Nov. 10, 2024

Isaiah 40: The Context Pt 1

Isaiah 40: The Context Pt 1

We spend some time establishing the context for Isaiah 40-55

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We spend some time establishing the context for Isaiah 40-55

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All right this morning, trying to figure out exactly how

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we should do things with missing last week, then the

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week before that, a lot of people were out, so

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we have some people probably like three weeks behind and

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even a week. Just from one week to the next week.

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We know how much can be forgotten and trying to

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put everything back in context, how much you review, and

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then of course you got the first hour, then the

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second hour is going to be different piece. Trying to

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get it all back on the same page is going

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to be very difficult today. So all I can do

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is weish just I'm just gonna jump right back in.

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Obviously we need to get to Romans four, because you

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know we've been working on that, But at the same time,

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we started this study of Isaiah forty to fifty five,

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and I don't want to get too far behind on

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that either, So we're just going to jump in. We'll

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see where we are at the end of the first hour,

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and then if the second hour, if we need to continue,

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then I'll back up a little bit and try to

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get everybody on the same page, and hopefully by the

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time we're finished sometime afternoon today, everyone who's here will

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at least be on the same page, and if those

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are not, then yeah, there's not much I can do

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at that point, but we'll do what we can. So

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just remember how this all started. It all started because

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I decided to review a sermon, and I decided to test,

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to basically do a little test, a little experiment, and

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ask how long it would take for a pastor to

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insert us to insert Christians into Isaiah chapter forty three.

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And so we started the sermon, and in less than

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forty seconds, the pastor had inserted us into Isaiah forty three,

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which was somewhat confusing and frustrating, and I'm like, how

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in the world did that happen? We moved to another

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sermon and saw that the other sermon took less than

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zero seconds because the title of the sermon inserted us

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into Isaiah forty three by entitling their sermon the Work

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of the Holy Spirit in the Believer, and they took

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that from Isaiah forty three. And I'm like, how in

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the world can do we constantly get put in Isaiah

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forty three. There's just that this should not be occurring.

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Then we got into a time machine, went back to

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sixteen seventy eight where someone was writing a book in

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a gaeil cell. That man's name was John Bunyan. He

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wrote The Pilgrim's Progress, And in The Pilgrim's Progress he

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uses once again Isaiah forty three, turns it into an

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allegory and makes it about us and every sense really

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Pilgrim's Progress. It seems to algorize and spiritualize Isaiah, not

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just forty three, but the entire section Isaiah forty through

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fifty five. In fact, early this week I saw a

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sermon on Isaiah chapter four entitled the False Church. So

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then that he is Isaiah Ford. So it just seems

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like Isaiah, you can do whatever you want with it.

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So it bothered me, and it bothered me and bothered me.

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And one of the things I tried to do is

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whenever I do a review and it goes horribly wrong,

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it's easy to criticize, right, anybody can turn on a

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microphone and go, well, this sermon is trash. Anybody can

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do that. But I always then try to step back

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and go, Okay, well, if it's so bad, what can

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we do with the text. We did that with a

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Psalm eighty three, so that started, Okay, well, then we're

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gonna work on Isaiah forty through fifty five, and we're

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gonna work on it with this and mine. We're going

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to attempt to put it in its actual textual context

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and historical context so that we can alleviate and stop

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all of this, because it doesn't seem to end just

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one thing after another. Then on BBN, a Christian radio station,

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they do a little devotional and well they're devotional. It's

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called Streams in the Desert. I looked at the Streams

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and the Desert devotional for that particular day, and guess

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what it was on Isaiah forty It was on either Isaiah.

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Think it was Isaiah. And once again, what did they do?

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They made it about us. Oh, and it's just like,

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I don't understand why this is such a problem, but

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it is a problem, and I think what it demonstrates,

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and I know nobody likes to hear this is when

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we get down to the reality of the something. We

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can really get down to the reality of it when

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it comes to the Bible. I say it over and

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over and over again, there are no rules governing it.

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Everyone does what they want with it. Everyone thinks that

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they're right, and in the end, all the talk about truth,

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and oh we care about scripture. It's just anyone can

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do whatever they want with it and the Bible. And

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I've been saying this on the podcast over and over

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and over. The reality is, if we want a definition

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of a Christian, a Christian is nothing more than a

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narcissistic textual hijacker. We go to the Bible. It's about

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us or narcissistic. We take the text, we hijacket and

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we fly it to wherever we want it to get

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because that's what we do. There's no there's just no guidelines.

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We can pretend all day that there's hermoneutical guidelines, but

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people will just do people want to study the hermoneutical guidelines? No,

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do they want to apply the hermonutical guidelines. No. Everyone

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can make the text say whatever it wants. And you've

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got very famous pastors who can do weird things. With

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Isaiah forty to fifty five. I was just listening the

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other day on Moody Radio and it was on the

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Book of Exodus, and the whole Exodus was about us

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US and it's like, I don't at some point you

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just want to give up, so all I can do

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here before I give up all I can do here

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before I give up. Is attempt is attempt to just say,

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let's look at the section of scripture, look at it

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in a historical textual context, and see what actually happened.

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So that's what we're going to do. We did two

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plus hours of trying to outline it and break it down.

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I'm going to do a quick review over that and

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try to talk about the chronological order and some things

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like that. Just remember, the entire section of Isaiah forty

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to fifty five is a message to Israelites in Babylonian captivity,

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all right. The goal was to offer hope and comfort

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to the exile community, assuring them that God of God's

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intention to restore them physically to their land spiritually as

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his covenant people. I cannot stress that enough. That is

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what it's about. If you don't understand that, you've missed everything.

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Now when we talked a little bit about breaking it down,

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this is just some basic stuff here. The division of

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Isaiah forty through fifty five typically falls into two major sections,

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and section one goes from Isaiah forty Does anybody remember

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to forty eight? Look at that and Isaiah forty nine

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through fifty five. It seems to be based on a

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natural progression in the text, and many scholars recognize this

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as a reasonable structure to better help understand the flow

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of the message. Now when we walk through it, we

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can always do what we can disagree with this conclusion,

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but at least we're going to start with this basic concept,

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all right. We talked about that. Most believe that there

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is a shift in emphasis and a focus between these

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two parts, though they are closely related. All right, Isaiah

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forty through forty eight, that it's the idea of God's

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comfort and deliverance for Israel. This section emphasizes God's comfort

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to his people. And then we kind of talked a

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little bit about that section Isaiah forty nine through fifty five.

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It seems to focus on the servant of the Lord

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and a broader plan of salvation. So those are the

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two main sections. I'm not going to review everything of

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our outline because we outlined it a lot of different ways,

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did we not. We broke it down and we talked

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about key concepts, and I think we did a lot

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of work. So there's kind of the basic idea. If

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you want to take Isaiah forty through fifty five. The

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main thing to understand is why it's a message to

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people in Babylonian captivity. The words of comfort are for whom,

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the people on Babylonian captivity. The promises are for whom,

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the people on Babylonian captivity. And it would be ridiculous

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for us to run in take promises and comfort not

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for us and say, oh, I find great comfort in it.

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Why are you finding comfort and words that are not

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directed towards you? All right, that's the issue. So then

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what do we want to do. We want to know

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what the message of Isaiah forty to fifty five actually

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is in its historical context, and what's the other thing

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we want to accomplish? Then we want to see what

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can we learn from it without doing what destroying its context,

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destroying its original meaning, and by just unnecessarily inserting ourselves

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into it. And I know that goes against everything preaching

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is supposed to be, because we come to church to

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hear messages about whom us, right, because it's always about us,

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But it really isn't. All right, So that's a really

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quick overview. Now let's do this. Let's remember the proper

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order of events. Because I spent a lot of time

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on this all right, because it can get confusing, right,

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sometimes people will preach it even in sermons than in

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Isaiah forty to fifty five, that Isaiah is basically preaching

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this to the people. That's not true because remember there's

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a big Isaiah gives this message way before the event

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actually occur. Remember of the timing. So I'm going to

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go through some of that chronological order. Right, Let's start

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with Isaiah's ministry. His ministry is somewhere between seven forty

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and seven hundred BC. Everybody remember that, Okay, I remember

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when we give dates, what do we have to remember

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if you use your study Bible, if you use a dictionary,

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using the encyclopedia, we may get there's going to be

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some variation. Right, But between seven forty and seven hundred BC,

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Isaiah prophesies to the people of Judah during the time

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of Assyria's dominance, warning of future judgment in exile by

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a babylon but also offering hope of future comfort and restoration.

