Is the free Isaiah commentary ok for conservative Baptists?
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JoshInRI said:
Please weigh in fellow Baptists..thanks.
Here is the Is 53 summary:
"To summarize, the servant of Isaiah is linked dogmatically to Jesus Christ primarily in terms of its ontology, that is, its substance, and is not simply a future promise of the Old Testament awaiting its New Testament fulfillment. It is significant to observe that in Acts 8, when the eunuch asked about the identity of the Isaianic servant, Philip did not simply identify him with Jesus of Nazareth. Rather, beginning with the scriptures, “he preached to him the good news of Jesus.” The suffering servant retains its theological significance within the Christian canon because it is inextricably linked in substance with the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is and always has been the ground of God’s salvation of Israel and the world."
Childs, B. S. (2001). Isaiah: A Commentary. (W. P. Brown, C. A. Newsom, & B. A. Strawn, Eds.) (1st ed., p. 423). Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
I for one, coming from a Baptist background, like to see other view points (such as this commentary presents) and their basis of their particular view points. I for one, think that all Baptists should have in their library commentaries from different denominations that truly present there point of view on a particular topic, instead of relaying on three person testamentary.
Final point: It is worth the chance, "buy it", if you don´t like it, you can always hide it! [:D]
http://hombrereformado.blogspot.com/ Solo a Dios la Gloria Apoyo
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It's free. Doesn't cost anything to look at it. Is there something about Childs that you find troubling? Canonical Criticism?
Like we should do with any and every commentary, pick it over and spit out the bones.
Edit: Funny, the first thing I did was go check out Is 53 [^o)]
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Gao Lu said:
Like we should do with any and every commentary, pick it over and spit out the bones.
Wise, succinct and vivid ... I like this response [:)]
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{EDIT: I misread the question but I hope this is helpful. I agree with what others said good to have and hold on to what is true and good. But I am fairly sure this work would not be a primary reference for you to go to, even though it is a more conservative critical commentary.}
The only free one i can think of might be the Faithlife Study Bible .
53:1 Who has believed A rhetorical question referring to the prophet’s consistent message of redemption and salvation (compare 52:7, 10). The phrase draws attention to Yahweh’s message of hope and salvation announced by the prophet. The prophets generally expected an unrepentant response from their audience (compare 6:9–10).
our The identification of this first person plural group is debated. The sentence literally states, “who has believed our report?” The suggestions are the Gentile nations from v. 12, the nation of Israel, or the Israelite prophets collectively.
The best option in context is that the group is the nation of Israel, the same group that has gone astray (v. 6). Neither the prophets nor the nations fit the depiction in vv. 3–6. The arm of Yahweh is revealed to Israel and will deliver Israel, even though they fail to recognize it for what it is—Yahweh’s fulfillment of His promised salvation.
arm of Yahweh Symbolizes the earthly manifestation of Yahweh’s power. Compare 51:9 and note, and 52:10 and note. The phrase invokes the image of Yahweh as Divine Warrior battling for His people. Here the Servant becomes Yahweh’s divine warrior in battle—an integral part in Yahweh’s fight to reclaim His people. In v. 12, the “bounty” is divided “with the strong ones,” alluding to the Servant’s role as warrior. See noteon v. 12.
The phrase “Yahweh’s arm” is used in Exod 15:16 to describe Yahweh’s victory over the Egyptians and His future victories over Edom, Moab, and Canaan. Yahweh’s arm is spoken about in descriptions of the exodus event (e.g., Exod 6:6; Deut 26:8; 2 Kgs 17:36); the same imagery is evoked to describe His plans to be victorious in His battle against other divine beings (Deut 4:34).
The Servant, although a sufferer, is a spiritual warrior—certainly a paradox, but part of Yahweh’s plan nonetheless. His death and resurrection reclaims Yahweh’s people by offering them restoration and reconciliation (vv. 10, 12).
revealed Yahweh’s message is not self-evident, hence the coming oracle.
