By Christina M Wilson on June 5, 2022

God Introduces to Jerusalem Her Gentile Children

Context of Comfort

In all of Scripture, context is everything. In this sense, Scripture is like ordinary, everyday speech. Much of Scripture, certainly not all, connects with what went before and what comes after. Isaiah establishes the context by speaking a message of comfort and grace to Jerusalem (God’s people) in Volume 2 (beginning with 40:1). With some exceptions (see chapters 47-48 against Babylon), God repeats his theme of mercy for his people–those who are willing to repent (Septuagint Isaiah 59:12-15).

Strands of condemnation for the rebellious weave throughout the theme of grace for God’s people. As mentioned above, God condemns Babylon for its pride and wickedness. But God also condemns those of Israel who refuse his offer of grace (see for example Septuagint Isaiah 59:1-10 and 57:21). Nevertheless, God adheres to his purpose of comforting his people in this latter third of Isaiah’s prophecy (chapters 40-66). The text also specifies the basis of God’s comfort. God’s Servant will live, die, rise, and reign in a new Jerusalem.

Isaiah 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith God. 2 Speak, ye priests, to the heart of Jerusalem; comfort her, for her humiliation is accomplished, her sin is put away: for she has received of the Lord’s hand double the amount of her sins. (LXE, Brenton)

Isaiah Straddles Two Covenants

God positions Isaiah the prophet at the turning point of two covenants. The first covenant, the Law given by Moses, Israel breaks repeatedly and finally. God says so.  In this, Israel is no different than the rest of humanity. God also acts upon his judgment by sending the nation into captivity. But mixed with Isaiah’s prophecies of their physical return from exile, Isaiah also prophesies a new covenant, the covenant of grace.

21 And this shall be my covenant with them, said the Lord; My Spirit which is upon you, and the words which I have put in your mouth, shall never fail from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your seed, for the Lord has spoken it, henceforth and for ever. (Septuagint Isaiah 59:21) (1)

Consideration of God’s new covenant of grace brings joy to Isaiah. He bursts forth in chapter 60 describing the reconciliation between God and his people. Isaiah describes the means of the reconciliation God accomplishes in chapter 53. Chapter 53 is the passion chapter about the Lord’s Servant.

Isaiah Repeats Himself

Like all good teachers, Isaiah goes back and repeats his message. Sometimes, when he does so, the emphasis may shift from one point to another. Or, he may add an element to one telling not present in another. For example, chapter 53 focuses entirely upon God’s Servant. The text does not mention Israel by name. However, Isaiah himself functions as a priest when he offers a short prayer of confession on behalf of the people (Septuagint Isaiah 53:4-6). Then, in chapters 54 and 55, Isaiah shifts his focus to the “barren one who does not bear” (54:1). She is the one for whom the Servant dies a sacrificial death. She is God’s people, who display the faith of Abraham and Sarah. These two chapters ring out with the joy of salvation. Readers of Isaiah learn to expect cycles of repetition as he intertwines his varying harmonies of theme.

Context Before and Context After Chapter 60

CONTEXT BEFORE CHAPTER 60

Chapter 59 represents a cycle of repetition. It repeats the reasons why God sent his Servant as a sacrifice. In this chapter Isaiah repeats the wicked behavior of Israel through the eyes of the Lord (verses 1-10). Verse 11 forms a transition. Notice that the text mentions two animals, a bear and a dove. These animals proceed together.

11 They shall proceed together as a bear and as a dove… (LXE) 

Verses 1-10 describe the bear. Verses 11b through 15 describe the dove. Unravelling Isaiah’s poetic metaphor, the bear represents those in Israel who embrace rebellious behavior against God’s law. The dove represents those in Israel who acknowledge their sin before the Lord (Proverbs 28:15; Isaiah 11:7; 38:14). These two “proceed together.”

In the remainder of chapter 59 (verses 15b-21), Isaiah presents the Lord’s solution to Israel’s problem, namely, His Servant. The Servant bears the Lord’s Spirit upon him. Also, God places his words in the Servant’s mouth. The Spirit and the words God also promises to the Servant’s seed, forever. This is the new covenant.

CONTEXT AFTER CHAPTER 60

Chapter 61 opens with the following well-known words.

1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken in heart, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind; 2 to declare the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of recompence; to comfort all that mourn; 3 that there should be given to them that mourn in Sion glory instead of ashes, the oil of joy to the mourners, the garment of glory for the spirit of heaviness: and they shall be called generations of righteousness, the planting of the Lord for glory. 

Many people know these words because God’s Servant/Messiah/Jesus opens his New Testament ministry by reading from Isaiah’s scroll in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 4:16-19).

CONCLUSION CONCERNING TIMEFRAME OF CHAPTER 60

Because Isaiah chapter 59 concerns the sacrifice for sin of the Lord’s incarnated Servant (59:15b-20), and because chapter 61 concerns the ministry of the incarnated Servant and its results, it seems fair to conclude that chapter 60 also deals with the outcome of the Servant’s sacrifice during his incarnation. Everything we have read together in Isaiah Volume 2 up to this point focuses on the work and results accomplished by God’s Servant during his incarnation.

This is not an overstatement of the Servant’s importance. Up until the Servant’s incarnation, God himself has never (never ever ever) incarnated himself as a human child. And he will never do so again. This is a once-in-all-of-time event in the whole universe. God through his prophet Isaiah focuses continually on this most glorious of all conceivable outcomes.

CHAPTER 60 NOT A “MILLENNIAL” CHAPTER

In short, chapter 60 is not a “millennial,” “second coming” chapter. Like the chapters before it and the chapter immediately following it, chapter 60 describes the aftermath of the Servant’s sacrifice for sin. This sacrifice occurs during the Servant’s incarnation.