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So he offers comfort for the Babylonian captivity that is

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not currently happening. Does everyone understand that at the time

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of his ministry, who's the dominant power Assyria? So who

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would be suffering primarily at that point the Northern Kingdom, right, Okay,

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everybody got that. Then, prophecy of the Babylonian exile. I

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cannot stress this enough. The prophecy of the Babylonian exile

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is all about Isaiah thirty nine. We're going to look

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at that in greater context today. Isaiah. And why is

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that so important? Because Isaiah thirty nine establishes what the

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context for forty to fifty five, right, and for some

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weird reason, pastors just seem to ignore it. I don't

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know why. Isaiah foretells that Babylon will one day conquer

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Judah and take the people into captivity. This happens more

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than one hundred years after Isaiah's lifetime. It's a hundred

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about one hundred years. Some say less, some say more

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about one hundred years. I'm you know, it's math, so

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don't quote me, you know, dogmatically on it. But let's

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just say this, Isaiah is dead before the Babylonian captivity occurs.

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Therefore he can't be the one preaching the message of

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comfort to the people. And any pastor who says that

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is just met mixing it all up. Now I can

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understand why a pastor may do that, right, because it's

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the book of Isaiah, who is the prophet Isaiah. The

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words are then seen as Isaiah's words to the people

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in captivity. And if you and all you're doing is

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kind of coming to Isaiah forty through fifty five to

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do kind of a devotional message, or you're trying to

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bring comfort to the people, you can then necessarily just

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fall into it. And that's always the problem when you

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do a devotional type message, because when you do a

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devotional type message, what are you going to inevitably do

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in a devotional type message. Are you gonna spend twenty

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minutes going through the context, No, You're gonna jump into

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the text. And so therefore you just inevitably may say

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something I don't blame. Anybody can do that. I've done it.

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Anybody can make those mistakes. That but that's the danger

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of devotional type preaching, and that's the danger of sermons.

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That's why I constantly preach against sermons, because sermons are

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all designed to be this nice little package where you

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come in and what do you want to give the people?

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Do you want the people to leave with understanding hermeneutical

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principle and the point of the text. They need what

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what's preaching? Almost always about application? Application, application, Well, when

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you focus on application, what do you almost inevitably sacrifice observation. Right,

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You don't spend thirty minutes in a sermon doing observational

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work on the text because everybody's gonna do what They're

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gonna go find another church, right, because it is that

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nobody that's kind of boring. What people say, that's very academic,

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that doesn't feel like a sermon. I want it to

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feel like a sermon. I want it to feel it's

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all every hand. I want to feel it like a sermon. Well,

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I don't know what you want. Do you want to

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study the Bible or do you want a sermon? If

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you want a sermon, then just pay me to give

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speeches and I'll just send it home. Write speeches and

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I'll follow all the templates for a good speech. Make

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eye contact, make sure my voice. I won't yell, but

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I won't get too quiet. I'll make sure I have

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some emotion, be funny, tell little joke, give your three

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little points. You're like, Oh, I had church today, it

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felt so good. But guess what you don't know the text.

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Now you'll think you know the text because it gives

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the impression. All right, so we have to understand this

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is the reason we do these things. Right, So we

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have Isaiah's ministry, we have the prophecy of the Babylonian exile,

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which and that happens. The exile happens about after Isaiah

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is dead. Let's say it that way. The Babylonian exile

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occurs between around five eighty six PC. And I think

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it was Sarah who brought this up, what two weeks ago? Yeah,

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there's there is some dispute on like, okay, when do

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we count when do we say that the Babylonian exile started?

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And remember it's kind of like, well does it start here?

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Does it start here? And that's because there's like there's control,

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but they're not complete control. And then there's like, well

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then some people are taken but other people are left,

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and it's there's kind of it's a process. So where

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you date it can themity sometimes well is it seventy

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years or what? Depends on where you start the date

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and where you can get into all of those discussions.

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Does that make sense? Everybody? Okay with that? All right?

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So around five eighty six PC Babylon conquers Jerusalem, destroys

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the temple, and takes the people of Judah into exile. Right,

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So there's we have the ministry, we have the prophecy,

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we have the exile, we have the fulfillment of Isaiah's

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prophecies Isaiah forty through fifty five. The message of comfort

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in Isaiah forty through fifty five becomes particularly relevant during

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Babylonian exile is it assures the people of God's plan

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to deliver them from exile. All right, So really, when

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we say the fulfillment of the prophecy, if the prophecy

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is basically words of comfort, the words of comfort become

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applicable during the captivity. Does that make sense? Now? Those

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words of comfort in Isaiah forty fifth. Now this will

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be the philological and harmoneutical dispute. Are all of the

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promises and all the words of comfort in Isaiah forty

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through fifty five fulfilled at the end of the Babylonian

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exile or are there promises that point to things far after?

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That will be the issue we'll have to because anything

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that was not fulfilled when they came out of the

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Babylonian exile. What will become the dispute anything that was

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not fulfilled? Okay, well, then the argument does, well, is

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it fulfilled in the church or will it be fulfilled

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literally in the future. All right, We've talked about this

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when we were talking about eschatology. Right, this is the

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never ending debate, and we'll we'll see when we get there. Right,

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But the primary message of comfort is fulfilled during the

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Babylonian exile because it's giving them the words, and then

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those words find their ultimate fulfillment when the Babylonian captivity

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comes to an end. All right. Then number five that

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return from exile around five point thirty nine BC and

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after and even the return is kind of a process

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as well. Cyrus, everybody remember his name. Cyrus of Persia,

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conquers Babylon, allows the Jews to return to their homeland,

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fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy of Israel's restoration. Right, and Cyrus, you

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need to write in all capital letters, circle it, thirty

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seven exclamation points because he becomes the central figure in

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Isaiah forty through fifty five. Let me state that again.

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Cyrus is one of the central figures of Isaiah forty

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through fifty five. All right, Now that may make some

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people very uncomfortable, but there are some prophecies in Isaiah

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forty through fifty five we immediately may want to run

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to Christ and you better slow down because it may

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be pointing to Cyrus verst and foremost, especially in its

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historical context. And we'll get to that as we move forward.

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All right, everybody got that? Okay, Now I have a

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whole nother section here. I'm gonna skip it all. So

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now that's all of our kind of review. See that

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took a long time right there, just doing all of that.

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We added a little bit extra in, but we get

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it all there. Now, we cannot begin a study of

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Isaiah forty through fifty five without looking at something else first.

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What do we have to look at before we can

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really dig into Isaiah forty through fifty five. Obviously we

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have to look at all the background, we have to

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outline it, the timing, all of those things. But there

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is something else we have to look at that we

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have not looked at yet before we get to Isaiah

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forty through fifty five. Does anybody know what that would

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be something we have to look at before we can

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start actually looking at Isaiah chapter forty, We definitely have

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to go back to chapter thirty nine, all right, because

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the context of Isaiah forty through fifty five can be

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traced back to Isaiah chapter thirty nine. And let's all

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start in verse five Isaiah thirty nine to five. Everyone there,

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What do we read in thirty nine to five? Then

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said Isaiah? Two, has Akiah hear the word of the

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Lord of Host? Now why is this significant in thirty

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nine to five? Well, because we have Isaiah speaking to

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a literal person who's has Akiah, the king right, king

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of Judah. All right, So now so we know this,

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Why is this so important? Where is it? Placing it

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in a history oracle context? Is it an allegory? Do

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we spiritualize it? No? All right? So what is the message?

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Look at verse six, what's the first word? Behold? This

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is trying to get their attention, right or has a

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guy's attention behold? Then what does he say? The days

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come that all that is in thine house and that

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which thy fathers have laid up in store until this

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day should be carried to Babylon. Nothing should be left

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saith the Lord. Now why is all that important? Because

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is this not making it literal. Yeah, is this talking

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about your ingrown tone now and you need comfort? No,

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this is not about you. It's about them. They're going

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to be taken to where it even names the place,

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does it not Babylon? All right? Everything is being laid out.

