
grace child is “a remnant will return.”
How Isaiah Fits into the OT (15:00)

The section on the prophets in the Bible is divided into two parts, the major prophets and the minor
prophets. Isaiah is the first of all the prophets. Many times in the ordering of the books, the first book
is of greater importance. If you take a look at Is. 1:1, it says Isaiah ministered during the reigns of
kings Uzziah (godly), Jotham (godly), Ahaz (wicked), and Hezekiah(godly). Also if we look at
chapters 36-39, we see that Isaiah also ministered during the reign of Manasseh (extremely wicked
and godless).
In Israel’s history there is the period of where the tribes have no king. Then comes the first kings of
united rule: Saul, David, and Solomon. That was followed by a division between Israel and Judah
with each having their own kings. The kings during Isaiah’s ministry were kings of Judah. Another
king is mentioned in Is. 44:28 and 45:1: Cyrus, who reigns over the Persian empire after all of the
kings of Judah. So the book of Isaiah covers the period from 742 BC all the way to 542 BC. The
book covers over 200 years of ancient history. Isaiah’s book addresses over half of the time of the
divided kingdom.
Outline of Isaiah (24:00)

 Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem (Is. 1-12)
 Oracles on the Nations (Is. 13-23)
 Universal Judgment (Is. 24-27)
 Samaria and Jerusalem (Is. 28-33)
 Judgment and Salvation (Is. 34-35)
 Isaiah and Hezekiah (Is. 36-39)
 Exodus from Babylon (Is. 40-55)
 Struggles in the Servant’s New Community (Is. 56-66)
The way to think about the book of Isaiah is it has one author, but three books or sections. The three
sections are: 1-39, 40-55, and 56-66. We are going to look at some key chapters in Isaiah. We will
look at chapters 2 and 6 (from the first section), chapter 40 and 52:13-53:12 (from the second
section), and then 66:1-3 (from the third section).
Isaiah 1-39 – The First Section of Isaiah (27:20)

A picture displayed for the class shows Isaiah and some lips and a burning coal. This reminds us of
Isaiah’s call. His call is found in Is. 6. We will take a look at it in detail later. It is the most important
chapter in the book. If you can understand Is. 6, you can understand the whole book. Also in Is. 6, it
says Isaiah’s call is to make sure people cannot see or think or hear. That is a strange kind of call.
Usually the call is the opposite, so that people can see and hear and think, so that their eyes and ears
and minds are opened up. Isaiah’s call is the opposite.
That seems rather strange to us but it is the same in the NT. These words about not seeing, hearing,
and thinking are repeated in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, and Romans. It is a very important
part of the Bible and it is in Isaiah and in the NT.
Another motif in Is. 1-39 is judgment. In 721 BC was the fall of Samaria, the capital of the northern
kingdom. If you look at the book of kings, none of the kings of the northern kingdom were good
kings. There were multiple dynasties and there were a lot of assassinations of kings. Isaiah predicted
that the north would be exiled and it happened within his lifetime. Isaiah also predicted the fall of the
south.
Both the north and the south would end, with both being taken into exile. But there is hope beyond
that. It is not the end of God’s promises to his people. Isaiah predicts that there will a perfect Davidic
king. Isaiah wants them to know that after the exile there is a hope, there is a future and it is tied to
the promises God made to David. God promised in 2 Sam. 7 and 1 Chron. 17 that there would be a
Davidic king on the throne of Israel forever. Is. 9 and 11 have Davidic promises.
In Is. 9 it says the yoke and rod of the oppressor will be broken. All the enemies of Israel will be
defeated “as on the day of Midian.” Isaiah is referencing an earlier OT motif. He does this frequently.
The day of Midian is explained to us in Judges 6 and 7. There we learn how the judge Gideon
defeated 120,000 Midianites with only 300 men. It was a great day when Israel’s enemy was
defeated. Isaiah’s point is that the future deliverance of Israel will be like the past. Against all odds,
God is going to save us again like he did when the Midianites were defeated. It is a major theme in
Isaiah, that God saves in ways that we least expect. The past deliverance will be a pattern for the
future. God saves through weakness.
In Is. 9:6 Isaiah talks about a child. A child is going to rule and reign and defeat the enemies? A child
is Mighty God and Everlasting Father? Yes, exactly! And Isaiah says this son’s reign will never end
(9:7) and he will sit upon the throne of David (9:7). Even after the exile of the northern and southern
kingdoms, there is going to be a Davidic king who will reign forever.
Then in Is. 11 there is the same motif. A shoot from a stump is not impressive. The tree has been cut
down and the only sign of life is a little shoot that comes from the stump. It is not impressive but he
has the sevenfold gift of the Spirit upon him. He will establish a kingdom of peace.
Peace is another theme in Isaiah. It is the word shalom, which means God is putting things back
together again as he originally designed.
So Is. 1-39 has Law sections centered in exile and Gospel sections rooted in a Davidic king. One of
the major points of contention in Isaiah is, who is the real king? Is the real king Uzziah or Jotham or
Ahaz or Hezekiah or Cyrus or Manasseh? Who is in charge? The answer is God is going to install his
king and his kingdom will have no end.
Important Chapters in Is. 1-39 that Inform this Section and the Entire Book (45:00)
Isaiah 2 Lays Out Themes for the Book
In Is. 2:1 it says, “The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.” This
is similar to the way that the book started in Is. 1:1. By repeating this phrase, “the word that Isaiah
the son of Amoz saw,” he is indicating that it is important. Is. 13:1 also says something similar. Each
time he uses that phrase he is starting a new section.
This phrase sets off Is. 1 from Is. 2 and speaks to the importance of chapter 2. Is. 2:2 says:
2
It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the LORD
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
It stresses mountains. Mountains play a pivotal role in the Bible and in the book of Isaiah. The
first big mountain where God shows up in the Bible is Mt. Sinai. In Ex. 19 God comes down in a
cloud on Mt. Sinai. Isaiah is drawing from what God did at Mt. Sinai.
Let’s look at the importance of mountains in Isaiah. First we go to Is. 11:9. In 11:1 we talked about
God showing power through weakness. In vv. 6-8 we have shalom. Where will all of this happen?
9
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
The big events for Isaiah happen on mountains just like the big event that occurred on Mt. Sinai. Is.
24-27 talks about universal, end-time promises. From that section we have Is. 25:6-7 which says:
6
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
7
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
8
He will swallow up death forever; …
God has his final victory on the mountain. Next we go Is. 65:17-25 which is Isaiah’s vision of a new
heaven and new earth. He gives a description of what it will be like and he concludes where it is all
going to happen:
25
The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and dust shall be the serpent's food.
They shall not hurt or destroy

in all my holy mountain,”
says the LORD.
For Isaiah the big events happen on mountains. We started with the big event on Mt. Sinai. Then In
Is. 11 God shows his power through weakness on the mountain, followed by death being swallowed
up on the mountain, and finally the new creation is on the mountain. So we see Isaiah’s word
referring to a previous mountain but then look forward to other mountains where God will do great
things.
Think about Jesus and mountains. He gives a sermon on the mount (Mt. 5-7). He is transfigured on a
mountain. Jesus is crucified on a mountain. Jesus ascends from the Mt. of Olives. Then Rev. 21
speaks of a new heaven and new earth (see Is. 65:17). Where does all of this happen?
10
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the
holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,
So even the new Jerusalem is on a very high mountain.

