Reading for June 8th

Read Isaiah 35.1-10. In 35.1-10: The triumph of Zion. In verses 1-4: In contrast to the grim and forbidding warnings of ch. 34, ch. 35 presents a picture of the hope that awaits the people of God when they rebuild the land of Judah and re-establish Jerusalem as their capital. It will be a fitting place to which all the scattered survivors of Israel can return. This chapter, without a clear historical context, may have been add to link chs. 40-55 with chs. 5-34. In verses 5-10: The hope for the speacial eminence that will come to Jerusalem (Zion) is consistent with chs. 60-62. The theme of the highway by which the scattered survivors of the nation will be enabled to return to their homeland (940.1) is anticipated in v. 8 (see also 19.23). The opening up of pools in the wilderness alludes to the promise of 41.17-18, while opening of eyes and ears (v. 5) marks the end of the time of Israel's blindness and deafness (compare 6.9-10). Chapter 35 summarizes and concludes chs. 5-34, with their many threats and warnings, and opens the path to the more consistently hopeful message of chs. 40-66. Chapters 36-39 bridge these two major collections by reporting a triunphanst sign of hope for Judah at the close of the eighth century. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 7th

Read Isaiah 34.1-17. In 34.1-17: the Lord's day of vengence. Taken together, chs. 34-35 provide a sequel to the prophecies of chs. 24-27, with which they are closely related both in theme and character. The major exception is the warning of the divine punishment that is to be fall the people of Edom (34.5-17), a nation that is unexpectedly absent from the foreign peoples included in chs. 13-23. Their inclusion separately at this point may reflect a sharp condemenation of their treacherous role after the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylonian forces in 587 BCE. In verses 1-4: The opening addresses all nations and peoples with a fearsome warning of judgment to come upon them all, similar to the warning of 24.1-23. In verses 5-17: The especially ierce and bloodthirsty warning of the judgment that is to befall Edom foretells that this land will be reduced to a total ruin, with all its population annihilated (vv. 9-13). It will become a home for wild animals, instead of a place of human habitation (vv. 14-17). Comments and Questions..

Reading for June 6th

Read Isaiah 33.13-24. In verses 13-16: The refernce to those who are far away and those who are near reflects the divided condition of Israel in the wake of the removal of people into exile. The former nation was in danger of becoming two peoples with some still in the territory of Judah and others scattered among many nations. Isaiah emphasizes the unified purpose of God for both groups and the central significance of Jerusalem as the spiritual capital of all. In verses 17-24: Babylonian control over Judah and the catastrophes that had befallen Jerusalem had cast doubt on the future of the Davidic kingship. The message of 11.1-5 reveals how eagerly the people awaited a descendent of Judah's royal dynasty, and this hope is further repeated here. Instead of the hated representatives of foreign domination- zealous only for plunder and gain (v. 18)- there would be a king upholding justice and building properity (v.17). Jerusalem would once again become a quiet habitation and an immovable tent (v. 20). The broad rivers and streams, strangely out of place in a city with no major waterways, establish a contrast to the many waterways of Babylon, with their oppresive associations. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 5th

Read Isaiah 33.1-12. In 33.1-24: A miscellany of prophetic themes. This chapter, and the following two are difficult to place in context, but they probably reflect the period after the fall of Babylon when the fulfillment of the glowing promises of 40-55 was still awaited. In verses 1-6: The destroyer is not identified but the general context points to Babylon. Deliverance from oppression is still eagerly awaited, but requires patience and trust in God's purpose (v. 6). In verses 7-12: The lamentation of vv. 7-9, revealing the devasted condition of the land, is followed by warnings in vv. 10-16 that the wrong doing of the leaders in Jerusalem now hinders the fulfillment of God's promises. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 4th

