COMMENTARY ON THE MONARCHY PT.

I
(The Major Prophets)

Good morning, everyone. As you can tell I am not Pastor Mat. I think I know most of you in here, but
in case you don’t know who I am, my name is Eric and I’m one of the pastors at Lighthouse. Pastor
Mat is out of town this weekend and he asked me to cover for him. In case this doesn’t go well for
me this morning, you’re only stuck with me for an hour and Mat will resume his post next Sunday.

All joking aside, thank you for your flexibility and thanks for allowing me to teach you guys. Since
I’ve never sat in any of Mat’s classes, I don’t really know his teaching methodology. I suspect that his
methodology and mine aren’t that different.

If you have a question, feel free to raise your hand and I’ll try to answer your question to the best of
my ability. Another thing to mention is that while Mat gave me his notes, the first half of this lecture
is my own, and the second half is Mat’s, just a heads up. One final thing is that I don’t know if Mat
does this, but when we reach about 40 minutes or so, we’ll take a five-minute bathroom break.
From personal experience as a previous seminary student and as a pastor for youth ministries, I
start falling asleep or losing interest in lectures at around the 5-minute mark and my kids start
dozing off after I finish praying at the start of my messages so…just kidding. But in all seriousness,
we’ll take a little break at the 40-minute mark and you can use this time to ask questions, use the
bathroom, or do nothing at all.

Anyway, now that I’ve got all the introductory stuff out of the way, let me pray for us and we’ll get
started.

Review of Redemptive History

A. The Torah

The story of Scripture begins with God’s blessing. On the fifth day of God’s creation, God
blesses all living creatures. On the sixth day of creation, God blesses Adam and Eve. The idea
of blessing is integral to the story of Scripture, because when Adam and Eve sin and rebel
against God, they forfeit God’s blessing in the garden.

This forfeiture of blessing presents a dilemma because Adam and Eve were blessed to be a
blessing to the whole creation. From the beginning of Genesis, God’s purposes has always
had a missional focus. But God’s purposes have not been thwarted by human failure,
because despite Adam’s failure, God makes a covenant with Abraham and blesses him and
promises that through Abraham and his family of descendants, all the nations of the earth
will be blessed. And it is through Abraham that God sets in motion his plan of redemptive
blessing to restore his blessing to the whole world.
Through Abraham’s descendants, Israel, God enters into a covenant relationship with Israel,
in order that they would be a kingdom of priests—Israel was to be a priesthood of believers
who would bring blessing to the whole world.

Now, one thing that I want to mention before we move on is that it’s often said that Israel,
was legalistic, because they were trying to obtain God’s favor by obeying the Law. This is
not true.

One thing that we need to remember and keep in mind is that God is the one who initiated
his covenant with Israel. God enters into his partnership with Israel for no other simple
reason than because he loved Israel. Israel obeyed the Law, because they were already
God’s people; Israel did not obey the Law in order to be God’s people.

A simple illustration of this is my marriage with Megan. When Megan wants me to take out
the trash, I take out the trash, not because I want her to like me. I take out the trash, because
I know that she already likes me. I already have her favor – she said yes! Therefore, I take
out the trash.

The problem that we’ll see with Israel as a nation isn’t that they were legalistic, but that
they took their relationship with God for granted. Let me reuse my previous illustration. It is
far likelier in my marriage that I will not take out the trash because I have taken Megan for
granted. What’s the point of taking out the trash if I know Megan is going to forgive me
anyway? What’s the point of doing anything that she tells me to do if I know that she will
love me no matter what? But if you’re married, we all know that this would never fly with
your spouse. When you take a relationship for granted, you jeopardize the relationship
itself, because it makes you wonder if you ever cared about the relationship to begin with.

The problem with the Israelites is that they abused their relationship with God and mistook
God’s kindness and forgiveness as a license for disobedience and sin, not knowing that it’s
God’s kindness and forgiveness that leads them to repentance. God wanted his people to
obey him, not so that their obedience would establish their relationship, but to confirm their
relationship. Likewise, Israel obeyed God, not to establish their relationship, but to confirm
it.

Ultimately, Israel was given the law was so that they would be a people who would attract
the nations to come and to see what life with God was like. Israel was to be an attractive,
countercultural community, that would draw the nations to God and participate in the
blessing that Israel enjoys. This was what was at stake in the story of Israel.

