Isaiah 38-555/Romans 5-9

Isaiah
37-38 are retellings of stories from 2 Kings 20. You may recall Hezekiah is sick, but is given 15 more years. He is visited by the Babylonians and shows them all his treasures, which turns out to be a bad idea.

Chapter 40 begins a new section of the book and is often called the "Consolation of Israel." The prophecies here speak of the return of the people from Exile in Babylon and speak in good terms of its Emperor Cyrus who supports the return of the Israelites.

40-44:8
An extended poem which makes the promise of consolation and return of the people. God does this "for his own sake." He raises up kings and knocks the down. The idea of the "servant" also is introduced and will play an important role in this section of Isaiah. The servant probably has several different valid interpretation - the term is multivalent. On one level the servant is Cyrus who opens the way for the people to return. At another level it is Israel who brings in God's kingdom on behalf of the world. At yet another level it is the Messiah who is the individual who inaugurates and ultimately manifest the kingdom of God and the return of the Israelites to the promised land.

44-45: After a diatribe against idols the seer gives an oracle primarily about Cyrus who will be the one who makes the return possible - as well as the invitation to all nations to worship God.

47-55 is the second major part of the this section of Isaiah. The constant theme is though Israel is small God is great. There are warnings and invitations to the nations. There is the call to repentance and the call to return to the land.

52:13-53 have had many interpretations and much ink has been spilled about them. My understanding would be, like most prophecy in the Old Testament, that at the time the suffering servant referred to Israel, who was small, weak and beat up, but has now been exalted for the sake of the world and through whom the world may now know the power of Yahweh. Of course the same could be said about Jesus, and thus the early Christians (I think correctly) saw this as also speaking of Jesus.

The final two chapters are an invitation to the Kingdom and return to the promised land. Chapter 55 especially should sound familiar.

Romans
5: Paul talks extensively about the workings of justification (righteousness) - that is salvation. Let me lay it out - being justified by faith is to be justified by the faith of Jesus - that is our participation in that faith: So it is discussed in several different ways - his faith/trust in God led to his obedience even to death, so Paul speaks of his death, his blood, his obedience. The grace made available is more powerful than the transgression that made this salvation a need.

6: answers the old age question: If we're really saved by faith and grace, does that mean we can do whatever we want? Paul says - NO WAY! In essence his argument is that the way of faith and grace leads us into a life that is life giving, rather than one that is life-taking. The way of life we are brought into is one that leads to life; the way of sin leads to death. Grace frees us from sin so that we may turn in that direction.

7: This can get a little confusing, and I think Paul is talking about the disintegration of the individual as a result of sin, but I think I can make this a little more simple. Is the law bad because it shows us sin? Is it bad because it revealed it? What is its role? We could say the same thing about Doctors. Sometimes when we are sick we may not even know it; or we might not feel good and not know why. If I visit the Dr. I'll (hopefully) find out, and he will give me medication or some other treatment. However, it is not the Dr. who heals, it is the medication. The Dr. simply diagnoses. Is the Dr. therefore bad because he told me I was sick? No - but the Dr. doesn't heal either. This is a gross analogy, but I hope you get the point.

8: This chapter is really summarized by the first verse: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." The rest of the chapter is riff on that statement, ending with that great verse 38.

9: A complicated start to a complicated topic - what then Israel who has rejected the Messiah? Paul begins with his own sorrow over his own people and speaks to the validity of the calling of Gentiles - the promise was not given to all of Abraham's children (of the flesh) but to the one who was the child of promise. The Gentiles inherit this promise as well when they seek it through faith and not through works of fulfilling the law. I believe the section on God's power to deal with creation as God sees fit is a bit weak here and is answered elsewhere in a better manner. Notice however that the vessels of wrath are people with whom God has already endured with much patience.