Read Isaiah 32.1-20. In 32.1-20: A king will reign in righteousness. In verses 1-8: The deiverance of the city in 701 BCE was a dangerous precedent: it implied that God's protection could be reled upon inconditionally. The warning to Hezekiah in ch. 39 on the occasion of the visit of Babylonian emissaries was aimed at countering such false expectations. The Davidic kingship could not survive unless it was founded on just goverment and compassionate administration. This oracle maybe a portrait of the great reforming king, Josiah, during whose long reign (639-609 BCE) Assyrian rule over Judah ended and the royal adminstration was reformed (see 2 Kings 22.1-23.25). During this period a substanial part of Isaiah'sprophecies was probbaly compiled. In verses 9-14: The brief respite of hope and renwal during Josiah's reign ended suddenly and disastrously. Babylonian rule swiftly replace Assyrian oppression. Israel would suffer devastation once again, as Isaiah had declared (see 6.11-12) and the rampant growth of thorns and briers (see 5.6) would return. In verses 15-20: The outpouring of God's spirit (v. 15) and the transformation of the ruined land into farmland once again anticipated the hope of the later chapters, espection 60-62. The forest (v. 19) indicates oppressing foreign powers (Assyria and Babylon, see 10.18-19), which will disappear completely. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 3rd

Read Isaiah 31.1-9. In 31.1-9: The Lordship of the God of Mount Zion. Isaiah continues to warn against complicity with Egypt in rebellion against Assyria. The Lord fighting upon Mount Zion and upon its hill (v. 4) was perhaps originally a threat that God wouod fight against, not with Jerusalem (compare 29.4). Once again, a rebuke (vv. 1-3) shifts suddenly to assurance (vv. 4-9), raising the question at what point this new spiritual direction arose. Was Isaiah compelled to change his warning into one of promise, or has the situation that occurred with King Hezekiah's surrender to the Assyrian forces (2 Kings 18.13-16)) necessitated a revised perspective? The warning and the promise introduce (v. 6) the rebuke that Israel, a rebellious people, must first reject idolatry before God's deliverance can come. Threat and assurance are two aspects of the one consistent loving purpose of God, to protect and preserve the people. The reference to a sword, not of mortals (v. 8) alludes to the angelic slaughter described in 37.36. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 2nd

Read Isaiah 30.27-33. In 30.27-33: A song in the night. The concluding comments, a later development of the orginal message, elaborate on the theme of God's judgment, which will bring and end to the present unsatisfactory world order and establish in its place the righteous order of God. The Assyrian (v. 31) has become the symbolic for every oppressor of God's people. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 1st

Read Isaiah 30.18-26. This poetic reminder of future hope counters any criticism that the message of rest and quietness (v. 15) was too submissive and politically inactive to end foreign oppression. Human acceptance of the divine plane for the nations may require patience and fortitude in enduring the present order. A later scribe has described more fully (vv. 19-26) what this longed-for furure would bring. Only when God's judgment puts an end to human violence and oppression when its towers fall (v. 25)-will such peace and prosperity come. Comments and Questions..

Reading for May 31st

Read Isaiah 30.6-17. In verses 6-7: Egypt was famous for palaces and monuments, and as the gateway to Africa for the caravans that brought wealth and luxusries (see 1 Kings 10). The prophet contrasts such exotic wealth with worthlessness of the promises of Egypt help. Rahab (v. 7) was a dragon monster of ancient story comparable to the Leviathan creature (27.1). Since Egyptian religion was well known forits many deities portrayed in mixed animal/human form, the ironic title "Rahab who sits still" (v. 7) may allude to the sphinz-like images of Egypt. In verses 8-11: the command to inscribe it in a book is a remarkably rare recognition that prophecy was written down and read long after the time whenit had orginally been given. The writing is to become a witness forever to the truth that Israel was a rebellious people (v. 9). The readers would be no more willing to heed the message than the orginal hearers (see 29.11-12). In verses 12-14: Its breaking is like that of a potter's vessel (v. 14) emphasizes the suddeness and completeness of the disaster that was to come. Hezekiah's attempt tobuild security through an alliance with Egypt would prove disastourously misjudged. In verses 15-17: The poetry of returning rest, quietness, and trust attests that God alone is the defense of Jerualem. Comments or Questions...