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Then what does it say in verse seven? And of

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thy sons thou shalt issue that shall issue from thee.

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And thy sons that shall issue from thee which thou

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shalt beget, shall they take away? And they shall be

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eunuchs in the palace of the King of Babylon. This

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that has a KaiA to Isaiah. Good is the word

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of the Lord which thou hast spoken. He said moreover,

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for there shall be peace and truth in many days?

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There is the what the prophecy? All right? There is

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the prophecy. That's kind of funny in that way. Right.

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The Babylonian exile is foretold as a consequence of Judah's unfaithfulness,

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marking a significant turning point in the Book of Isaiah.

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This prophecy establishes the context of judgment and impending exile,

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which sets the stage for the message of comfort and

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restoration that unfolds in Isaiah forty through fifty five, So

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how could we stay I'll say it in a more

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blunt way, unless you are the people taken into Babylonian captivity.

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Keep your stinking self out of Isaiah forty through fifty five, right,

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And I don't know why preachers feel like that they

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have the right to go in and insert us there. Okay,

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And I don't care. Pilgrim's progress is spoken of in

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hushed tones of reverence. But I'm sorry the book led

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to lots of problems with how people then handle these texts.

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All right. Quoting Isaiah thirty nine to sixty eight again,

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I'm going to read it in a different translation. This

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is ESV. Behold, the days are coming when all that

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is in your house and that which your fathers have

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stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon.

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Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of

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your own sons who will come from you, whom you

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will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be

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eunuchs and the palace of the king of Babylon. In

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Isaiah forty nine, the prophet tells King Hezekiah that Judah

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will eventually be conquered by Babylon and that all of

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its treasures and many of its peoples will be taken

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into exile. This prophecy of exile provides the backdrop for

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the message that follows in Isaiah forty through fifty five.

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I cannot stress that enough. It provides the context. It

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gives everything we need. So let's look at how Isaiah

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thirty nine sixty eight kind of basically contextualizes Isaiah forty

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through fifty five. I'm gonna break it down into specific points,

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all right, Number one, it's a transition. Isaiah thirty nine

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going into Isaiah forty builds a transition from judgment to comfort.

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There's a change, because what is Isaiah forty? Verse one

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starts with comfort? Right? Isaiah forty opens with the words comfort,

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comfort my people, signaling a shift from the judgment foretold

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in Isaiah thirty nine to a message of hope and restoration.

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This promise of comfort directly addresses the situation of exile

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announced in Isaiah thirty nine, where God's people are assured

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that their time of suffering and captivity will not be

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the final word. The entire section of Isaiah forty through

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fifty five can be seen as a response to the

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looming reality of exile announced in Isaiah thirty nine, with

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the aim of offering hope that God will redeem and

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restore his people despite their disobedience. So forty, when you

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get to the word comfort, any good Bible student should

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say what when you hear comfort? Ye? Comfort? Ye? Any

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good Bible student should stop right there and do what

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Why do they need comfort? But what does preaching do?

403
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Preaching says, what do you need comfort for this morning?

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I don't have many sermons I heard. Are you here

405
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this morning? Are you stressed? Are you concerned about the

406
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problems going on in our world? Are you having difficulties

407
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with your children? Is there stress in your marriage? Well,

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this morning You've come to God's house and I've got

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a word of comfort for you. And it's like, just

410
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stop talking. No, you don't. You don't have a word

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of comfort for me. If you're quoting Isaya chapter forty ray,

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I would raise my hand and be like, is there

413
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anyone here who's been recently in Babylonian captivity? Then stop talking,

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But the preacher says it in such a preacher kind

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of voice, and then the people leave in saying, pastor,

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I feel so much I feel so much comfort. This morning,

417
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thank you, that was so encouraging, And then they get

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on social media going all the pastor's words were so

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comforting to me this morning. Do you realize how utterly

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foolish we look that if someone in fifth grade could

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not figure out how to read Isaiah forty, they shouldn't

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go to sixth grade, right, that's reading comprehension. One oh

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one agreed or no ever I'm getting looks like maybe

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not okay Isaiah? Yes, they it should be if you

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are a Christian and you can't understand that when you

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read the words comfort ye, comfort yee, And what does

427
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it say, go on read the rest of the verse, saith,

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you're God, but it's comfort whom my people? When you

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hear comfort, what's the first question you should ask, as

430
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a good Bible student? Comfort from what my people? What's

431
00:26:45.680 --> 00:26:51.480
the next question? Who is that referring to? That's not complicated,

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that's basic reading. And it's so weird that the institution

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that says we need to read God's word, we need

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to read God's word won't teach people how to basically

435
00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:07.640
read it. If the public school won't teach reading comprehension,

436
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then the church should teach read we need reading comprehension.

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When people say, what's the first thing you need in

438
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discipleship reading comprehension test. Don't teach about the Church, don't

439
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teach about the Trinity, don't teach about the deity of Christ.

440
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Hand out reading comprehension test, and if they fell reading

441
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comprehension tests, take their Bibles from them and don't let

442
00:27:28.960 --> 00:27:31.440
them have a Bible until they can. That's how it

443
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should be. You go into a Bible bookstore and you're like,

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I'd like to purchase the Bible. I'm sorry, come back here.

445
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They take you to a back room, they sit you down,

446
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they give you a reading comprehension test. You fell it.

447
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I'm sorry you can't have a Bible. And I say

448
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that you think I'm just I'm being sarcastic. There's a

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level of seriousness to that, because when people take the

450
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Bible and do weird things with it, what happens, Really

451
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bad things happen. Okay, crazy things happen. I mean horrible

452
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things have happened with the misuse of the Bible. Has

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it not? Because you're dealing with something where now you

454
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feel like you have God supporting what you think, well,

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you better make sure you know what you're talking about.

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People may think that this is who cares if we

457
00:28:17.400 --> 00:28:19.920
add comfort when it's not really for us. Well, it

458
00:28:19.960 --> 00:28:22.640
matters because you're not handling the word of God. So

459
00:28:22.640 --> 00:28:25.559
it's a transition from judgment to comfort. Has everybody got that?

460
00:28:26.240 --> 00:28:29.920
And also it's a promise of deliverance and return. Much

461
00:28:29.960 --> 00:28:32.640
of Isaiah forty through fifty five addresses the return from

462
00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:37.720
exile using language that evokes freedom from captivity and restoration

463
00:28:37.880 --> 00:28:41.599
to the land. This message of deliverance builds directly on

464
00:28:41.640 --> 00:28:44.640
the prophecy of exile and Isaiah thirty nine. Now why

465
00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:49.400
is it so important when you read real words of

466
00:28:49.640 --> 00:28:59.680
freedom of restoration? It's freedom and restoration from what Babylonian captivity,

467
00:29:00.240 --> 00:29:05.680
not your problems or your addiction or your struggles. It

468
00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:11.079
has nothing to do with that. Does that make sense.

469
00:29:12.119 --> 00:29:15.640
It's about a literal captivity. But that's how it will

470
00:29:15.640 --> 00:29:19.880
be preached. And once again, that's a problem everybody. So

471
00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:25.319
everybody understands that concept. The theme of redemption return are

472
00:29:25.359 --> 00:29:28.759
God's response to the exile. Let me make sure the themes

473
00:29:28.680 --> 00:29:32.960
of redemption and return is God's response to the exile.

474
00:29:33.960 --> 00:29:36.359
Isaiah forty four to twenty eight. Everybody, look at Isaiah

475
00:29:36.400 --> 00:29:42.160
forty four twenty eight. What do you find in Isaiah

476
00:29:42.200 --> 00:29:54.440
forty four twenty eight? Okay, Cyrus is the shepherd. Go

477
00:29:54.519 --> 00:30:03.039
to forty five, verses one through four. Cyrus is the anointed.