As Mat covered in the past couple of weeks, God faithfully brings his people to the Promised
Land. No matter how unfaithful Israel was to God, God’s faithfulness to Israel was never
dependent on their faithfulness. But, as soon as Israel enters into the promised land, Israel
fails to carry out their distinct calling as a kingdom of priests and they become just like the
 neighboring nations and they become indistinguishable from the neighboring nations. This
was another reason why the keeping of the law was important. Apart from the law, Israel
looked just like everyone else with no distinction.

B. The Monarchy

This failure creates the need for a monarch, a king, who would seek after God’s own heart
and purposes. From the long lineage of Abraham, God raises up David, the king that all
following kings would be judged by. If anyone could bring God’s blessing to the world, it
would have been David. God establishes his covenant with David, which anticipates a future
descendant who would bring blessing to the world.

But even in the life of David, there would be failure. Though there are glimmers of
faithfulness, ultimately, Israel, as a monarchy and nation, fails to uphold their commitment
to God’s covenant. Israel ultimately dissolves into a northern kingdom and southern
kingdom and they are eventually led into exile, with the north kingdom taken away to
Assyria, while the southern kingdom is led into Babylonian captivity.1

God had anticipated this failure to obey and promised that there would be a new covenant
that would replace the old. In this New Covenant, God promised that there would be a
transformation and renewal of the heart, so that his people would submit their lives to him
and resume their mission of bringing God’s blessing to the whole world.

I know this is Old Testament survey, but spoiler alert, ultimately, Jesus is the descendant of
Abraham who would bring blessing to the world through his death and resurrection. The
reason why Matthew begins his genealogy of Jesus with Abraham, not Adam, is to show that
Jesus is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises in the Old Testament.

God’s single plan all along through which he intended to rescue the world and the human
race, and that this single plan was centered upon the call of Israel, a call which Paul saw
coming to fruition in Israel's representative, the Messiah.

And it is through his disciples, the church, that God intends to carry the blessing of Jesus to
the ends of the earth. Alright, now that we’ve covered the Old and New Testament, I think
we can conclude here.

Background to the Current Study

1 Remember the Mosaic Covenant called upon Israel to be a “kingdom of priests” and a “holy nation”

so that they could be used by God to bring blessing to the world. At the same time, Leviticus 26 and
Deuteronomy 28 spelled out the consequences that would happen if they were to be disobedient and
unfaithful.
But why was that review necessary? It’s because as we survey the major prophets, we need to
recognize that we are parachuting into a backstory that they already know and assume. The
prophets that comprise the major prophetic writings—Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel—all assume
the larger covenant story of Yahweh, creation, blessing, and the call of Israel. I believe that that’s
one of the reasons why many people have a hard time reading the prophetic writings—we are
entering into a body of literature that the authors already assume the history of.

Reading the prophets is already hard enough; not knowing the backstory makes it even harder. And
so as we survey the major prophets, I want to recognize and affirm that it is hard reading them.
Martin Luther complained that the prophets had a strange way of talking, like people who, instead
of proceeding in an orderly manner, ramble off from one thing to the next, so that you cannot make
head or tail of them or see what they are getting at. If Martin Luther had a hard time understanding
the prophets, may God help us all.

But understanding the prophets isn’t impossible if we keep the following things in mind:

1. The function of prophecy

What Prophecy is NOT: Most people understand the term “prophecy” as the prediction of
future events. This definition is inadequate and does not account for huge amounts of the
material in the prophetic books. While there are certain passages within the prophets which do
contain predictive elements, is not predictive.

What Prophecy IS: Prophecy is a message given directly by God to his prophet, who serves as
a spokesman to convey that message to the hearers and readers. The prophet speaks the
words of Yahweh as his mouthpiece; they contain the quoted speech of God himself. Anytime
this takes place, we are dealing with prophecy. Thus, Moses is rightly labeled as a “prophet” for
communicating God’s law to God’s people, even though very little of Moses’ writings are
predictive.

Key Biblical Texts which define or illustrate the nature of prophecy:

Exodus 6:28–7:2; 2 Samuel 23:2; Micah 3:8

2. The function of prophets

Prophets were men who had theophanic revelations of God and were commissioned for service
to speak on behalf of God. Before Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel were commissioned for service,
God appeared to them in visions and revelations. As men who were commissioned to speak on
behalf of God, what was their specific function?

