1 Tenniel Jordan BIB-104 March 2, 2014 Prof.

Rand

The Prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah: Relevance in Re rospec !ope and fai h "o hand in hand. #ne canno have one and no he o her. The Bi$le is filled %i h verses per ainin" o he %o. &e , ho% can one have hope in hopeless si 'a ions( The $oo)s of Isaiah and Jeremiah are filled %i h he love of *od and hope. +or man,, he, are a personal le er from *od "iven o hem $efore he, %ere $orn. The relevance of hese $oo)s oda, is no clearl, seen. Man, a ri$' e he prophecies %i hin hese %o $oo)s o he pro$lems of he divided Israeli e na ion. +or all in en s and p'rposes ha is r'e. -ha he, fail o see is he relevance for o'r ime. -ha he Israeli es faced hen %e face no%. !o% %e ac %ill ma)e all he difference. .The his or, of Israel is a his or, of prophec,/a his or, in %hich men of prophe ic ran) and name s and a he "rea 'rnin" poin s of he people0s life, and direc he movemen s/a his or, in %hich he movin" si"nifican a"en is Jehovah, he *od of Israel, %hose mo' hpiece and represen a ives he prophe s %ere/i is a his or, of revela ion, for revela ion implies ha o cer ain individ'als, and he people a lar"e, *od ma)es !imself and !is %ill )no%n.1 23avidson, 14045. More han a mere prophe Jeremiah %as sen o a sleepin" na ion. 6nslaved $, a forei"n na ion he Israeli es %en hro'"h his ime o$livio's o he $i""er pic 're a hand. Beca'se of heir sin-sic) hear s he, $ecame n'm$ o heir sin, o he direc ion and leadership of *od, and n'm$ o he pain ha heir sin has ca'sed. &e , Jeremiah cried o' as his prophec, %as f'lfilled %i h he fall of Jer'salem $, he Ba$,lonians. 7no%n as he %eepin" prophe , Jeremiah cried for he people of Israel o' of his a$idin" love for *od. .&o', # 8#R3, rei"n forever9 ,o'r hrone

2 end'res from "enera ion o "enera ion. -h, do ,o' al%a,s for"e 's( -h, do ,o' forsa)e 's so lon"( Res ore 's o ,o'rself, # 8#R3, ha %e ma, re 'rn9 rene% o'r da,s as of old 'nless ,o' have ' erl, re:ec ed 's and are an"r, %i h 's $e,ond meas're.1 28amen a ions ;:14-22, <7J=5 The prophe Jeremiah %as cr,in" o' o a people %ho had filled hemselves %i h self-decep ion and a *od %hose an"er %as $e,ond comprehension. Jeremiah $ro'"h p'$lic e>pression o he people0s pain and despair in order for hem o come o he reali?a ion of %ha is "oin" on. Jeremiah $ro'"h for h he meanin" and reason for heir pain. @nfor 'na el,, %i h pain comes hopelessness. -e as a na ion sho'ld a)e no e from he fallen na ion. 8i)e Israel %e are en an"led in he res'l s of 'rnin" a%a, from *od. +illed %i h he h,pocris, of self-revela ion and denial his na ion %anders %onderin" %ill %hen i all %ill end. The hope for his na ion as %i h he fallen na ion of Israel lies in he prophe ic %ord of Isaiah. The prophe Isaiah %as a hope-filled, lovin" man of *od. M'ch of his prophe ic %ord is relevan for o'r ime. The messa"e of Isaiah %as no %ri en o a people %ho needed o $e $ro'"h in o he reali?a ion of heir ac ions. B, his ime, he people are %a, pas ha . Ins ead his messa"e offers hose %ho are in despair a %a, o' . Isaiah does ha $, "ivin" hem an ima"er, of hope. .B' no%, his is %ha he 8#R3 sa,sA he %ho crea ed ,o', # Jaco$, he %ho formed ,o', # Israel: .+ear no , for I have redeemed ,o'9 I have s'mmoned ,o' $, name9 ,o' are mine.1 2Isaiah 4B:1, <I=5. Isaiah "ives people an e> raordinar, "if . B, 'sin" an"i$le ima"er,, Isaiah "ives he people fai h and hope for he f' 're. B, ca'sin" hem o remem$er %ho he, are and %hose he, are, he reminds hem ha he, are he people of *od and !e alone has he po%er o save hem and $rin" hem $ac) 'nder he covenan al $lessin"s. Isaiah doesn0 cons an l, ell hem ho% hin"s co'ld $e. !e le s hem )no% heir his or,. Time and a"ain Isaiah recaps he his or, of a chosen people. This is indispensa$le $eca'se he mos po%erf'l implica ion of hope is no :'s

