BEMA Episode Link: 65: 4 Isaiah — Hope
Episode Length: 24:52
Published Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2018 01:00:00 -0800
Session 2
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings move into the fourth voice of Isaiah, seen in chapters 55–66. We hear the compelling promise of restoration for God’s people and the invitation for them to become the people they were meant to be.

Discussion Video for BEMA 65

1 Isaiah — Vineyard Presentation (PDF)

Faith Unraveled by Rachel Held Evans

Sabbath as Resistance by Walter Brueggemann

Transcript for BEMA 65

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 65: 4 Isaiah - Hope

Title & Source Summary

This episode examines the fourth voice of Isaiah (chapters 55-66), focusing on the theme of hope and restoration for God’s remnant people. After reviewing the entire prophetic section covered so far, hosts Marty Solomon and Brent Billings explore how this final section of Isaiah shifts tone dramatically from judgment and suffering to an invitation for restoration, while maintaining accountability to God’s original mission for His people.

Key Takeaways

  • The fourth voice of Isaiah (chapters 55-66) represents a distinct prophetic tone centered on hope for the remnant
  • God’s scandalous grace is the true context of “My ways are not your ways” (Isaiah 55:8-9) - not divine mystery but divine forgiveness
  • True fasting and righteousness involve social justice - caring for the oppressed, hungry, and marginalized, not merely religious ritual
  • The call to rebuild broken walls connects back to the vineyard imagery from 1 Isaiah, creating a bookend structure
  • Sabbath rest emerges as both the beginning and ending principle of biblical theology - foundational to experiencing God’s restoration
  • The remnant represents those who persevered through suffering and are now invited to fulfill their original calling
  • Hope comes with warning: restoration requires becoming the people God originally called Israel to be

Main Concepts & Theories

The Prophetic Timeline Review

The episode provides a comprehensive review of the prophetic voices studied to date, organized by historical period:

Pre-Assyrian Prophets:

  • To Israel: Amos (plumb line/ripe fruit), Hosea (prostitute)
  • To Judah: Micah (judge), 1 Isaiah (vineyard)

Assyrian Period Prophets:

  • To Israel: Jonah (potential) and Nahum (diyn/judgment) - held together as paradox
  • To Judah: Zephaniah (t’shuva/repentance), 2 Isaiah (woe)

Babylonian Period Prophets:

  • Jeremiah (weeping prophet)
  • Lamentations (alphabetic-chiastic-acrostic about lament and hope)
  • Habakkuk (watchtower - demanding answers from God)
  • Obadiah (to Edom/Petra)
  • Joel (locusts)

Exilic Period Prophets:

  • Ezekiel (strength - chazak)
  • Daniel (son of man - double chiasm)
  • Job (perspective on suffering)
  • 3 Isaiah (servant)
The Remnant Concept

The remnant refers to the surviving group that remains faithful after judgment. Key characteristics:

  • Always preserved by God, never total destruction
  • Connected to Elijah’s “7,000 who have not bowed to Baal”
  • Represents those who persevered through suffering
  • Small remaining quantity with which God can rebuild
  • The audience of 4 Isaiah’s message of hope
The Four Voices of Isaiah

The book of Isaiah contains distinct prophetic voices across different time periods:

  1. 1 Isaiah (Pre-Assyrian): Vineyard imagery, warning to Judah
  2. 2 Isaiah (Assyrian period): Pronouncing woes
  3. 3 Isaiah (Exilic): “Comfort my people,” servant imagery, perseverance
  4. 4 Isaiah (Remnant): Hope, restoration, invitation to return

Some scholars argue that 1 Isaiah and 4 Isaiah may be the same voice, creating a frame around 2-3 Isaiah. The connection to Malachi also suggests thematic unity in addressing post-exilic issues.

Isaiah 55: Scandalous Grace

The opening of Isaiah 55 shifts tone dramatically:

  • Invitation to “come” for those who are thirsty and have no money
  • Free provision of wine, milk, and nourishment
  • Promise of an everlasting covenant connected to David
  • Call to seek the Lord “while He may be found”

Critical recontextualization of Isaiah 55:8-9:

The famous verse “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” is typically used to explain divine mystery. However, in context, it explains God’s scandalous forgiveness:

  • Preceded by: “Let the wicked forsake their ways… Let them turn to the Lord and He will have mercy”
  • Followed by assurance of free pardon
  • The point: God’s willingness to forgive completely doesn’t make human sense
  • Credit given to Rachel Held Evans for this insight (from Faith Unraveled)
Isaiah 58: True Fasting and Social Justice