Reading for May 30th

Read Isaiah 30.1-5. In 30. 1-33: In quietness and in trust shall be your strength. These memorable phrases present a central teaching: Salvation and peace come through trusting in God, not through human plans and alliances (v. 15). The chapter is built up from a number of short prophetic sayings (vv. 1-5; 6-7; 12-14; 15-17) deriving from the time of King Hezekiah's rebellion against Assyria (703-701 BCE) and the negotiations with Egypt for protection. Subsequently, admonitions (vv. 8-11) and assurances (vv. 18-26; 29-33) were added. The assursances includes a warning: God will judge wrongdoers (vv. 27-28). In verses 1-5: isaiah rejects Hezekiah's plan to rebel against Assyria and to trust Egypt's promises of help. The s ending of royal emissaries fromJudah to Egypt 9v. 4) must have prompted the orginal prophecy. This, along with Isaiah's awareness of secret consultations and plans made in Jerusalem (see 29.15), suggests that he held a priviledged position at court. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 29th

Read Isaiah 29.17-24. In verses 17-21: The renewal of hope. It is not clear why this message of hope, and the following one, have been added at this point. Verse 18 affirms that Israel's period of blindness (see 6.9-10) will pass, suggesting a link with the renewed warning of this in 29.9. In verses 22-24: And those who err in spirit: Israel's foolishness and lack of discernment (v. 14) requires a look toward God's delieverence. All who have forshaken God and the path of righteousness will come to undersatnd the truth. Comments or Questions.. . +++++srael's foolishness and lack of discernment (v. 14) requires a look toward God's deliverance. All who have forsaken God and the path of righteousness will come to understand the truth. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 28th

Read Isaiah 29.5-16. In 29.5-16: The viisittaion of of the Lord of hosts. God would intervene to protect Jerusalem, but it is not clear what actually occurred in 701 to explain this report (see comment on 37.36). This assurance may go back to Isaiah, or it may result from subsequent reflections on the deliverance of the city and King Hezekiahh's continuing reign. The survival of the Davidic dynasty in Jerusalem was of great significance when the destruction of Samaria and its royal house was recalled (see 2 Kings 18.10-12). In verses 9-12: The people's inability to discern God's purpose is the drunken staggering. The warning in vv. 11-12 witnesses to the way in which the spoken word of the prophet was preserved to become part of scripture. The reader of the book takes the place of the hearer of the word. In verses 13-14: The wisdom of their wise shall perish. The foll hardy polices of the royal counselors and advisers would prove ruinous. In verses 15-16: The prophet mocks the secrecy and subterfudge by which the royal counselors seek to hide their policy, with its high risk of military disaster, from the people. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 27th

Read Isaiah 29.1-4. In 29.1-24: The siege and deliverance of Jerusalem. This chapter centers on the threat to Jerusalem by Sennacherib's campaign in 701 BCE (see chs. 36-37). These oracles attest to both the danger the city faced and its remarkable escape. Warnings explaining the near catastrophe occur in vv. 9-10, 13-14, and 15-16. Jerusalem's survival demanded further reflection (587 BCE) pose further questions. These reflections are in vv. 5-8, with further messages of hope in vv. 17-21 and 22-24. 1-4: Ah Ariel, Ariel they city where David escaped! Ariel, "after hearth," refers to the sacred altar in the city, and the reference to King David recalls the taking of the city in 2 Sam 5.6-10, evoking its unique importance both to God and to Israel. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 26th

Read Isaiah 28.23-29. In 28.23-29: The lesson of the farmer's year. This one of the most instructive prophetic parables of the Hebrew Scriptures. The variety of activities that make up the farmer's year illustrate the force of vv. 21-22. To the question, "Would not destroying the city where the Temple stands be a strange work for God the protector?" the prophet's answer is that, like the farmer, God has many varied tasks to perform-and judging a rebellious people is one of them. Comments or Questions...

Reading for May 25th

Read Isaiah 28.14-22. In 28.14-22: God's strange work. This powerful prophhecy expresses the fundementals of Isaiah's conviction: God alon is the defense and protector of the people of Jerusalem. Instead of trusting God, however the leaders had chosen a covenant with death and an agreement with Sheol (v. 18). These titles may refer to a strange ritual with the god of death to make sure that no harm could come to them. Or more likely, they may be a sharplly ironic description of the treaty with Egypt that Judah hoped would protect it against any Assyrian reprisal for rebellion. Egypt is caricatured as the kingdom of death because of its obession with overcoming death (by constructing great pyramids and embalming national figures). In contrast, Isaiah insists that Judah's actions will simply hasten death's arrival. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 24th

Read Isaiah 28.7-13. In 28.7-13: God cannot be mocked with impunity. It is unclear wheather this oracle is addressed to the reveiers in vv. 1-4, or whether it is a rebuke to a group of Jerusalem's leaders (Compare v. 14). The signs of excessare evident (v. 8) when they turn to mock the prophet and, by implication, God (vv. 9-10). These leaders accuse the prophet of treating them like little children (v.10). Instead God will teach them a lesson in the language of foreign invaders (v. 11). By rejecting and mocking the prophet's warnings (v. 12), and choosing rebellion against Assyria, they were playing with their own lives and those of the people and would pay the price (v. 13). Coments or Questions..

