This Tuesday, we are reading through Isaiah 49:22-51:23 with an emphasis on the Third Suffering Servant Song of Isaiah 50:4-9. Attached is Christopher North’s short commentary on this Third Servant Song from his book The Suffering Servant – An Historical and Critical Study. p.146. This is the penultimate Song that will lead us into the Fourth and final Servant Song next week of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 which is part of our Good Friday readings. Hopefully, in the readings this week, you will see an image of Palm Sunday. Particularly in Isaiah 51, we see this mounting expectancy of deliverance. The prophet says “Hearken to me, you who pursue deliverance, My deliverance draws near speedily, Awake, put on strength, Rouse yourself, and stand up.” vv.1, 5, 9, 17. It is the image that now the time has come to be delivered. Now is the time that God has chosen to intervene in history to bring salvation to his people. This is the same understanding we have when Jesus enters Jerusalem on the colt.
Within these verses, we also get a glimpse of what this eternal deliverance looks like. First, deliverance means that “we shall not die and go down into the Pit.” v.14. The oppression of death is gone. Most importantly, however, we see that salvation means to return to being in a perfect relationship with God. It is only here and in Ezekiel 36:35 that the Hebrew Scriptures give us an understanding that salvation means a return to the Garden of Eden. v.3. The Greek word for “garden” is “paradeisos” or paradise. For it is in the Garden of Eden where we were last in that perfect relationship with God. And therefore, the promise of making the wilderness into the Garden is the promise of reestablishing that right relationship which leads to joy and gladness and thanksgiving and song.
Dinner is at 6. The menu is St. Patrick’s Day. Discussion about 6:45. Hope to see you here.
For the Lord will comfort Zion;
Isaiah 51:3
He will comfort all her waste places;
And will make her wilderness like Eden,
Her desert like the garden of the LORD;
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and the voice of song.