This chapter contains God’s rebuke of empty religious ritual:

False Fasting:

  • Appears righteous and eager to know God’s ways
  • But exploits workers
  • Ends in quarreling and violence
  • Merely bowing heads and wearing sackcloth

True Fasting:

  • Loose the chains of injustice
  • Untie the cords of the yoke
  • Set the oppressed free
  • Share food with the hungry
  • Provide shelter for the poor wanderer
  • Clothe the naked
  • Not turn away from your own flesh and blood

Result of True Righteousness:

  • “Your light will break forth like the dawn”
  • “Your healing will quickly appear”
  • God will answer when you call: “Here am I”
  • You will be “Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings”
The Vineyard Bookend

Isaiah 58 creates deliberate connection back to 1 Isaiah’s vineyard:

  • In 1 Isaiah: God came looking for good fruit but found oppression
  • Expected tzedekah (righteousness) but found tze’ekah (cry of the oppressed)
  • God removed the hedge and broke down the walls as judgment
  • In 4 Isaiah: Promise to rebuild “ancient ruins” and “age-old foundations”
  • Become “Repairer of Broken Walls” - restoring the protective mission

This literary structure suggests either:

  1. 1 Isaiah and 4 Isaiah are the same prophetic voice
  2. 4 Isaiah deliberately calls back to reinforce continuity of God’s expectations
Sabbath as Bookend Theology

The episode identifies Sabbath as a framing principle throughout Scripture:

Beginning: Genesis 1

  • Creation narrative structured around Sabbath rest
  • God’s invitation to trust His goodness
  • Foundation of biblical theology

Ending: 2 Chronicles

  • Last book in the Hebrew Tanakh
  • Closes with Sabbath as reason for exile
  • Israel forgot the invitation to rest in God’s goodness

Ending of Isaiah 58:

  • Specific call to honor Sabbath after discussing social justice
  • “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath…”
  • “Then you will find your joy in the Lord”
  • Connected to “the inheritance of your father Jacob”

Modern Application (Walter Brueggemann):

  • Sabbath observance as countercultural resistance in 21st century
  • Not formulaic obedience but heart posture of trust
  • Book recommendation: Sabbath as Resistance by Walter Brueggemann
Jacob/Israel Connection

The reference to “inheritance of your father Jacob” carries multiple layers:

  • Historical connection to Genesis patriarchs
  • In context of Isaiah: Jacob was the name for the servant in 3 Isaiah
  • The suffering servant’s inheritance is now available to the remnant
  • Suffering endured leads to this promised restoration

Examples & Applications

Rachel Held Evans’ Contextual Reading

Rachel Held Evans (in Faith Unraveled, formerly Evolving in Monkey Town) demonstrates responsible biblical interpretation by:

  • Examining immediate context rather than isolated proof-texting
  • Revealing that Isaiah 55:8-9 is about grace, not inscrutability
  • Showing how misapplied verses can obscure God’s actual character
  • Application: Always read verses in their surrounding context
Babylon’s Exile Strategy

Historical example of ancient conquest practices:

  • Conquered peoples sorted by usefulness
  • Educated, wealthy, and skilled taken into exile as labor force
  • Poor, sick, and less useful left behind to farm and provide resources
  • Jeremiah left behind because Babylon saw him as pro-Babylonian propaganda
  • Demonstrates both ancient imperial strategy and God’s sovereignty in using it
Contemporary Sabbath Practice

Walter Brueggemann’s modern application:

  • 21st century American culture driven by productivity and consumption
  • Sabbath observance as radical resistance to cultural norms
  • Not legalistic rule-keeping but spiritual practice of trust
  • Countercultural witness in workaholic society
  • Demonstrates God’s sufficiency when we cease our striving
Moscow Discussion Group

Real-world example of communal study:

  • Local groups wrestling with biblical concepts together
  • Members bringing insights (like 2 Chronicles Sabbath connection)
  • Community discussion enriches individual understanding
  • Shows value of dialogue beyond podcast listening
Social Justice as True Religion

Isaiah 58 provides concrete examples relevant across time:

  • Ancient: freeing those under debt slavery, providing for refugees
  • Modern parallels: addressing systemic injustice, caring for homeless, immigrant rights
  • Critique of religious performance divorced from compassionate action
  • Challenge to examine if our “righteousness” includes care for the marginalized

