Undoubtedly there are historical elements to these symbol-filled prophecies such as the return of Jewish captives from exile and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. However, for us, Isaiah is continuing to extol the blessings of the gospel day in which we live. He speaks both of the judgment of Christ’s enemies and the blessing of the church which is pictured here as a fruitful, well-tended vineyard. Leviathan is sometimes likened to a whale or a monstrous sea-serpent and is a type of the Satanic evil that exists to deceive the nations. Symbols of judgment and blessing Spiritualising these verses we may say that Satan’s kingdom is diminished and the sea dragon humbled each time a sinner is converted and brought to faith. Yet, it is the…

Isaiah repeatedly returns to the prospect of the coming day of the Lord, a day that will reveal God’s glory and vindicate the patience and perseverance of the Lord’s people. The day in view is the gospel day, an extended age beginning with the first coming of the Lord Jesus and culminating in the return of Christ in power to judge the world and bring His church into heavenly joy and peace. Isaiah foresaw this day and wrote of it to encourage and comfort the remnant of every age amid the challenges they face. Gospel expansion The opening verses of this chapter speak of the Lord gathering His church by the gospel and bringing His people into Zion, the city of God. ‘Open ye the…

This is a delightful passage full of gospel truth and containing many insights concerning the saving and keeping work of Jesus Christ. How blessed the Lord’s remnant people have been to have received, read and recalled these promises in their periods of trouble and fear. Long before Babylon and Rome ever rose in power to afflict the Jews or worry the church their destruction had been foretold. However, with the eye of faith it is Christ’s own glory we see shining in the chapter. Mt Zion, the church The ‘Lord’s mountain’ is a type of the redeemed church of Christ. Sometimes Isaiah calls it Mt Zion or the mountain of the Lord’s house. Sometimes it is described as a high mountain for the lofty esteem…

After foretelling a series of calamities on named nations and cities such as Assyria, Babylon, and Tyre, Isaiah now a prophesies of dire troubles that should come on the whole world and its inhabitants because of sin. It is said by the prophet that these disasters will be the work of the Sovereign Lord and an emptying of the world. By disease, wars and natural causes God will turn the earth upside down. Isaiah prefixes a ‘Behold’ because the events will be both remarkable and marvellous. The way of the world These events do not all occur together but in the history of nations there will be catastrophes and tragedies that will bring ruin and destruction so as to shake the very foundations of social…

We remember that the purpose of Isaiah’s prophecy was to comfort the Lord’s people and encourage them during difficult times when God seemed far away and the power and prosperity of their enemies seemed unassailable. The prophecy was designed to remind the Lord’s faithful remnant that despite appearances God is still on His throne and the promise of a coming Messiah was in no way hindered or compromised. It is the Old Testament equivalent of Christ’s words, ‘these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them’. Tyre’s long history The ancient Phoenician city of Tyre, originally part built on an island, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. In…

Our previous studies in Isaiah have helped us to understand how much awareness Old Testament believers had concerning the coming of the Messiah. We have seen how the place, circumstances and parentage of Christ’s extraordinary birth were known. We have learned that Isaiah knew about the redemption and deliverance of God’s chosen people. We have noted how detailed prophecies to comfort and encourage God’s remnant church were given and later fulfilled. An enduring message In all of Isaiah’s writings the person of the Lord Jesus can be discerned in typical ways in the historical and circumstantial events portrayed. As the prophet laid out God’s purpose and message for the people of his own age, and generations following, we detect spiritual significance in the things written.…