Having tracked the importance of mountains, let’s go back to where we started, to Is. 2:2 where it
speaks of the house of Yahweh being established on the highest of mountains. It says all the nations
and many people will come to it. In Exodus the people around the mountain were Israelites. Isaiah,
looking forward to the end, sees not just Israelites, but people from all nations will be a part of
God’s kingdom. This will be a major theme in the book of Isaiah. For instance, take a look at Is.
19:25.
25
whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and
Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”
This comes from the section that talks about the nations (Is. 13-23). The first time God called anyone
“my people” was in Ex. 6:7, where he called the Israelites “my people.” The Egyptians were the
oppressors of “my people.” And now in Isaiah God calls Egypt “my people.” And to make matters
worse, he calls the Assyrians “the work of my hands.” The Assyrians may have been the most cruel,
bloodthirsty people in history. So this passage testifies for God’s great love for the world, for all
people, for all nations. Even people from Egypt and Assyria will come to God’s holy mountain.
We are following this motif where on this new mountain, it will be open to all people, even to the
worst of sinners. Take a look at Is. 40:5.
5
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
And look at Is. 49:6.

6
he says:
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,

that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
In these verses, we continue the theme that all flesh, all nations are welcome. That ties in with Acts
where Jesus’ disciples will be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. Next, take a look at Is. 55:1.
55 “Come, everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;
and he who has no money,

come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.
All people are welcome, no matter where they are from. Next, look at Is. 56:7.
7
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices

will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer

for all peoples.”
We see Jesus in this. He welcomes all people to his Father’s house, to God’s holy mountain. In fact
Jesus quotes this verse when he cleanses the temple on Monday of holy week. So in many ways,
Jesus is just doing Isaiah. The Jews did not believe God could be so gracious and merciful and kind
to the nations. But that is what Isaiah taught.
Now let’s go back again to where we started in Is. 2:2.
It shall come to pass in the latter days

that the mountain of the house of the LORD
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,

3
and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways

and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,

and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

neither shall they learn war anymore.
5
O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord.
Note that in Hebrew poetry there is what we call parallelism. Which means in this case that “all the
nations” = “many peoples.” An idea is repeated only using different words. So in this case (and
frequently in Bible) “many” means “all.” This is also the case in the fourth Servant Psalm. Four times
in that psalm Isaiah uses the word “many.” For Isaiah “many” means “all.”
We take a moment and point this out because in the words of institution in the Lord’s Supper Jesus
says, This is the blood of the new covenant shed for many. And elsewhere Jesus says he came to shed
his blood and give his life as a ransom for many. How do you know that includes you? Because
“many” means “all.” We know that because of the verses we’ve looked at in Isaiah and other verses,
such as in Rom. 5, where Paul equates “many” with “all.” (See Rom. 5:15-19 for his use of “many”
but see vv. 12 and18 where he refers to the “many” as “all men.” He uses “all” and “many” in
synonymous terms.) This will be important when we get to Is. 53.
If the Gospel is not for all people, it’s not Gospel. The Bible teaches, “for God so loved the world,”
“God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.” And so in Is. 2:3 “many” means “all.” All
people are invited to come. And just as God gave his word to Israel at Mt. Sinai, so he will give his
word to all people. And his word will bring about peace (2:4). And what God promises in the
future (peace) changes my life today (2:5). That is a theme in Isaiah. Everything in 2:2-4 is in the
future. I walk in the light today because of what God will do tomorrow (2:5).
Back in Is. 2:3, he says this mountain has a name. What is it called? Mt. Zion. Zion’s final destiny is
an important theme in the book of Isaiah. In Hebrew, cities are feminine in gender. So in the last
27 chapters of Isaiah, Zion is pictured as woman. Take a look at Is. 54 where the people of God are
referred to as a woman. Zion is pictured as a city, as a mountain, and as a woman. It all stands for the
people of God.
54 “Sing, O barren one [woman], who did not bear;

break forth into singing and cry aloud,
you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more

than the children of her who is married,” says the LORD.
2
“Enlarge the place of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords

and strengthen your stakes.
3
For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,
and your offspring will possess the nations
and will people the desolate cities.
4
“Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;
be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5
For your Maker is your husband,
the Lord of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth he is called.
Children are the hope for the future. Israel is like a woman who has had no children. Therefore she
has no hope. But Isaiah says sing and cry aloud because you will have many children (54:1-3). Her
husband is Yahweh, who is also her Maker and Redeemer, the God of the whole earth.
Here is how we view the woman (God’s people) in Isaiah. This woman is married to God but she
has been unfaithful. And God says, Enough is enough. He won’t stand for it anymore. And he sends
her away into exile. But it was not a divorce. God needed 70 years to cool off. Look at Is. 50.
50 Thus says the LORD:

“Where is your mother's certificate of divorce,
with which I sent her away?
Or which of my creditors is it
to whom I have sold you?
Behold, for your iniquities you were sold,

and for your transgressions your mother was sent away.
There was no certificate of divorce. God (the husband) says to the children in speaking about his
wife (the Israelites), there was no certificate of divorce. I never gave up on her. The relationship is
still intact. This comes out in Is. 54:6-8 where you have great gospel promises to Zion.
6
For the LORD has called you
like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,

says your God.
7
For a brief moment I deserted you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
8
In overflowing anger for a moment
I hid my face from you ,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”

says the LORD, your Redeemer.
Yahweh’s wife, Israel, felt deserted, felt like she was cast off. But Yahweh said, it was only for a
brief moment that I deserted you. I was angry and separated from you for a moment. But I did not
divorce you. Instead, I have compassion on you. I will always love you forever.
Isaiah Seminar 2019 - Session 2 (Length = 1:15:20)

2019 Bible Seminar - Isaiah - Session 02 - YouTube
Review (Starts at 00:00)

 We’ve seen where Isaiah lived and ministered during the reign of several kings over the
period of 60 years.
 We went through an outline of the book.
 We were looking at Is. 54, where Zion stands for God’s people, especially in chpts. 40-66.
 We did an overview of Is. 6, the prophet’s call. His call was to take away people’s ability to
see and hear and understand. We will be looking at this again.
 We’ve seen both the north and south go into captivity.
 We’ve seen God’s promises to the people through the house of David. These promises
always include promises to Jerusalem.
 God promises a king from the line of David who will have an everlasting, peaceful kingdom.
 In the last 27 chapters we see Israel as a forlorned wife who will be restored to her husband.
She thought her marriage to Yahweh was over, that he had divorced her, but he hadn’t.
Continuation of Where We Left Off at the End of Last Session (Starts at 3:25)
Next, let’s look at Is. 62.
62 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,

and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,

and her salvation as a burning torch.
2
The nations shall see your righteousness,
and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name

that the mouth of the LORD will give.
3
You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,

and your land Married;
for the LORD delights in you,

and your land shall be married.
5
For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,

so shall your God rejoice over you.
Yahweh cares for Zion, which stands for the people of God. Zion is also equated to a mountain and
to Jerusalem. He wants to see her righteous and to bring her salvation. In vv. 3-5 we have beautiful
marriage imagery. When she was exiled, she was Forsaken and Desolate. But now she shall be called
My Delight and Married. God will once again rejoice over Israel as his bride.
Review of Is. 2 Themes
Is. 2 is the chapter that is used to layout the themes of the book that we are looking at. So now we go
back to Is. 2:1-5 to make sure we understand.
We have a superscription in Is. 2:1, which sets off a new section in the book. When will all of this
happen? Some of it will happen in Isaiah’s days, when people come back from exile. God will rejoice
over his bride when he brings her back from exile. There will also be a fulfillment in Christ. He is the
bridegroom and we are the bride. The consummation of all of these promises will occur when Christ
returns. The word of God touches down and is fulfilled at various points in history. And we are
waiting for the final fulfillment of God’s promises.
The latter days that Is. 2:2 speaks of are right now. “In these last days he has spoken to us by his
Son” (Heb. 1:2). These promises apply to us. The church is Zion.
Zion is pictured as a woman. What is she in Is. 1:21? A prostitute. She was unfaithful to her husband
but she will be restored. God loves and restores prostitute people – his bride.
Isaiah 6 – The Call of Isaiah