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Structural Analysis of Isaiah
  • Detailed comparison of linguistic and thematic markers distinguishing the four voices
  • Analysis of whether 1 and 4 Isaiah share authorship
  • Study of chiastic structures throughout Isaiah
  • Connection between Isaiah’s structure and other prophetic books
Sabbath Theology
  • Comprehensive study of Sabbath from Genesis through New Testament
  • Examination of Jesus’ Sabbath teaching in light of Isaiah 58
  • Practical theology of Sabbath observance in modern contexts
  • Connection between Sabbath and justice (Sabbath year, Jubilee)
  • Walter Brueggemann’s Sabbath as Resistance full study
The Remnant Theme in Scripture
  • Tracing remnant concept from Elijah through prophets
  • New Testament appropriation of remnant theology
  • Paul’s use of remnant concept in Romans 9-11
  • Relationship between remnant and ecclesiology
Prophetic Voice and Dating
  • Historical-critical methods for dating prophetic texts
  • Comparison with archaeological evidence from exile/return periods
  • Relationship between prophetic messages and historical circumstances
  • Redaction history of prophetic books
Social Justice in Prophetic Literature
  • Comprehensive study of justice themes across all prophets
  • Hebrew concepts: mishpat, tzedekah, chesed
  • Comparison between “cultic” and “ethical” prophetic critiques
  • Contemporary application to systemic injustice
Malachi and 4 Isaiah
  • Detailed comparison of themes when Malachi is studied
  • Post-exilic prophetic concerns
  • Temple restoration and proper worship
  • Continuity of covenant expectations after return
Rachel Held Evans’ Hermeneutical Approach
  • Study of Faith Unraveled and its biblical interpretation method
  • Examples of commonly miscontextualized verses
  • Principles for responsible reading of difficult texts
  • Progressive evangelical approaches to Scripture
Tanakh Structure and Theology
  • Significance of book order in Hebrew Bible vs. Christian Old Testament
  • Theological implications of ending with 2 Chronicles vs. Malachi
  • How book arrangement shapes narrative and meaning
  • Jewish vs. Christian canonical perspectives

Comprehension Questions

  1. Contextual Interpretation: How does understanding the context of Isaiah 55:8-9 (“My ways are not your ways”) change the meaning from how it is commonly used? What is God actually saying in this passage about His character?

  2. True vs. False Righteousness: According to Isaiah 58, what is the difference between false fasting that God rejects and true fasting that God accepts? Why does God care more about social justice than religious ritual?

  3. Remnant Theology: What is the biblical concept of “remnant,” and how does this theme connect from Elijah through the prophetic literature to the audience of 4 Isaiah? What hope does the remnant concept provide?

  4. Vineyard Bookend: How does the “Repairer of Broken Walls” imagery in Isaiah 58 connect back to the vineyard parable in 1 Isaiah? What theological message does this literary structure communicate about God’s consistent expectations?

  5. Sabbath Framework: Why do the hosts emphasize that both Genesis 1 and 2 Chronicles end with Sabbath themes, and how does Isaiah 58’s Sabbath teaching fit into this pattern? What might this suggest about Sabbath’s importance in biblical theology?

Personal Summary

This episode reveals that the fourth voice of Isaiah marks a dramatic shift from judgment and suffering to hope and invitation for restoration. The remnant - those who persevered through exile - are now called to return and experience God’s scandalous grace. However, this grace is not cheap; it requires becoming the people God originally intended.

The critical reframing of Isaiah 55:8-9 stands out as particularly important. Rather than explaining divine mystery when things don’t make sense, this passage actually reveals how completely God is willing to forgive - so completely that it defies human logic. This is hope rooted in God’s character, not wishful thinking.

Isaiah 58 provides the accountability that balances this grace: true righteousness must include social justice. Religious performance means nothing if divorced from caring for the oppressed, hungry, and marginalized. The “Repairer of Broken Walls” imagery brilliantly connects back to 1 Isaiah’s vineyard, showing that God’s expectations have not changed - He still wants fruit of justice and righteousness.

Perhaps most profound is the bookend emphasis on Sabbath. Beginning in Genesis 1 with God’s invitation to rest in His good creation, culminating in 2 Chronicles with exile as the consequence of forgetting Sabbath, and reinforced in Isaiah 58 as essential to restoration, Sabbath emerges as foundational to covenant relationship. It represents trust in God’s sufficiency and resistance to self-reliant striving - as relevant in 21st century consumer culture as in ancient Israel.

The remnant message offers both comfort and challenge: God always preserves a people through whom He can work, but that people must actually fulfill their calling to bless the world through justice, mercy, and radical trust in God’s provision.

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