Year A - Revised Common Lectionary
Easter 3 - 6th April 2008
Old Testament: Isaiah 51:1-6, Ps 34:1-10
Background to the Book of Isaiah
Context of Isa 51:1-6
Insights/Message of Isa 51:1-6
Resources/Worship for Isa 51:1-6
To go direct to any of the above topics please click on them

Background to the Book of Isaiah

Historical: (History within the text) xxx

In 598 BCE, 587 BCE, 582 BCE (Jeremiah 52:28-30), the Babylonians deported significant numbers of Israelites to Babylon, especially the leaders and highly educated people. It appears that the Babylonians allowed the exiles to own land (Jeremiah 29:5) and gave them much freedom. They could continue to worship (Ezekiel 8:1, 14:1,3, 20:1,29, Jeremiah 29:1), to participate in trade (Marashu business texts), to remain in tribal groups with their leaders (Jeremiah 29:5-7) and to serve on royal projects and in the military forces. The evidence of the Jeremiah, Deutero-Isaiah, Ezekiel and Priestly material shows that writing continued in the exile. An awareness of both the written and oral traditions of the past is seen in these books. While some writings (Deutero-Isaiah, Jeremiah, Deuteronomic History) probably received their final form in exile, other writings (Priestly, Psalms, Ezekiel) did not achieve their final form until much later. The people were aware of the Torah requirements (see Leviticus 26:14-45, an exilic sermon) and Ezekiel drew upon the laws in the Holiness Code in Leviticus 17-25. The later writings confirmed that the people in Babylon knew the requirements of the law (Ezra 7:11-20: Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law, the one sent by the God of heaven to Jerusalem with treasures for the temple and a commission to undertake teaching of the law and moral reform). We assume that if Ezra was going to Jerusalem as a teacher of the law he would also have been teaching the law to those in Babylon.

In summary, the exilic community appears to have been well organised, able to enjoy the benefits of Babylonian life and free to maintain its own religious life and worship. Although the people were not able to worship at the temple and offer sacrifices, they learnt about their past traditions (Isaiah 40-55) and the requirements of the law (Deuteronomic History, Ezekiel, Leviticus).

PURPOSE of Isaiah 40 - 55: These chapters in the scroll of Isaiah appear to address a situation later in the exile (circa 540 BCE) when the prophet proclaims that God wants them to return to Jerusalem. Most of the older generation would have died, those who remained would have heard the stories of Jerusalem, but this generation would be very comfortable, settled, well off, living in a fertile and cultured country. They were safe, had freedom and many obtained wealth.

The question is how do you get a group of people to move who are comfortable, settled, whose children are born in this new country, to move back to a wreck of a city taken over by people from the surrounding countries, Edom, Moab ,Transjordan etc. You want to transport them back to a rocky and barren landscape, where there was no immediate opportunities for making a living. We have the experience of Kosovar refugees who were only in Australia a few months not 40 plus years and some of them had no desire to return to probable hardship and possible death. I have no desire to return to a ‘but and ben' in the Highlands of Scotland on a permanent basis. A holiday is wonderful.

This is the task of the writer of Isaiah 40-55 - to convince the people to return to Jerusalem and build the temple and city again. The experience of the exile has made them realise that they have to rely on the grace of God alone and that it is only by God's loving kindness they can know forgiveness.

Literary: Isaiah 40-55 begins with a prologue in Isaiah 40-11 which sets out the message of the following sixteen chapters. The first verse declares that the people of Israel are forgiven and she has suffered enough for all her rebellion and unfaithfulness. Now God will lead them back to Jerusalem. The poetry is quite different to that used in Isaiah 1-39 and is regarded as some of the most beautiful in the Old Testament. Isaiah 40-55 proclaims God as creator and develops the explanation God as creator of the world first stated in Gen 1. Not only is Yahweh creator of the world, but also redeemer of people within history. It is Isaiah 40-55 who has a fully monotheistic presentation of God. Up to this point there has been an acknowledgement and acceptance of other gods by the writers of the Hebrew Scriptures. These can be seen in many of the psalms we read.

Top

Context of Isa 51:1-6

Isaiah 47 is an address to Babylon which denounces to them that all that they have felt as sacred is false and will not save them from the power which is about to descend on them. The next chapter swings immediately into a call to Israel reminding them of their origins and declaring as before in the Book of Isaiah 40-55 that God is about to do new things. The chapter finishes with the reminder that God is Redeemer and the command that they are to leave Babylon with shouts of proclamation.

Isaiah 49 speaks of Israel as the servant (v.3) although the remainder of vv.1-13 sound as though verses are speaking about a single person. This may have been the case originally and with the insertion of v.3 a later writer thought it ought to speak about the nation. The verses speak of the servant's calling (vv.1-7) and then the work they are to do (vv.8-13).

Isaiah 49:14-50:3 speak about Jerusalem. Indeed, Zion herself begins the conversation in v.14 suggesting that God has forgotten her. God answers in vv.15-50:3 by saying that Zion could never be forgotten because a parent can never forget a suckling babe. Others images are used to give further reassurance and finishing with a number of questions by God which there is only one answer- none of which impugn God.