B $ased on %ha can happen, $' is s'$s an ia ed in %ha has alread, happened. The Israeli es comprehend he po%er of &!-! and %hile hin"s loo) dama"in" a he momen , *od is s ill *od and he is s ill in he $'siness of deliverin" people. .I, even I, am he %ho $lo s o' ,o'r rans"ressions, for m, o%n sa)e, and remem$ers ,o'r sins no more.1 2Isaiah 4B:2;, <I=5 -here Jeremiah0s prophe ic %ords are harsh and hard o s%allo%, Isaiah0s is filled %i h hope and poin s a %a, o he comin" Messiah. Cl ho'"h Isaiah is called 'pon $, he 8ord o re$')e he na ion of Israel as a %hole for heir sins, his foc's is 'pon he redemp ion of he people and he land. .Din", # ,e heavens9 for he 8#R3 ha h done i : sho' , ,e lo%er par s of he ear h: $rea) for h in o sin"in", ,e mo'n ains, # fores , and ever, ree herein: for he 8#R3 ha h redeemed Jaco$, and "lorified himself in Israel.1 2Isa. 44:2B, 7J=5 Merrill 2200E5 s'mmari?ed he $oo) of Isaiah in his %a,: . he $oo) of Isaiah e>press an en irel, differen approach o he prophe 0s minis r,. -hereas he firs par %as lar"el, his orical, ho'"h in erspersed heavil, %i h vario's oracles, his la er sec ion is %holl, predic ive, %i h special a en ion o he escha olo"ical aspec s of Israel0s f' 're.1 Mos of he %orld lives %i h a s'$s an ial amo'n of possessions and an d'm$fo'ndin" amo'n of freedom. @nfor 'na el,, he %orld in %hich %e all live has an overa$'ndance of pain and s'fferin". Man, need o hear Jeremiah0s messa"e. Man,, li)e he na ion of Israel, are le har"ic and need o $e forced o deal %i h he a"on,, pain, and sin of o'r reali ,. In his $ro)en %orld hin"s are no %ha he, seem. I is onl, hro'"h reco"ni?in" he ills and sins of his %orld ha *od is a$le o %or). Cll need he prophe ic %ords of Isaiah. 7no%in" is never eno'"h. !avin" fel he hopelessness and pain of his sin-sic) %orld, all are reelin" from he effec s. Tha is %here he %ords of Isaiah are he mos po%erf'l. !is %ords filled %i h hope and fai h poin he %a, o he *od %ho is, %as and al%a,s %ill $e. Bi$lical fai h is no onl, $ased on %ha can $e $' %ha

4 alread, %as. In order for his %orld o move for%ard harmonio'sl, i m's firs loo) $ac). Dome imes he people in his %orld need o $e reminded of %ha he presen is reall, li)e so he, can loo) 'p and o' o%ards *od. # her imes, he %orld needs $e reminded of %ha he f' 're %i h *od a he helm can loo) li)e in order o have direc ion. B' a all imes he %orld sho'ld $e in en ional a$o' r,in" o vie% he %orld he %a, *od vie%s i and no ho% %e hin) i o'"h o $e. This is %ha he prophe ic %ords of Isaiah and Jeremiah are all a$o' .

References <elson, J. 8. 214E15. !is servan s, he prophe s. Do' h%es ern Jo'rnal #f Theolo",, 24215, EF102. Merrill, 6. !. 2200E5. Cn !is orical D'rve, of he #ld Tes amen , chap ers E-4. 8'dlo%, =. 220015. Isaiah, 142.