478
00:30:04.319 --> 00:30:06.519
What else does it say in those four verses in

479
00:30:06.559 --> 00:30:24.119
Isaiah forty five, He's gonna make the ways straight, make

480
00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:26.599
the way He's just keep the Isaiah forty five in

481
00:30:26.640 --> 00:30:28.799
your mind. Here's what I want you to understand. So

482
00:30:29.119 --> 00:30:36.440
the restoration, the freedom, the deliverance is from what Babylonian exile?

483
00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:43.519
Who is the deliverer? Cyrus? The deliverer is Cyrus. The

484
00:30:43.559 --> 00:30:47.359
freedom is from Babylonian exile. You can't just come into

485
00:30:47.359 --> 00:30:52.839
these passages and just start doing whatever you want with them.

486
00:30:53.519 --> 00:30:55.960
There's gotta be a stop to that. So number so,

487
00:30:56.240 --> 00:30:59.119
how does this all fix? The contextualizes Isaiah forty through

488
00:30:59.160 --> 00:31:02.880
fifty five transitions from judgment to comfort. It's a promise

489
00:31:02.920 --> 00:31:05.920
of deliverance and return and a promise of a deliverer

490
00:31:05.960 --> 00:31:10.119
there as well. And then Isaiah number three. God's sovereignty

491
00:31:10.160 --> 00:31:15.000
and faithfulness is emphasized in this section. Isaiah forty through

492
00:31:15.079 --> 00:31:19.119
fifty five emphasizes God's sovereignty over nations and his faithfulness

493
00:31:19.160 --> 00:31:23.440
to his covenant promises. The context of Isaiah. Thirty nine

494
00:31:23.759 --> 00:31:27.440
establishes Babylon as a dominant power, but Isaiah forty through

495
00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:33.200
fifty five we reassures Israel that God is sovereign over

496
00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:38.599
all the next nations, including Babylon, and will fulfill his

497
00:31:38.680 --> 00:31:43.079
promises to his people despite their captivity. So in a sense,

498
00:31:43.160 --> 00:31:46.720
it shows God is The nations may have power, but

499
00:31:46.759 --> 00:31:50.599
who's the ultimate power controlling all of it? God, which

500
00:31:50.839 --> 00:31:54.359
raises a million questions, does it not? If God has

501
00:31:54.400 --> 00:31:57.599
all this power over nations, well, then why do things

502
00:31:57.640 --> 00:31:59.440
work the way they do? Right? I mean that's the

503
00:31:59.680 --> 00:32:03.039
truble philosophical problem. But we won't try to fix that

504
00:32:03.039 --> 00:32:06.000
philosophical problem now because well there's no answer to it,

505
00:32:06.039 --> 00:32:08.279
all right. But all right, so everybody got that. Now

506
00:32:08.400 --> 00:32:12.559
this is important? All right? Ready, this is trivia question

507
00:32:13.960 --> 00:32:16.559
why and this is going to set up a very

508
00:32:16.559 --> 00:32:18.799
important conversation we're going to have. Don't know if we'll

509
00:32:18.839 --> 00:32:20.720
get through it this hour, but this is so important.

510
00:32:21.319 --> 00:32:29.759
Why do the people go into Babylonian captivity? Yeah? Well,

511
00:32:29.880 --> 00:32:35.640
thirty nine says that's the waere why idolatry or because

512
00:32:35.799 --> 00:32:40.400
we could say because of what sin? Disobedience? All right,

513
00:32:40.960 --> 00:32:43.000
just keep that in mind. All right. I'm going to

514
00:32:43.039 --> 00:32:44.880
stress that over and over and over because that's the

515
00:32:44.920 --> 00:32:46.960
key to this, right, that's the key here. So just

516
00:32:47.039 --> 00:32:50.880
keep that in mind. But guess what. Isaiah forty through

517
00:32:50.880 --> 00:32:54.680
fifty five demonstrates that in spite of their disobedience and sin,

518
00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:58.960
God's mercy and faithfulness will ultimately prevail. His commitment to

519
00:32:59.000 --> 00:33:04.160
redeem Israel is unwavering. All right, Look at Isaiah forty

520
00:33:04.200 --> 00:33:14.519
three one through two, forty three one through two. What

521
00:33:14.559 --> 00:33:29.160
does it say, fear not, for I have redeemed these

522
00:33:29.680 --> 00:33:32.079
Here's what I want you to remember. This point is

523
00:33:32.559 --> 00:33:36.200
God's sovereignty. It shows his sovereignty over the nations. But

524
00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:40.680
what else does it demonstrate God's sovereignty and faithfulness even

525
00:33:40.720 --> 00:33:44.559
when the people are unfaithful. Who's the sovereign one here?

526
00:33:44.720 --> 00:33:47.519
Not Israel but God? And even though they are unfaithful,

527
00:33:47.559 --> 00:33:50.880
God remains faithful. His sovereignty is seeing even in his

528
00:33:50.960 --> 00:33:54.839
mercy and his forgiveness. Does that make sense? All right? Next,

529
00:33:55.160 --> 00:33:58.079
So going through these just basic points, we have a

530
00:33:58.079 --> 00:34:00.720
transition from judgment to comfort. Number two, we have a

531
00:34:00.759 --> 00:34:03.039
promise of deliverance and return. Number three we see God's

532
00:34:03.079 --> 00:34:06.559
sovereignty and faithfulness. Number four we have the introduction of

533
00:34:06.599 --> 00:34:08.760
the servant of the Lord, which I have already pointed out.

534
00:34:09.199 --> 00:34:11.880
Isaiah forty nine to fifty three introduces the servant of

535
00:34:11.880 --> 00:34:14.960
the Lord really introduced before that, but it plays a

536
00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:19.679
key role in Israel's spiritual restoration. The servant's role in

537
00:34:19.760 --> 00:34:23.039
bringing justice to salvation further address the consequences of judas

538
00:34:23.039 --> 00:34:27.239
disobedience outlined in Isaiah thirty nine, promising a future redemption

539
00:34:27.320 --> 00:34:31.079
that goes beyond merely returning to the land. All right,

540
00:34:31.119 --> 00:34:34.159
So this idea of the servant, the servant, the servant

541
00:34:34.239 --> 00:34:38.599
and the servant ultimately points to Cyrus, but it also

542
00:34:38.760 --> 00:34:42.400
hints at deeper things that we'll get into. But the servant,

543
00:34:42.599 --> 00:34:45.039
just remember the servant of the Lord has mentioned numerous times.

544
00:34:45.599 --> 00:34:50.280
All right, just keep that we have the servant of

545
00:34:50.280 --> 00:34:54.719
the Lord. The key here we just cannot is so key.

546
00:34:55.559 --> 00:34:57.840
And but the servant of the Lord is necessary because

547
00:34:57.840 --> 00:35:02.400
of what Isaiah thirty nine is focus is to fix

548
00:35:02.480 --> 00:35:04.719
what happens in Isaiah thirty nine. Thirty nine is still

549
00:35:04.719 --> 00:35:08.920
the key here. All right. It's also important that in

550
00:35:09.000 --> 00:35:12.400
number five, God's promise of a new covenant Isaiah forty

551
00:35:12.440 --> 00:35:15.280
through fifty five also seems to foreshadow a new covenant

552
00:35:15.280 --> 00:35:18.719
relationship between God and his people, which addresses the spiritual

553
00:35:18.719 --> 00:35:22.000
failures that led to their exile in the first place.

554
00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:28.800
So this is important. If there's a new covenant, it

555
00:35:28.920 --> 00:35:34.480
still falls into the context of Isaiah thirty nine, meaning Isaiah,

556
00:35:34.639 --> 00:35:38.960
because of their disobedience, exile occurred. What is the one

557
00:35:38.960 --> 00:35:42.159
thing we know about Israel? Even after they were delivered

558
00:35:42.159 --> 00:35:46.480
from their exile, They're going to continue to disobey, So

559
00:35:46.519 --> 00:35:50.320
they need something greater than just being brought back from captivity,

560
00:35:50.480 --> 00:35:53.360
and that points to the New Covenant. But the new

561
00:35:53.400 --> 00:35:57.400
Covenant would still be addressed to whom, to the people

562
00:35:57.760 --> 00:36:01.239
who would come out of Babylonian exile, which then changes

563
00:36:01.280 --> 00:36:03.760
how Christians again once again is the major problem in

564
00:36:03.840 --> 00:36:09.159
how Christians handles the New Covenant. All right, So everybody

565
00:36:09.199 --> 00:36:13.000
got all of that. So in Isaiah thirty nine, it

566
00:36:13.079 --> 00:36:16.039
provides the critical context for Isaiah forty through fifty five.

