This Sunday, July 23, is the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost.
Verse of the Trinity Season:
145:1 I
will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
This week’s sermon is: Kingdom
Parables 2
This week's readings are :
Things You Didn’t Learn in Sunday School About …
Isaiah.
So … here’s the thing about Isaiah – I don’t
remember ever studying him in Sunday School!
Read
parts of his book
Studied
him in Bible History in school (Lutheran School), college and seminary.
His ministry covered some of the most turbulent
times of the history of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel.
You
might remember that David consolidated the Tribes of Israel into one Kingdom
Solomon
ruled a united and expanding kingdom.
Solomon’s
son, Rehoboam, was foolish and the kingdom divided, north and south, around 930
B.C.
Period
of Kings in Judah (David’s Line) and Kings in Israel (lots of turmoil, lots of
false gods).
Isaiah’s ministry started around 742 B.C. in
Jerusalem when a king named Uzziah died.
Uzziah
had been king – good king, and Judah prospered under him - for about 50 years! Turmoil.
Jotham
Ahaz
(I misspoke last week!) – Northern Kingdom invaded and taken into captivity by
Assyrian Empire.
Hezekiah
– a restoration of sorts, turning back to the LORD and removing the false
worship
Manasseh
– one of the most wicked in Judah who may have martyred Isaiah by cutting him
in half with a saw
Modern scholars suggest that there was not one
prophet named Isaiah – they see the book as the work of at least two people,
and I’ve heard as many as four. To be fair, there is a pretty clear break in
themes and tone in Isaiah 40, so saying that there are two parts to the book is
fairly reasonable. But the idea that the same person could not have written on
different themes with different emphases and different tone doesn’t stand up.
Besides this Jesus quotes from multiple parts of Isaiah’s prophecy and he
always refers to him simply as Isaiah and his words at least imply that this
book was written by one author. That being said, this author, Isaiah was
exceptionally talented!
“Rarely
have ‘inspiration’ in the poetic and the theological senses been wed so
beautifully.” – Horace Hummel, The Word Becoming Flesh
Another
professor compared called him the Homer (not Simpson!) of the Bible.
There
are powerful passages that condemn the sin of Israel and glorious promises of
God’s salvation.
God’s
holiness is displayed with fear and awe.
Humanity’s
sin is graphicly contrasted with that holiness.
And
God’s faithfulness – in both judgement and mercy – are laid out for all to see.
No
other book points so regularly toward the coming of the Messiah.
Some
have called his book the Fifth Gospel
Fitting
– Isaiah means “YHWH is Salvation”, which is also what Jesus means.
Isaiah
7 & 9 – Immanuel, Unto us a child is born… - Christmas
Isaiah
53 – Suffering servant – stricken, smitten, and afflicted – Jesus’ death to
atone for sins.
About
half of the appointed O.T. readings in the three year lectionary come from
Isaiah.
Isaiah was a counselor to kings, a preacher of
God’s Word, a proclaimer of God’s Wrath, and one who pointed people to Jesus –
the coming Messiah – who has won our salvation. And he remains an important
prophet for us hear.
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