The Text Brings in Gentiles… Again… (and Again)

The question here is not, Does chapter 60 talk about Gentiles? Many readers know it does. Brenton’s Septuagint translates the word “nations” in verses 11 and 16 as Gentiles. And in the Masoretic, “nations,” as distinguished from “Israel,” refers to Gentile nations. (Israel is but one nation.) Rather, the question brought out by many commentators concerns the timeframe and the status of these Gentile nations.

I. Timeframe

This and prior posts already establish the timeframe of chapter 60 as belonging to the context that immediately follows the Servant’s sacrificial incarnation.

II. Status

What is the status, or position, of the Gentiles in Septuagint Isaiah’s chapter 60 relative to Jerusalem of verse one? Some interpret that chapter 60 describes the subservience of the nations to Israel in a national, political sense in which Israel dominates. They say this fulfills God’s ancient promises to Israel. Others (including myself) see chapter 60 as God introducing his Gentile children to his beloved people Jerusalem as the means by which he chooses to build up her population and wealth. God presents them as a gift to his remnant. God gives Jerusalem the Gentile nations as a gift of blessing. God loves the Gentiles, as he loves Jerusalem. He wants to share the wealth and treasure of his Servant’s victory with the whole world. The relationship between Jerusalem and the Gentile nations is mutually beneficial. The wayward son has come home (Luke 15:10-32).

The Servant and Gentiles in Isaiah

Whenever the text of Isaiah presents the Servant, it also presents the inclusion of Gentiles somewhere nearby. Chapter 60 follows this pattern. Examples follow.

• Isaiah 2:1-4 (the “he” of verse 4 refers to the Lord)
• Isaiah 11:1-12 (see especially verse 10)
• Isaiah 25:6-9
• Isaiah 42:1-7 (first Servant song)
• Isaiah 49:1-6 (second Servant song); Isaiah 49:8, 22-23
• Isaiah 51:4-5
• Isaiah 54:1-3
• Isaiah 55:1-5 (especially 4-5)
• Isaiah 56:1-8 (especially 4-8)
• Isaiah 60:1-3

God is generous. He shines the glorious light of his Servant much further than the one people of Jerusalem.

49:6 And he said to me, It is a great thing for you to be called my servant, to establish the tribes of Jacob, and to recover the dispersion of Israel: behold, I have given you for the covenant of a race, for a light of the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the end of the earth. (LXE)

WHAT THE GENTILES DO AND DO NOT BRING

Notice that the Gentile nations in chapter 6o bring children (verse 4), sons and daughters. They do not bring weapons of war. They bring the wealth of the sea (verse 5), frankincense (verse 6), and a gospel message (“they shall publish the salvation of the Lord”, verse 6). They bring their treasures because “the Holy One of Israel is glorified.” Strangers build Jerusalem’s walls. They do not bring hatred and enmity and attempts to tear down Jerusalem’s walls, as in the former days of Nebuchadnezzar and others. They bring gifts of valuable timbers to “glorify my [God’s] holy place” (verse 13). The Gentiles come with gentle milk (not with spears) and with treasures (verses 16-17). God makes Jerusalem’s “princes peaceable” and her “overseers righteous.” These are not words of dominance, but of cooperation and mutual respect.

Isaiah in chapter 60 writes as a poet who describes God’s great love for his people. The new covenant (59:21) changes God’s relationship to his people from physical concrete (temples built of stone, tents of animal skins in the wilderness, daily and yearly sacrifices upon a physical altar) to Spirit and God’s own eternal words upon everyone’s lips. In the same way, the sacrifice of the Servant changes how God’s people Jerusalem will relate to Gentiles from every nation under the sun. But as a poet who reaches and stretches for words and images to convey the emotion of love, Isaiah uses the words of every day kingdom living to describe the wealth that the Gentiles shall contribute to Jerusalem. This is a friendly chapter. The images are of glad people from many nations pouring into a glad Jerusalem who receives them with open gates (verse 11). The gates of Jerusalem will not be shut day or night (verse 11).

Chapter 60’s Central Figure

The text of chapter 60 repeatedly names God as the source of Sion’s blessing. God in his goodness and mercy rebuilds Sion as “the city of of the Holy One of Israel.” God glorifies Jerusalem because it is his very own “holy place” (verses 13-15).

Yet, as explained above in the paragraph titled, “Isaiah Repeats Himself,” the focus of chapter 6o is Jerusalem. Chapter 60 tells the outcome of the Servant’s sacrifice as his victory affects God’s own people.

THE TIMEFRAME IS NOW AND FOREVER

Verses 18-22 are poetically and spiritually extremely beautiful. For all who know and experience the Lord’s goodness upon their lives and souls daily, these verses apply to their current condition in the Lord’s Servant/Christ.

18 And injustice shall no more be heard in your land, nor destruction nor misery in your coasts; but your walls shall be called Salvation, and your gates Sculptured Work. 19 And you shall no more have the sun for a light by day, nor shall the rising of the moon lighten your night; but the Lord shall be your everlasting light, and God your glory. 20 For the sun shall no more set, nor shall the moon be eclipsed; for the Lord shall be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be completed. 21 Your people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, preserving that which they have planted, even the works of their hands, for glory. 22 The little one shall become thousands, and the least a great nation; I the Lord will gather them in due time. (Septuagint Isaiah 60:18-22)

Looking Ahead to Chapter 61

Chapter 61 continues the stream of joy. The focus broadens, however, to include more-or-less equal emphasis upon the Servant himself (verses 1-3), God’s people Sion (verses 4-8), and Gentiles (9-10a). The Servant and the work he accomplishes bless everyone.