Reading for May 23rd

The Lord is a refuge and protection. In 28.1-29: The four units of this chapter (1-6; 7-13; 14-22; 23-29) condemn the foolishness of the leaders of both Ephraim (Israel) and Judah, who show by their drunken and mocking behavior that they neither understand their problems nor are able to remedy them. In contrast, Isaiah sets out the simple and direct meassage: "One who trusts will not panic" (v. 16). Read Isaiah 28.1-6. In 28.1-6: The Folly of Ephraim's leaders. it is surprising that the open in prophecy focuses on Ephraim, rather than Judah, which Isaiah usually addressed. Yet Ephraim suffered first, and more severly, from the depredations of Assyria, Judah should learn the necessary lesson: as a sudden rainstorm (v. 20) ruins the festival of those leaders who had already eaten and drunk toomuch, so would God's judgment wreck the complacent peace of the kingdom (Compare 9.8-10.4). A brief word of hope and relief (vv. 5-6) shows that God's judgemnt always has a way of escape for a penitent remnant. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 22nd

Read Isaiah 27.1-13. In 27.1-`3: The new song of the vineyard. In verse 1: The assurance that the Lord will punish Leviathan reflects the ancient belief that the earth was created after a great battle between the creator God and a monster symbolizing chaos. In the Babylonian creation epic, this monster is called Tiamat, but other versions use the name Rahab (Comepare Isa 51.9). The power of God to impose order is needed not simply in the primary act of creation but in every natiral disaster or historical castrophe, when God's rulle needs to be reestablished. In verse 2: A pleasant vineyard, sing about it! Reference to the vineyard parable of Isa 5.1-7 shows that this new song marks the end of the period in which the former vineyard (Israel) was reduced to a wasteland. In verse 4: The thorns and briers will at last be removed (see 7.23-25; 9.18; 10.17). In verses 7-11: The resoration has not yet taken place, and the fields of Jacob still lie desolate and forsaken (v. 10). The people without understanding (v. 11) are those who holdback God's saving work. In verses 12-13: The promise of return to their homeland for the scattered survivors remains central to the hope for the future in Isaiah. Here and in 11.12-16 (compare 19.23-24), this return is the prelude to the restoration of Israel to its former glory, the completion of God's saving purpose. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 21st

Read Isaiah 26.1-21. In 26.1-21: praise to the God of justice The hymn of praise to God for the justice of the divine judgments upon earth in vv. 1-15 indictaes that chs. 24-27, and probably the entire scroll of Isaiah, were designed to be read, and prayerfully responded to, in acts of worship. The message of God was a call to penitence and faith, so that unresolved questions and doubts could be answered by trust, as in v. 3: Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace-in peace because they trust in you. It is necessary to accept the purpose of God and to await salvation without fully understanding the violent wrongs of human history. This trust is expressed in the remarkable outburst of vv. 16-19. When the promises of God appear so far from fulfillment, a new vision breaks in, a vision of life beyond the grave and of life renewed for those long dead. The only other passage in the hebrew Scriptures that compares with this visionary insight into the world beyond the grave is Dan 12.2. The prophet is attemting to reconcile the righteousness of God with the promises of suffering and conflict. Comments and Questions..