The prophets were God’s covenant enforcers. As men who spoke on behalf of God, prophets
were commissioned to remind Israel of the covenant and their responsibility to uphold their
obedience to the covenant. Just as I am commissioned by God to remind you to uphold your
commitment and discipleship to Jesus, so also did the prophets remind Israel to uphold their
commitments to Yahweh.

The reason why prophets enforced the covenant was because they knew what was at stake if
people didn’t uphold their commitment to God. Failure to obey the law would ultimately result
in forfeiting covenantal blessing. Deuteronomy 28 spells out the blessings and cursings for
faithfulness or unfaithfulness to the covenant.

3. The features of prophetic writings

The prophets enforced the covenant through their prophetic writings. While there are
differences between the writings of the major and minor prophets, there is significant overlap
of thematic enforcement under two main headings:

A. Forthtelling/Declarative
When the message is applied directly to the prophet’s contemporary audience.

a. ACCUSATIONS that Israel and the Nations have REBELLED against Yahweh
i. Israel/ Judah have broken the covenant, worshipped other gods, and made
alliances with the foreign nations > Key Metaphor: Idolatry as Adultery
ii. The nations are guilty of injustice, cruelty, and arrogance

b. CALLS FOR REPENTANCE: admonition to turn from wicked ways and return to
faithful obedience to Yahweh
i. Calls for religious devotion to Yahweh alone
ii. Calls for social justice and care for the most vulnerable (widow, orphan,
immigrant)

B. Foretelling/Predictive
When the message, while still aware of the present, looks forward to the unfolding of
future events whether in judgment or salvation.

c. WARNINGS OF the coming DAY OF YAHWEH will address injustice and rebellion:
this refers to historical events that God will use to judge evil and vindicate the
righteous, all leading up to the great future day when God will do this for all
creation—a cosmic “house-cleaning.”
i. Yahweh will bring his JUSTICE against human rebellion: because of human
hard-heartedness, future punishment becomes inevitable.
1. Upon Israel and Judah
2. Upon individual nations (especially Assyrian, Babylon, Egypt)
3. Upon all nations
 d. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF RESTORATION AND HOPE are on the other side of
judgment
i. Hope for a righteous remnant: God will preserve a faithful “remnant,” an
important minority who remain faithful.
ii. Hope for a restoration from exile (“CAPTIVITY”) God will “restore” their
“fortunes.”
iii. Hope for a New Covenant: Yahweh will renew his covenant with his people.
iv. THE KINGDOM OF YAHWEH: Yahweh will establish a peaceful, universal
kingdom over all nations, ruled by the future messianic king.
1. Gift of the Holy Spirit: God’s personal presence will permeate his
people, bringing power and the comfort of his constant, indwelling
presence.
2. Ruled by the Messiah: Yahweh will have a human co-ruler (i.e. his
vice-regent), anointed as a Davidic king over his people.
3. Over all nations: The Gentile nations will undergo a conversion to
the worship of the one true living God, and they are gathered in and
included in the blessings of Yahweh’s reign.
4. Restored Creation: The age to come will be a time of glory, joy, and
peace in God’s presence, together with the removal of sin, curses,
and death.

4. The structure of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel

Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel share common, large-block elements.

Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel

Judgments against 1-12 1-25 4-24

Israel/Judah

Judgments against 13-23 46-51 25-32

nations

Announcements 40-55 26-35 33-48

of salvation

Selected Themes and Christ Connections

A. God’s Character – His Holiness/Sovereignty/Glory
One of the unique features seen in the major prophets is how their ministries began: That in
all three instances they had a meeting with the God of the universe, and were impacted with
 a specific aspect of His character which would set the tone for their ministry.

a. Isaiah – The Holy One (Isaiah 6:3; cf. 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:17, 20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19,
23; 30:11, 12, 15; 31:1; 37:23; 40:25; 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3, 14, 15; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17;
49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9, 14)
In Isaiah, God is constantly being referred to by the title “the Holy One of Israel,”
emphasizing His distinctiveness and His being set apart from Israel:2

And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the
whole earth is full of his glory!”
Isaiah 6:3