567
00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:19.440
It explains why Judah will suffer exile and Babylon, and

568
00:36:19.480 --> 00:36:22.360
it sets up the need for comfort and hope. Isaiah

569
00:36:22.440 --> 00:36:27.079
forty through fifty five offers this hope, addressing Israel's brokenness

570
00:36:27.079 --> 00:36:30.800
in God's plan of restoration. This section reassures Israel that

571
00:36:30.840 --> 00:36:34.519
despite the consequences of their actions, God will remain faithful

572
00:36:34.679 --> 00:36:38.239
and demonstrate His power and mercy through their return from

573
00:36:38.280 --> 00:36:42.280
exile and through the promise of spiritual redemption. But reach

574
00:36:42.440 --> 00:36:48.519
beyond more than just a physical restoration. So the spiritual

575
00:36:48.559 --> 00:36:56.760
restoration spoken of ultimately points to which covenant the spiritual

576
00:36:56.840 --> 00:37:02.920
restoration points to? The New Covenant restoration speaks to a

577
00:37:02.960 --> 00:37:05.199
lot of the covenants God had made previously in the

578
00:37:05.239 --> 00:37:09.639
Old Testament with them, right, Okay, So you have this

579
00:37:09.880 --> 00:37:15.480
covenantal concept overrides everything, and we cannot forget that the

580
00:37:15.519 --> 00:37:20.039
covenants are made with whom Israel. The Old Testament covenants

581
00:37:20.039 --> 00:37:23.039
are made with whom Israel. The New Covenant is made

582
00:37:23.039 --> 00:37:26.360
with whom Israel. I cannot stress that enough. The New

583
00:37:26.400 --> 00:37:30.000
Covenant is made with whom Israel. You go to almost

584
00:37:30.039 --> 00:37:32.480
any Christian you know who goes to church anywhere, not

585
00:37:32.519 --> 00:37:34.719
only in this city, anywhere, and you say who's the

586
00:37:34.760 --> 00:37:38.079
New Covenant with they will say us. In fact, I

587
00:37:38.239 --> 00:37:41.599
learned in fact one of the a famous sermon that

588
00:37:41.639 --> 00:37:44.239
I preached multiple times. When I did would do an

589
00:37:44.239 --> 00:37:46.639
overview of the whole Bible, I would say, the Old

590
00:37:46.719 --> 00:37:51.320
Testament is God's covenant with Israel, and the New Testament

591
00:37:51.400 --> 00:37:54.440
is a covenant with the Church. I said that over

592
00:37:54.719 --> 00:37:58.000
and over and over again, because I was an idiot

593
00:37:58.079 --> 00:38:01.000
who obviously could can't read. Because I should have stopped

594
00:38:01.000 --> 00:38:03.639
listening to preachers and the sermons. If I would have

595
00:38:03.760 --> 00:38:07.039
just read the actual text. Who is the New covenant

596
00:38:07.039 --> 00:38:10.840
with the House of Israel, the House of Judah. It's

597
00:38:10.880 --> 00:38:14.960
not even complicated. But I was so taught over and

598
00:38:15.079 --> 00:38:17.800
over and over and over and over and over again,

599
00:38:17.880 --> 00:38:20.760
sermon after sermon after sermon after sermon. The New Testament

600
00:38:21.039 --> 00:38:24.440
is God's covenant with the Church. Stop it. It's God's

601
00:38:24.440 --> 00:38:30.320
covenant with Israel, and we're simply graft it in. But

602
00:38:30.400 --> 00:38:33.800
the covenant is ultimately made with whom Israel. So those

603
00:38:33.840 --> 00:38:37.079
promises of the Covenant are first and foremost for Israel.

604
00:38:37.199 --> 00:38:39.480
If you forget that, the whole Bible begins to just

605
00:38:39.519 --> 00:38:42.880
turn into a big allegory. If we do that, it

606
00:38:42.920 --> 00:38:45.760
makes more sense. All right, everybody got all of that,

607
00:38:47.559 --> 00:38:52.280
all right now, So there is why Isaiah thirty nine,

608
00:38:52.480 --> 00:38:56.639
how it sets up the contextualization for forty through fifty five.

609
00:38:56.639 --> 00:38:58.039
But we still got to do a little bit more

610
00:38:58.079 --> 00:39:02.440
work here, all right. When we look at the context,

611
00:39:02.559 --> 00:39:13.519
we need to write down three words law, sin and covenant. Law,

612
00:39:13.800 --> 00:39:19.760
sin and covenant. The context of Isaiah forty is indeed

613
00:39:19.840 --> 00:39:23.679
connected to Isaiah thirty nine five through eight, where the

614
00:39:23.719 --> 00:39:29.519
impending Babylonian captivity is foretold due to judas persistent disobedience

615
00:39:29.559 --> 00:39:34.840
to the law given at Cyini. This disobedience led to

616
00:39:34.960 --> 00:39:42.719
their experiencing the curses outlined in Deuteronomy twenty eight. Right,

617
00:39:42.880 --> 00:39:45.360
so let's all remember go back to Deuteronomy twenty eight.

618
00:39:45.400 --> 00:40:02.079
Open your bible to Deuteronomy twenty eight. This is very important.

619
00:40:02.800 --> 00:40:07.639
Deuteronomy twenty eight outlines the curses that would happen if

620
00:40:07.639 --> 00:40:15.320
they do not do what if they do not obey? Right,

621
00:40:16.119 --> 00:40:19.679
God will bless. But what will happen if they disobey?

622
00:40:19.719 --> 00:40:23.079
If you look at verse fifteen. But it shall come

623
00:40:23.119 --> 00:40:25.119
to pass if thou will not hearken into the voice

624
00:40:25.159 --> 00:40:29.159
of the Lord that God to observe to do all

625
00:40:29.639 --> 00:40:34.199
his commandments and his statues which I command thee this day,

626
00:40:34.480 --> 00:40:39.480
that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee.

627
00:40:39.800 --> 00:40:42.400
So let me make this very clear. When you're reading

628
00:40:42.599 --> 00:40:46.639
Isaiah forty through fifty five, this is setting up the

629
00:40:46.760 --> 00:40:50.760
comfort and deliverance from the judgment that occurs in the

630
00:40:50.800 --> 00:40:54.280
Babylonian captivity. What does the babylon If you want to

631
00:40:54.320 --> 00:40:57.719
talk about what the Babylonian captivity pictures? What is the

632
00:40:57.719 --> 00:41:01.320
Babylonian captivity picture? If you want to say it pictures something,

633
00:41:01.440 --> 00:41:04.480
what does it picture? From a thiological standpoint? If anyone

634
00:41:04.559 --> 00:41:09.679
just does basic reading comprehension, the Babylonian captivity pictures the

635
00:41:09.800 --> 00:41:16.079
end result of doing what living under the law. When

636
00:41:16.079 --> 00:41:24.360
you live under the law, what do you get? Cursed? Cursed?

637
00:41:24.400 --> 00:41:28.559
Does anyone who doesn't do what? What does the text say,

638
00:41:28.840 --> 00:41:32.800
we just read it. For anyone who does not obey

639
00:41:34.639 --> 00:41:41.159
all all the law demands what kind of perfection? Perfection? Okay, right,

640
00:41:41.559 --> 00:41:46.400
it demands complete obedience? Right, all you got to obey,

641
00:41:46.440 --> 00:41:50.039
You've got to be perfect. Does anyone fulfill that? No?

642
00:41:50.599 --> 00:41:54.440
Did Israel ever fulfill that? No? So what is the

643
00:41:54.519 --> 00:41:58.280
end result of living under the law. It's basically Babylonian captivity.

644
00:41:58.440 --> 00:42:02.440
It's cursed that's what it pictures, that's what it demonstrates.