Reading for May 20th

Read Isaiah 25.1-12. In 25.1-12: The banquet of the Lord of hosts. The great festival to be celebrated in Jerusalem on the holy mountain gives pictorial expression to the praise of God (vv. 1-5). Even in the most violent trouble, God is a refuge to the needy in their distress (v. 4). The prophetic vision, however recognizes that there are wrongs and sufferings on earth that cannot be put right by stilling the blast from the ruthless. The ultimate resolution of injustice can come only when God overcomes the power of death itself (v. 7, compare 26.19). In verses 10-12: The Humiliation of Moab. This appears to belong with the other writings in chs. 15-16. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 19th

The terror of the day of the Lord and the ensuing reign of blessedness. In 24.1-27.13: Chapters 24-27 contain no clear indications of their time of orgin and therefore are difficult to relate to known events. They contrast a time of fearful judgment upon the city of chaos (24.10) with a new era of blessedness, a spectacular feast on the mountain of God (25.6-10). These chapters may have been a separate prophetic book, but clear references to earlier themes and pronouncements most notably the "New Son of the Vibeyard" (27.2-6; compare 5.1-7), make it more likely that they are sequel to the prophecies against foreign cities and nations in chs. 13-23. The great empire will be overtaken by a fearful day of God's jugment, followed by a time of peace and justice. The evocative word pictures of doom and isaster, intermixed with hymns of praise and promise of a new age of great peace and blessedness, life human history into the realm of a great spiritual "super-history" in which evil is overthrown and the faithful are vindicated. Read Isaiah 24.1-23. In 24.1-23: The day of terror forthe city of chaos. This remarkable picture of a tortured and pain-wracked earth views the sufferings of its inhabitants (v.17-10) as a consequence of the curse-ridden stae of the earth itself (v. 6). The very order of the world, disturbed and in turmoil, can only be put right by divine punishment of evil in a new era of divine rule (vv. 22-23). Despair for the earth cobines with trust that ultimately God will prevail, which explains the praise to God in vv. 14-16. Judgment, as proof of divine justice, is itself a necessary part of God's created order. The city of chaos (v. 10) is a symbolic city, like Bunyan's Vanity Fair in Pilgrim's progress. Even though the host of heaven rebels against God (v. 21), tis prophet believes that God will prevail. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 18th

Read Isaiah 23.1-18. In 23.1-18: A prophecy concerning Tyre. In verses 1-12: The Phoencian cities of Tyre and Sidon were famous in antiquity as the seafaring and mecantile trading centers of the Mediterranean world. The pride of Tyre was its fine buildings, wealth, and honor. In 701 BCE, the Assyrian ruler Sennacherib laid siege to the Phoenician cities forcing Lull, king of Sidon, to flee to the island of Cyprus (v. 12). In verses 13-18: A bried editorial note (v. 13) points out that Babylon (from 604 BCE) had replaced the threat from Assyria (compare the book of Nahum, which celebrates the fall of Nineveh in 612BCE). This succession of Mesopotamian oppressors led the later compliers to supplement earlier prophecies to provide a fuller picture of God's purpose. Tyre, like an aging prostitute (v. 16), will shamelessly pursue wealth (a reference to the rich merchants for which Tyre was known). In contrast, the final note (v. 18) recognizes that wealth, rightly earned, can be used in the service of God. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 17th

Read Isaiah 22.15-25. Three short, but related condemnations (vv. 15-19, 20-21, 24, 25) concern Shebna, the master of the royal household (v.15), and Eliakim son of Hilkiah (v. 20) who had succeeded him (v. 21). These officals are mentioned in 36.3, 11, 22 and played a promineint role in the negotiations for King Hezekiah's surrender to Assyria (see 2 Kins 18.18). Their personal ambitions and folly, which affected their roles in forming national policy, are condemned. Isaiah also condemned the king for relying upon Egyptian promises of support (see Isa 10). Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 16th

Read Isaiah 22.1-14. In 22.1-25: Warnings to Jerusalem and its leaders. In verses 1-4: The valley of vision is Jerusalem, apparently because Isaiah's call-vision took place there (ch. 6). The prophecies refer to the events described in 2 Kings 18.9-12: The northern Israelite city of Samaria was to besieged, captured, and destroyed by the king of Assyria. Jerusalem's escape from a similar fate by the timely, but humiliating, surrender of King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18.13-16) may refer to. In celebrating their own escape, the citzens of jerusalem ignored the suffering of their sister nation. Isaiah strongly believed that both Judah and Israel (Ephraim) were two houses of one people before God (see 8.14; 9.21). Inverses 5-8a: The fate that had so recently overtaken their compatriiots wouldbefall the citzens of jerusalem. A century later Babylonian forces captured Jerusalem in 598, destroying it in 587 BCE. In verses 8b-11: Instead of trusting the Lord, the beleaguered citzens trusted their own human defense system. It would fail them, just as surely as the defenses of Samaria had failed. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 15th

