An Overview of Acts
1:1-6:7 – A description of the primitive church in Jerusalem, its early preaching, its common life, its spread, and its initial opposition. Notice how Jewish everything is, including the sermons, the opposition, and the fact that the early believers continue associations with the temple and the synagogues. The panel concludes with a narrative indicating that a division had begun between Greek speaking and Aramaic-speaking Jews.
6:8-9:31 – A description of the first geographical expansion, carried out by the Hellenists” (Greek-speaking Jewish Christians), to Greek-speaking Jews in the Diaspora or “nearly-Jews” (Samaritans and a proselyte). Luke also includes the conversion of Paul, who was 1) a Hellenist, 2) a Jewish opponent of the gospel, and 3) the one who was to lead the specifically Gentile expansion. Stephen’s martyrdom is the key to this initial expansion.
9:32-12:24 – A description of the 1st expansion to the Gentiles. Key moment is the conversion of Cornelius, whose story is told twice. (remember the OT narrative use of repetition to highlight something of importance). The significance of Cornelius is that his conversion was a direct act from God, who carried it out through Peter, the acknowledged leader of the Jewish-Christian mission (had God used the Hellenists – like Paul – the event would have been even more suspect in Jerusalem). Also included is the story of the church in Antioch, where Gentile conversion is now carried out by the Hellenists in a purposeful way.
12:25-16:5 – a description of the first geographical expansion into the Gentile world, with Paul in the leadership. Jews now regularly reject the gospel because it includes Gentiles. The church meets in council and does not reject its Gentile brothers and sisters, nor does it lay Jewish religious requirements on them. The latter serves as the key to full expansion into the Gentile world.
16:6-19:20 – Description of the further, ever westward, expansion into the Gentile world, now into Europe. Repeatedly the Jews reject and the Gentiles welcome the gospel.
19:21-28:30 – Description of the events that move Paul and the gospel on to Rome, with a great deal of interest in Paul’s trials, in which three times he is declared innocent of any wrongdoing.
Luke’s Purpose
Key to understanding Acts seems to be in Luke’s interest in the movement of the gospel from its Jerusalem-based, Judaism oriented beginnings to a worldwide, Gentile-predominated phenomenon. On the basis of structure and content alone, any statement of purpose that does not include the Gentile mission and the Holy Spirit’s role in that mission will surely have missed the point.
This interest in “movement” is further substantiated by what Luke does NOT tell us.
First, he has no interest in the “lives,” that is, the biographies, of the apostles. James (the son of Zebedee) is the only one whose end we know (12:2). Once the movement to the Gentiles gets underway, Peter drops from sight except in chapter 15, where he certifies the Gentile mission. Apart from John, the other apostles are not even mentioned, and Luke’s interest in Paul is almost completely in terms of Gentile mission.
Second, he has little or no interest in church organization or polity. The Seven in chapter 6 are not called deacons, and in any case they soon leave Jerusalem. Luke never tells us why or how it happened that the church in Jerusalem passed from the leadership of Peter and the apostles to James the brother of Jesus (12:17; 15:13; 21:18); nor does he ever explain how any local church was organized in terms of polity or leadership, except to say that elders were appointed (14:23).
Third, there is no word about other geographical expansion except in the one direct line from Jerusalem to Rome. There is no mention of Crete (Titus 1:5), Illyricum (Rom 5:19 – modern Croatia and Yugoslavia), or Pontus, Cappadocia (1 Peter 1:1), not to mention the church’s expansion eastward toward Mesopotamia or southward toward to Egypt.
All of this together says that church history per se was simply not Luke’s reason for writing.
Luke’s interest also does not seem to be in standardizing things, bringing everything into uniformity. When he records individual conversions there are usually two elements included: gift of the Spirit and water baptism. But these can be in reverse order, with or without the laying on of hands, with or without mention of tongues, and scarcely ever with a specific mention of repentance – even after 2:38. Such diversity could likely mean that no specific example is being set forth as THE model Christian experience.
Does that mean that Luke is not trying to tell us something by these various specific narratives?
Not necessarily. The real question is, What was he trying to tell his first readers?
With all this said, it does seem that much of Acts is intended by Luke to serve as a model. But the model is not so much in the specifics as in the overall picture. By the very way God has moved him to structure and narrate this history it seems probably that we are to view this triumphant, joyful, forward-moving expansion of the gospel into the Gentile world, empowered by the Holy Spirit and resulting in changed lives and local communities, as God’s intent for the
continuing Church.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Luke
Happy Monday!
Weʼve entered a new phase of our reading together. This week we begin the second half of our schedule and from here on the readings will come from the New Testament. Personally, Iʼm really glad to have read so much from the prophets recently. Sure, it was a little “doom and gloom” in places, but at least for me, it seemed that everyday the prophets were speaking directly into my own life.