The next important chapter we will look at is Is. 6. This is Isaiah’s call into the ministry. It starts out
with:
6 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted
up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
King Uzziah died around the year 742 BC. A summary of chpt. 6 can be broken down into four parts:
1 vision, 2 confession, 3 absolution, 4 mission. 1. He saw the Lord. 2. He confessed he was a man of
unclean lips. 3. He is absolved by the burning coal from the altar. 4. And he volunteered to be sent as
God’s herald. Another important thing for understanding chpt. 6 is: heaven and earth merge.
1. Vision
Isaiah starts out saying, “I saw the Lord.” So it is a vision where he saw the Lord. How did he see the
Lord?
(A diagram was displayed that showed the layout of the temple. It shows the Holy Place and the Holy
of Holies. Separating the two was a curtain embroidered with heavenly angelic beings [cherubim and
seraphim]. And two cherubim stood over the ark of the covenant – God’s throne. Only a priest could
enter the Holy Place and no one could enter the Holy of Holies except on the Day of Atonement,
when the high priest would enter.)
Israelites could stand outside in the courtyard. So as Isaiah stands in the courtyard on the Day of
Atonement, when the high priest enters the Holy of Holies, he is allowed to see inside. So in this
vision heaven and earth are merged together. He sees Yahweh sitting upon his throne in his temple.
Now it says the Lord was “high and lifted up.” This is a huge idea in the book of Isaiah. Take a
look at Is. 2:11, 17.
11
The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

17
And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled,
and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low,
and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day .
In the book of Isaiah, people go down and the Lord goes up. In Isaiah, only God is at the highest
level. That is what holiness means. God is in a league of his own. He is above everyone and
everything. So in Is. 6, Isaiah sees God high and lifted up above. Look at Is. 33:10.
10
“Now I will arise,” says the LORD,
“now I will lift myself up;
now I will be exalted.
“High and lifted up” appear four times in the book. Is. 6:1 is the first time. Is. 33:10 is the second
time. It uses the same verbs. And the third time it is used is in Is. 57:15.
15
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,

and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,

and to revive the heart of the contrite.
The last time it is used is Is. 52:13. And this is really important.
13
Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
The most important section of Isaiah, the OT, and indeed the Bible starts in Is. 52:13, which is the
beginning of the fourth Servant Psalm. What does it mean that it is not Yahweh who is high and
lifted up but his servant? Who is the servant? Jesus. Jesus, the Servant, is on the same level as
Yahweh of Hosts (the Lord Almighty). The Servant and Yahweh are one! This is the message of
the NT. Heb. 1:3 says, “He [the Son] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his
nature [or the exact representation of his being].” Where did the writer of Hebrews get this? From
Isaiah. In John 10:30 Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” In 2 Cor. 5:19 it says that God was in
Christ reconciling the world to himself. In John 14:9 Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the
Father.”
Now back to Is. 6:1. Isaiah is at the temple with the congregation on the Day of Atonement. He is on
earth but he sees heavenly realities. We might say, nothing like that has ever happened to me. But the
early church, as far back as the second century AD, when they looked at Is. 6, they saw a Christian’s
experience in Holy Communion. That is why in the Communion liturgy we sing Holy, Holy, Holy
(Is. 6:3). When you take Communion, you are at some church on earth and you approach the altar
and receive heavenly realities – the body and blood of Jesus. So this experience was not just
powerful for Isaiah, it is powerful for us too.
All Isaiah sees is the bottom of the kingly robe of God. One of the questions in Isaiah is: Who is the
real king? Uzziah the king dies, but there is another king and he is in his temple. And that would be
the Lord God Almighty. He makes that clear in Is. 6:5: “for my eyes have seen the King,
the Lord of hosts!”
So one application of this is this. When you lose everything - remember they lost their king; it’s a
great national crisis - when there is a crisis, we need to remember that God is on his throne. He is the
King; he is in charge. The situation is bad but it is going to be ok. And then we go to verse 2.
2
Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and
with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
He sees the seraphim (angelic beings) standing above Yahweh. They each had six wings. Do they
normally see this on earth? No. But he is seeing the heavenly realities that are occurring. There are
earthly realities and heavenly realities. It is the same with Holy Communion. The earthly realities
are bread and wine. That is all we see. But in, with, and under that bread and wine there are heavenly
realities. That was Isaiah’s experience and that is our experience.
What did the seraphim say?
3
And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!”
The word “holy” appears 69 times in the book of Isaiah and holy means “in a league of your own.”
In the whole OT there are only three times where a word is repeated three times consecutively. Isaiah
will repeat a word twice, like “Comfort, comfort my people.” But he only has one three peat. In
Hebrew, to repeat a word twice is a superlative. So “Comfort, comfort” would be the ultimate
comfort. But a three peat is called a super superlative.
So the angels are saying, he is the most ultimate, cosmic, only one in the world. He is completely
separate. So in Holy Communion, we sing that this holiest of all beings is with us. Is. 6 continues.
4
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the
house was filled with smoke.
When God speaks it causes the foundations of the temple to shake and the temple is filled with
smoke. These are earthly realities caused by heavenly realities.
2. Confession
He has had the vision where he has seen Yahweh. From earth he has seen the heavenly king. Next we
have Isaiah’s confession in Is. 6:5.
5
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the
midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
After seeing Yahweh, Isaiah cries out, “Woe is me!” Usually the word “woe” means, I’m dead. It is
a funeral lament of someone’s death. Why does he say this? He has seen Yahweh and in Ex. 33
Yahweh says, “No one can see my face and live.” So Isaiah says, Woe, I’m toast, I’m done.
He continues, “For I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips.” Now the opposite of holy is unclean.
When we confess our sins in the Divine Service, we say, I am sinful and unclean. What we are
saying when we say that is that we are the complete opposite of God. And not only is Isaiah unclean,
so also is the group of people he is with. He says, I am dead because I am unclean and “my eyes have
seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
3. Absolution
So he has had the vision of Yahweh who is high and lifted up. And then he confessed that he is a
sinner. Then in Is. 6:6 comes the absolution.
6
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had
taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has
touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
Now Isaiah moves from the earthly realities of a shaking temple filled with smoke and unclean
people to the heavenly reality of the seraphim. So once again we have heaven and earth merging
together. A heavenly seraphim flew to Isaiah and took a burning coal from the incense altar (earthly
reality). He took the burning coal and touched Isaiah’s mouth (earthly reality). This is the absolution.
Through this action Isaiah’s guilt was taken away and his sin atoned for. This is another
connection to the Day of Atonement.
In the Divine Service as part of our confession we say the words of 1 John: “If we confess our sins,
he is faith and just and will forgive us of our sins and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This
is our way of saying the same thing as Is. 6:6-7. We experience what Isaiah experienced. The coal
that touched his lips came from the holy altar and in Holy Communion the holy body and blood of
Jesus that comes from the altar touches our lips.
4. Mission
We’ve had the vision, the confession, the absolution and now comes the mission.
8
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Who is the “us”? It would be the angelic beings. They have a mission and when Yahweh askes,
“Who shall I send?” Isaiah says, “Send me.” Isaiah also says, “Here I am!” This is equivalent to
Isaiah saying, I am available to do whatever you want me to do. I am fully committed to you and the
mission. He is saying, I am your servant and I am ready to go.
What is shocking is found in Is. 65. When someone utters the phrase, Here I am, that person is saying
I am ready to be a servant. With that in mind, look at what God says in Is. 65:1.
65 I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me;
I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am, here I am,”