-Dan
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As I am not a baptist, I am curious as to the attention to Is 53 as a possible defining point in baptist theology.
Can anyone help me understand the issue at stake. If any? Just curious.
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Please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe as a conservative baptist he might be concerned about a commentary like the above that holds to multiple authors and one that stresses 53 not primarily as a prophecy of Jesus Christ but as an immediate meaning for the people that (second) Isaiah wrote too. A conservative Christian in general would usually affirm the unity of Isaiah, and see the Christological prophecy as being in no way secondary but the primary if not the only point for Isaiah. The scholarship of the FLSB is not extremely conservative or exclusively baptist but it seems to me to be on the more conservative side of the Evangelical Spectrum and thought it an ideal free commentary to recommend. Not free in Logos but Tom Constable's Expository Bible Study Notes are free online and can easily be located.
The Servant despised 53:1- 3
Expositors have called this chapter the holy of holies of Isaiah. It is also the middle chapter in part two of the book (chs. 40- 66). Most of the approximately 80 references to Isaiah in the New Testament come from this chapter. It is the most quoted or alluded to Old Testament chapter in the New Testament.
"Beyond question, this chapter is the heart of the Hebrew prophetic writings."
53:1 Isaiah marveled at the message that the Lord had revealed to him, that he and the Israelites were to declare to the world as lights to the nations (42:6; 43:10- 12; cf. vv. 3- 6; 16:6; 24:16; 42:24; 52:15; 64:5- 6; John 12:38; Rom. 10:16). It was almost unbelievable.
"It [the rhetorical question," Who has believed our report? "] does not demand a negative answer, but is designed simply to call attention to the paucity of true believers in the world and especially among the Jews."
The prophet also was amazed that the Lord had revealed His arm to His people. When the Lord would bare His arm to save humankind (51:9- 10; 52:10; 63:12), that manifestation of His strength was not at all impressive. We might say that when God rolled up His sleeve, the arm that He exposed was not the powerful arm of a weight lifter but a very ordinary looking arm. Nevertheless that arm would prove to be stronger than any other arm. The Arm of the Lord appears here as a person distinct from the Lord Himself, namely, the Servant of the Lord.
"When God made the universe, He used His fingers (Ps. 8:3), and when He delivered Israel from Egypt, it was by His strong hand (Ex. 13:3). But to save lost sinners, He had to bare His mighty arm!"-- The Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable, 2014 edition
-Dan
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This is again from Dr. Thomas Constable, his introduction to the prophet Isaiah:
Message
In contrast to the New Testament prophets, Isaiah had very little to say about an individual's relationship with God. His concern was more the relationship of God's people as a whole to the Lord, specifically:the nation of Israel's relationship to God. This is true of most of the Old Testament writing prophets. Isaiah focused on Israel's past, her present, her near future, and her distant future. He also gave considerable attention to the fate of the Gentile nations.
In the first section of the book (chs. 1- 39), Isaiah insists that judgment is necessary before there can be peace. He was dealing with judgment here and now:repentance and divine intervention. In the last section of the book (chs. 40- 66), Isaiah stressed the importance of righteousness before there can be peace:righteousness here and now before there can be peace on earth in the future.
The great value of Isaiah is its revelation of the throne of God. This book clarifies the principles by which God rules the universe. In chapter 6, Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on His throne. This vision of God impacted the rest of Isaiah's ministry and the rest of his book. In chapter 53, the prophet revealed the Servant of the Lord, in whom and through whom God reigns. Isaiah balanced the transcendence of God with the immanence of God. These great revelations of Isaiah come together in the Book of Revelation 5:6:"And I saw between the throne and the elders a Lamb standing." God reigns through people, especially one crucial person. Isaiah had much to say about the coming Messiah throughout this book. One writer identified 22 prophecies in Isaiah as messianic.
Isaiah lived the early part of his life under the reign of King Uzziah. Uzziah was a good king, and he provided stability for the kingdom of Judah. But when Uzziah died, everyone had questions about the direction Judah would go. It was "in the year that King Uzziah died" that Isaiah saw his vision of the throne in heaven (6:1). He realized in a deeper way than ever before that the true king of Judah was Yahweh, and that Yahweh was still firmly on His throne.