This is vital to note because it sets the tone for the rest of the book,3 reflecting “the
book’s concern over the seriousness of Israel’s offenses against that God.”4

b. Jeremiah – The Sovereign One (Jeremiah 1:4-5, 9-12; cf. 5:15; 6:19, 21; 9:7-11,
15-16; 10:18; 13:9, 13; 16:9, 18; 18:6-12, 17; 19:3, 15; 21:5-7; 23:3-6; 25:8-13;
29:10-11, 17-19, 31-32; 30:3, 8- 11, 15, 17, 18-24; 31:1, 4, 8, 28; 32:37-44; 33:5-9;
39:16-18; 50:18-20; 51:1-2; Isaiah 41:21-24; 42:9; 43:9-10; 44:6-8; 45:1-7, 21; 46:8-
11)
In the same way that God’s holiness sets the tone for Isaiah’s ministry, so God’s
sovereignty sets the tone for Jeremiah. His sovereignty is affirmed in His choice of
Jeremiah as a prophet to Judah:

Now the word of the LORD came to, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb
I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a
prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:4-5

In fact, the overall direction of Jeremiah is introduced almost immediately:

Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to
me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day
over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy

2 C. Hassell Bullock, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books (Chicago, IL: Moody Press,

2007), 192. Variants include “the Holy One of Jacob,” “His Holy One,” “Holy One,” “the Holy God,” and “the
Lord your Holy One.”

The word “holy” [qadosh] occurs more often in Isaiah than in any other book of the Bible. See
3

Eugene Merrill, Mark F. Rooker and Michael A. Grisanti, The World and the Word: An Introduction to the Old
Testament (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2011), 376.

Andrew E. Hill and John H. Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI:
4

Zondervan Publishing House, 2009), 528.

 and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” And the word of LORD came to me,
saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almost branch.” Then
the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to
perform it.”
Jeremiah 1:9-12 (cf. 31:28)

In other words, nothing that happens to Judah is coincidental. God is the one who
will personally see all the events to pass, including the judgment and restoration.5

c. Ezekiel – The God of Glory (Ezekiel 1:28; cf. 3:12, 23; 8:4; 9:3; 10:4, 18, 19; 11:22-
24; 39:21; 43:2-5; 44:4)
Ezekiel’s encounter with God is an encounter with the God of glory – the idea being
that which is “weighty” or “heavy,” giving significance and uniqueness to the
individual. For this reason, Ezekiel “was so astounded that he used ungrammatical
statements in describing God’s appearance.”6

Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was
the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the
likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I
heard the voice of one speaking.
Ezekiel 1:28

At the same time, His glory was representative of His intimate presence. Later on
Ezekiel would witness God’s glory eventually leave the Temple, signifying the
eventual destruction of God’s Temple and that God’s presence is not restricted to
one place.7 At the same time, this does not mean that God had abandoned His people
since Ezekiel would also witness God’s glory returning.8

B. Judah’s Sinfulness (Isaiah 1:4 10:12; 13:19; Jeremiah 2:9-13; 25:31; Ezekiel 8:6;
38:16; cf. Isaiah 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 13-23, 28, 29, 30, 31, 34, 39; Jeremiah 2-29, 34, 38, 39, 46-
51; Ezekiel 5:13; 6:7, 10, 13, 14; 7:4, 9, 27; 11:10, 12; 12:15, 16, 20; 13:3, 14, 21, 23; 14:8;
15:5; 17:21; 18:3-4; 20:26; 21:5; 22:22; 23:49; 24:24, 27; 25:5, 7, 11, 17; 26:6; 28:22; 29:6,
9; 30:19, 25, 26; 32:15; 35:4, 9, 12, 15; 33:29; 36:23; 37:28; 38:16, 23; 39:6, 7, 23)
The character of God acts as a foil to the character of Judah (including the northern kingdom

5 Jeremiah 21:5-7 and 29:10-11.

6 Merrill, Rooker and Grisanti, 400.
7 See Ezekiel 8:4; 11:23-24
8 Merrill, Rooker and Grisanti, 400. See also Ezekiel 39:21 and 43:2-5.
 of Israel and the rest of the nations).9 Specifically that the sins of Israel as a whole is
committed in light of their covenant relationship with God.10

Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal
corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel,
they are utterly estranged.
Isaiah 1:4

Specifically the language11 that is often used is that of idolatry.12

“Therefore I still contend with you, declares the LORD, and with your children’s children
I will contend. For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and examine
with care; see if there has been such a thing. Has a nation changed its gods, even
though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for what
which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken
cisterns that can hold no water.
Jeremiah 2:9-13

And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great
abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from
my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.”
Ezekiel 8:6

But key to note is that it is not just the house of Israel as a whole that is singled out for their
actions, but the nations likewise:13

When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will
punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful
look in his eyes.