… next time, Lord willing, we will move ahead to Septuagint Isaiah chapter 61. 

… Note: I will be spending several weeks with family. The next post may be postponed for up to one month… a good time to go back and reread, review, and meditate upon the ways of God. My thanks to God for all of you who are with me in this journey through Septuagint Isaiah.

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1 See Devotional 2.77 for reasons why “you” and “your” in Isaiah 59:21 most likely refer to God’s special Servant, rather than to Jerusalem.

By Christina M Wilson on 05-31-2022

God’s Victory: Chapter 60 Flows from Chapter 59

Septuagint Isaiah 59:21 is one of the more amazing verses in all of Isaiah. It follows upon chapters and chapters of judgment upon both the nations, the two kingdoms of Israel, and most recently, God’s remnant people themselves (Septuagint Isaiah 59:2-10). Then Isaiah repents on behalf of God’s people (59:13). The exact translation, “We have sinned,” occurs only here and once again in 64:5. (The Greeks words for “sin” differ in these two verses.)

The Lord in chapter 59:15 responds to Isaiah’s heart of repentance by searching for someone to restore judgment (a strong and accurate sense of right and wrong in every dealing, followed by doing what is right.) The Lord finds no one (verse 16). So, he decides to “do it himself.”

16 And he looked, and there was no man, and he observed, and there was none to help: so he defended them with his arm, and established them with his mercy. 17 And he put on righteousness as a breast-plate, and placed the helmet of salvation on his head; and he clothed himself with the garment of vengeance, and with his cloak, 18 as one about to render a recompence, even reproach to his adversaries. 19 So shall they of the west fear the name of the Lord, and they that come from the rising of the sun his glorious name: for the wrath of the Lord shall come as a mighty river, it shall come with fury. (Septuagint Isaiah 59:16-19)

God Loves Gentiles

In this portion of Isaiah (Volume 2), God does not “hate” Gentiles. Gentiles, per se, are not the enemy God deals with. As in Ephesians 6:11-18, the enemy is spiritual. God welcomes repentant Gentiles into his Israelite family. It is, I believe, this basic misunderstanding of God’s intention for his people, as concerns the inclusion of Gentiles, that leads so many to think that the above passage deals with the Lord’s coming a second time to overpower them for the sake of Israel.

No, the enemy, remember, is sin. As developed so carefully and extensively in previous posts, God’s intention is to fill out the numbers of Israel’s believing “remnant” by summoning multitudes of like-minded believers from the “isles,” or the Gentile nations (1). The enemy is sin, nourished by Satan’s wicked activities. Sin is spiritual. It is not a concrete-physical item that can be touched.

It will profit us at this point to look back on what Isaiah writes elsewhere concerning inclusion of Gentile believers.

Septuagint Isaiah 51:4 Hear me, hear me, my people; and you kings, listen to me: for a law shall proceed from me, and my judgment shall be for a light of the nations. 5 My righteousness speedily draws near, and my salvation shall go forth as light, and on my arm shall the Gentiles trust: the isles shall wait for me, and on my arm shall they trust. 6 Lift up your eyes to the sky, and look on the earth beneath: for the sky was darkened like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and the inhabitants shall die in like manner: but my righteousness shall not fail. 

Septuagint Isaiah 54:1 Rejoice, you barren that bear not; break forth and cry, you that do not travail: for more are the children of the desolate than of her that has a husband: for the Lord has said, 2 Enlarge the place of your tent, and of your curtains: fix the pins, spare not, lengthen your cords, and strengthen your pins; 3 spread forth your tent yet to the right and the left: for your seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and you shall make the desolate cities to be inhabited. 

Victory Over Sin

Isaiah 53 develops in great detail how God’s Servant conquers sin. This is not a military battle. It is an infinitely mysterious sacrificial death of God himself that brings victory. One of the magnanimous consequences of God’s victory in his Servant is God’s new covenant with his people (2 Corinthians 3:6; 3:16-18; Hebrews 7:22; 8:6), The elements of the covenant are “My Spirit” and “the words which I have put in your mouth,” “for ever” (Septuagint Isaiah 59:21).

The Very Next Thing

The very next thing to happen in Isaiah is this wonderful victory celebration over God’s splendidly glorious achievement through his Servant on behalf of his repentant, believing people (chapter 60). Why would God immediately jump from his once-in-all-of-creation achievement (Septuagint Isaiah 59:21) through his Servant to a “second coming,” as though his first were insufficient for Israel? Readers of Isaiah, and most especially, those who lived in his own day, have barely begun to grasp the significance of the incarnation, let alone immediately to jump to something which some 2,500 years later still has not occurred. It is this fixation on the physical, concrete military victory for Israel which obscures the brilliance of the spiritual.

2 Corinthians 3:10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. 12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (ESV)

A Personal Statement of Belief

Yes, I believe that Israel is very special. I agree with the Apostle Paul when he writes:

Romans 9:4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. 

I also believe strongly that God’s Servant/Christ is coming again.

Revelation 22:11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” 12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done… 17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price… 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

What I do not believe is that Isaiah writes about a “second coming” here in Isaiah 60. Here, he celebrates the first coming.

Words that Celebrate Victory Already Achieved

God’s victory is not yet complete. There is eternity yet to come. This is the “already not yet” so popular in Christian writing today. But the major portion, the most difficult part, has already been achieved.

John 19:30 … “It is finished” … 

Let us give God our “selah” and pause to celebrate with him and Isaiah in chapter 60.

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1 See, for example, Devotional 2.54. See also Devotional 2.35.

