54: 11a Essay

Without devotion to God, violence and death would flourish in Israel. These factors would impede God’s blessings of security and life; thus, the Mosaic covenant demonstrates the continual faithfulness of God in the Old Testament. Finally, God is faithful to Israel during the people’s complaints in the desert. Rather than abandoning the nation for its faithlessness, God provides them will nourishment and protection during their journey. These acts further reinforce the faithfulness of God, even when his followers stray. In all, the Pentateuch demonstrates the theme of God’s faithfulness.

Because of a new arrangement that was established between Abram and God, the nation of Israel begins to grow and to move forward in their relationship.

I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” God makes an extensive covenant to Abram, declaring that he will become a great nation. Little does Abram know, this is the dawn of the nation of Israel, God’s chosen

Moving on, from what Richter named the barrier (people, time, and space), chapter three contains the outworking of God through the five men discussed before. As she states, “the biblical writers consciously organized their material in a systematic fashion in order to communicate certain central truths.” The author briefly details the aspects of the covenants within the Old Testament surrounding Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. Taking, in turn, each of them and expositing them in a way that shows the redemptive story that is taking place. “For each of these characters was called to mediate a covenant between God and humanity”. Tying into the culture of the people, God used the fallen and difficult Israelite culture to set up his redemptive plan the would show to be faithful, even to a faithless people.

Mouw mentions that there are several ways in which humans have used the Old Testament in order to justify and reinforce racial prejudice (Mouw 71). He wants us to see the Holy City as a multinational world with no distinctions between God’s people. He says, “Christians should point to the love of neighbors as the ethical norm for the regulation of relationships among people” (Mouw 72). As it says in the Bible, Israel is God’s people and acts as a representative of the nations. Mouw indicates that both Jews and Gentiles will receive the benefits of God’s redemption. He uses the prophecy of Isaiah 19, in which the Lord refers to the Egyptians as “[His] people” (Mouw 76). People argue that the Old Testament supports the opposite view, in which gentile people are seen as inferior. In the beginning of time, God did make a covenant and established Israel as the representative of his kingdom, but he didn’t forget about everyone else. God has a plan for his creation and both blessed and cursed Israel for its position. The Holy City that Isaiah talks about reverses the curse of Babel. The curse of Babel is where God’s people let greediness and egocentrism take over their lives and God punished them by confusing their tongues and dividing them throughout the earth. Mouw believes that it’s the duty of the Christian community to pursue racial appeasement: “We must voice our protest against the suffering caused by the kinds of

As stated earlier, God had made a covenant with Abraham that he would give him people, place, presence,

Living in a time of corruption, social oppression and Assyrian devastation, the Jewish prophet Isiah wrote about concepts and ideologies that have heavily influenced the lives of individual adherents and Jewish communities throughout time. Isaiah’s influence on the adherents of Judaism is momentous as the book of Isaiah, which contains his writings, is found in the Nevi’im – the book of Prophets which Jewish adherents and communities read, study and look to for guidance. Isaiah’s vision for morality and denunciation of hypocrisy allowed for a more holistic approach to life, rejecting immorality and moving towards earthly peace under divine justice. (insert on screen 2:4).

Their continued rebellions against YHWH and evil religious practices led them to where they were. He saw that the people of Judah were continuing to practice idolatry and other evil forms of worship. He believed that the Temple had been tainted and was no longer acceptable for worship based on the impure activities that were occurring. All these impurities led to YHWH leaving, but he also believed that if YHWH stayed in the Temple that it would survive, so he still believed in Zionism. He sees that the sins of all the countries who were being overrun was a direct result of the bad religious practices. He believed that if the people of Judah were to change their ways and cleanse the Temple of all the evil that was in it, YHWH would still be there and protect it from outside forces. The people of Judah did not and YHWH presence left the Temple and in doing so, allowed it to fall to the

While Christian theologians contend that the Suffering Servant passages in Isaiah 52 and 53 speak directly to the substitutionary or vicarious atonement of the Messiah, others believe that same text does not prophesy the atonement of Jesus Christ, but to the persecution and oppression of the Jews in the 11th century. Rabbi Tovia Singer states, “Christianity claims that Isaiah chapter 53 refers to Jesus, as the “suffering servant.” In actuality, Isaiah 53 directly follows the theme of chapter 52, describing the exile and redemption of the Jewish people. The prophecies are written in singular form because the Jews are regarded as one unit.”

Daniel Block starts by introducing Zion theology. Zion theology is the Israelites’ religious attitude toward Jerusalem. Scholars recognize some Israelites’ thoughts regarding to the Zion Theology. First, since worshipping of Yahweh at the national temple in Jerusalem, the Israelites thought that the deity’s enthronement is a central feature. Second, since the Location of the temple is on the “peak of Zaphon,” they assume that Zion is the center of the universe. Last, The election of Zion by YHWH is closely tied to the election of David. From Zion Yahweh’s reign of peace and justice extends to the entire world.

The prophecy of the Temple in Ezekiel 40-48 is said to be one of the most difficult portion of scripture. Many commentators have proposed varying views and approaches. It has even been reported that the Jews do not allow anyone to read it until they are 30 years of age.[footnoteRef:1]Despite this difficulty, it is a vital portion of scripture necessary to the understanding of the Messiah and the principle of salvation. Accordingly, this discussion will examine both the literal and figurative interpretations of this vision to show their strengths and weaknesses in light of the New Testament and the coming of Jesus Christ the messiah. [1: Matthew Henry, Commentary on Ezekiel 40, Accessed on April 8, 2016 www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/ezekiel/40.html]

This paper will address these biblical passages in Isaiah 52 and 53, which describes a “suffering servant” to the Lord God. There has been a debate as to whether these passages where describing the Messiah who would come to restore Israel as God’s chosen people or if the passage was describing the nation of Israel as the “suffering servant”. Christian scholars and clergy view these passages as describing Jesus who they affirm as the Messiah. The text is written in a poetic form and flows from one subject to another, however, many view these passages as being extremely detailed prophecy about the Messiah to come. I will point out key passages and explain how these passages provide clarity about whom the writer was speaking. This paper will point out why Jesus is the “suffering servant”, who is mentioned in Isaiah and explain why the “suffering servant” is not the nation of Israel as others propose.

The important signs given in these passages that helped assure God’s people that they are to be restored in Ezekial 37:26-28 God’s promised a covenant of peace and an everlasting one. Israel would increase in numbers and God’s sanctuary, His dwelling place among the people forever. God to restore Israel by cleansing and renewing their hearts by His spirit. The signs in Exodus 40:34-38 the tabernacle was God’ home on earth, He filled this tent with His glory by a cover of cloud. In 1 Kings 8:1-21 Solomon states that God fulfilled His promise and kept His covenant of love. Solomon assembled the people at the temple to recommit to the Lord and led a prayer of dedication. The temple built by Solomon replaced the tabernacle, this signified the center place of worship and God’s continued presence. As it states in 1 Kings 8:12 “The Lord said that He would dwell in a dark cloud.”

Then the mighty man God, himself, took away bread and water from Jerusalem and Judah. Citizens tried ponding off the leader position on anyone who would claim in, but the people knew that the land was cursed and oppressed; there was nothing they could do but pray and ask for Gods forgiveness. The lord then said he would strike on the daughters of Zion, for that they had sinned. God did not appreciate they way they acted with