9 Regarding Isaiah, Bullock notes: “It is significant that in the first half of the book the Holy One of
Israel is set over against Israel’s spiritual rebellion and sinful condition (except 10:20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:23), but
in the last half that name is expressly identified with Israel’s ‘Redeemer’ or His saving acts.” Bullock, 192.
10 Merrill, 502, 523, 541.
11 Often times the word “harlot” is used to describe the house of Israel as a whole.
12Merrill, 541: He notes that these sins “finds its essence in the breaking of the first two
commandments. It consists of Israel’s failure to acknowledge the Lord only as God and turning to creatures
rather than the Creator.”
13In Isaiah, because Assyria and Babylon are the principal powers, often times they’ll be given special
emphasis. See Ibid., 514-15.
 Isaiah 10:12

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be
like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.
Isaiah 13:19

The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth, for the LORD has an indictment
against the nations; he is entering into judgment with all flesh, and the wicked
he will put to the sword, declares the LORD.’
Jeremiah 25:31

CHRIST CONNECTION – Jesus, the True Israel

All throughout the OT we see that Israel failed to be a holy nation and a light to the
nations. In this way, they failed in their role to bring blessing to the world. But we are
reminded that Jesus would succeed where they failed, and because of Him, He would
lead Israel to fulfill their role and bring blessings to the nations (Is 49:5-6; cf. Matt 1:22-
23; 2:15, 17).

C. Judgment (Isaiah 8:5-8; 13:19 (cf. 39:5-8); Jeremiah 25:31; Ezekiel 8:18; 38:16, 23; cf.
Isaiah 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 24, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 39, 47; Jeremiah 2-29, 34, 38, 39, 25, 46-51;
Ezekiel 5:13; 6:7, 10, 13, 14; 7:4, 9, 27; 11:10, 12; 12:15, 16, 20; 13:3, 14, 21, 23; 14:8; 15:5;
17:21; 20:26; 21:5; 22:22; 23:49; 24:24, 27; 25:5, 7, 11, 17; 26:6; 28:22; 29:6, 9; 30:19, 25,
26; 32:15; 35:4, 9, 12, 15; 33:29; 36:23; 37:28; 38:16, 23; 39:6, 7, 23)
Because of the sinfulness of the house of Israel and the world, it is no surprise that God
responds with judgment. In particular, God uses foreign nations to bring about His
judgment upon Israel:

The LORD spoke to me again: “Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah
that flowed gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, therefore, behold,
the LORD is bringing up against them the might waters of the River, mighty and
many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and
go over all its banks, and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on,
reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O
Immanuel.”
Isaiah 8:5-8 (cf. 39:5-8)

Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though
they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”
Ezekiel 8:18
 It is not just upon Israel, but it is also upon the nations as well.14

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be
like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.
Isaiah 13:19

The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth, for the LORD has an indictment
against the nations; he is entering into judgment with all flesh, and the wicked
he will put to the sword, declares the LORD.’
Jeremiah 25:31

You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter
days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through
you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes … So I will show my greatness
and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they
will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 38:16, 23

Why such judgment? The answer is because so that Israel and the entire world may know
who God is and His glory. God’s reputation is at stake, and so before His reputation is
(re)established, “the issue of competing sovereignties must be dealt with, especially as they
are represented by the kingdoms of the world.”15 In order for God to fulfill His plan to bless
the entire world, He must also judge the entire world.

CHRIST CONNECTION – Jesus, the Righteous Judge

All throughout the NT, Jesus is often spoken of as “the Son of Man,” who will come to
judge not just Israel but the entire world. It will be before Him that the world will bow
before, ushering in God’s plan to bring blessing to the world (2 Cor 15:24-28).

D. Restoration and Salvation (Jeremiah 29:10-11; Ezekiel 39:25-29; 37:26-28; cf. Isaiah
11:11-16; 12:1-2; 19:20; 25:9; 33:2, 6; 37:35; 38:20; 43:11-13; 45:17, 22; 49:6; 51:5, 6, 8;
56:1; 59:16, 17; 60:16; 61:10; 63:1, 8; Jeremiah 1:10; 3:11-4:2; 12:15; 16:14-15; 23:1-8;
24:4-7; 30:1-33:26; 45:36; 46:26-28; 48:47; 49:6, 39; 50:4-5, 19-20, 34; Ezekiel 6:8-10;
11:14-21; 16:53-63; 17:22-24; 20:33-44; 33:21-48:35)
Because God’s desire is ultimately to bless, His judgment is never the last word.