…to be continued 

By Christina M Wilson on May 30, 2022

Septuagint Isaiah 60:1–Discipline and Glory Combine

Isaiah the prophet writes:

Shine, shine, O Jerusalem, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. (Septuagint Isaiah 60:1 NETS)

(φωτίζου φωτίζου Ιερουσαλημ [fo-TEE-zoo fo-TEE-zoo Ee-er-oo-sa-leem]) 

Readers often consider this important question: when do the events in Isaiah’s prophesy occur?

Isaiah’s Context

Isaiah’s poetic command, “Shine, shine, O Jerusalem” is fourth in a series that stretches all the way back to Septuagint Isaiah 51:9.

Awake, awake, O Jerusalem, and put on the strength of your arm; awake as in the early time, as the ancient generation. (Septuagint Isaiah 51:9 ) 

Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, that have drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury: for you have drunk out and drained the cup of calamity, the cup of wrath… (Septuagint Isaiah 51:17)

Awake, awake, Sion; put on your strength, O Sion; and o you put on your glory, Jerusalem the holy city… (Septuagint Isaiah 52:1)

Shine, shine, O Jerusalem, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. (Septuagint Isaiah 60:1 NETS)

Isaiah’s purpose throughout all these chapters is to comfort his people, whom he calls Sion and Jerusalem, with the sure knowledge that he will soon send his very own Servant to “do it for them.” Their own failed labors will soon cease, as they focus their eyes upon the Servant (see Septuagint Isaiah 52:13-53:12). He will obey their God in ways they never could. This is good news for a weary people. This is why the fourth direct command of Isaiah to Jerusalem is a peal and shout of gladness–Shine! Shine! for your light has come.

The New Testament picks up on Isaiah’s them of light.

John 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 

1 John 1:3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (ESV)

Discipline and Glory Combine

New Testament writers apply Septuagint Isaiah 60:1 to the incarnation of God’s Servant Jesus Christ. In the life of God’s Servant, we see discipline and glory combined. To emphasize the one and ignore the other is to misread Scripture (1). God’s harshest discipline is at one and the same time his greatest glory. This refers, of course, to the unfathomable “tough love” God displays when he pours his wrath upon the Son of his love (Colossians 1:13) (2), nailed upon the cross. We will consider several Scriptural supports for these statements one at a time.

I. Handel’s Messiah: Discipline and Glory Combine

Handel finished his symphony in 1741. Its music and lyrics ring down through the centuries. Thousands of Christians listen to these lyrics every year. The church as a whole receives and approves Handel’s gospel message. Handel’s lyrics, as reproduced below, clearly proclaim the gospel of Israel’s Servant/Messiah in his incarnation. Notice how Handel combines verses from Isaiah and Malachi. While Malachi focuses on the discipline of the Servant’s appearing, Isaiah focuses on the glory (1).

Notice in Handel’s lyrics that “The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple.” God’s Servant/Messiah, Jesus Christ, came to his temple multiple times during the ministry which the four gospel accounts record. He went there to teach (Mark 12:35; John 8:20; 18:20), to heal (Matthew 21:14), to cleanse (John 2:14-17) and to prophesy (Mark 13:1-2). But by far, the “com[ing] to His temple” which attracted the greatest attention was his grand entrance on what we call Palm Sunday, barely a week before his crucifixion (Matthew 21:5-15).

Next, the “messenger of the covenant” refers to the Servant, not John the Baptist. John the Baptist in Malachi 3:1 is the messenger who surveys the way before the Lord.  But right after that, “the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come…even the angel [messenger in Greek] of the covenant.”

1  Behold, I send forth my messenger, and he shall survey the way before me: and the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come into his temple, even the angel of the covenant, whom you take pleasure in: behold, he is coming, says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:1)

What covenant is this? This is the covenant which Isaiah presents in Isaiah 59:1, immediately before he commands Jerusalem to “Shine! Shine! for your light is come!” (See Isaiah Devotional Journal 2.77.) It is the New Covenant, the subject of the New Testament in Scripture.

But also notice that this divine messenger of the covenant “shall purify the sons of Levi.” The lyrics do not say, “shall purify the sons of the nations” (3). This Jesus did repeatedly as he answered the challenges to him by the religious ruling elite. He, in turn, challenged and corrected them (Matthew 9:3-7; 12:38-39; 15:1-9; 16:21; Matthew 22:2-34; et al.)

Every Scripture that Handel joins together in such a coherent and flowing whole applies to God’s Servant/Messiah/Christ in his incarnation, the incarnation that the four gospels of the New Testament describe. Here are the lyrics Handel writes.

Handel’s Messiah Lyrics

Tenor Recitative—Isaiah 40:1-3 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness; Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Tenor Air—Isaiah 40:4 Ev’ry valley shall be exalted, and ev’ry mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight and the rough places plain.

Chorus—Isaiah 40:5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Bass Recitative—Haggai 2:6-7; Malachi 3:1 Thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts: Yet once, a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations; and the desire of all nations shall come.

The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: Behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.

Alto Air—Malachi 3:2 But who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire.

Chorus—Malachi 3:3 And He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Alto Recitative—Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us.

Alto Air and Chorus—Isaiah 40:9; Isaiah 60:1 O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain. O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

(Lyrics)

II. The Apostle Paul

The apostle Paul writes a composite quotation from Isaiah in a context suitable to Malachi. The quotation follows.

“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14 ESV)

The context of Paul’s quotation from Isaiah, situated in the center of Ephesians 5, is a context of discipline. The discipline extends from verse 3 through verse 18. Here Paul explains how believers in Christ should and should not behave. The thrust of Paul’s argument is that Christ is light and believers therefore should not commit the actions of darkness, but the actions of light.

III. The Gospel of Luke

The gospel of Luke gives a full interpretation of Septuagint Isaiah 60:1. Zechariah, who is prophet, priest, and father, speaks these words at the circumcision of his son, John the Baptist.