Those last sections of Isaiah though...those chapters contain some of my absolute favorite pieces of writing anywhere. To begin the week last week with the words, “Comfort, comfort my people...” - I suspect that I wasnʼt the only one who needed to hear those words. As I reminded our friends gathered together yesterday morning, the role of the prophets is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. The Israelites in captivity (chps 40-55) and returning to a destroyed Jerusalem (chps 56-66) were no longer comfortable.
It struck me, as it often does, that it is very difficult to treat issues of social justice, freedom for the oppressed, care for the poor and concern for the forgotten as a “special interest” ministry. When we actually read the Scriptures those issues seem to play a very prominent role in descriptions of what it means to follow God faithfully.
And then our reading this morning begins not only with two substantial quotes from Isaiah (chp 40 quoted in Luke 3 and chp 61 quoted in Luke 4), but also ties the nature of Jesusʼ ministry so directly to this call for justice for the poor and oppressed.
I pray that you will find your story in the Story of Jesus this week. Next week weʼll read 2nd Luke (also known as Acts) and then finish Matthew, read Ephesians and John and our 40 days of reading will be fulfilled.
If youʼve gotten behind in your reading I encourage you to do two things. First, donʼt become overloaded with guilt or stress about not keeping with the schedule. The main goal is to spend significant time each day reading from Godʼs Word, not to accomplish a certain amount of reading.
Second, donʼt let yourself off the hook just because thereʼs no guilt being laid on you. This is a chance to challenge yourself, to be immersed in Godʼs word - this is not something that anyone else can do for you.
I am anticipating miracles this week. I donʼt know where God will bring transformation, but I believe that its coming. Do you?
Weʼve entered a new phase of our reading together. This week we begin the second half of our schedule and from here on the readings will come from the New Testament. Personally, Iʼm really glad to have read so much from the prophets recently. Sure, it was a little “doom and gloom” in places, but at least for me, it seemed that everyday the prophets were speaking directly into my own life.
Those last sections of Isaiah though...those chapters contain some of my absolute favorite pieces of writing anywhere. To begin the week last week with the words, “Comfort, comfort my people...” - I suspect that I wasnʼt the only one who needed to hear those words. As I reminded our friends gathered together yesterday morning, the role of the prophets is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. The Israelites in captivity (chps 40-55) and returning to a destroyed Jerusalem (chps 56-66) were no longer comfortable.
It struck me, as it often does, that it is very difficult to treat issues of social justice, freedom for the oppressed, care for the poor and concern for the forgotten as a “special interest” ministry. When we actually read the Scriptures those issues seem to play a very prominent role in descriptions of what it means to follow God faithfully.
And then our reading this morning begins not only with two substantial quotes from Isaiah (chp 40 quoted in Luke 3 and chp 61 quoted in Luke 4), but also ties the nature of Jesusʼ ministry so directly to this call for justice for the poor and oppressed.
I pray that you will find your story in the Story of Jesus this week. Next week weʼll read 2nd Luke (also known as Acts) and then finish Matthew, read Ephesians and John and our 40 days of reading will be fulfilled.
If youʼve gotten behind in your reading I encourage you to do two things. First, donʼt become overloaded with guilt or stress about not keeping with the schedule. The main goal is to spend significant time each day reading from Godʼs Word, not to accomplish a certain amount of reading.
Second, donʼt let yourself off the hook just because thereʼs no guilt being laid on you. This is a chance to challenge yourself, to be immersed in Godʼs word - this is not something that anyone else can do for you.
I am anticipating miracles this week. I donʼt know where God will bring transformation, but I believe that its coming. Do you?
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Intro to Isaiah 40-66 and Haggai
Hey folks,
Sorry I'm getting this to you late in the evening...haven't really had the computer on much today (which was nice!)
Hope this is helpful as we enter the next week of reading. This week will be days 16-22 - when we finish with Isaiah we are half-way through this commitment. Rachel and I have already seen some amazing things happen that we believe are directly related to this period of reading and prayer. My continued prayer is that we will see miracles...that we will see transformation occur.
May God continue to bless you through the reading of his Word.
Bret
Sorry I'm getting this to you late in the evening...haven't really had the computer on much today (which was nice!)
Hope this is helpful as we enter the next week of reading. This week will be days 16-22 - when we finish with Isaiah we are half-way through this commitment. Rachel and I have already seen some amazing things happen that we believe are directly related to this period of reading and prayer. My continued prayer is that we will see miracles...that we will see transformation occur.
May God continue to bless you through the reading of his Word.
Bret
2nd Isaiah (chapters 40-55)
Most likely, this section of Isaiah was written by a latter day disciple of Isaiah, who is anonymous except we refer to him as “Deutero- Isaiah” to distinguish him from the 8th century Isaiah of Jerusalem.