There are two things that mark God's throne:government and grace. Isaiah's contemporaries needed a deeper appreciation of God's government and His grace, and so do all the readers of this book. When Isaiah spoke of God's government and His grace, the Israelites mocked him for presenting such a simple message (28:13). God told his prophet to expect rejection (6:9- 10), and that proved to be Israel's characteristic response to Isaiah's ministry. We also need a reminder of the basic principles of God's government and His grace. It is not because they are unknown to us, but because people do not heed these truths that they are so needful today.
Let us consider, first, what Isaiah revealed about the government of God.
There are three principles by which God governs, according to Isaiah's emphases. These are holiness, righteousness, and justice. Holiness is the inspiration, righteousness the activity, and justice the result of God's government.
The most outstanding characteristic of God that this book reveals is His holiness. The title "the Holy One of Israel" was Isaiah's hallmark. The angelic beings that Isaiah saw assembled around God's heavenly throne ascribed perfect holiness to Him:"Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh of Hosts" (6:3). The holiness of God describes His "otherliness" from all His creation. God is different in His essence; He is spirit, whereas the creation is material. He is also different in His morality; He is absolutely upright, in contrast to the creation that has suffered from the Fall and its contacts with sin. All of God's government, how He governs, derives from His holiness.
Because God is holy, He always does what is right. Conduct issues from and reflects character. Because God is holy in His character, He conducts Himself in righteousness. There is a strong emphasis on righteousness in Isaiah- both God's righteousness, and the need for human righteousness. Isaiah's emphasis on righteousness is one of the reasons his book has been called:the Romans of the Old Testament.
The result of righteous conduct is justice. God deals with His own people, and all other people, in justice. He will do what is fair, what is straight, and what is proper. Because God is just, sin inevitably brings punishment. Much of this prophecy is designed to help the people of God know how to avoid sin and its punishment and how to manage sin and its punishment. Justice, both in interpersonal and in international affairs, is an important motif in Isaiah.
Whereas the principles of God's government are holiness, righteousness, and justice, the methods by which He governs are revelation, explanation, and prediction.
According to Isaiah, the outstanding characteristic of God that distinguishes Him from all false gods (idols) is that He has revealed Himself; He has spoken. Isaiah referred to three primary revelations of God to humankind:general revelation, special revelation, and incarnate revelation. God has built a revelation of Himself into His creation so that everyone can see that a true God does exist (cf. Rom. 1). Second, He revealed His will as well as His existence. The revelation of His will came to the Israelites through what God taught them, the Torah (instruction). Third, God revealed Himself through a person:the Messiah, the Servant of the Lord, the Divine Warrior. The revelation of how God would deal with the sin problem came through this person. Isaiah reveals that God would deliver Israel from destruction, from captivity, and from sin. He would make her, in the future, the servant of His that He always intended her to be, but which she failed to become because of her sin.
God went beyond just giving revelations, however. He also provided explanations. This was one of the major ministries of the prophets in general, and of Isaiah in particular. God explained through Isaiah why the Israelites and their neighbor nations were experiencing what they were going through, so they could learn from their past, walk in His ways in the present, and enjoy His blessings in the future.
Not only did God explain the past, but He also predicted the future. He did this to prove that He is the only true God. In order to predict the future accurately, one must be able to control the future. Yahweh is the only true God who can create history in time, as well as creating the material world in space. His ability to predict the future is the great testimony to His unique sovereignty.
The characteristics of God's government as revealed in Isaiah are also three:patience, persistence, and power.
God deals with people patiently. He allows them the opportunity to repent and return to Himself. God had been very patient with Judah, but the day of His patience would end, so she needed to repent while there was still opportunity. The day of salvation would not last forever.
Second, God deals with people persistently. He does not disregard people's sin after a time, but He always deals with it righteously. Likewise, He persists in blessing those who faithfully follow Him, even though they live among a nation of apostates.