Luke 1:76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (ESV)

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1 “God’s glory, rather than His discipline, will rise as the sun upon her. Like a city gleaming in the light of the risen sun, Israel will shine with a glory that is not her own” (Isaiah 60 – Dr. Constable’s Expository Notes – Bible Commentaries – StudyLight.org). Dr Constable places the timeframe of this chapter far into the as yet unfulfilled future. The notes of at least one popular study Bible do the same. But neither the text of Isaiah himself nor the witness of New Testament writers provide warrant for this claim. In simple language, Isaiah 60:1 is not “millennial.” Rather, in line with all of Isaiah to this point, this verse rejoices in the astounding, amazing, spectacular, and mysterious incarnation of God himself.

2 “τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτοῦ” (The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition, copyright © 2010 Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software).

3 To my knowledge, the “millennial” portrait doesn’t include the Servant’s purifying the “sons of Levi.”

…chapter 60 to be continued

By Christina M Wilson on 2022-05-28

Septuagint Isaiah 59
The Covenant

“Covenant” is a huge word in Christian history. Enormous doctrines have grown out of it. And here Isaiah slips in the new covenant quietly, within a single verse.

And this shall be my covenant with them, said the Lord; My Spirit which is upon you, and the words which I have put in your mouth, shall never fail from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your seed, for the Lord has spoken it, henceforth and for ever. (Septuagint Isaiah 59:21) 

With Whom Is the Covenant?

The text states that God makes a covenant with “them.” Clearly, “them” is plural and refers to his people. These are the people on behalf of whom Isaiah repents (Septuagint Isaiah 59:11-15). Isaiah elsewhere calls these people “the remnant” (Septuagint Isaiah 4:2-3, for example).  They are also the “barren” woman of Isaiah 54:1 (1).

God does not address the people in the first phrase of 59:21. Rather, he speaks about them. The word “them” is plural. If God addresses “them” directly, wouldn’t the text read, “And this shall be my covenant with you (plural)”? God in the first phrase makes his covenant with “them,” his repentant people. Yet he speaks to someone else. This other person to whom God speaks about “them” he addresses as “you.”

Who Is You?

The second portion of God’s statement includes “you” and “your.” The word “you” (“My Spirit which is upon you”) is singular. The same sentence uses the word “your” three times. All these uses are singular. Therefore, God addresses directly someone he calls “you” about someone he calls “them.” Who is this person whom God addresses as “you”?

Only two main possibilities exist for who “you” might be.

1. “You” might be God’s special Servant.
2. “You” might be “them” of the first phrase. If this were the case, then God would change from speaking to someone about “them” and turning, speak directly to them.

Grammatically, “you” might refer either to God’s special Servant or to God’s people as a whole. In Isaiah’s overall context, and in the context of the totality of Scripture, it seems highly likely that “you” refers to God’s Servant. The Servant in Isaiah exists on a par with God. More specifically, verse 17 (just previous to verse 21) refers to God’s Servant. God himself rescues his people when he takes on the form of his Servant (Septuagint Isaiah 59:17; Philippians 2:5-7).

“MY SPIRIT WHICH IS UPON YOU”

The most obvious reason why “you” cannot refer to God’s people is that up to this point God’s Spirit is not upon them. Verses 2 through 16 of this chapter amply demonstrate this truth. Verse 13 below provides just one example from the whole.

59:13 We have sinned, and dealt falsely, and revolted from our God: we have spoken unrighteous words, and have been disobedient; we have conceived and uttered from our heart unrighteous words. (LXE)

Contrary to the above statement of fact, 59:21 states, “My Spirit which is upon you and the words which I have put in your mouth” (LXE). The Spirit of God and the words of God are already upon the person and in the mouth of the person God addresses as “you.” This person cannot be the people. But the Servant in Isaiah speaks with God in the timeless past, because he is divine.

And he said to me, It is a great thing for you to be called my servant, to establish the tribes of Jacob, and to recover the dispersion of Israel: behold, I have given you for the covenant of a race, for a light of the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the end of the earth. (From the “Second Servant Song”, Septuagint Isaiah 49:6)

The words God speaks to his Servant in Septuagint Isaiah 59:21 find their ultimate fulfillment when the Servant begins his public ministry during the time of his incarnation.

The Spirit

John 1:32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.” (cf. Luke 3:21)

Luke 4:1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness.

The Words of God

John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

John 17:8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

The Covenant

God’s people are those who repent and believe according to his will. As the discussion concerning the barren woman (1) amply demonstrates, the seed of the believing remnant includes Gentiles.

The nature of the covenant God presents in Isaiah is spiritual. It is not based upon ethnicity but upon belief in God and in the redemptive work of his Servant. The guarantee of the covenant is God’s word and the trustworthiness of the Savior to completely carry out the mission of God with total reverence and submissive obedience.

The Servant/Christ amply fulfills his covenantal role when he lives, dies, lives again, and ascends into heaven.

John 17:4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do… 6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world… 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. (ESV)

Through his death on the cross, he became the mediator of the covenant God speaks of in Septuagint Isaiah 59:21.

Matthew 26:27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (ESV)

Luke 22:20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (ESV)

 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

Hebrews 9:15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant… 12:24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant… (ESV)

“Your Seed” 

Just as Adam was created first among all human beings, Christ the God-man is firstborn among many brethren (Isaiah 8:18; Hebrews 2:11-13; Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:18). The Servant/Christ is now the head of the believing remnant of God’s special people and the Gentiles who join with them. All believers are the seed of the Servant/Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. 50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. (ESV)

When Is the Covenant

And this shall be my covenant with them, said the Lord; My Spirit which is upon you, and the words which I have put in your mouth, shall never fail from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your seed, for the Lord has spoken it, henceforth and for ever. (Septuagint Isaiah 59:21) 

The covenant begins as soon as God speaks it, “… for the Lord has spoken it, henceforth and for ever.” The Servant exists in the timeless realm with God. In him, the terms of the covenant specify “now and forever.” It appears to be a genuine wedding vow without the caveat, “until death do us part.” There will be no death for those who partake of God’s covenant.