The prophets had warned Judah to have faith in God or else destruction would come. Micah seemed convinced that exile was unavoidable. He was right. King Jehoiakim revolted against Nebuchadrezzer some time around 602, and it took the Babylonians some time to respond to this rebellion. But by 598, apparently Nebuchadrezzer surrounded the city of Jerusalem. During this time Jehoiakim died and his son Jehoiachin took the throne, reigning for only 3 months (597).
He gave in to Nebuchadrezzer and was taken to Babylon along with the cream of Judean society, including Ezekiel, Daniel, and the friends mentioned in Daniel 1–5. Nebuchadrezzer set another son of Josiah on the throne, Zedekiah. Zedekiah reigned for 11 years and witnessed the end of the nation of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem.
The question is finally settled with the capture of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Nebuchadrezzer fulfills the harsh prophecies that Judah had been warned of and the exile begins.
However Nebuchadrezzar died in 562 and his empire began to crumble. In 555, Nabonidus ascended to the throne and shortly thereafter, he went into the Arabian desert to contemplate the moon god, Sin. In his absence he leaves his son, Belshazzar as regent in his place.
Meanwhile the Persian Empire is on its own conquering warpath (remember the movie 300?) and the Babylonians actually welcome Cyrus and the Persian army as liberators. Persia takes Babylon without a fight. Cyrus was benevolent and actually allowed most conquered peoples to return to their own homelands. But, for whatever reason most Jews did not come home from Babylon, beginning the diaspora (dispersion).
As you read, look for these themes:
- Yahweh is the Holy One of Israel and has no rivals
- There will be new acts of redemption
- All the nations will benefit from Judah’s restoration: Judah will be a light to the nations.
- The Suffering Servant: 42, 49, 50, 52:13–53.
- Impact of II Isaiah on the New Testament.
Haggai
Haggai is written around the same time as 3rd Isaiah, during the return of the Israelites from captivity to Jerusalem.
Haggai has only two messages: 1) you are languishing in Judah with poor harvests because you have rebuilt your own houses but not the house of God. 2) The people responded with vigor and rebuilt the temple. Haggai then proclaimed that Zerubbabel, the governor, was the Davidic messiah.
3rd Isaiah (chapters 56-66)
Many scholars suggest that the book of Isaiah should be divided into 3 parts, as we have seen. The third part many feel is neither Isaianic nor part of Deutero-Isaiah, but an addition by a post-exile writer or writers not long after the return from Babylon. This writer carries on Isaiah’s motif of the Holy One of Israel, but seems not to have the messianic emphasis of Isaiah of Jerusalem and Deutero-Isaiah (or Haggai).
One of the main points of 3rd Isaiah is to show how Israel is to be a light to the nations in the period of restoration, but that the nations will be subservient to Israel and be, like the Gibeonites, drawers of water and hewers of wood.
Timeline of Important Old Testament Dates
1200-1000: the period of the Judges and beginnings of the monarchy.
1000 ±: David’s reign.
950 ±: the temple is built.
922 ±: the division of the kingdom (Israel in North, Judah in South).
735: the Syro-Ephraimite war (Isaiah).
732: the first exile of North Israel under Tiglath-Pileser III (Isaiah, Hosea).
722: the exile of North Israel to Assyria under Shalmaneser V.
701: the invasion of Judah by Sennacherib of Assyria (Micah, Isaiah).
622: the reform of Josiah (Jeremiah).
612: the destruction of Nineveh by the coalition of Medes, Babylonians, and Scythians (Nahum).
609: Josiah dies in battle against Necho of Egypt.
605: the battle of Carchemish (Egypt and Assyria against Babylon and the Medes) (Habakkuk).
597: the first exile of Judah under Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah, Ezekiel).
586: the second exile of Judah to Babylon (Jeremiah, Ezekiel).
539: the edict of Cyrus and the first return under Sheshbazzar.
520: the temple is rebuilt in earnest (Haggai, Zechariah, Chronicles, Zerubbabel).
515: the temple is completed.
ca. 450: Ezra’s mission to Palestine.
ca. 445ff: Nehemiah’s mission to Palestine.
ca. 400: Malachi’s prophecies and the “end” of Old Testament writings.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Prayer Requests
Good Evening everyone,
I have a couple special items for prayer that I would like to urge you to lift up to our God.
First, those of you who are local may have heard that there have been a string of suspected attempted abductions of children here in Burleson. On three separate occasions over the last few days a young person has been approached by a person they did not know and felt threatened - at least one of the children was actually grabbed by the man, but escaped. It seems likely that at least 2 of the 3 encounters may have been the same person.