Read Isaiah 21.11-17. In verses 11-12: In 691-689 the Assyrian king, Sennacherib extended his campagns further to the south and west, penetrating to Dumah (Edom) and the northeast tip of Arabia where the famed caravan cities of Kedar and Dedan were located. This brief, inconclusive prophecy maybe reporting the ineffectual nature of this particular foray. In verses 13-17: The campaign of Sennacherib to plunder the desert cities of Dedan and Tema is reflected in vv. 1-15, with 16-17 adding an additional note reflecting later attempts to exploit the region, probbaly by Babylonian forces. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 14th

Read Isaiah 21.1-10. In 21.1-17: Prophecies concerning Babylon, Edom, and the southern desert lands. In verses 1-10: This anguished warning concerns the fall of Babylon (v. 9). The heading (v. 1) addresses the southern desert of the Negeb, but the content points to Babylon. The oracle may date from the time of the attacks on the city by Elam and Media (538 BCE), when the Medo-Persian overthrow Babylon marked its end as a world power. This prophecy would provide a framework for the series of prophecies against the nations that began in CH. 13 with the treat to Babylon. It may also date, however, from 703 BCE when the Assyrian king Sennacherib captured the city of Babylon after it had rebelled against Assyria's rule. At this time, the Babylonian ruler Merodach-baladan sent emissaries to Hezekiah of Judah to coordinate rebellion against Assyria (compare Isa 39.1-8). Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 13th

Read Isaiah 20.1-6. In 20.1-6: A lesson from the past. A brief narrative reports an event of 715 BCE: A Philistine rebellion against Assyria that led to a campaign against Ashdod, one of the five major cities of the Philistines. The Egyptians promised to help for the rebellion and Judah was tmpted to join. Isaiah's strange action of appearing naked and barefoot, like a prisoner of war being sold into slavery (v. 2), warned against such complicity. Egypt's help would prove to be unreliable and worthless (v. 6). This warning was reaffirmed when Hezekiah trusted Egyptian promises in rebelling against Assyria in 703 BCE. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 12th

Read Isaiah 19.16-25. In verses 16-25: In spite of these failures, Judah's relations with Egypt were proplonged and often close. The prophet looks beyond the turmoil of Mesopotamian rule to the time when a community would dwell there who spoke the language of Canaan (v. 18) and swore allegiance to the Lord of Hosts. Even Assyria would one day become with Egypt and Israel a blessing in the midst of the earth (v. 24). This series of remarkable short prophecies builds on the aftermath of the disasters that befell Jerusalem at the hands of the Assyrians and Babylonnians. Many citzens fled to Egypt, and, from the sixth century BCE onwards, substanial settlements of exiled Judeans took refuge there. In this bold look across the spiritual boundaries of the ancient world, a genuine religious universalism begins to appear (vv. 23-24). The knowledge of God revealed to Israel would be shared among other peoples, replacing the failed learning of the Egyptian sages (v. 11). Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 11th

Read Isaiah 19.1-15. In 19.1-25: Threats concerning Egypt. In verses 1-15: Throughout the period when Assyria and Babylon were assualting Israel and Judah, Egypt repeatedly promised protection, yet consistently failed to carry through. "For Egypt's help is worthless and empty" Isa 30.7). The people famed throughout antiquity for learning and literary skill could offer no defense against a ruthless invader (vv. 11-15). Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 10th

Read Isaiah 18.1-7. In 18.1-7: A prophecy concerning Ethiopia. In verses 1-6: This oracle probably refers to the situation described in 2 Kings 17.4: Judah sent ambassadors to Ethiopia (Cush) to negotiate an alliance against Assyria in 724 BCE. Isaiah warns them that the Lord does not support such an alliance; it will fail verse 7: The anticipation of the hope in 45.14 shows how an observant editor has unified the message of the book. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 9th

Read Isaiah 17.12-14. In 17.17.12-14: The defeat of a host of nations when they threaten God's people conforms to the warnings in 8.9-10 and 14.24-27. Comments and Questions..