to a nation that was not called by my name.
This is God talking here. God is saying, I will be your servant; I will be your servant. Who then is the
ultimate servant? God. He says it twice. Usually in church v. 8 is where the reading stops. Is. 6:1-8 is
read, the pastor preaches, and then the hymn Hark the Voice of Jesus Crying. But that is not the end
of the story.
Pastors receive a call document. It tells them what the church is calling them to do. Isaiah’s call
document is found Is. 6:9-10.
9
And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;

keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10
Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,

and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,

and turn and be healed.”
Notice that God calls Israel “this people” and not “my people.” Often when “this people” is used, it
means that the covenant has been broken. So to start out with “this people” is quite ominous. Look at
what he is called to do. It is the opposite of what we might think. Isaiah is supposed to intentionally
preach so that the people don’t see or hear or understand. It might seem strange but as we said,
these verses are quoted in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, and Romans. So it is not just an OT
idea.
The whole idea behind this is this: Before you live you have to die. What has just happened to
Isaiah in 6:1-8? He said, Woe, I’m dead and then he was raised up by God’s absolution and then was
sent out on a mission. This same thing is to happen to everyone in Israel. Israel is to recognize that
they are unclean, the opposite of a holy God, and are as good as dead. What Isaiah experienced will
now be what the people experience. Isaiah is going help them to spiritually die. We usually say
God’s Law kills us and then God’s Gospel raises us back up. They and we must die before they and
we can live. Another word for this is repentance.
Remember we said that idolatry is the key sin in Isaiah. Idols don’t have ears or eyes or hearts or
minds. In Isaiah’s day, they crafted idols from wood and stone and metal. They technically had eyes
and ears but they didn’t work. They couldn’t see or hear or feel or think. The point is: We become
what we worship. The people were worshipping idols of stone, wood, and metal, which could not
see or hear or feel or think.
God was sending Isaiah to them to confirm them in their idolatry. This leads to a second point: One
of God’s judgments upon people when it comes to sin is he helps them along. To see this, we
would look at the book of Exodus. That is what Yahweh did to Pharaoh. Pharaoh hardened his heart
in Exodus and God follows that up by hardening his heart even more. God helps him harden his
heart. This is also taught by Paul in Rom. 1:24, 26, 28. It’s called divine reprobation. God says, If
you like this sin and you don’t repent, I will confirm you in this sin. I’ll make it worse. In these
Romans passages, three times it says “God gave them up.” He gave them up to impurity, to
dishonorable passions, to a debased mind. So let’s say I am a habitual liar and I don’t repent. God’s
judgment on me is God helping me lie some more. Why does God do this? He does it so that we
bottom out quicker. His judgment is intended to bring us to our senses.
This is what is going on in Is. 6:9-10. First they become what they worship. So if I worship an
inanimate object, I become like that inanimate object. Idolatry strips me of the ability to be a human
being. I can’t see or hear or feel or think anymore. It destroys my humanity. So if you become what
you worship, it will be either for your ruin or your restoration. If you worship someone who washes
feet and gives you his body and blood, you are going to become more like a foot washer and
someone who acts sacrificially. So if you worship Jesus, you will become more like Jesus.
Being blind in the book of Isaiah means you are stuck in idolatry. Let’s track this idea of being
blind. Look at Is. 35:5.
5
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
Chpt. 35 is one of the greatest Gospel chapters in the whole book. It comes after chpt. 34, one of the
worst judgment chapters in the book. Look at what God promises in this verse. When eyes are
opened and ears unstopped in Isaiah, it means you can come out of idolatry and spiritually see and
hear again because God will not give up on you. Now take a look at Is. 42:7. This is from the first
servant psalm. The Servant is called:
7
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
The Servant opens the eyes of idolaters. Next, take a look at Is. 56:10. These verses are
representational of the blind motif in Isaiah.
10
His watchmen are blind;
they are all without knowledge;
they are all silent dogs;

they cannot bark,
dreaming, lying down,

loving to slumber.
The watchmen here are the prophets and God says they are blind, which means they are caught up in
idolatry. Next look at Is. 59:10.
10
We grope for the wall like the blind;
we grope like those who have no eyes;
we stumble at noon as in the twilight,

among those in full vigor we are like dead men.
In the book of Isaiah, when you cannot see and when you cannot hear, it means you have become
what you worship. And what you worship can be for your ruin or your restoration. This is all
summarized for us in Ps. 115 and Ps. 135. This gives us an OT understanding of idolatry and how it
impacts our lives. Ps. 115:4-8 says:
4
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
5
They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6
They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7
They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8
Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them
You become what you worship, either for ruin or for restoration. So, going back to Is. 6:9-10, Isaiah
is to give these people over to their idols with the hope that they will bottom out and finally look up
to the One who opens the eyes of the blind.
Isaiah continues with v. 11 of chpt. 6.
11
Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”
And he said:
“Until cities lie waste
without inhabitant,
and houses without people,

and the land is a desolate waste,
12
and the LORD removes people far away,
and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13
And though a tenth remain in it,
it will be burned again,
like a terebinth or an oak,

whose stump remains
when it is felled.”
The holy seed is its stump.
Isaiah askes, How long am I supposed to preach this hardening of hearts? And the Lord’s answer is
given vv. 11-13, You should preach this until the people are exiled. But look at the last sentence in
the chapter: “The holy seed is its stump.” The imagery is of a tree chopped down so only a stump is
left. But coming out of the stump will be a holy seed, a fresh sprout, a new hope. We see this also in
Is. 11:1.
11 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2
And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
So after the accusing law of Is. 6, there is the sweet gospel. There is new life that will shoot forth
from the stump of Jesse (David’s father). This holy seed, shoot, and branch are none other than
Christ Jesus. The hope of Israel is with this Davidic deliverer who has the sevenfold gift of the Spirit
on him.
Isaiah Seminar 2019 - Session 3 (Length = 59:53)