Third, God ever demonstrates His supernatural power. What is natural does not limit Him. He can and does intervene to provide power that overcomes His sinful people and holds them in captivity. The expectation of more exoduses is strong throughout this book. Isaiah's audience looked ahead to captivity in Babylon, but beyond that there was the promise of liberation, and beyond that there was the promise of liberation from sin.
Parallel to these emphases on the government of God is an equally strong emphasis on the grace of God in Isaiah.
Along with the holiness, righteousness, and justice of God, we have an equally strong emphasis on the love, mercy, and goodness of God. Isaiah wrote that God's children had rebelled against Him. His "wife" had been unfaithful to Him. The breaking heart of God is as clear a revelation in Isaiah as are the broken commandments of God.
Similarly, God's revelations, His explanations, and His predictions arise out of His mercy. God has revealed Himself in nature so everyone can enter into relationship with a gracious God. He has explained Himself so His people can understand His dealings with them as being gracious. He has predicted the future so everyone will appreciate that His plans for humanity are gracious plans involving redemption from captivity and sin.
God's grace is the reason He is patient with people. His grace is the inspiration for His persistence with people. And His grace is the passion of His power on behalf of people.
The timeless message of this book is that acknowledgment of God's sovereign rule is the key to successful human life on every level:individually, nationally, and historically. The only hope for human failure caused by enslavement to sin is divine redemption that a God of grace provides. God is not only able but also willing to save.
To enjoy the benefits of God's grace, people must submit to His government. To submit to His government, they must receive the benefits of His grace. Israel failed to enjoy the benefits of God's grace because she failed to submit to His rule. She failed to submit to His rule because she failed to appreciate His grace. God brings us into right relationship with His government through His grace. In order to enjoy the benefits of His grace, we must submit to His government. Both government and grace find their source in Yahweh and their ultimate expression in Jesus Christ. [b Adapted from G. Campbell Morgan, Living Messages of the Books of the Bible, 1]
Exposition
"The Book of Isaiah can be called 'a Bible in miniature.' There are sixty- six chapters in Isaiah and sixty- six books in the Bible. The thirty- nine chapters of the first part of Isaiah may be compared to the Old Testament with its thirty- nine books, and both focus primarily on God's judgment of sin. The twenty- seven chapters of the second part may be seen to parallel the twenty- seven books of the New Testament, and both emphasize the grace of God." [c Warren W. Wiersbe, "Isaiah," in The Bible Exposition]0 -
Michael McLane said:
As I am not a baptist, I am curious as to the attention to Is 53 as a possible defining point in baptist theology.
Can anyone help me understand the issue at stake. If any? Just curious.
The only reason I used 53 is I just got out of the Good Friday service at church! [:^)]
http://hombrereformado.blogspot.com/ Solo a Dios la Gloria Apoyo
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Dan Francis said:
This is again from Dr. Thomas Constable
Tom Constable's Expository Bible Study Notes by Thomas L.Constable
Logos 7 Collectors Edition
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Thanks for your comments Dan Francis, it’s always good to learn about these important verses in the Bible. I heard a sermon from John MacArthur recently where he mentioned this passage from somebody else who is getting a PHP in Hebrew studies in Harvard University, a fellow Christian, the Jew professor asked to his mixed classed who was Isiah talking about here, and nobody answered anything. There was silence for a while. He said that the Orthodox Jews probably didn’t know. The secular Jews probably didn’t care. And the Christian students knew that this was going to start a big confrontation so there was a silence in the class. But I think that after a long pause MacArthur said that this Harvard professor had said that Isaiah was talking about Jesus, of course. I am not quoting word by word of what it was said in this Biblical inerrancy conference, but this is more or less what I remember. I am going to download this free book of the month and read all the details of this forum thread again.
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Mark said:
Can someone please provide a link or a name to this free Isaiah commentary being referred to in this thread?
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Thank you. Just wanted to make sure that was what was being referred to
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