The verses following call on the people to hear God's voice and be obedient to his servant. Zion will be comforted and all her waste places will become like Eden. This constant reassurance that God will rule and make all things come right is the focus of Isaiah 51. God is creator and the one who comforts and rescues humans. A further address to Zion of redemption before it moves into the final servant song in 52:13-53:12.

Top

Insights/Message of Isa 51:1-6

Literary::xxxIsa 51:1-6 is part of the section Isa 51:1-52:12 in which the prophet on behalf of God is seeking the people's attention to hear the message (Watts wants it as part of the previous section, Isa 50:4-51:8, 197. Oswalt: 333). Often the section 51:1-8 is seen as a "recapulation and and finale represented by 51:9-52:12" (Seitz. NIB: 441). The teacher introduced in Isa 50:4-9 now proclaims his message to the people (Hanson: 144). Isa 51:1-8 are further divided around the themes of righteousness and salvation. Vv.1-3 address the pursuers of righteousness, vv.4-6 address God's own people and finally vv.7-8 address those who know righteousness. It is interesting to note the traditions referred to in these verses, Abraham and Sarah are the ancestors who were called and blessed (v.2). In vv.4-6, references to "my nation, law going forth, coastlands, creation" all remind us of earlier proclamations of the servant. Each section begins with the imperative, "listen" indicating the necessity to hear what the prophet is saying. Seitz says there are eight plural imperatives in vv.1-8 alone - hearken, look, listen, give ear, lift up, look, listen, and fear not (447). The prophet is intent on these people hearing the message. These imperatives lead up to the command to depart from Babylon back to Jerusalem in Isa 52:11. The future portrayed in Isa 2 is a reality here - it will happen. The literary style of the poetry is one used in many places in the psalms in which the second line of the strophe either reinforces the message in the first line but using different images or expanding the image, for example, 51:3.

Theology/Message: xxThe first proclamation is for those who seek righeoueness (v.1-3). We are maintaining these people are the ones in exile in Babylon. However, I am not convinced by Watts that this section is a second address by Darius to the exiles (Watts:197, 204). It is important for the exiles to be reminded of the promises which Yahweh gave to their ancestors and those promises can be reclaimed now. The circle of people addressed is now widened to "my people' (vv.4-6). They are assured that God's law and justice will go forward and God's arm will rule. All they have to do is look to the heavens and see all this action of God. This is very different to the commision in Isa 42:1-9 in which the people will be the ones to bring in God's reign. Hanson thinks Isa 51:4-6 is a parallel message but the focus has clearly shifted from the people as agent to God (Hanson: 145). The final two verses in this section address those who already know righteousness, reassuring them that there is nothing to fear because God's deliverance is forever. Any doubt that the Lord is able to all as promised in Isa 51:1-8 is answered in 51:9-16. . God is the God who redeems in history as the people are reminded by the command "to look" to Abraham and Sarah - the ancestors who received God's command to leave their own country with the unconditional promise attached. In vv.4-6 they are commanded "to look" to God as creator (v.6) and in v.7 "to fear not". It is strong message of comfort and hope to anyone who is feeling lost, or let down. As the Creator God has made promises in the past, and revealed self in the person of Jesus Christ so we can trust and hope in a God who says that "salvation is to all generations".

Top

Resources/Worship for Isa 51:1-6

Worship:

Resources: Commentaries

The Old Testament Guides (OTG) by Sheffield Academic Press are an excellent small resource which give many suggestions for readings on particular aspects in the book.

The New Interpreter's Bible is another very helpful resource and published in the late 1990's - 2002 is more up to date than some earlier works.

  • Baltzer, Klaus. Deutero-Isaiah: A Commentary on Isaiah 40-55. Herm. Minneapolis, Minn.: Fortress Press, 2001.
    Brueggemann, Walter. Isaiah 40-66. Westminster BC. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, c1998.
    Childs, Brevard S. Isaiah. OTL. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001.
    Hanson, Paul D. Isaiah 40-66. Int. Louisville, Ky.: John Knox, 1995.
    Muilenburg, James, and Henry Sloan Coffin. "The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 40-66." In The Interpreter's Bible. 5:381-773. New York: Abingdon Press, 1956.
    Oswalt, John. The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 40-66. NICOT. Grand Rapids, Mich. W. B. Eerdmans, 1998.
    Scullion, John J. Isaiah 40-66. OTM. Wilmington, Del. Michael Glazier, 1982.
  • Seitz, Christopher. "The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 40-66." In The Interpreter's Bible. 6:307-552: Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001.
    Thompson, Michael. Isaiah Chapters 40-66. Epworth Commentaries. Peterborough: Epworth Press, 2001.
    Watts, John. Isaiah 34-66. WBC. Waco, Tex.: Word Book, 1987.
    Westermann, Claus. Isaiah 40-66: A Commentary. OTL. London: SCM Press, 1966.b
    Whybray, R. N. Isaiah 40-66. NCB. London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott; Grand Rapids, Mich. W. B. Eerdmans, 1981, c1975.
  • Whybray, R. N. The Second Isaiah, OTG. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1983.
    Young, E. J. The Book of Isaiah: The English Text, with Introduction, Exposition, and Notes. NICOT. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W. B. Eerdmans, 1972.

 

The Dramatised Bible: ed. Michael Perry. London: Marshall Pickering: Bible Society, 1989

Web sites with helpful lectionary resources: These links were updated 09/06/2008

Top