Review
 The kings covered in Isaiah
 Isaiah’s call in 742 BC
 Outline of Isaiah
 In the next two sessions, we move forward to Is. 40-55 and 56-66.
 In Is. 4-55 Isaiah writes that in the future there will be a Babylonian captivity.
 Then In Is. 56-66 he addresses the servant’s new community.
 We talked about Isaiah’s call to make the people not see, hear, feel or understand.
 We talked about how we become what we worship either for our ruin or restoration.
 Idolatry makes us impersonal where we cannot relate to other people and to God.
 Worshipping the one, true God makes us relational. We can use our senses to connect with
people.
 Because of idolatry, the people will go into captivity but there is hope in a Davidic deliverer
who is the Shepherd.
 We looked at Is. 2 with its focus on mountains. See Heb. 12:22-24 for application of Mt.
Zion. It says the church is Zion and we come to it to receive God’s gifts. So what Isaiah
speaks of is fulfilled in the church.
 In Is. 2 we learned that all nations will come to Mt. Zion to worship Yahweh.
 Then we looked at Is. 6 where it said Yahweh was high and lifted up.
 It talked about confession of uncleanness and atonement and mission.
 The mission first speaks condemnation of sinners but also a message of hope in the Seed
from the stump, the resurrection promise.
 All of this prepares us for “the best 16 chapters in the Bible” – Is. 40-55.
Is. 40-55 is the Heart of Isaiah (Starts at 6:50)

[A picture is displayed that tells us what Is. 40-55 is about. It shows a path going out of Babylon,
which is “the way.” God will lead his people out of exile. So he prepares a way for them.]
Isaiah 40
Is. 40:1-11 is an overview of Is. 40-55.
40 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

2
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,

that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the LORD's hand
double for all her sins.
Notice that “this people” has now become “my people” (v. 1) and God is “your God.” We’ve gone
from Law to Gospel. In the covenant at Sinai, God said, “I am Yahweh your God.” And in Ex. 6:7
God said, “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God.”
Now v. 2. When someone speaks tenderly (speaks upon the heart), it is in the context of a romance.
Isaac speaks upon the heart of Rebekah. Boaz speaks upon the heart of Ruth. Zion/Jerusalem, God’s
people, is pictured as female. And to speak upon her heart is to win her back. He will go to great
lengths to have her back. We have this picture of God being the husband and the people being his
wayward wife. Because she prostituted herself, she has been exiled and she thinks the marriage is
over. But now Yahweh, the husband, wants to reassure his wife that it is not all over. He is
saying the exile in Babylon is done. She has been pardoned. And now she is receiving double
comfort for her sins.
3
A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,

and the rough places a plain.
5
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, John the Baptist is introduced using Is. 40:3-4. “The way” is the
way out of bondage and captivity. God is preparing a highway that will lead out of Babylon and to
the promised land. The first title for Christians was “The Way.” They are people of the way out of
hopelessness. And the way out is Jesus. He is The Way. This is a new exodus. He is going to bring
his people out of Babylon just as he brought them out of Egypt. And this time everyone is going to
see it (v. 5).
6
A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,

and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
7
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the LORD blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
8
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
In v. 8 we have a great promise. God said this is going to happen, so it will. There is no question
about it. The power of God’s word is highlighted. It is also highlighted again at the end of the unit
(Is. 40-55), in Is. 55:10-11.
10
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
The unit begins and ends with the power of God’s word to change our lives. Now back to Is. 40:9.
9
Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength,

O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,

“Behold your God!”
10
Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,

and his recompense before him.
11
He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,

and gently lead those that are with young.
God is talking to Zion/Jerusalem. Earlier we talked about Zion’s final destiny. It is not being
abandoned and alone and divorced. It is restoration. He speaks of it beginning in v. 9. The gospel has
been shared with Zion and now Zion is to be a herald of the gospel. This is the first time in the Bible
that the word “gospel” or “good news” is used in a theological sense. We are talking about God’s
good news that is for all people. And God’s people are the heralds of this good news.
What is the good news? It is “Behold your God.” Vv. 10 and 11 expand on this. Who is this God
that comes to the rescue of Zion and Jerusalem? He is a God of might (v. 10). “His arm rules.” This
idea of God’s arm first comes from Exodus where it talks about his outstretched arm (see Ex. 6:7).
What does this mean? We’ve all stretched out our arms to reach for something. God’s arm can reach
out and grab anything it wants. Now Is. 40-55 is filled with Exodus ideas, including “his arm.” For
instance, look at Is. 52:10.
10
The LORD has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see

the salvation of our God.
We see where Isaiah picks a theme and then repeats it. We see it with mountain, eyes that are blind,
Zion, Jerusalem, high and lifted up. He introduces a theme and then keeps coming back to it. It is the
same way with “his arm.” In Is. 52:10 God rolls up his sleeves and you see his bulging biceps. His
arm is strong and powerful.
Now back to Is. 40:10. So God is pictured as a strong mighty God. This is one aspect of God but we
need more than that. We need a God that cares and loves and has compassion. And that is what we
see in Is. 40:11. In v. 10 God is more like a warrior. But in v. 11 God is a shepherd. He is mighty
but also merciful. He is sovereign but also saving. We need a God that is both. In v. 11 he uses his
arm for a different purpose. He uses it to gather and carry little lambs. Take a look at Is. 53:1 (fourth
servant psalm) where again the arm is mentioned.
53 Who has believed what he has heard from us?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.
3
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
This is God’s tender and compassionate arm. It has been revealed to us in the Servant. So if we go
back to the question of what is the gospel in Is. 40:9 and the answer is: “Behold your God,” vv. 10
and 11 say the gospel is that he is the mighty God and the tender and compassionate God. That
is the God we need, a God who knows our story and has a heart for us and a God who has the power
to do something about it. We see this in Jesus who had power over the devil and all his demons, as
well as, raging seas and all kinds of sicknesses, and death. But he also has a heart of compassion for
people. We too want to be strong and courageous people but also tender and compassionate people.
All of this is couched in the promise that God is going to lead his people out of Babylon. Babylon
becomes a symbol for everything that enslaves people. Everyone has their own Babylon. The first
exile was the exile from the Garden of Eden and every person after that experiences exile. But the
good news is that God is welcoming everyone back from exile. That is what Zion/Jerusalem is to
announce to the world. There is a way out.
Another theme in Is. 40-55 is idolatry. We picked that up in Is. 6, that people have become what
they worship. They have lost their ability to see and perceive and hear and understand. The
Babylonians had about 2000 different idols. Their primary idol was called Bel or Marduk. Nebo was
another Babylonian god. Is. 46:1 mentions these gods.
46 Bel bows down; Nebo stoops;
their idols are on beasts and livestock;
these things you carry are borne