“For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you,
and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the

14In Isaiah, because Assyria and Babylon are the principal powers, often times they’ll be given special
emphasis. See Ibid., 514-15.
15 Ibid., 514, 527.
 plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give
you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:10-11

What did this mean exactly for Israel? It meant that not only would they be restored back to
Israel, but that they would also have a restored relationship with Him as seen in the
restoration of The Temple:

“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and
have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy
name. They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against
me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid, when I
have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their
enemies' lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many
nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, because I sent them
into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will
leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. And I will not hide
my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel,
declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 39:25-29

I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with
them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in
their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who
sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.’”
Ezekiel 37:26-28
(cf. 5:11; 8:1-11:25; 23:38, 39; 24:21; 25:3; 40:1-46:24; 47:12; 48:21)

Like God’s judgment, this also extends to the rest of the world as a whole. But just how will
this be done? Isaiah in particular speaks of God’s Messiah16 who will do just that and is
mentioned in the following ways:17

a. The Light (cf. Isaiah 9:2; 42:16; 49:6; 58:8-11; 60:1, 19, 20)
Pictured as a great light that is seen and shines in the darkness.

16 “And since it is the purpose of God to renew his image as kingly heir of creation, it is most fitting
that a redeemer who is both servant and king should be the one anointed to bring it to pass.” Ibid., 514.
17 Keith A. Essex, “Isaiah” (lecture, The Master’s Seminary, Sun Valley CA, Fall 2009). Because the

theme of salvation is such a major portion of Isaiah, it’s no wonder why the NT often quotes or alludes to it.
According to Merrill, Rooker and Grisanti there are 194 NT passages with citations or allusions. Wood notes
that it is directly quoted in the NT no less than 25x. See Merrill, Rooker and Grisanti, 376 and Leon J. Wood,
The Prophets of Israel (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1979), 305.
 b. The Child (cf. Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7)
Will be a child that is virgin conceived and the son in which the government of Israel
will be established and will extend to the ends of the earth.
c. The Shoot/Branch (cf. Isaiah 11:1)
From the line of Jesse.
d. The Stone (cf. Isaiah 28:16-17; 32:1-2)
A bedrock that can either be for salvation or judgment.
e. The Servant (cf. Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12)
To serve for the salvation of God’s people.
f. The Redeemer of Israel (cf. Isaiah 41:14; 43:14; 44:16, 24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26;
54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16; 63:16)
Pays and purchases the price of people’s salvation.
g. The Second Exodus (cf. Isaiah 11:11-16; 40:3-5; 41:17-20; 42:14-16; 43:1-3, 14-21;
48:20-21; 49:8-12; 51:9-10; 52:11-12; 55:12-13; 58:8; 60:2, 19; 63:7-9)
Language that echoes the Torah when Israel was in Egypt.
h. The Second Moses (cf. Isaiah 42:1, 2, 3, 4, 6; 49:1, 2, 7, 8; 50:6; 53:2, 3)
A prophet like Moses.18

Why is this so important? Because this is part of God’s determination to redeem and bring
blessing to the entire world.

CHRIST CONNECTION – God’s Messiah

God’s plan to redeem always comes hand in hand with His chosen Messiah Jesus Christ.
The prophets remind us of that truth by pointing us to the Davidic Covenant. He would
be the one to fulfill the Davidic covenant that is long awaited by the house of Israel - a
truth that is seen all throughout the NT (Isaiah 9:1-7; Jeremiah 23:1-8; 33; Ezekiel
37:24-28; cf. Matthew 1:1).

E. The Covenants (Isaiah 55:3 (cf. Jeremiah 11; Ezekiel 16:8); Jeremiah 31:31-34; cf. Isaiah
42:6; 49:8; 54:10; 55:3; 59:21; 61:8; Jeremiah 32:40; 50:4-5; Ezekiel 11:16-20; 16:60-63;
34:25-31; 36:22-38)
What is ultimately the point of all of this? It is to give people hope. Thus despite their
circumstances, people were to trust in God’s faithfulness that He would restore and save
them and the world. Thus the covenants become a major theme because it is a reminder of
God’s faithfulness

Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with
you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
Isaiah 55:3 (cf. Jeremiah 11; Ezekiel 16:8)

