The Knowing the Bible series is a new resource designed to help Bible readers better understand and apply God's Word. Each 12-week study leads participants through one book of the Bible and is made up of four basic components: (1) Reflection questions designed to help readers engage the text at a deeper level; (2) "Gospel Glimpses" highlighting the gospel of grace throughout the book; (3) "Whole-Bible Connections" showing how any given passage connects to the Bible's overarching story of redemption culminating in Christ; and (4) "Theological Soundings" identifying how historic orthodox doctrines are taught or reinforced throughout Scripture. With contributions from a wide array of influential pastors and church leaders, these gospel-centered studies will help Christians see and cherish the message of God's grace on each and every page of the Bible. Pastor Drew Hunter helps readers understand and apply the challenging words of the prophet Isaiah in this 12-week study. Isaiah's prophecy, which alternates between promises of judgment and restoration, reminds God's people of the magnitude of humanity's sin, the judgment that we all deserve, and how God displays his glory by saving sinners. Throughout the study, Hunter continually shows how Isaiah's promise of cosmic renewal ultimately anticipates the work of Jesus Christ, the servant-king whose death would result in new life for all who trust in him.
Does your knowledge of the Old Testament feel like a grab bag of people, books, events and ideas? Sandra Richter gives an overview of the Old Testament, organizing our disorderly knowledge of the Old Testament people, facts and stories into a memorable and manageable story of redemption that climaxes in the New Testament.
In this book, Mike will provide a comprehensive introduction to Isaiah explaining the structure, style and various themes Isaiah addresses as well as several lessons developed from key passages in Isaiah's book.
Anyone who has attempted to teach or preach through the prophecy of Isaiah has felt a tension. In view of what the structure of the book of Isaiah aims to emphasize, this NSBT volume employs the concept of "kingdom" as an entry point for organizing the book's major themes, identifying the links to the broader biblical canon and ultimately to Jesus.
What is the "way of the LORD" in the book of Isaiah? Many scholars have adopted Walter Zimmerli's proposal that the "way" in Second Isaiah is a literal and physical highway extending from Babylon to Jerusalem only to be reinterpreted as a spiritual, metaphorical, and pious way of living in Third Isaiah. This book will properly define each mention of the "way" in Isaiah as well as provide a coherent interpretation of this theme's theological significance within the book. The way of the LORD is initially conceived of in the 1st half of the book as a highway leading to Zion common to both the dispersed Israelites as well as the nations. In Isaiah, Chs 34-35 provide a paradigm of what this way will entail and its theological significance.
The book of Isaiah is a collection of prophecies that is more than a historical record or teaching. It is the overarching vision of the heart of God revealed to his prophet. It spans the ages and touches every nation on earth, becoming a collective overview of all that God has planned. The message of Isaiah is one of victory, hope, comfort, and restoration. The themes of its prophecies are unrivaled in all of Scripture. With panoramic insight, Isaiah preaches the virgin birth of Christ, the bride of Christ, and the New Jerusalem. These prophecies also present a description of the cataclysmic judgments, the survival of a holy remnant emerging in Zion, and the canopy of glory that is coming to earth. It was because of our rebellious deeds that he was pierced and because of our sins that he was crushed. He endured the punishment that made us completely whole, and in his wounding we found our healing. Isaiah 53:5
Study of the book of Isaiah has in recent times been strongly marked by a tension between synchronic and diachronic approaches. The first is favoured mainly by English-speaking, the second by German-speaking scholars. Berges's book attempts to mediate between the two poles, arguing that the final form analysis and the tracing of the development of that form are deeply interdependent. This new research paradigm is applied here to the entire text of the book of Isaiah. Berges works consistently from the synchronic to the diachronic and back again to the evolved synchronous final form. Features that have been repeatedly observed-the cross-connections, key word associations, resumption of themes, and especially the bracketing of the book by chaps. 1 and 66-are traces of a deliberate interweaving of various small compositions as well as of larger literary redactions. The paradigm most suited to the book of Isaiah in all its complexity is not that of one comprehensive overall structure or final redaction, but that of smaller compositions that build on one another, come into conversation with one another, and, each in its own way, bring into play specific contemporary problems. We should not force a common thematic denominator on the book, but it becomes clear that Jerusalem and Zion belong to the basic tenor of the book of Isaiah as it was developed and refashioned through the centuries. The Book of Isaiah: Its Composition and Final Form is translated by Millard C. Lind from its German original, Das Buch Jesaja: Komposition und Endgestalt (Freiburg: Herder, 1998).
Of Isaiah' prophetic writings, the resurrected Lord taught, "Search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah" (3 Nephi 32:1). Yet no chapters in the Book of Mormon are more difficult to understand than the Isaiah passages quoted by Nephi, Jacob, Abinadi, and Christ himself. The 17 essays in Isaiah in the Book of Mormon take a variety of approaches in seeking to help readers make the most of Isaiah's teachings. The contributing scholars draw on the Book of Mormon prophets as knowledgeable guides, examining how and why those ancient writers used and interpreted Isaiah's prophetic teachings. They explain Nephi's keys for understanding the great prophet, use historical and linguistic information to clarify his meanings, examine recurring themes, and reflect on the influence of these texts on ancient and modern saints.