as burdens on weary beasts.
2
They stoop; they bow down together;
they cannot save the burden,
but themselves go into captivity.
Isaiah pictures the great Babylonian gods being transported by beasts of burden into exile. He is
poking fun at their gods. He is saying that these gods are so immobile that the only way they can go
from one place to another is to be carried by these animals and they themselves go into captivity. See
what Isaiah calls these idols in Is. 41:29.
29
Behold, they are all a delusion;
their works are nothing;
their metal images are empty wind.
He says they are just a delusion. They don’t exist. And on top of that they are empty wind. They
promise everything but deliver nothing. They have no substance. For more about idols we turn to Is.
44:9-20.
9
All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their
witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame.
…
16
Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied.
Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of
it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and
says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
18
They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,
and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there
knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its
coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination?
Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led
him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
The picture for these verses is a person cutting down a tree and using half of the tree to make an idol
and the other half to keep himself warm and cook his food. Is. 44:9-20 is the longest reflection on
idolatry in the Bible. It is a satire of sorts. He talks about how foolish it is to make something in
creation to be an idol. In a sense we all do this. We all have our own manufactured idols. John Calvin
used to say that the human heart is a perpetual idol factory. We create idols from creation rather
than worshipping the Creator. We take great gifts from God and assign to them the ultimate
importance.
An example of this is in this Isaiah passage that comments on idols. Wood is a great gift from God. It
has many uses. But don’t make it into a god and worship it. People are gifts from God, but we
shouldn’t worship them either.
Now let’s return Is. 40 which previews what is discussed in Is. 40-55. From v. 12 through the end of
the chapter is the longest reflection on creation in the Bible apart from Gen. 1-2. It does you no good
if your god is a part of creation. The true God is the Creator of creation. Take a look at Is. 40:26.
26
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,

calling them all by name;
by the greatness of his might

and because he is strong in power,
not one is missing.
God created all the stars, and not only that, he names each one of them. We cannot comprehend how
God can create and name each of the billions and billions of stars. We have an amazing God who
created all the stars, and this reflects the powerful God of Is. 40:10. But God is also caring and
compassionate and that is shown in Is. 43:1.
43 But now thus says the LORD,

he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.
This incomprehensible God who created and named the stars is also the God who created and
formed Israel and redeemed them and named each person and claims them as his own. He is a
transcendent God far above us and at the same time immanent, in his creation, working for his
creation.
Back in Is. 40:12, it talks about God as the Creator.
12
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
When Isaiah talks about how all the waters of the world fit into the hollow of God’s hand, that is his
way of talking about immensity and greatness of God. Similarly, it is easy for God to take all the
mountains and hills on earth and place them on a scale and weigh them. This is a picturesque way of
talking about God’s great power and might. And he marshals all that power for his people.
Another motif in this section of Isaiah is worship. The Lord is coming to provide a way to get his
people out of Babylon. He is a powerful God who has the ability to do so. The idols people worship
do not. They cannot see or hear or think. They can only disappoint us. They can’t deliver. But God
can deliver and his deliverance is for all people. His deliverance is personal. As he knows the stars by
name, so he also knows his people by name. Knowing all these things causes us to rejoice and
celebrate. And that is what we are going to look at next.
Is. 40-55 has four hymns. So let’s take a look at them. The first is found in Is. 42:10.
10
Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it,
the coastlands and their inhabitants.
Who is to sing a new song to Yahweh and praise Yahweh? All the inhabitants on earth. And why
should they sing? For all the reasons we just mentioned. Next, let’s look at Is. 44:23.
23
Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it;
shout, O depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,

O forest, and every tree in it!
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob,

and will be glorified in Israel.
Here we have another command to sing. Not only people but heaven and earth are commanded to
sing and sing. Why is that? Because God not only loves the world but he is also going to restore the
world. The creation is going to renewed. In his love for the world, God gave his only Son. Now, take
a look at Is. 49:13.
13
Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the LORD has comforted his people

and will have compassion on his afflicted.
Why should the heavens and earth shout for joy? Because of Is. 65:17. There is going to be a new
heavens and a new earth. “17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former
things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” Lastly, we take a look at Is. 55:12-13.
12
“For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you

shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the LORD,

an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
It starts out with “you shall go out.” They shall go out of Babylon, the place of idolatry. They go out
in joy and peace and creation joins in with singing and celebration. Then in v. 13 there is a reference
to the Garden of Eden as it mentions thorns and thistles. The curse from Genesis is going to be
undone.
One line from one of the Hymns of Praise in the Divine Service is “join in the hymn of all creation.”
That is an Isaianic idea.
So God promises to bring is people out of Babylon and he does through the Persian king Cyrus. He
defeated Babylon. And then twice in the book of Ezra you can read about his decree that allows the
captive Judahites that they can go back. And they do come back and sing and celebrate.
There is another way to understand Is. 40-55. It is in terms of creation and exodus. There was the
original creation from Gen. 1-2. And there was the first exodus, which was the exodus from Egypt. In
it the King of the universe (Yahweh) defeats the king and gods of Egypt and leads them to Sinai and
eventually to the promised land. Now in Isaiah, that is going to be repeated. What God has done in
the past, he will do in the future. The exodus from Babylon will be like the first exodus from Egypt.
So let’s look at Is. 43:16-21. The second exodus motifs come throughout this section. One of these
was God’s arm, which we’ve already looked at.
16
Thus says the LORD,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,
17
who brings forth chariot and horse,
army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,

they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
18
“Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
19
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert.
20
The wild beasts will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness,

rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,

21
the people whom I formed for myself
that they might declare my praise.
The verbal tense is important. In v. 16 it does not say “made” past tense, it says “makes” present
tense. Yahweh still makes a way out of darkness. Then the reference to “chariot and horse, army and
warrior” brings to mind Pharaoh’s army cornering Israel at the Red Sea. Babylon too has a mighty
army. God did some great things in the past, but he will also do great things in the future. He is about
to do something new. After leaving Egypt, God led them through the wilderness. In a similar way, he
is about to lead them out of Babylon through the desert back to the promised land, the new creation.
This all comes to fruition in Is. 52:7.
7
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,

who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
The good news is that Yahweh is King. The Babylonian god Marduk is a fake and a fraud. That
Yahweh is King was first mentioned in Ex. 15. Now their King will bring about their exodus from
Babylon as he did in Egypt. Their goal is stated in Is. 52:11.
11
Depart, depart, go out from there;
touch no unclean thing;
go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves,

you who bear the vessels of the LORD.
12
For you shall not go out in haste,
and you shall not go in flight,
for the LORD will go before you,

and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
This is their goal, to depart. Why did Isaiah write Is. 40-55? What is all of this vivid imagery about
idolatry and singing and who God is? What is he trying to get people to do? He wants people to leave
Babylon. There is no future in Babylon. The future is in the new creation, the promised land. It will
be Yahweh who leads them out. He will protect them by going before them and by guarding their
rear, just as he did when he led them out of Egypt. They need to get out of Babylon because it is just
a land of idols. And that is a quick run down of Is. 40-55.
Let’s take a step back and look at the big picture and relate it to ourselves. God led the exodus from
Egypt. God led the exodus from Babylon. In the NT we are enslaved to ourselves. We are curved in
on ourselves. We are only concerned about ourselves. We are enslaved to sin and death. God delivers
us from our bondage through water (baptism), which makes us one with Christ and through which we
die and rise and become a new creation. So as God called his people to leave Egypt and Babylon,
God calls us to leave our exile. And this is done on a daily basis.
Isaiah Seminar 2019 - Session 4 (Length = 57:39)

