This is a wonderful example of an Old Testament passage getting used throughout the New Testament and the reasons Jesus spoke in the ways he did. A lot of the focus of this episode is on the relationship between Jesus and Isaiah 5 so if you have a Bible and are reading along, prepare to do some flipping around. 

This episode is also filled with a lot of imagery that needs a lot of explanation, particularly the concept of a vineyard and how it works its way throughout the Old Testament. The book of Song of Solomon makes an appearance as well as Ahab and Jezebel concerning Naboth's VIneyard in 1 Kings 21.

As always thank you for listening and we hope these episodes inspires you to love scripture more!

After last week's horror and judgement, this chapter is a refreshing turn. Isaiah once again turns to peace and renewal in his traditional poetic form. Noah breaks down a lot of these images and how these ideas make their way throughout Isaiah and the rest of the Bible. One of the most prominent themes to pay attention to is the branch of the Lord and how that represents a good king and nation. Psalm 1 is a great example of how trees and humans are more similar than one might think. Noah breaks down how that image works in this chapter. 

Noah also walks through the idea of mercy on the remnant of Israel and how Isaiah uses the image of fire to represent the journey of Israel from wickedness to purity. It's helpful to keep track of these images so that as we continue through the book you can call them back up for reference. 

Isaiah 3 is a vivid and horrific chapter filled with poetic descriptions of God's coming judgement. It is not a chapter to go into lightly. But it's also a great window into the cultural lives of the people living in Jerusalem at the time. A lot of specific reports about the character of the people in Jerusalem are mentioned and we get to read about how far these people have swerved from their own traditions and laws. 

It is also important to note that here we find a unique demonstration in a religious text. This is a Jewish critique on its own religious practices, exposing the flaws and the double talk that these people were living out. And it goes without saying that the honesty in Isaiah 3 is very refreshing compared to religious and party alliances where nothing negative can be said against one's own community. Although it is also worth mentioning that Isaiah and his message were never loved till long after he died. Still, the fact that these words survived in a climate that was so aggressively hostile to them, shows how powerful and poetic these words really are. 

Isaiah 2 is a short description of the turning that we'll experience in this book. While Isaiah 1 starts with the harsh disappointment that God has for the people of Judah, Isaiah 2 is a hopeful message of eventual reunion and reconciliation. These chapters are a mini table of contents for the rest of the book of Isaiah and it is helpful to keep these first two chapters in mind as we continue forward throughout the rest of the book.  

Noah’s edit: I imply in this episode that Mt. Zion is the highest mountain in Jerusalem. In actuality, it’s one of the smaller mountains with the west mountain being far higher. Confusingly this West mountain is sometimes referred to as Mt. Zion today, but the East mountain is the place where the city of David rested. 

Join us on this first episode where Noah begins our journey through the book of Isaiah. This book is a large book, clocking in at sixty-six chapters spanning the lifetime of four kings in Judah and Jerusalem. The wider scholarly consensus is that this book composes two primary authors, one being Isaiah himself, spanning chapters 1-39, and a second author, spanning chapters 40-66 (some even argue for a third author for chapters 55-66!). This second (and third) author is thought to be a scribe and follower of Isaiah, and witnessed many of Isaiah's earlier prophecies come true. 

We'll unpack that more once we get to chapter 40 but for now, just know this book can have a bit of a back and forth style between mercy and judgement with the first 39 chapters primarily concerned with judgement and chapters 40-66 primarily concerned with mercy. But as you'll hear, even in judgement chapters God is still merciful, and that is one of the beautiful truths that you'll learn in the book of Isaiah. 

Chapter 1 opens with the heart of God revealed for his people and Noah walks us through some of the historical setting that Isaiah is countering with a few thoughts of his own to finish. 

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