This is certainly unnerving to those of us in the area, especially parents of young children. To make matters worse, 2 of the 3 events occurred in the Shenandoah community - where some of our friends live. This of course hits very close to home and we would like to ask you to pray for the safety of children everywhere, but particularly for our friends in Shenandoah who are certainly dealing with heightened anxiety tonight.
On another - happier - note, we'd also like you to be in prayer for a meeting I will have with a church this Thursday. Rachel and I have grown extremely cautious about getting our hopes up - we have certainly had to learn to deal with rejection over the last few years. However, the very promising conversations and events leading up to this meeting, and the timing... we are excited, nervous and, for the first time in a while, hopeful that a church may be willing to partner with us financially.
Please join us in prayer for this meeting and potential partnership.
Grace and Peace,
Bret
I have a couple special items for prayer that I would like to urge you to lift up to our God.
First, those of you who are local may have heard that there have been a string of suspected attempted abductions of children here in Burleson. On three separate occasions over the last few days a young person has been approached by a person they did not know and felt threatened - at least one of the children was actually grabbed by the man, but escaped. It seems likely that at least 2 of the 3 encounters may have been the same person.
This is certainly unnerving to those of us in the area, especially parents of young children. To make matters worse, 2 of the 3 events occurred in the Shenandoah community - where some of our friends live. This of course hits very close to home and we would like to ask you to pray for the safety of children everywhere, but particularly for our friends in Shenandoah who are certainly dealing with heightened anxiety tonight.
On another - happier - note, we'd also like you to be in prayer for a meeting I will have with a church this Thursday. Rachel and I have grown extremely cautious about getting our hopes up - we have certainly had to learn to deal with rejection over the last few years. However, the very promising conversations and events leading up to this meeting, and the timing... we are excited, nervous and, for the first time in a while, hopeful that a church may be willing to partner with us financially.
Please join us in prayer for this meeting and potential partnership.
Grace and Peace,
Bret
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Intro for Hosea and Micah: Days 9-14
Hey Everyone,
I hope that last week's reading was a blessing. Rachel and I had some amazing experiences that can only be described as answers to our prayers out of Luke 10:2. It seems that the Lord of the Harvest is, in fact, concerned with harvest. Who knew?
Here is a short bit of information regarding the background of this week's readings. We'll start with Hosea, move to Micah and finish with Mark. Hosea and Micah are interesting in that together they function as a contemporary voice to Isaiah 1-39. Hosea was prophesying during the events which occurred in the first part of last week's reading (as Assyria is preparing to destroy the northern country of Israel) and Micah picks up around the time of that the Assyrian's attempt to take over Judah as well (which they nearly do, taking pretty much everything but Jerusalem.)
We had some great conversation this morning regarding the Isaiah readings and I'm already looking forward to what the community will have to say about this next round. Blessings to you this week!
Grace and Peace,
Bret
Our reading last week concluded with King Hezekiah’s refusal to lose faith in the face of a looming invasion by the powerful Assyrian King Senacherib - some 20 years after the destruction of the northern Kingdom of Israel (often referred to in the text by its capitol, Samaria) by the Assryians. This period of faithfulness in Judah came on the heels of King Ahaz’s failure to trust God and would be followed by even greater sin and faithlessness by Hezekiah’s son, Mannaseh. Isaiah seems to hold out hope that Judah will escape destruction and exile(which they will...for now).
This week we will read from the prophets Hosea, who was a contemporary of Isaiah during the early part of his career and Micah, who prophesied during Sennacherib’s invasion around 701.
We know that Hosea was a North Israelite who prophesied during the uncertain times of the anti-Assyrian coalition we read about last week; during the days of Uzziah, Jotham (and possibly even Ahaz and Hezekiah) of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel. Of course we also know that he had an unfortunate marriage which God commanded him to enter as a metaphor for the relationship between the Lord and his chosen people.
The historical background for Micah’s prophecy is set around 701 and Sennacherib’s invasion.
Micah is far less optimistic about Judah’s survival than Isaiah. They do survive this invasion, but will eventually be destroyed by the Babylonians and be carried into exile as he predicts. Micah is also much more scathing about Judah’s oppression of the poor, in language reminiscent of Amos. Judah would be punished for breaking the covenant. Judah must go into exile, unlike Isaiah’s message, and there seems to be no way out. Chapters 3–4 suggest that Micah believed that Judah would someday be restored, but only after punishment and exile.
As we think about the setting in Israel and Judah in the 8th century BCE, the struggle to find faith often seems insurmountable. The prophets had their work cut out for them. Their messages,which sought to stoke the imagination of the people, called for repentance and were seldom well received. Keep this in mind as you then read the gospel according to Mark. You will likely notice how Mark seems to be racing toward the cross - the word “immediately” is often used to describe Jesus’ movements.
Throughout our season of reading we will continue to move back and forth between the prophets and gospels. Hopefully, as we progress we’ll notice that our understanding of one deepens our appreciation of the other.