645
00:42:03.480 --> 00:42:06.000
But that's that's not a nobody really likes them. But

646
00:42:06.079 --> 00:42:09.800
I cannot stress that enough. All Right, This disobedience led

647
00:42:09.800 --> 00:42:12.519
to the experiencing the curses outline in Deuteronomy twenty eight,

648
00:42:13.199 --> 00:42:17.519
which warned of the consequences for forsaking God's commandments. So

649
00:42:17.800 --> 00:42:20.639
what I'm going to give you, and we're gonna at

650
00:42:20.679 --> 00:42:24.159
least start, I'm gonna outline and summarize the laws they

651
00:42:24.280 --> 00:42:28.119
disobeyed and the curses they suffered as described in the

652
00:42:28.159 --> 00:42:31.400
context of the Babylonian captivity. So we're gonna look at

653
00:42:31.559 --> 00:42:35.599
actually which laws and things they did that leads to

654
00:42:35.639 --> 00:42:40.599
the Babylonian captivity. Why because if we understand the curses

655
00:42:40.800 --> 00:42:44.159
and we understand what they did, that creates a more

656
00:42:44.239 --> 00:42:49.480
dramatic picture, right, because you need a dramatic picture before

657
00:42:49.519 --> 00:42:52.039
you read the words in Isaiah forty verse one, which

658
00:42:52.079 --> 00:43:00.480
read comfort Ye, comfort ye my people, Saith God or

659
00:43:00.599 --> 00:43:03.320
saith God. Right, I think it says Saith You're God.

660
00:43:03.440 --> 00:43:05.400
I wanted someone look at Isaiah forty verse one, just

661
00:43:05.440 --> 00:43:08.079
make sure I don't misquote it. I hate when I

662
00:43:08.119 --> 00:43:14.719
paraphrase it. Incorrectly, which I do all the time. Isaiah

663
00:43:14.760 --> 00:43:19.519
forty verse one. Okay, well, it'll still give a basic idea.

664
00:43:20.079 --> 00:43:27.719
Whoever gets there first. Saith you're God. Okay, I was

665
00:43:27.719 --> 00:43:31.320
pretty close, right, Saith You're God. So when when you

666
00:43:31.400 --> 00:43:35.639
read those words, you see what can happen. Why is

667
00:43:35.679 --> 00:43:37.840
it so easy for us to grab those words and say, oh,

668
00:43:38.000 --> 00:43:42.599
comfort for me, Because we're not understanding the dire picture

669
00:43:43.000 --> 00:43:45.239
that has been painted for us and is at least

670
00:43:45.320 --> 00:43:48.559
hinted at in Isaiah thirty nine. Isaiah thirty nine is like,

671
00:43:48.639 --> 00:43:51.000
you people are going into captivity. Why are they going

672
00:43:51.000 --> 00:43:54.880
into captivity because of Deuteronomy twenty eight. They're getting all

673
00:43:54.880 --> 00:43:58.320
the curses? Why because they did not obey the law.

674
00:43:58.440 --> 00:44:01.360
So if we see they're disobe and see the things

675
00:44:01.360 --> 00:44:03.679
they're suffering, when you get to the words of comfort,

676
00:44:03.880 --> 00:44:06.039
you don't go, oh that's for me. You're like, well, man,

677
00:44:06.119 --> 00:44:09.079
these people desperately need it, and you put it in

678
00:44:09.119 --> 00:44:11.679
its proper context. So that's why we're going to do this.

679
00:44:11.960 --> 00:44:14.400
Even some people may say it's belaboring the point. I

680
00:44:14.440 --> 00:44:16.559
don't care. This is what we're going to do, all right,

681
00:44:16.599 --> 00:44:18.280
So are we going to go through this everybody ready

682
00:44:18.320 --> 00:44:21.480
for this, because I think that's very, very, very important. Right.

683
00:44:21.480 --> 00:44:23.599
So we're going to outline and summarize the laws they

684
00:44:23.599 --> 00:44:28.880
disobeyed and the curses they suffered. Right, the laws they

685
00:44:28.880 --> 00:44:31.519
disobeyed in the law and the curses they suffered. So

686
00:44:31.599 --> 00:44:35.039
number one, an overview of disobeyed laws. Let's do an

687
00:44:35.079 --> 00:44:39.400
overview of those disobeyed laws. The laws given them Mount Sinai,

688
00:44:39.480 --> 00:44:50.840
primarily in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, includes commands related to worship, justice, purity, idolatry,

689
00:44:51.840 --> 00:44:57.440
and Sabbath observance, and ethical behavior. I think that's all.

690
00:44:57.480 --> 00:44:59.760
I think that's a good description. Do you agree the

691
00:45:00.119 --> 00:45:02.639
I was giving him mout Sinai in Exodus, Leviticus and

692
00:45:02.679 --> 00:45:09.480
Deuteronomy include commands related to what number one, worship, number two, justice,

693
00:45:10.400 --> 00:45:16.559
number three, purity, number four, idolatry, number five, the Sabbath,

694
00:45:17.159 --> 00:45:26.119
and number six ethical behavior. Judah's disobedience involved repeated violations

695
00:45:26.440 --> 00:45:33.360
of these laws over generations. They broke these laws over

696
00:45:33.719 --> 00:45:38.280
and over and over and over again. And what should

697
00:45:38.320 --> 00:45:44.960
we say about that? Truth? So do we? So if

698
00:45:45.000 --> 00:45:48.719
you want a spiritual picture, we're getting a spiritual picture. Right.

699
00:45:49.679 --> 00:45:53.719
The Babylonian captivity is the end result of not keeping

700
00:45:53.760 --> 00:45:58.440
the law. We are all in Babylonian captivity in a

701
00:45:58.480 --> 00:46:03.079
sense from that sense. But the comfort is not a

702
00:46:03.159 --> 00:46:07.960
comfort about oh, oh, you're having a bad day at work. Comfort, ye,

703
00:46:08.199 --> 00:46:12.119
stop it. The comfort would be comfort about what being

704
00:46:12.360 --> 00:46:15.480
cursed under the law. That if there's any comfort for us,

705
00:46:15.519 --> 00:46:17.559
that would be the comfort. Does that make any sense?

706
00:46:18.239 --> 00:46:20.920
All right? Here are some of the key laws Judah disobeyed.

707
00:46:20.960 --> 00:46:23.880
Everybody ready, go to Exodus chapter twenty, verses three through five.

708
00:46:30.079 --> 00:46:41.559
Everybody should know this, all right? What's Exodus twenty three

709
00:46:41.559 --> 00:46:47.639
through five say you will have no other guys before me?

710
00:46:47.679 --> 00:46:50.480
Does it not mention graven images there as well? Or

711
00:46:50.559 --> 00:46:53.639
is that the previous verse? Okay? Verse four? Right, So

712
00:46:53.880 --> 00:46:57.159
have no other gods, no graven images, don't bow down

713
00:46:57.199 --> 00:46:59.719
to them? All right? All of those types of words.

714
00:46:59.719 --> 00:47:02.960
Everybody see that Nexodus three through five. This is the

715
00:47:03.000 --> 00:47:05.400
first Some would call this the first and second commandments

716
00:47:05.480 --> 00:47:09.760
I forbids worship of other gods and making idols. Wouldever,

717
00:47:09.800 --> 00:47:13.599
one agree with that description? It forbids worshiping other gods

718
00:47:13.639 --> 00:47:18.719
and making idols. Despite this, Judah repeatedly fell into idolatry

719
00:47:18.960 --> 00:47:25.039
and worshiped gods of different kinds. Right, Let's see if

720
00:47:25.079 --> 00:47:28.000
these cross references work. I was trying to choose which

721
00:47:28.039 --> 00:47:30.639
cross references, so I may have written down the wrong ones. Well,

722
00:47:30.679 --> 00:47:32.840
can just you can verify really quick? Go to Second

723
00:47:32.920 --> 00:47:36.360
King's twenty one eleven. I think there's one there. Second

724
00:47:36.400 --> 00:47:53.760
King's twenty one eleven. I hope this works. There you go,

725
00:47:53.800 --> 00:47:56.159
Second King's twenty one eleven. There we go. There was

726
00:47:56.239 --> 00:48:01.920
idolatry doing wickedness. All right? Do you see that? Everybody

727
00:48:01.920 --> 00:48:05.039
see Second King's twenty one eleven. Everybody an agreement with that?