Some who write about Isaiah specify an ethnic element to the covenant. They say that fulfillment of the covenant awaits a future mass conversion of ethnic Israel. But 2,000 years of Spirit-filled Christianity that hugs the word of God and dies for it speaks against an interpretation which appeals to the flesh only. For clearly, the very terms of the covenant are spiritual.

Elements of the Covenant

The two elements of the promise God makes to all the seed (both Jew and Gentile) of the believing remnant of God’s people Israel are God’s Spirit and God’s word. The covenant states that these two will abide among believers from now and forever. The New Testament bears witness to the fulfillment of these promises.

First, on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit came as a rushing wind and abides still. The Spirit’s presence indwells every believer (John 3:5-8; 4:19-26; Romans 8:8-11) both Jew and Gentile alike. Second, Christians around the world (many of whom are of ethnic Jewish descent) seek out and wrestle daily to understand God’s word for them. Paul emphasizes the spiritual nature of the understanding of God’s word.

1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (ESV)

Finally, this prophecy of the “new” covenant in Septuagint Isaiah 59:21 interlocks well with Jeremiah’s prophecy.

 Jeremiah 31:31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (ESV) (Cf. 1 John 2:27)

A Small Peek Ahead

Taking a small glance forward into the next chapter, readers may perceive that nothing there contradicts what Isaiah has said to this point.

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1 For the “barren” woman see Devotional Journal 2.54 through Devotional Journal 2.68. The latter post summarizes the entire series.

By Christina M Wilson.

Septuagint Isaiah 59
The Spirit and the Covenant

And this shall be my covenant with them, said the Lord; My Spirit which is upon you, and the words which I have put in your mouth, shall never fail from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your seed, for the Lord has spoken it, henceforth and for ever. (Septuagint Isaiah 59:21)

The New Testament does not speak much of God’s land promises to Abraham and Jacob. However, the Servant/Deliverer/Messiah extends the land promise to include the entire “earth” (Matthew 5:3 and 5). The Apostle Paul associates the “blessing of Abraham” with “Gentiles” who will receive “the promised Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14). Septuagint Isaiah 59:19 and 21 provide warrant for both of these.

17 And he put on righteousness as a breast-plate, and placed the helmet of salvation on his head; and he clothed himself with the garment of vengeance, and with his cloak, 18 as one about to render a recompence, even reproach to his adversaries. 19 So shall they of the west fear the name of the Lord, and they that come from the rising of the sun his glorious name: for the wrath of the Lord shall come as a mighty river, it shall come with fury. 20 And the deliverer shall come for Sion’s sake, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. 21 And this shall be my covenant with them, said the Lord; My Spirit which is upon you, and the words which I have put in your mouth, shall never fail from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your seed, for the Lord has spoken it, henceforth and for ever. (LXE)

ELEMENTS WITHIN ISAIAH’S STATEMENT

Readers will find seven elements in the verses quoted above.

1) First, there is the Lord (verse 21).
2) Next, there is the deliverer/Servant (verse 17-18, 20, and 21–“you”).
3) There are Gentile believers (verse 19).
4) The word “Sion” indicates ethnic believers of Israeli descent.
5) Fifth, there is the Lord’s Spirit (verses 19 and 21).
6) Sixth, the Lord announces his covenant (verse 21).
7) Finally, the Lord places his “words” in the mouth of the Deliverer and the mouth of his seed, for ever (verse 21).

Readers will without too much difficulty find the Deliverer in the above set of verses. “He” is the Servant (verses 17 and 18), according to Isaiah’s entire context, both near and far (1). Following these verses, verse 20 explicitly names “the deliverer.” Further, in verse 21, the grammar and overall sense and context of Isaiah allow the “you” (singular) and “your” to refer to the Deliverer. Verse 20 names “Sion” and “Jacob.” With verses 19 and 20 combined, the words “them” and “your seed” in verse 21 would include both Sion and Gentiles.

Context of Mercy

The Septuagint emphasizes that the context of chapter 59 is God’s “mercy.” Verses 2 and 16 in the Septuagint both contain the word “mercy.”

Septuagint Isaiah 59:2 Nay, your iniquities separate between you and God, and because of your sins has he turned away his face from you, so as not to have mercy upon you.

Septuagint Isaiah 59:16 And he looked, and there was no man, and he observed, and there was none to help: so he defended them with his arm, and established them with his mercy.

God’s ultimate actions in chapter 59 proceed from his “mercy”. Summarizing the chapter, because of Israel’s sin God had turned his face away. The prophet Isaiah on behalf of the people repents in verses 12-15. Following this, God apparently turns his face toward them again. The text reads that he “saw” (verse 15) and he “looked” and “observed” (verse 16). Then, contrary to verse 2 (where God has no mercy), in verse 16, God uses his mercy to establish his people.

In the Septuagint, God’s motive for making a covenant with his people (verse 21) is his mercy. The Masoretic, on the other hand, appears neither to contain nor emphasize this point.

Isaiah 59:2 ESV but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Isaiah 59:16 ESV He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.