I hope that last week's reading was a blessing. Rachel and I had some amazing experiences that can only be described as answers to our prayers out of Luke 10:2. It seems that the Lord of the Harvest is, in fact, concerned with harvest. Who knew?
Here is a short bit of information regarding the background of this week's readings. We'll start with Hosea, move to Micah and finish with Mark. Hosea and Micah are interesting in that together they function as a contemporary voice to Isaiah 1-39. Hosea was prophesying during the events which occurred in the first part of last week's reading (as Assyria is preparing to destroy the northern country of Israel) and Micah picks up around the time of that the Assyrian's attempt to take over Judah as well (which they nearly do, taking pretty much everything but Jerusalem.)
We had some great conversation this morning regarding the Isaiah readings and I'm already looking forward to what the community will have to say about this next round. Blessings to you this week!
Grace and Peace,
Bret
Our reading last week concluded with King Hezekiah’s refusal to lose faith in the face of a looming invasion by the powerful Assyrian King Senacherib - some 20 years after the destruction of the northern Kingdom of Israel (often referred to in the text by its capitol, Samaria) by the Assryians. This period of faithfulness in Judah came on the heels of King Ahaz’s failure to trust God and would be followed by even greater sin and faithlessness by Hezekiah’s son, Mannaseh. Isaiah seems to hold out hope that Judah will escape destruction and exile(which they will...for now).
This week we will read from the prophets Hosea, who was a contemporary of Isaiah during the early part of his career and Micah, who prophesied during Sennacherib’s invasion around 701.
We know that Hosea was a North Israelite who prophesied during the uncertain times of the anti-Assyrian coalition we read about last week; during the days of Uzziah, Jotham (and possibly even Ahaz and Hezekiah) of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel. Of course we also know that he had an unfortunate marriage which God commanded him to enter as a metaphor for the relationship between the Lord and his chosen people.
The historical background for Micah’s prophecy is set around 701 and Sennacherib’s invasion.
Micah is far less optimistic about Judah’s survival than Isaiah. They do survive this invasion, but will eventually be destroyed by the Babylonians and be carried into exile as he predicts. Micah is also much more scathing about Judah’s oppression of the poor, in language reminiscent of Amos. Judah would be punished for breaking the covenant. Judah must go into exile, unlike Isaiah’s message, and there seems to be no way out. Chapters 3–4 suggest that Micah believed that Judah would someday be restored, but only after punishment and exile.
As we think about the setting in Israel and Judah in the 8th century BCE, the struggle to find faith often seems insurmountable. The prophets had their work cut out for them. Their messages,which sought to stoke the imagination of the people, called for repentance and were seldom well received. Keep this in mind as you then read the gospel according to Mark. You will likely notice how Mark seems to be racing toward the cross - the word “immediately” is often used to describe Jesus’ movements.
Throughout our season of reading we will continue to move back and forth between the prophets and gospels. Hopefully, as we progress we’ll notice that our understanding of one deepens our appreciation of the other.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Background in Isaiah
Rachel made a good comment to me this morning while reading the Isaiah passage. She was confused as to why God seemed so mad at King Ahaz. She said, "The background information you gave us makes sense, but I haven't gotten to the point in Isaiah where that happened yet. Why is God angry already?"
What I apparently failed to tell you guys is part of the reason for giving the historical background is that most of that information cannot be found in Isaiah itself, you have to read through Kings, Chronicles and even some of the minor prophets.
So don't be confused, you won't find all the information about Ahaz's treaty with Assyria in this reading - its a backdrop.
Hope that helps.
Grace and Peace,
Bret
What I apparently failed to tell you guys is part of the reason for giving the historical background is that most of that information cannot be found in Isaiah itself, you have to read through Kings, Chronicles and even some of the minor prophets.
So don't be confused, you won't find all the information about Ahaz's treaty with Assyria in this reading - its a backdrop.
Hope that helps.
Grace and Peace,
Bret
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Intro for Isaiah: Days 3-8
Happy Sunday,
As we prepare for our second week of readings, we will leave Matthew for a while and dive into Isaiah. Hopefully you've already benefitted from the readings. You may have noticed in Matthew 1-13 that the writer often says something to the effect of "this happened in order to fulfill what was said by the prophets." As you know, over these 40 days we will read all 4 gospels (usually the whole book on consecutive days). One reason to read books like Isaiah, though not at all the only one, is that these texts serve as important source and reference material for the gospel and other new testament writers. It is hard for us to hear what the authors were saying if we aren't aware of the stories to which they referred.
The attached document gives a little background to Isaiah 1-39. As you read I encourage you to be aware of the situation that Judah faced and to which Isaiah was speaking, but also ask yourself, "Where are these types of situations present in my own life and the life of my community?"