Summary of Is. 40-48

Chapter 48 is a summary of Is. 40-48. And its main message is: It’s time to leave Babylon.
20
Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea,
declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it,
send it out to the end of the earth;

say, “The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!”
21
They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow for them from the rock;
he split the rock and the water gushed out.
22
“There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.”
This is an offer and call to leave Babylon and it covers several of the themes we’ve covered. In the first
exodus God cared for Israel in the desert and he will do the same in the exodus from Babylon. When we
leave idolatry, it may seem like we are doomed, but that is not the case. God provides and cares for us.
And it ends with “There is no peace for the wicked.” Who are the wicked? Those would be the people
who stay in Babylon, who want to stay in idolatry. That then is a nice summary of Is. 40-55.
To summarize, God prepares the way out of idolatry. It is an offer for the world, “to the end of the earth,”
because all people are exiled. Their God created the world and named the stars. It is but a small thing to
him, for he holds all the waters of the world in the hallow of his hand. All people and all of the earth
celebrate and sing as Israel leaves Babylon. And they are to be a witness to the world, a light to the
nations.
A second way to look at these 16 chapters would be as a second exodus. In the first exodus God said he
brought the people out of Egypt to himself as on wings of eagles. In Is. 40:31, he says something similar
about the exodus from Babylon. The eagle imagery ties back to the first exodus. Isaiah looks to the past
to tell what God is going to do in the future. God will bring them out a second time. Like the first time he
will be their lead guard and rear guard. He will reign victorious over the gods of Babylon as he did over
the gods of Egypt.
The Fourth Servant Song (Starts at 5:00)

That is where we left things before we started this fourth session. In Is. 40-48 God wants Israel to leave
Babylon. The second part of Is. 40-55, which is Is. 49-55, is getting Babylon out of Israel. It’s about
getting their hearts right. They can leave Babylon and go back to Israel, but still have a hard heart. So
how is God going to take care of people’s hearts? There are four songs in Is. 42, 49, 50, and 52-53 that
are based on God’s servant.
The fourth Servant Song begins in Is. 52:13.
13
We’ve already discussed how this servant, being high and lifted up, is on the same plain as Yahweh. Now
I want us to look at two NT texts that are two NT interpretations and commentaries of the fourth Servant
Song. First, look at 2 Cor. 5:18-21 and then we’ll look at Phil 2:6-11.
18
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the
ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not
counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of
reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal
through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he
made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness
of God.
In these verses we want to focus in on reconciliation, a reconciliation from God. God is in Christ
reconciling the world to himself. Using Isaiah’s vocabulary, we would say, God is in the Servant
reconciling the world to himself. The use of the word “world” reminds us that this reconciliation is for all
people. Therefore once again, “many” means “all.” Then we come to v. 21. God made “him,” that would
be the Servant, to be sin. Let’s go back to Isaiah 53 to pick up on this idea. In Corinthians God is in Christ.
In Isaiah, God is in the Servant because God and the Servant are high and lifted up (Is. 52:13).
Now let’s look at this idea that God made him to be sin. To look at that, look at Is. 53:10. Where does
Paul get this idea that Jesus became sin?
10
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
This is God’s plan for reconciling the world to himself. He will crush the Servant and make his life a guilt
(or sin) offering, which involves the shedding of blood. Now let’s look at the second part of Is. 53:11.
11
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
The righteous Servant, who became a sin offering, will justify (declare righteous, not guilty) many or all
as righteous or holy in God’s sight. So that is what Paul says, that Jesus became a sin offering so that we
might be declared the righteousness of God.
This is all mouthful of biblical vocabulary. What does it mean? It means that because of Jesus there is no
condemnation. That is what makes 2 Cor. 5:21 one Paul’s most important verses. Martin Luther called it
the Great Exchange, that Jesus becomes a sin offering and I become righteous, no longer condemned.
And Paul finds this in the Fourth Servant Song.
Paul said, “he who knew no sin.” What does that look like in the Fourth Servant Song? Take a look at the
second part of Is. 53:9.
9
And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.
The Servant had done nothing wrong. He didn’t deserve to be stricken, smitten, and afflicted, to be a
sheep led to slaughter. The Servant was innocent. So Isaiah and Paul say the same thing. The Servant,
Jesus, did this in order to reconcile “many,” that is, the world (2 Cor. 5:19). That means the Gospel is for
everyone. So in 2 Cor. 5, we see Paul drinking deeply from the truths of the Fourth Servant Song in
Isaiah.
Now let’s turn to Phil. 2:6-11, where we have another Pauline reflection of the Fourth Servant Song. The
picture of the Fourth Servant Song is this. The Servant starts high and then he goes low and then he goes
back high again– exaltation to humiliation to exaltation. First he is high and lifted up. And then he takes
the form of a humble servant. Finally, he is lifted back up to see his offspring. So this high – low – high is
what Paul teaches in Phil. 2.
6
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be
grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the
likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted
him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
He starts out saying Christ is God. He is one with the Father. That comes from Is. 52:13. Jesus was equal
with God but then he emptied and humbled himself by becoming a servant who is human and who died
on a cross. Being a servant ties once again back to Isaiah’s Servant Song. So he went from the top to the
bottom. After this, God exalted him back to his high and lifted up position. The movement of Jesus
mirrors that of the Servant in Isaiah.
Those are two NT understandings of Is. 52:13 – 53:12. Now, let’s go back to the Fourth Servant Song in
Isaiah.
13
14
As many were astonished at you—
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
15
so shall he sprinkle many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths because of him,
for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.
In Is. 52:13 we have “the servant” being “high and lifted up.” And Paul applied this to Jesus. But very
quickly in v. 14, he goes from very high to very low. It is like you can’t even tell he is a human being. The
“sprinkling” in v. 15 takes us back to the Pentateuch, especially Leviticus. The word “sprinkle” usually
implies blood and sometimes water. The verb for “sprinkle” is only used for priests sprinkling blood (for
atonement) or water. When did Jesus, as the Servant, sprinkle blood and water? When the Roman spear
thrust to his side on the cross in John 19:34. What will he sprinkle? Many nations, which means all,
because God was in Christ reconciling the world. The Song continues in Is. 53.
53 Who has believed what he has heard from us?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.
3
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Who would have ever thought that God’s powerful arm would come to this, a weak arm of compassion?
Then in v. 2 the Servant is described as having no form and no beauty. There was a person earlier in the
Bible described as having no form or beauty. That was Leah. Leah in Hebrew means cow. Leah was
rejected by Jacob in favor of Rachel, whose name means ewe, a desirable woman. So the Servant is a
Leah-like person, absolutely rejected. That is the point of vv. 2-3. The Servant has solidarity with Leah-
like people, people who have been despised and rejected, because he has been despised and rejected.
The shocking mission of the Servant is simply that we are shocked that the arm of the Lord was revealed
in this guy. We were shocked that he was like Leah. He was so hideous that we hid our faces from him
and never thought that Jesus would be the person who would be the place of salvation. It was thought
God would come in power and might and beauty, but he comes in the opposite way. God says through
Paul, My power is made perfect in weakness. This is shown in Isaiah by being led by a child and a little
shoot coming out of a stump.
4
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.
5
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed .
6
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.
In the first three verses of Is. 53, we don’t get it. There is nothing special about this Servant. He is
despised and rejected. But in v. 4 Isaiah starts to get it. He realizes that the Servant came for us. This is
the way God chose to save us, by striking him with our griefs and sorrows. “He was pierced for our
transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities.”
In Is. 53:10 the Servant was made a sin offering. This is also what Paul says in 2 Cor. 5:21. To make a
sin/guilt offering work, you had to have more than the offering. You had to also have a confession of sin.
Your hand was placed on the head of the offering and you confessed your sin. That is what Isaiah does in
the Song. V. 6 is the confession. So to make Jesus’ sacrifice effective, it takes more than his sacrifice. We
also must confess our sin. So the confession in v. 6 goes with the offering in v. 10.
7
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8
By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people?
9
And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.
These verses describe exactly what happened to Jesus. He was accused but did not open his mouth to
defend himself. He was the Lamb led to the slaughter. He was killed “for the transgression of my
people” with a wicked person on either side of him. His grave was provided by a rich man. He was
innocent, yet all of this happened to him.
10
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