God’s Mercy Drives the Action

Within the context of Isaiah 59, Gentiles are not the reason that the people of Israel suffer. Verse 2 states that it is their own iniquity that separates them from God. Who is the father of iniquity? Is it not the Lord’s great enemy Satan? Wouldn’t Satan then be an “adversary” of the Lord? For the most part, Volume 2 of Isaiah from chapter 40 to this point concerns itself with God’s relationship with his people, rather than his dealings with Israel’s enemies. Volume 1 deals with Israel’s enemies. Volume 2 deals with Israel’s own sins and poor relationship with their God.

After Isaiah’s confession in verses 12-15, God concludes that his people cannot save themselves. It is just not in them. “There was no man” and “no one to intercede” (verse 16). God saves Israel himself by sending the Deliverer (verses 16 and 20). Readers need always to remind themselves that when the Deliverer comes, he dies as a sacrificial Lamb for Israel’s sin (Isaiah 53). Likewise, God’s Servant/Messiah, as revealed in the four Gospel accounts, does not avenge himself on Israel’s political adversaries. Far from it, he includes the Roman centurion in his ministry of healing (Matthew 8:5-13). Nor does God avenge himself historically against Israel’s political foes. Rather, he allows Rome to sack Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 C.E.

But does this mean that Isaiah’s prophecy “stands still” and remains unfulfilled? Far from it. There are adversaries whom the Servant conquers by means of his sacrificial death. And, the events prophesied in verse 21 began with the Servant’s incarnation and continue to this day.

17 And he put on righteousness as a breast-plate, and placed the helmet of salvation on his head; and he clothed himself with the garment of vengeance, and with his cloak, 18 as one about to render a recompence, even reproach to his adversaries… 21 And this shall be my covenant with them, said the Lord; My Spirit which is upon you, and the words which I have put in your mouth, shall never fail from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your seed, for the Lord has spoken it, henceforth and for ever. (LXE)

A Millennial Kingdom?

But perhaps these verses refer to a millennial kingdom? No. The content of verse 21 speaks emphatically of the Servant’s incarnation. The Deliverer establishes a covenant.

And this shall be my covenant with them, said the Lord; My Spirit which is upon you, and the words which I have put in your mouth, shall never fail from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your seed, for the Lord has spoken it, henceforth and for ever. (Septuagint Isaiah 59:21)

“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22:20 ESV)

And the Deliverer sends God’s Spirit.

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4-5 ESV)

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4 ESV)

Therefore, even though verses 16-19 speak of wrath, adversaries, vengeance, recompence, and reproach, I propose that these words refer to the coming of the Holy Spirit, rather than to actions against Gentiles.

Fear

The Septuagint uses the word “fear” in verse 19. But, Gentiles shall “fear” the “name of the Lord” and “his glorious name.”

19 So shall they of the west fear the name of the Lord, and they that come from the rising of the sun his glorious name: for the wrath of the Lord shall come as a mighty river, it shall come with fury. 20 And the deliverer shall come for Sion’s sake, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. (LXE) 

In many portions of Old Testament Scripture, “fear” is a positive emotion of reverence, awe, respect, and worshipful obedience to the Lord. (As one example only, see Psalm 111:10). Other examples follow.

Sanctify you the Lord himself; and he shall be your fear. (Septuagint Isaiah 8:13)

1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a blossom shall come up from his root: 2 and the Spirit of God shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and godliness shall fill him; 3 the spirit of the fear of God. He shall not judge according to appearance, nor reprove according to report: 4 but he shall judge the cause of the lowly, and shall reprove the lowly of the earth: and he shall strike the earth with the word of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he destroy the ungodly one. 5 And he shall have his loins girded with righteousness, and his sides clothed with truth. (Septuagint Isaiah 11:1-5)

The verses above demonstrate that when Septuagint Isaiah 59:19 speaks of those from the west and east fearing the glorious name of the Lord, the meaning can quite easily indicate the reverence and humility of salvation.

And, there are places in Scripture that speak of God’s Holy Spirit in connection with wrath and water. We will look at some of these below.

The Spirit

Clearly, verse 21 names the Lord’s Spirit with the phrase, “My Spirit.” Additionally, I propose that within the context of the Deliverer, when verse 19 speaks of “the wrath of the Lord” coming as “a mighty river” with “fury,” the Greek words indicate the Holy Spirit. Before examining the Greek of the Septuagint, consider the Masoretic of verse 19.

So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the LORD drives. (Isaiah 59:19 ESV)

… For he comes like a rushing stream driven on by wind sent from the LORD. (Isaiah 59:19 NET)

Readers may recall that the Spirit fell upon those disciples gathered together on the day of Pentecost. Scripture reports that, “There came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:2).

And what was the first result of the Spirit’s coming on the day of Pentecost? In brief, the disciples who received the Spirit in the form of tongues of fire spoke openly in other languages. Many people had gathered in Jerusalem in celebration. These heard the disciples praising God in their own languages.

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together… each one was hearing them speak in his own language… 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians– we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” (Acts 2:5-11 ESV)

Then Peter began preaching.

“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, (Acts 2:17 ESV)

Many Gentiles from many nations received salvation.

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:41 ESV)

In other words, the coming of the Holy Spirit ushered in the missionary age. And the New Testament is clear throughout its pages that Gentiles also receive God’s Spirit. It seems unlikely that Isaiah would prophesy against Gentiles as adversaries in verses 17-19, and then suddenly include them in covenant blessings in verse 21.

What About the Wrath?

Septuagint Isaiah 59:19 So shall they of the west fear the name of the Lord, and they that come from the rising of the sun his glorious name: for the wrath of the Lord shall come as a mighty river, it shall come with fury.

Malachi foretold the cleansing nature of the Servant’s ministry (Malachi 3: 1-5). The Lord’s Servant Jesus fulfilled all of Malachi’s descriptions as he tore into the sins of the Pharisees, lawyers, scribes, and religious leaders of the land. He cleansed his Father’s house of prayer by overturning the tables of the deceitful money changers.