18 See Deuteronomy 18:18

 The covenants become a major theme because it is a reminder of God’s faithfulness and also
of Israel’s unfaithfulness. Depending on the context it can either refer to the Abrahamic,
Mosaic, or Davidic. But one covenant in particular is introduced: The New Covenant:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with
their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of
Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,
declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their
hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall
each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for
they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD.
For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Jeremiah 31:31-34
(cf. Isaiah 42:6; 49:8; 54:10; 55:3; 59:21; 61:8; Jeremiah 32:40; 50:4-5; Ezekiel
11:16-20; 16:60-63; 34:25-31; 36:22-38)

The New Covenant simply states that God would one day give Israel a new heart to know
and to be able to be obedient to Him. In other words it is like the Mosaic Covenant in that it
encompasses: (a) The same people; (b) It involves the same obligation, obedience to God;
and, (c) It secures the same objective, a relationship between God and His people.19

CHRIST CONNECTION – Fulfillment of the New Covenant

In the night before His death, Jesus pointed to the New Covenant as being fulfilled in His
blood. In other words, it was at His death that the New Covenant was ratified (Matthew
26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25-26).

19 Paul R. Williamson, Sealed With an Oath: Covenant in God’s Unfolding Purpose, New Studies in

Biblical Theology (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2007), 153. This does not mean it is the same as the Mosaic
Covenant or simply a renewal of it. The text is very clear that this is different (cf. 31:32). Williamson notes it is
different in the following ways: (a) It is unilateral, or unconditional, meaning God will secure it; (b) It would
affect the entire community; (c) It would result from God’s forgiveness, and thus the end to sacrificial
systems; and, (d) It cannot ever be broken. Cf. 31:35-37. See Ibid., 153-57.
Overall Theme and Purpose of the Books
The prophets served to remind the house of Israel that because of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God
via the Mosaic covenant, God would judge Israel (and the rest of the world) by bringing about
invasion and exile through the Assyrians and Babylonians. But that judgment would be for the
purpose of bringing about restoration and blessing.
 Isaiah tells us that God will discipline and purify Israel in holiness through Assyria and
Babylon so that He may use them to extend His rule and salvation to the nations with His
Messiah.
 Jeremiah tells us that although Judah would be taken into Babylonian captivity because of
their unfaithfulness to the Mosaic Covenant, God will nonetheless restore them because of
His promise in the New Covenant.
 Ezekiel tells us that God would destroy Jerusalem and the Temple because of their idolatry,
but that He would one day restore a future remnant to the Land and establish them there
with a new Temple.

Keys to Reading and Understanding

A. Continue to keep in mind the overall plotline. This goes all the way back to Genesis 1-3
in God’s plans to bless mankind according to His original intent.20 Continue to ask yourself:
“How does _____ advance or affirm the overall plotline of redemption?” In specific, ask things
such as, but not limited to:
 How does God’s judgment upon Judah (and Israel) used to further God’s plan to
redeem and bless the world?
 How does God’s judgment upon other foreign nations used to further God’s plan to
redeem and bless the world?
 How does the prophecies speak to, affirm or give detail to God’s plans to redeem and
bless the world?
 How is the New Covenant used to further God’s plan to redeem and bless the world?
 How will God use His Messiah/Servant to redeem and bless the world?

B. Continue to keep in mind the covenants. Remember, the covenants are all related. The
New Covenant brings clarity to God’s plans articulated by previous covenants and helps to
make sense of how the fulfillment of the Mosaic Covenant is related to the Abrahamic and
Davidic Covenants. Furthermore, you want to be able to identify any references to
covenants. So as you read, ask yourself:
 Are there any discernible items that refer to specific covenants (i.e., people, concepts
such as Law, blessings and curses, “everlasting” words, etc.)?
 What language does the prophecy use to speak about Israel’s breaking of the Mosaic
Covenant and their unfaithfulness to God?
 What language does the prophecy use to speak about God’s covenantal faithfulness
to Israel?

20 See “The Origins of Redemptive History.”

  What kind of language is used for the New Covenant and how does it relate or bring
clarity to previous covenants?

