Embedded Files
SOURCE: The Book of Isaiah, from the Holy Bible
AUTHOR: The Prophet Isaiah
DATE: 538 B.C., during the rule of Persian king Cyrus the Great
BACKGROUND: One of groups that migrated and conquered the land of Canaan (modern-day Israel, Palestine and Lebanon) was a group called the Israelites. The major documentary source for both the process of cultural fusion and the fierce struggles that took place among the various groups of settlers is found in a collection of sacred Hebrew (a Semitic language) writings called the Bible, which lays out the Israelite’s belief of a single, all-powerful God named YHWH (“I Am Who I Am” or “THE LORD”). This short-lived Israelite kingdom was divided then captured, first by the Babylonians and later by the Persian Empire. This excerpt was written by the prophet Isaiah during the reign of Persian King, Cyrus the Great, who had released a group of upper class Israelite captives so that they could return back to Canaan to rebuild the Temple. It describes the people of Israel as THE LORD’s suffering servant and delineates the historical role that THE LORD has decreed for His servant.
Thus says THE LORD, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
“I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god…
Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you; you are my servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you…
“I am THE LORD, who made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,
who frustrates the signs of liars
and makes fools of diviners,
who turns wise men back
and makes their knowledge foolish,
who confirms the word of his servant
and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’
and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built, and I will raise up their ruins’…
…who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,
and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’
and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”
Thus says THE LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed…
For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
I name you, though you do not know me.
I am THE LORD, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,
that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am THE LORD, and there is no other.
I made the earth and created man on it;
it was my hands that stretched out the heavens,
and I commanded all their host.
I have stirred him up in righteousness,
and I will make all his ways level;
he shall build my city
and set my exiles free,
not for price or reward,”
says the Lord of hosts…
I THE LORD speak the truth;
I declare what is right.
Assemble yourselves and come;
draw near together,
you survivors of the nations!
They have no knowledge
who carry about their wooden idols,
and keep on praying to a god
that cannot save.
Declare and present your case;
let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, THE LORD?
And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none besides me.
“Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
By myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone out in righteousness
a word that shall not return:
‘To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear allegiance.’
“Only in THE LORD, it shall be said of me,
are righteousness and strength;
to him shall come and be ashamed
all who were incensed against him.
In THE LORD all the offspring of Israel
shall be justified and shall glory.”...
He says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
Thus says THE LORD,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation,
the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves;
because of THE LORD, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
QUESTIONS FOR ANALYSIS
What is the relationship between THE LORD and the Israelites?
In what ways does this passage show that THE LORD is all-powerful and controller of human fates?
What does Isaiah mean by the prophecy that THE LORD will present Israel “as a light to the nations?” How will the Children of Israel’s redemption from exile in Babylon serve a universal purpose?
FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION: According to this belief system, what is the meaning of life?
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