B. Oracles of Judgment and Salvation (13:1–23:18)
time.
Also known as the "evangelical Prophet," Isaiah spoke much about the grace of God toward Israel, particularly in his last 27 chapters. The centerpiece is Isaiah's unrivaled ch. 53, portraying Christ as the slain Lamb of God.
Interpretive Challenges
Interpretive challenges in a long and significant book such as Isaiah are numerous. The most critical of them focuses on whether Isaiah's prophecies will receive literal fulfillment or not, and on whether the Lord, in his program, has abandoned national Israel and permanently replaced the nation with the church, so that there is no future for national Israel.
On the latter issue, numerous portions of Isaiah support the position that God has not replaced ethnic Israel with an alleged "new Israel." Isaiah has too much to say about God's faithfulness to Israel, that he would not reject the people whom he has created and chosen (43:1). The nation is on the palms of his hands, and Jerusalem's walls are ever before his eyes (49:16). He is bound by his own word to fulfill the promises he has made to bring them back to himself and bless them in that future day (55:10–12).
On the former issue, literal fulfillment of many of Isaiah's prophecies has already occurred, as illustrated in Introduction: Historical and Theological Themes. To contend that those yet unfulfilled will see non-literal fulfillment is biblically groundless. This fact disqualifies the case for proposing that the church receives some of the promises made originally to Israel. The kingdom promised to David belongs to Israel, not the church. The future exaltation of Jerusalem will be on earth, not in heaven. Christ will reign personally on this earth as we know it, as well as in the new heavens and new earth (Rev. 22:1, 3).
Outline
I. Judgment (1:1–35:10)
A. Prophecies Concerning Judah and Jerusalem (1:1–12:6)
1. Judah's social sins (1:1–6:13) 2. Judah's political entanglements (7:1–12:6) B. Oracles of Judgment and Salvation (13:1–23:18)