For instance we'll see that King Ahaz is afraid of the armies of Pekah and Rezin and is called by Isaiah to trust God for protection. Instead he turns to even worse King of Assyria for assistance. To avoid one bad option he turns to another, more dangerous option out of perceived necessity, instead of trusting God - a move of fear that will have terrible implications. But are we not often tempted to do the same? Asking such questions as we read will allow God to shine light on the areas of our lives that need a little prophetic "prompting."
Please let me know if you have any trouble opening the file or if you can think of someone else who needs to be added to the email list for these updates. May God bless the reading and hearing of His Word.
Grace and Peace,
Bret
I owe the bulk of this material to Dr. Mark Shipp who teaches the graduate Intro to Old Testament class at ACU. As we prepare to read Isaiah 1-39 this week, the following information might provide some helpful background.
Isaiah can most likely be split into three distinct books. This week we’ll be reading the first of those books, found in chapters 1-39. It was written by a prophet referred to as Isaiah of Jerusalem, as distinguished from the Isaiah of the exile 200 years later. He was probably called to the prophetic ministry with the extremely tense political situation of the Syro-Ephraimite war and Assyrian political intervention in view. Isaiah was called in ca. 740, ± the year of the death of Uzziah. Some have suggested that in the death of good king Uzziah, and his foot disease which forced a co-regency with his son Jotham, Isaiah 6 reflects the uncertainty of the times and the end of this golden age. In any event, Isaiah is called at the beginning of bad political times and its subsequent loss of political independence to the Assyrians soon after this.
Isaiah 6 reflects much of the theology and focus of Isaiah 1–39: the holiness of God, the judgment and purging of Jerusalem, the righteous remnant which would remain.
This section of Isaiah was likely written around 700 BCE with the imminent threat of Assyria and Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria mounting. He came to the throne in 745 and with him we have the true beginning of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. According to II Kings 15, Menahem (King of Israel) paid tribute to Tiglath-Pileser III and averted destruction. His son, Pekahiah, was murdered by an officer named Pekah (ca. 737). Pekah soon joined an anti-Assyrian Coalition with Rezin of Aram and possibly Tabeel or Ittobaal of Tyre. They attempted to get Judah to join, but Judah and her king Ahaz refused so they invaded Judah.
Isaiah is first sent by God to contact Ahaz while he was inspecting the city waterworks, probably with the siege in view. Note also that Isaiah was to take his son Shear-Jashub (which means “a remnant shall escape or return”) with him, a son with a very strange name who was a kind of visual aid to Ahaz. Isaiah’s message is that Ahaz and Judah should not fear, for Rezin and Pekah were not worthy of their fear. Not only this, God was with Judah and would not let them fall. Later, Isaiah came back with a further word of comfort for Ahaz. This time, Isaiah offers a sign to Ahaz—anything in the earth or the underworld. Ahaz demurs with false piety and Isaiah responds with a sign from God anyway, the sign of Immanuel. The obvious positiveness of these oracles is followed by Isaiah’s exasperation with Ahaz’s refusal to believe and then the interpretation of his own prophecies in a negative light. Ahaz, rather than listening to the word of the Lord from Isaiah, chose to seek help instead from Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria. Assyria invaded, deposed Pekah and put Hoshea on the throne.
Finally, there follows in chapter 8 a final prophecy dealing with sign children, just as in Hosea there are three: the sign of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (which means roughly, "Hurrying to the spoil, he has made haste to the plunder.”) As with Shear-Jashub and Immanuel, this son is also supposed to be a sign of God’s protection and comfort to Ahaz. It also is reinterpreted as a prophecy of disaster when Ahaz refuses to believe. Ahaz has refused the peaceful waters of the Shiloah—a canal or aqueduct that flowed through Jerusalem—and has brought upon himself and his people the raging torrents of the Euphrates, the king of Assyria and his armies. He has hired a hired razor from beyond the Euphrates to cut of his hairy situation, but this razor was not content with a close shave, but a whole body makeover. There is one other overt historical background which bears mentioning in Isaiah. This pertains to ca. 701 B. C. and the invasion of Judah by king Sennacherib of Assyria. We read about Judah’s further involvement in conspiracies to throw off Assyrian domination in chap. 39. Here, Merodach-Baladan of Babylon came to Judah and was shown everything which the king possessed—his wealth and armaments. It is understandable why Isaiah becomes very upset with this because Merodach-Baladan was a well-known rebel against Assyria and king of Babylon during a 10-15 year period. The only reason Merodach-Baladan had to be in Judah was to gather support among the petty kings of the Assyrian empire to throw off their vassal status. Regardless of when this event happened in Hezekiah’s reign, Judah was clearly immersed in sedition and it did not take long for Sennacherib to respond. (701 and Sennacherib’s 3rd campaign). The chaps. 1 and 28–33, + 36–39, seem to reflect this period. As in the earlier period, Isaiah’s message is one of judgment, purging, and a righteous remnant emerging.