728
00:48:05.039 --> 00:48:08.960
That that's there? Go to Second Chronicles twenty eight two

729
00:48:09.000 --> 00:48:12.360
through four. Second Chronicles twenty eight two through four. That

730
00:48:12.400 --> 00:48:14.559
first one a cross reference is pretty good. Hopefully that

731
00:48:14.639 --> 00:48:19.239
My second cross reference was twenty eight two through four.

732
00:48:20.320 --> 00:48:34.519
Second Chronicles twenty eight two through four. My first one worked,

733
00:48:37.079 --> 00:48:39.360
all right. That's all kinds of false worship, all kinds

734
00:48:39.400 --> 00:48:42.840
of idolatry, even sacrifice going on, all kinds of horrible

735
00:48:42.880 --> 00:48:46.360
things going on. These texts prove that even though God

736
00:48:46.360 --> 00:48:49.920
gave them very specific commands, what did they do? They

737
00:48:50.079 --> 00:48:55.000
violated them repeatedly, over and over and over again. Go

738
00:48:55.079 --> 00:48:58.360
to Deuteronomy chapter twelve, before we even get to Deuteronomy

739
00:48:58.360 --> 00:49:09.360
twenty eight. Deuteronomy chapter twelve, verses two through four. What

740
00:49:09.400 --> 00:49:33.199
do you read in Deuteronomy twelve two through four. Okay,

741
00:49:33.559 --> 00:49:36.920
for those who online who didn't hear that in Deuteronomy

742
00:49:36.920 --> 00:49:39.639
twelve two through four they were commanded to destroy pagan

743
00:49:39.719 --> 00:49:42.920
worship sites. But what did they do? And often they

744
00:49:42.960 --> 00:49:46.719
adopted them instead of and built high places and worshiped

745
00:49:46.760 --> 00:49:49.039
other gods. They're told in Deuteronomy two through four to

746
00:49:49.079 --> 00:49:51.519
do what, go in and utterly destroy all of it,

747
00:49:51.920 --> 00:49:56.480
wipe it all out. They did not do that. They

748
00:49:56.519 --> 00:49:59.239
failed over and over and over and over again. So

749
00:49:59.360 --> 00:50:01.960
number one, we have worship in idolatry, and I think

750
00:50:02.000 --> 00:50:04.400
you see that right. We have worship in idolatry, and

751
00:50:04.440 --> 00:50:09.119
they failed countless times. How about number two? Go to

752
00:50:09.159 --> 00:50:19.920
Exodus chapter twenty eight through eleven. Exodus chapter twenty eight

753
00:50:19.960 --> 00:50:26.159
through eleven. What do we have here? Remember the Sabbath

754
00:50:26.199 --> 00:50:28.760
day and keep it holy. We see the same Sabbath

755
00:50:28.840 --> 00:50:32.480
laws established to Leviticus twenty five, verses one through seven.

756
00:50:32.559 --> 00:50:34.880
If you would like to look at them, Leviticus twenty

757
00:50:34.920 --> 00:50:39.639
five to one through seven. You have Sabbath laws rules

758
00:50:39.800 --> 00:50:44.119
that they were to follow. The Sabbath law required both

759
00:50:44.119 --> 00:50:47.599
a weekly Sabbath and Sabbath years for the rest of

760
00:50:47.639 --> 00:50:54.880
the land every seven years. Judah ignored these commands, particularly

761
00:50:54.960 --> 00:50:58.400
the Sabbath years, as they did not allow the land

762
00:50:58.440 --> 00:51:02.039
to rest. I wrong, but look at Second Chronicles I

763
00:51:02.079 --> 00:51:08.480
believe thirty six twenty one. Second Chronicles thirty six twenty one.

764
00:51:08.679 --> 00:51:10.840
I'm thinking it's a number, so it could be all

765
00:51:10.880 --> 00:51:15.679
it could be like one hundred miles away. Second Chronicles

766
00:51:15.719 --> 00:51:32.800
thirty six twenty one. Okay, Right, so there's a little

767
00:51:32.800 --> 00:51:34.639
bit there that's not as clear as I probably would

768
00:51:34.760 --> 00:51:36.559
like it, but you get the basic idea. The land

769
00:51:36.639 --> 00:51:39.239
was supposed to rest and over and over and over.

770
00:51:39.320 --> 00:51:44.639
They did not follow that. All right, this specific dispecific

771
00:51:44.679 --> 00:51:58.840
I'm sorry, go ahead, Oh okay, so all right, there

772
00:51:58.880 --> 00:52:03.000
we go. Okay that maybe I yeah, taking them to

773
00:52:03.559 --> 00:52:07.159
taking them into captivity allowed the land to do what now,

774
00:52:07.199 --> 00:52:09.519
fulfill the Sabbath. Okay, very good, I'm glad you caught

775
00:52:09.559 --> 00:52:12.960
the twenty twenty one. I knew I was off probably somewhere.

776
00:52:13.320 --> 00:52:17.119
The specific disobedience contributed directly to the duration of their exile,

777
00:52:17.599 --> 00:52:21.239
as the land was given its rest during the seventy

778
00:52:21.320 --> 00:52:23.800
years of captivity. Okay, so I just I needed verse

779
00:52:23.840 --> 00:52:28.400
twenty there, right, So what happened because they did not

780
00:52:29.320 --> 00:52:32.840
obey the sabbath. They go into captivity so that the

781
00:52:32.920 --> 00:52:36.519
land gets the Sabbath. And that's why you have the

782
00:52:36.559 --> 00:52:41.440
seventy years specifically, so that I mean that shows you

783
00:52:41.679 --> 00:52:44.920
when you hear comfort, ye, comfort, ye, they need comfort

784
00:52:44.920 --> 00:52:48.679
because they've done everything you could possibly do wrong, all right,

785
00:52:49.159 --> 00:52:54.079
which which is the show's mercy? All right? Now we'll

786
00:52:54.119 --> 00:52:57.119
just mention the third one, right, all right? So we

787
00:52:57.199 --> 00:53:00.760
have worship in idolatry Exodus twenty three through five violated it.

788
00:53:01.039 --> 00:53:03.880
They have sabbath observance Exodus twenty eight through eleven, they

789
00:53:03.960 --> 00:53:07.320
violated it. That's why they actually go into captivity. I

790
00:53:07.360 --> 00:53:09.760
have more scripture here, but we don't have time to

791
00:53:09.800 --> 00:53:12.760
get into all of it right now. Okay. Number three,

792
00:53:13.599 --> 00:53:18.440
Justice and care for the vulnerable. Justice and care for

793
00:53:18.480 --> 00:53:23.199
the vulnerable. Look at Deuteronomy chapter fifteen seven through eleven.

794
00:53:29.800 --> 00:53:37.880
Deuteronomy fifteen seven through eleven, Deuteronomy fifteen seven through eleven.

795
00:53:37.960 --> 00:53:43.440
What happens here Deuteronomy fifteen verse seven, If there be

796
00:53:43.559 --> 00:53:46.320
among you a poor man of one of thy brethren,

797
00:53:46.360 --> 00:53:49.079
within any of thy gates and thy land, which the

798
00:53:49.119 --> 00:53:52.400
Lord thy God give THEE. Thou shalt not harden thine heart,

799
00:53:52.639 --> 00:53:55.679
nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother. But thou

800
00:53:55.760 --> 00:53:59.159
shalt open thine hand wide under him. I shall surely

801
00:53:59.239 --> 00:54:03.320
lend him so for his need and that which he wanteth.

802
00:54:03.960 --> 00:54:07.000
Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart,

803
00:54:07.079 --> 00:54:10.159
saying the servant the seventh year, the year of release

804
00:54:10.280 --> 00:54:12.559
is at hand. And then I be evil against the

805
00:54:12.639 --> 00:54:15.920
poor brother, and thou givest him not, and he cry

806
00:54:16.039 --> 00:54:19.960
unto Lord against THEE, and it be a sin unto THEE.