John the Baptist foretold that Jesus (God’s Servant) would baptize with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). In describing the work of the Holy Spirit, the Servant himself speaks of its judgmental nature.

John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (ESV)

The “ruler of this world” (John 16:11) indicates Satan (see also John 12:31 and John 14:30). The coming of the Deliverer destroys the power of Satan.

Luke 10:17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (ESV)

GOD’S WRATH POURED UPON HIS SERVANT

But with the coming of the Lord, God pours out his greatest wrath upon the Servant himself.

“… his souls was given over to death, and he was reckoned among the lawless, and he bore the sins of many, and because of their sins he was given over.” (Isaiah 53:12 NETS)

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us– for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”– (Galatians 3:13 ESV)

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)

Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah (Psalm 88:7 ESV)

As a result of God’s wrath poured upon his Servant, God invites everyone from the west to the east to “fear” (honor, respect, and reverentially obey) “the name of the Lord… his glorious name” (Septuagint Isaiah 59:19).

The Spirit, Water, and Wind

Scripture often associates the Holy Spirit with water. Earlier in Isaiah, the prophet uses poetic symbolism to describe the rebirth and renewal of the Spirit.

17 And the poor and the needy shall exult; for when they shall seek water, and there shall be none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord God, I the God of Israel will hear, and will not forsake them: 18 but I will open rivers on the mountains, and fountains in the midst of plains: I will make the desert pools of water, and a thirsty land watercourses. 19 I will plant in the dry land the cedar and box, the myrtle and cypress, and white poplar: 20 that they may see, and know, and perceive, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has wrought these works, and the Holy One of Israel has displayed them. (Septuagint Isaiah 41:17-20)

Perhaps Isaiah 41 seems a bit too early in the book to forsake an entirely literal interpretation? Well, in chapter 59 the text openly uses explicit simile to describe the coming of the Lord. Notice the similarity between the images of Isaiah 41:17-20 above and 59:19 below. I’ve quoted this verse  from both the Masoretic and the Septuagint.

Isaiah 59:19 So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the LORD drives. (ESV)

So shall they of the west fear the name of the Lord, and they that come from the rising of the sun his glorious name: for the wrath of the Lord shall come as a mighty river, it shall come with fury. (LXE) 

New Testament Scripture often associates the Holy Spirit and water. Examples can be found in John 3:5; 4:5-14; Titus 3:4-7.

Wind is another motif the New Testament associates with God’s Spirit. See John 3:8 and Acts 2:2-4.

The Lord’s Covenant

…to be continued

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1 See, for example, Isaiah’s four “Servant Song” passages in Septuagint Isaiah 42:1-7; 49:1-6, 50:4-9; and 52:13-53:12.

By Christina M Wilson

Septuagint Isaiah 59
The Deliverer and the Spirit

Septuagint Isaiah 59 hides quietly behind its poetic images. Yet it presents the entire Gospel message of Jesus Christ, God’s Servant. This gospel message is: 1) Every person needs deliverance from sin. 2) God himself, through his Servant, is the Deliverer. 3) Everyone is invited. 4) God sends his Spirit to those who embrace the Deliverer. The four points below expand upon this message of the Deliverer and the Spirit.

I. God gave Isaiah an assignment to present the Deliverer and the Spirit. During the span of centuries which Isaiah covers, Israel’s history demonstrates the incapacity of humankind to deliver themselves. This is point one of God’s message. Isaiah begins to deliver this message in the very first chapters. Septuagint Isaiah 59 develops this theme through poetic images and metaphors (59:1-16a).

The Lord had given his people Israel every advantage. These include his presence with them in many times, forms, places, and situations, his law, godly leaders strategically placed, and multiple rescues from their enemies. Nevertheless, as chapter 59 demonstrates, even after the return from exile, “… there was no judgment. And he [the Lord] looked, and there was no man, and he observed, and there was none to help (59:15-16).

II. Point two of God’s gospel message through Isaiah is that God himself will deliver Sion from her sins. He will send his divine Servant to drive out sin for him (59:16b-20).

III. God presents point three in 59:19. He intends to redeem the whole world. The book of Isaiah repeats this theme from start to finish (see, for example, Septuagint Isaiah 2:2-4).

IV. Finally, God will send his Spirit to the Servant and his seed forever (Septuagint Isaiah 59:21). (See also Septuagint Isaiah 4:2-6 LXE; 11:1-3; 32:14-18; 42:1-8; 44:2-4; 48:16; 57:16; and 59:21.)

The Deliverer and the Spirit in the New Testament

The New Testament delivers the same gospel message as Isaiah in chapter 59.

Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us– for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”–14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (ESV)

Titus 3:3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (ESV)

John 3:34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)

The Deliverer and the Spirit in John 4

John 4 demonstrates the love of God for all people. In this chapter, the Servant/Messiah/Deliverer speaks of sending his Spirit. Septuagint 59:16 likewise displays God’s love. There, the word is “mercy.” Following this, verse 21 tells of the Spirit.

And he looked, and there was no man, and he observed, and there was none to help: so he defended them with his arm, and established them with his mercy. (Septuagint 59:16)

20 And the deliverer shall come for Sion’s sake, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. 21 And this shall be my covenant with them, said the Lord; My Spirit which is upon you, and the words which I have put in your mouth, shall never fail from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your seed, for the Lord has spoken it, henceforth and for ever. (Septuagint 59:20-21)

God, the speaker, connects mention of “My Spirit” (the Holy Spirit) with “my covenant with them.” What covenant is this? This will be the topic of the next post, Lord willing.

… to be continued