This historical background is meant only to help us have a framework as we begin to read Isaiah. We can see how the original context of the prophecies came into play. Once that is established our goal, through much prayer and listening to God is to, like the gospel writers, discern what the prophet has to speak into our present situation. You should have noticed during our Matthew readings that in that particular gospel account it is very important that the reader/hearer see the connection between Jesus and Israel: prophecies pertaining to Israel pertain to Jesus, regardless of what their original context was. This is just one of the reasons why it is important to read Isaiah and other Old Testament texts - we miss so much that is said about Jesus if we don’t read the authors’ reference material!
Outline of the book of Isaiah:
1: Introduction to the book as a whole.
2–12: Oracles mainly from 735 and the Syro-Ephraimite war.
2–5: Oracles of judgment, chiefly from 735.
6–9:16: the Denkschrift, or memoirs, of Isaiah.
9:17–chap. 11: Further oracles of judgment and future restoration.
chap. 12: a short poem about the restoration of Judah.
13–23: Oracles against foreign nations.
24–27: The Apocalypse of Isaiah.
28–33: Oracles pertaining to the year 701.
34–35: Oracles pertaining to the chaps. 40–55 and the exile.
36–39: Narrative about 701, almost verbatim from II Kings 17–19.
40–55: Deutero-Isaiah.
56–66: Trito-Isaiah.
Theology: The theology of Isaiah of Jerusalem is conveniently located in chap. 1:
1) God is the Holy One of Israel and has an indictment against his people.
2) Oppression of the poor, like Amos.
3) False religion.
4) Idolatry of Judah.
5) Certainty of judgment and destruction.
6) The purging of Jerusalem from sinful elements (also found in chap. 2).
7) The restoration of the righteous remnant (also found in chap. 3). Related to this theme is the prevalence of the Zion theology in Isaiah, particularly in chap. 3.
As we prepare for our second week of readings, we will leave Matthew for a while and dive into Isaiah. Hopefully you've already benefitted from the readings. You may have noticed in Matthew 1-13 that the writer often says something to the effect of "this happened in order to fulfill what was said by the prophets." As you know, over these 40 days we will read all 4 gospels (usually the whole book on consecutive days). One reason to read books like Isaiah, though not at all the only one, is that these texts serve as important source and reference material for the gospel and other new testament writers. It is hard for us to hear what the authors were saying if we aren't aware of the stories to which they referred.
The attached document gives a little background to Isaiah 1-39. As you read I encourage you to be aware of the situation that Judah faced and to which Isaiah was speaking, but also ask yourself, "Where are these types of situations present in my own life and the life of my community?"
For instance we'll see that King Ahaz is afraid of the armies of Pekah and Rezin and is called by Isaiah to trust God for protection. Instead he turns to even worse King of Assyria for assistance. To avoid one bad option he turns to another, more dangerous option out of perceived necessity, instead of trusting God - a move of fear that will have terrible implications. But are we not often tempted to do the same? Asking such questions as we read will allow God to shine light on the areas of our lives that need a little prophetic "prompting."
Please let me know if you have any trouble opening the file or if you can think of someone else who needs to be added to the email list for these updates. May God bless the reading and hearing of His Word.
Grace and Peace,
Bret
I owe the bulk of this material to Dr. Mark Shipp who teaches the graduate Intro to Old Testament class at ACU. As we prepare to read Isaiah 1-39 this week, the following information might provide some helpful background.
Isaiah can most likely be split into three distinct books. This week we’ll be reading the first of those books, found in chapters 1-39. It was written by a prophet referred to as Isaiah of Jerusalem, as distinguished from the Isaiah of the exile 200 years later. He was probably called to the prophetic ministry with the extremely tense political situation of the Syro-Ephraimite war and Assyrian political intervention in view. Isaiah was called in ca. 740, ± the year of the death of Uzziah. Some have suggested that in the death of good king Uzziah, and his foot disease which forced a co-regency with his son Jotham, Isaiah 6 reflects the uncertainty of the times and the end of this golden age. In any event, Isaiah is called at the beginning of bad political times and its subsequent loss of political independence to the Assyrians soon after this.
Isaiah 6 reflects much of the theology and focus of Isaiah 1–39: the holiness of God, the judgment and purging of Jerusalem, the righteous remnant which would remain.
This section of Isaiah was likely written around 700 BCE with the imminent threat of Assyria and Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria mounting. He came to the throne in 745 and with him we have the true beginning of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. According to II Kings 15, Menahem (King of Israel) paid tribute to Tiglath-Pileser III and averted destruction. His son, Pekahiah, was murdered by an officer named Pekah (ca. 737). Pekah soon joined an anti-Assyrian Coalition with Rezin of Aram and possibly Tabeel or Ittobaal of Tyre. They attempted to get Judah to join, but Judah and her king Ahaz refused so they invaded Judah.
