At the Northern Convention last night I had the privilage of sitting next to William and Carine MacKenzie who founded and run Christian Focus, a reformed evangelical publishing house in the Highlands. They are an amazing couple and one of these days I shall have to write a blog about them.
Isaiah 49
The problem of sin
Goligher started with an illustration from an interview with Donald Trump. Trump had stated that the banks and bankers had made huge mistakes to cause the global credit crunch. He stopped himself at the end though and said that is the presenting problem the real problem is human greed. Goligher believes something similar is occurring in Isaiah the presenting problem is Assyria and then Babylon. Assyria would be checked and wasn't a real problem but Babylon would be a big problem and cause more trouble to the Jewish Psyche than the Holocaust because they would destroy the Temple. The real problem for Israel in Isaiah's day was not the Assyrians or the Babylonians the real problem was idolatry. Isaiah's writing offered a solution with its short, middle and long term prophecies ensuring that idolatry was never again a problem for the returning exiles.
A Political Messiah
Isaiah 49
The problem of sin
Goligher started with an illustration from an interview with Donald Trump. Trump had stated that the banks and bankers had made huge mistakes to cause the global credit crunch. He stopped himself at the end though and said that is the presenting problem the real problem is human greed. Goligher believes something similar is occurring in Isaiah the presenting problem is Assyria and then Babylon. Assyria would be checked and wasn't a real problem but Babylon would be a big problem and cause more trouble to the Jewish Psyche than the Holocaust because they would destroy the Temple. The real problem for Israel in Isaiah's day was not the Assyrians or the Babylonians the real problem was idolatry. Isaiah's writing offered a solution with its short, middle and long term prophecies ensuring that idolatry was never again a problem for the returning exiles.
A Political Messiah
In this section of Isaiah we are given a picture of the LORD's chosen one, the anointed one/messiah. All these terms are used of the political and pagan Cyrus who would come and deliver the people of Israel from exile in Babylon back to their home land of Israel.
However the underlying problem of sin meant that Israel needed a salvation bigger than the return from exile.
The Servant Speaks
In v.1 of Isaiah 49 the servant speaks and he speaks with authority sounding exactly like YHWH. 'Listen to my voice you people' even though he speaks with divine authority and is clearly divine he speaks with a human voice. ' The LORD called me from my mothers womb' giving him a name. This is the seed of eve, the promised redeemer, the child of the virgin from chapter 9. His name is Immanuel.
He is also a prophet he speaks with a ready sword, the word of God.
v.3 He is called Israel but he is called to save Israel, he is not cooperate Israel but the new Israel. Where national Israel fails he succeeds because he is righteous and obeys his call. in V.5 the servant gathers Israel back to God. V.6 however even this is to light a thing for someone as worthy as the servant so he is given the nations. V.7 points us to the cross for one deeply despised , one of the worlds outcasts vindication shall come. Kings will rise in your presence, princes will bow down to you. Even the cursed heaven and earth shall finally be jubilant and rejoice at the work of the servant.
Sadly the convention didn't follow its usual practise of both speakers giving a sermon on the final night so I never got to hear Martin Allan.
Shalom
Stephen
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