11
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities .
12
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death

and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,

and makes intercession for the transgressors.
In v. 10 we learn that all of this was God’s plan. It was the will of the Lord to make him a guilt offering.
But that was not the end. “He shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days.” He will be resurrected
and live to see those who believe in him. After he bore our sin and died for them, he will live and once
again be exalted.
The whole purpose of the Servant bearing “the sin of many” was so that many will “be accounted
righteous” (vv. 11-12).
We now skip to the end of Is. 54. The chapter after the Fourth Servant Song is a bad place to be because
it follows that great Gospel chapter and therefore is easily overlooked.
17
no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,

and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD

and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.”
The last phrase of the last verse of Is. 54 in most translations says something like this, “This is an
inheritance of the servants of the Lord.” The Servant sets us a community of servants. And their
righteousness, their vindication comes from the Yahweh.
Is. 56-66
We now head to the last 11 chapters of Isaiah. It begins with foreigners being admitted to worship and
keeping the Sabbath in Is. 56:6. In Is. 56:7 Yahweh says, My house will be a house of prayer for all
peoples. And the end of Isaiah in chapter 66 ends in the same way, with foreigners worshipping Yahweh.
This whole last section forms a chiasm. The middle of the chiasm is Is. 61:1-3, the Fifth Servant Song. It is
the main emphasis of this section of Isaiah. With this kind of structure, you can see that this is a tightly
knit, closely woven, well-articulated, logically presented section of Isaiah. This is not something you whip
together in a moment’s notice.
So now let us go to the Fifth Servant Song in Is. 61.
61 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
The Fifth Song begins with the Servant saying, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me.” We haven’t
talked much about the Spirit, so let’s turn back to Is. 11.
11 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2
And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
This passage talks about the meekness of a shoot coming from the stump of Jesse. This is speaking about
the promised Messianic Deliverer and this Deliverer is a Spirit-led deliverer. The same idea is presented
in Is. 42, the First Servant Song.
42 Behold my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.
The picture displayed to the class is one where a king is kneeling down and washing people’s feet, taking
the form of a servant, and upon him the Spirit is descending. The Spirit descending and coming upon the
Servant in Isaiah is accented in Is. 11:2, 42:1, and 61:1. So the role of the Spirit in Isaiah brings the
kingly Messiah and the Suffering Servant Messiah together in one person.
The Judaism of Jesus’ day did not see this as one person. They thought there would be a coming king and
there would be another person come who was a suffering servant. But Jesus came along and said, this
king in Is. 11 and this suffering servant in these suffering servant songs is me. I am both. That takes us
back to Is. 40:10-11 which says:
10
Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,

and his recompense before him.
11
He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,

and gently lead those that are with young.
It emphasizes both the strong arm and the tender arm. This is the unique proclamation of Christianity,
that the King and the Suffering Servant are one in the same person. So when the Spirit comes upon the
King (Is. 11) and the Servant (Is. 42, 61), he is coming upon one person who is both. That is what make
Christianity unique from all of the other Jewish movements in the first century. The Spirit rests on one
person who is at the same time sovereign king and saving servant.
Now let us go back to Is. 61:1. This Servant has come to proclaim good news and bring liberty and
release from the blindness of idolatry. He comes to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (Is. 61:2), which
is called the Jubilee. The Jubilee is introduced in Lev. 25. It occurred every 50 years. If in the Jubilee year
you were in prison, you were released. If you were in debt, you were no longer in debt. If had sold your
land, it was returned to you.
So Jubilee means you are free and “the year of the Lord’s favor” is the Jubilee. It gives freedom from
everything that binds and shackles. Turn to Luke 4. Luke scholars say that the key to Luke and Acts is
found in Luke 4:18ff. Luke and Acts, which make up one-fourth of the NT, are basically a commentary on
the Fifth Servant Song. Jesus is preaching his first sermon in his hometown of Nazareth. And in it he
quotes Isaiah 61:1-2.
16
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his
custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to
read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the
scroll and found the place where it was written,
18
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
20
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the
eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to
them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
He reads from Isaiah and then says in v. 21, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus is the Jubilee. Jesus releases from bondage. He takes care of needs. Jesus ushers in the Jubilee of
God’s favor. This pictures Jesus as the Servant/King. He has all authority and he has all compassion.
Q&A 44:15
We are quickly running out of time in our seminar. We will take a few minutes for Q&A and a few
concluding remarks.
There is one major theme in Isaiah and that is the Servant/King. But Isaiah looks at this over and over
again from many different angles. Isaiah introduces a theme by referring back to a bible story and then
he takes that and goes over it again and again and explores it and expands upon it. And then other
authors of biblical books take what Isaiah says and use it.
Isaiah is about the Servant/King and it concludes in the last 11 chapters with him creating a community
of servants. He takes from all the people of Israel a remnant. That remnant will be his servants (see Is.
65:8-9). Starting in Is. 65:13-16 we see a split in the community. Some believe in the suffering Servant
and others don’t. Is. 56-66 narrates the painful split between Judaism and Christianity and prophesies
about the book of Acts and the new community that forms that is the church.

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Seminar on Isaiah – the Fifth Gospel

St. Michael Lutheran Church – Led by Dr. Reed Lessing

Isaiah Seminar 2019 - Session 1

Sin and Grace in Isaiah

How Isaiah Fits into the OT (15:00)

Outline of Isaiah (24:00)

Isaiah 1-39 – The First Section of Isaiah (27:20)

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and all the nations shall flow to it,

the veil that is spread over all nations.

and dust shall be the serpent's food.

They shall not hurt or destroy

So even the new Jerusalem is on a very high mountain.

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

And look at Is. 49:6.

and to bring back the preserved of Israel;

I will make you as a light for the nations,

55 “Come, everyone who thirsts,

and he who has no money,

Come, buy wine and milk

their burnt offerings and their sacrifices

for my house shall be called a house of prayer

It shall come to pass in the latter days

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and all the nations shall flow to it,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

that he may teach us his ways

For out of Zion shall go forth the law,

and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

54 “Sing, O barren one [woman], who did not bear;

you who have not been in labor!

For the children of the desolate one will be more

do not hold back; lengthen your cords

and will people the desolate cities.

50 Thus says the LORD:

Behold, for your iniquities you were sold,

like a wife of youth when she is cast off,

but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”

Isaiah Seminar 2019 - Session 2 (Length = 1:15:20)

Review (Starts at 00:00)

62 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,

until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,

and you shall be called by a new name

but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,

for the LORD delights in you,

and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,

Isaiah 6 – The Call of Isaiah

and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day .

now I will be exalted.

“I dwell in the high and holy place,

to revive the spirit of the lowly,

and shall be exalted.

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;

I said, “Here I am, here I am,”

“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;

and blind their eyes;

lest they see with their eyes,

and understand with their hearts,

they are all silent dogs;

dreaming, lying down,

we stumble at noon as in the twilight,