Isaiah is first sent by God to contact Ahaz while he was inspecting the city waterworks, probably with the siege in view. Note also that Isaiah was to take his son Shear-Jashub (which means “a remnant shall escape or return”) with him, a son with a very strange name who was a kind of visual aid to Ahaz. Isaiah’s message is that Ahaz and Judah should not fear, for Rezin and Pekah were not worthy of their fear. Not only this, God was with Judah and would not let them fall. Later, Isaiah came back with a further word of comfort for Ahaz. This time, Isaiah offers a sign to Ahaz—anything in the earth or the underworld. Ahaz demurs with false piety and Isaiah responds with a sign from God anyway, the sign of Immanuel. The obvious positiveness of these oracles is followed by Isaiah’s exasperation with Ahaz’s refusal to believe and then the interpretation of his own prophecies in a negative light. Ahaz, rather than listening to the word of the Lord from Isaiah, chose to seek help instead from Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria. Assyria invaded, deposed Pekah and put Hoshea on the throne.
Finally, there follows in chapter 8 a final prophecy dealing with sign children, just as in Hosea there are three: the sign of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (which means roughly, "Hurrying to the spoil, he has made haste to the plunder.”) As with Shear-Jashub and Immanuel, this son is also supposed to be a sign of God’s protection and comfort to Ahaz. It also is reinterpreted as a prophecy of disaster when Ahaz refuses to believe. Ahaz has refused the peaceful waters of the Shiloah—a canal or aqueduct that flowed through Jerusalem—and has brought upon himself and his people the raging torrents of the Euphrates, the king of Assyria and his armies. He has hired a hired razor from beyond the Euphrates to cut of his hairy situation, but this razor was not content with a close shave, but a whole body makeover. There is one other overt historical background which bears mentioning in Isaiah. This pertains to ca. 701 B. C. and the invasion of Judah by king Sennacherib of Assyria. We read about Judah’s further involvement in conspiracies to throw off Assyrian domination in chap. 39. Here, Merodach-Baladan of Babylon came to Judah and was shown everything which the king possessed—his wealth and armaments. It is understandable why Isaiah becomes very upset with this because Merodach-Baladan was a well-known rebel against Assyria and king of Babylon during a 10-15 year period. The only reason Merodach-Baladan had to be in Judah was to gather support among the petty kings of the Assyrian empire to throw off their vassal status. Regardless of when this event happened in Hezekiah’s reign, Judah was clearly immersed in sedition and it did not take long for Sennacherib to respond. (701 and Sennacherib’s 3rd campaign). The chaps. 1 and 28–33, + 36–39, seem to reflect this period. As in the earlier period, Isaiah’s message is one of judgment, purging, and a righteous remnant emerging.
This historical background is meant only to help us have a framework as we begin to read Isaiah. We can see how the original context of the prophecies came into play. Once that is established our goal, through much prayer and listening to God is to, like the gospel writers, discern what the prophet has to speak into our present situation. You should have noticed during our Matthew readings that in that particular gospel account it is very important that the reader/hearer see the connection between Jesus and Israel: prophecies pertaining to Israel pertain to Jesus, regardless of what their original context was. This is just one of the reasons why it is important to read Isaiah and other Old Testament texts - we miss so much that is said about Jesus if we don’t read the authors’ reference material!
Outline of the book of Isaiah:
1: Introduction to the book as a whole.
2–12: Oracles mainly from 735 and the Syro-Ephraimite war.
2–5: Oracles of judgment, chiefly from 735.
6–9:16: the Denkschrift, or memoirs, of Isaiah.
9:17–chap. 11: Further oracles of judgment and future restoration.
chap. 12: a short poem about the restoration of Judah.
13–23: Oracles against foreign nations.
24–27: The Apocalypse of Isaiah.
28–33: Oracles pertaining to the year 701.
34–35: Oracles pertaining to the chaps. 40–55 and the exile.
36–39: Narrative about 701, almost verbatim from II Kings 17–19.
40–55: Deutero-Isaiah.
56–66: Trito-Isaiah.
Theology: The theology of Isaiah of Jerusalem is conveniently located in chap. 1:
1) God is the Holy One of Israel and has an indictment against his people.
2) Oppression of the poor, like Amos.
3) False religion.
4) Idolatry of Judah.
5) Certainty of judgment and destruction.
6) The purging of Jerusalem from sinful elements (also found in chap. 2).
7) The restoration of the righteous remnant (also found in chap. 3). Related to this theme is the prevalence of the Zion theology in Isaiah, particularly in chap. 3.
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