807
00:54:20.119 --> 00:54:22.760
Thou shall surely give him. And thy heart shall not

808
00:54:22.840 --> 00:54:26.239
be grieved when thou givest unto him, because that for

809
00:54:26.400 --> 00:54:28.679
this thing the Lord thy God shall bless THEE and

810
00:54:28.840 --> 00:54:32.480
all thy works. And then all thou puttest thou hand unto,

811
00:54:32.840 --> 00:54:35.079
for the poor shall never cease out of the land.

812
00:54:35.280 --> 00:54:37.960
Therefore I command THEE, saying thou shalt open thy hand

813
00:54:38.000 --> 00:54:40.400
white unto thy brother, to the poor and to the

814
00:54:40.440 --> 00:54:42.960
needy in thy land. A r What are they supposed

815
00:54:42.960 --> 00:54:47.320
to do? Take care of the poor, That's what they

816
00:54:47.400 --> 00:54:50.800
are supposed to do. Look at Deuteronomy chapter twenty four,

817
00:54:59.639 --> 00:55:05.480
four seventeen. What is this Read twenty four to seventeen.

818
00:55:05.800 --> 00:55:12.239
Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the the alien,

819
00:55:13.039 --> 00:55:17.079
the stranger, the immigrant. There was rules on how they

820
00:55:17.119 --> 00:55:20.280
treated the immigrants. I know that's a crazy concept, but

821
00:55:20.599 --> 00:55:24.400
it was the rule there right. Nor of the fatherless,

822
00:55:24.440 --> 00:55:28.039
nor take a widow's raiment to pledge. But thou shall

823
00:55:28.039 --> 00:55:31.320
remember that thou was a bondman in Egypt, and the Lord,

824
00:55:31.320 --> 00:55:34.400
thy God redeemed thee. That's therefore I command THEE to

825
00:55:34.480 --> 00:55:37.360
do this thing. When thou cuttest down thine harvest in

826
00:55:37.440 --> 00:55:40.599
thine field and forgot a sheaf in the field, thou

827
00:55:40.599 --> 00:55:42.519
shall not go again to fetch it. It shall be

828
00:55:42.599 --> 00:55:54.119
for the who's it four verse nineteen. It's for the stranger.

829
00:55:54.639 --> 00:55:56.840
In other words, you don't go back and get your crop.

830
00:55:56.880 --> 00:56:00.119
You'll leave it for whom, the alien, the immigrants, so

831
00:56:00.199 --> 00:56:03.480
that they can have it. I know these are crazy

832
00:56:03.599 --> 00:56:06.920
laws that we can't believe that actually exists. When those

833
00:56:07.199 --> 00:56:09.840
beat as sign olive trees, thou shall not go over

834
00:56:09.960 --> 00:56:12.519
the bows against It should be for the stranger, for

835
00:56:12.639 --> 00:56:16.199
the fatherless. When thou gatherest grapes in the vineyard, thou

836
00:56:16.199 --> 00:56:20.239
should not glean it afterwards. It should be for the stranger.

837
00:56:20.559 --> 00:56:23.039
The idea is, hey, there's these things that should that

838
00:56:23.119 --> 00:56:25.840
You could say, this is mine, and God says, do

839
00:56:25.960 --> 00:56:30.599
what leave it for the alien, Leave it for the immigrant,

840
00:56:30.719 --> 00:56:34.519
leave it for the stranger. Those are those are very

841
00:56:34.559 --> 00:56:40.039
important laws. All right. However, what do you think Judah did.

842
00:56:43.400 --> 00:56:47.760
They were oppressive, failing to provide justice to the vulnerable.

843
00:56:47.880 --> 00:56:50.400
And we'll look at some cross references in the next hour.

844
00:56:50.559 --> 00:56:53.440
So here's what I want to see. Isaiah thirty nine

845
00:56:53.840 --> 00:56:58.079
is the captivity. The captivity is Listen, you cannot read

846
00:56:58.199 --> 00:57:01.400
Isaiah thirty nine, and you can not read Isaiah forty

847
00:57:01.400 --> 00:57:05.280
through fifty five without connecting it to Deuteronomy twenty eight

848
00:57:05.360 --> 00:57:10.639
and following, because twenty eight and following gives the curses

849
00:57:11.280 --> 00:57:16.360
for those who do not obey the law. And guess

850
00:57:16.440 --> 00:57:24.320
what they're experiencing, and that captivity the curses. So when

851
00:57:24.360 --> 00:57:29.159
you hear comfort, it's comfort to a people who've been

852
00:57:29.159 --> 00:57:33.199
suffering the curses of not keeping the law. And that

853
00:57:33.320 --> 00:57:39.039
comfort is based off what God's covenant to his people,

854
00:57:39.800 --> 00:57:45.480
God's mercy, God's grace, not the people deserving it. Now,

855
00:57:45.519 --> 00:57:49.679
that starts setting up a picture that may have application

856
00:57:49.880 --> 00:57:53.079
to us to some level, but the application deals with

857
00:57:53.159 --> 00:57:58.960
what a more salvafic application. Not Oh, you're going through

858
00:57:59.000 --> 00:58:01.480
a rough day, read Isaiah forty and you'll feel better,

859
00:58:02.400 --> 00:58:06.679
Because that's not bringing comfort to anybody. That's giving people

860
00:58:06.719 --> 00:58:12.000
a fraudulent comfort. You're giving people a lie to make

861
00:58:12.039 --> 00:58:14.639
them feel better. Well, I don't know. At some point

862
00:58:14.719 --> 00:58:16.840
you should get sick of the lies that pastors have

863
00:58:17.000 --> 00:58:19.679
told you to help you feel better. But nobody really

864
00:58:19.719 --> 00:58:22.079
cares because it makes you feel better. You're more worried

865
00:58:22.079 --> 00:58:24.440
about the comfort you're given than the truth you were given.

866
00:58:25.599 --> 00:58:30.280
But fraudulent comfort should actually tick you off, should make

867
00:58:30.360 --> 00:58:36.119
you mad. Right if a doctor gives you a fraudulent

868
00:58:36.320 --> 00:58:40.440
If he gives you a fake pill, right, like a

869
00:58:40.480 --> 00:58:43.320
sugar pill, but he tells you that this is going

870
00:58:43.360 --> 00:58:46.719
to bring great comfort, at some point, should you not

871
00:58:46.800 --> 00:58:50.760
get ticked off that he didn't actually give you medication? Now,

872
00:58:50.800 --> 00:58:52.039
I guess some people are like, well, it made me

873
00:58:52.039 --> 00:58:54.239
feel better. I guess that's all that matters. You think

874
00:58:54.280 --> 00:58:58.800
you know you want the truth, right, or maybe that's

875
00:58:58.840 --> 00:59:04.000
an outdated concept. So we'll have to stop there. We'll

876
00:59:04.000 --> 00:59:05.760
try to take it further, but there's a lot there

877
00:59:05.800 --> 00:59:09.559
to take apart. Is there? Not all right? Because we

878
00:59:09.639 --> 00:59:12.119
got to go through everything. Everything is going to set

879
00:59:12.199 --> 00:59:14.840
up those beautiful words in Isaiah forty. But those words

880
00:59:14.880 --> 00:59:17.599
are not beautiful unless we have all of this additional context.

881
00:59:17.599 --> 00:59:19.719
So we'll stop right there. Lorg God, we come before

882
00:59:19.760 --> 00:59:21.880
you this morning. Lord, does we try to work through

883
00:59:21.920 --> 00:59:24.920
this to try to find the appropriate context. Lord, help

884
00:59:25.000 --> 00:59:29.800
us see what these people were going through, why they

885
00:59:29.800 --> 00:59:32.400
were going through it, and then understand the power of

886
00:59:32.440 --> 00:59:35.519
your words in Isaiah forty. Forgive us for what we've

887
00:59:35.559 --> 00:59:39.880
done to these words, how we've misappropriated them, ripped them

888
00:59:39.920 --> 00:59:44.159
out of their contexts, twisted them, and offered fraudulent comfort

889
00:59:44.400 --> 00:59:47.440
when there's no comfort being offered for us. And we

890
00:59:47.480 --> 00:59:49.880
asked this in Jesus name, and guys, people said