C. Continue to think about what promises have been unveiled so far. Remember much of
this not only extends from the Torah, but is reiterated in the history of the monarchy. So for
example:
 Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 gives us consequences for Israel’s obedience and
disobedience:
i. How do the prophets reiterate and affirm those realities?
ii. In what ways do the consequences look like as described by the prophets?
 Deuteronomy 30 tells us what would happen to Israel if they were to repent:
i. How do the prophets reiterate and affirm those realities?
ii. How do the prophets describe those realities?
 Genesis 3:15 tells us that God’s chosen seed would crush the serpents head:
i. How do the prophets reiterate and affirm those realities?
ii. How do the prophets give clarity to who this seed is?
 Deuteronomy 18 tells us that God would send a prophet like Moses:
i. How do the prophets reiterate and affirm those realities?
ii. How do the prophets give clarity to who that prophet is?
 Deuteronomy 17 tells us that God would raise up a king who would lead Israel:
i. How do the prophets reiterate and affirm those realities?
ii. How do the prophets give clarity to who that king is?

D. Determine the literary type you are dealing with in each section. The prophetic book
may contain narrative, poetry, and discourse all mixed within a single book. Once you have
identified the type(s) of literature encountered in your passages, adjust your reading
expectations to fit that type.

 Identify figurative language. As a general rule, the Bible will interpret its own
symbols either in the immediate context or elsewhere in the Bible. A passage,
phrase, or word is figurative if the literal meaning doesn’t really make sense. In
Jeremiah 2, God is said to be the fountain of living waters. God is literally a fountain
of living water? Of course not. What does the image portray?

E. Recognize that prophecy is organized topically (“symphonically” 21) rather than

chronologically or sequentially. Then seek to understand its structure and the arrangement
of the parts on the basis of either theme (content) or literary patterns.

21It is common to hear the metaphor of a music applies to prophecy: there are melodic themes, harmonizing
elements, counterpoint subthemes, “stanzas,” and “movements.” All these terms seem to do justice to the
structure better than attempting to outline the text.
 F. Don’t miss the forest for the trees. Remember that prophecy is not only incredibly
descriptive and vivid, but that it is not linear like a narrative. You’ll find judgment and
blessings mixed all over.

G. Determine what is foretelling/predictive and forthtelling/declarative. There are

portions of prophecy that are meant to be declare how things are, and there are potions of
prophecy that are meant to declare what will happen.

H. God reiterates what He promised. Remember that there are certain truths that are
spoken of in the past that God reiterates in prophecy. God doesn’t change or take away from
old promises, but He does reaffirm:
 What promises did God give in the past that are reiterated in the prophets?
 What new additions did God add that is spoken of in the prophets?
 How does this inform your understanding of God’s promises?

I. Rightly apply. Remember that the prophets addressed these prophecies to Israel/Judah. So
keep in mind that not only are the judgments given to Israel/Judah, but so are the blessings.
At the same time, that doesn’t mean that the principles can’t apply to us (see Jeremiah
29:11) as an example. So ask yourself:
 TO ISRAEL/JUDAH
i. What are the specific sins that God speaks of regarding Israel/Judah?
ii. What are the specific judgments that God is going to apply to Israel/Judah?
iii. What are the specific promises/blessings that God is going to give to
Israel/Judah?
iv. What specific actions should Israel/Judah take or are commanded to take?
 APPLYING TO CHRISTIANS TODAY
i. What is the general sin that is addressed that can apply to us today?
ii. What does God’s response say about the character of God?
iii. How does this speak to our need of Jesus?
iv. What should Christians do in response?

Homework Assignments
The purpose of these assignments is to help you practice rightly interpreting and applying God’s
Word regularly as if in your own devotional life. There will be some passages that are completely
obscure; some that are familiar but maybe are misunderstood; and some that are easy to
understand.

Please pick ONE of the following:

 Isaiah 6
 Isaiah 46
 Jeremiah 3:6-4:4
 Jeremiah 31
 Ezekiel 16
  Ezekiel 39:25-29

And answer the following questions:

1. What is the overall point of this passage? Please explain using the passage itself as well
as other contextual clues and verses that are either in or outside of the passage.
2. How does this passage fit into the overall theme of the book as a whole? Please explain
using the passage itself as well as other contextual clues and verses that are either in or
outside of the passage.
3. How does this passage speak about the character of God? What attributes in particular
do you think this passage is emphasizing? Please explain how you came to this conclusion
using the passage itself as well as other contextual clues and verses that are either in or
outside of the passage.
4. How does this passage speak about the character of man? What sins in particular do
you think this passage is emphasizing in light of what the attributes the passage seems to be
emphasizing about God? Please explain how you came to this conclusion using the passage
itself as well as other contextual clues and verses that are either in or outside of the passage.
5. How does this passage point to or speak to our need of Jesus? Related to #4.
6. What principles can you draw from this passage that you can apply in your own life
and heart?