White Horse Inn Blog

On this program the hosts will wrap up their six-part series by walking through the “servant songs” of Isaiah. Again we discover the theme that this servant will not merely restore the tribes of Jacob but will become “a light for the nations.” He will “sprinkle many nations” by being “stricken, smitten and afflicted.” “All we like sheep have gone astray… but the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” This was to be the heart of the messiah’s mission, “to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Isaiah’s mission was to pronounce both law and gospel. As God’ prosecuting attorney, he was called to pronounce the covenant curses on unfaithful and disobedient Israel. Yet in the midst of all these “woes,” we continue to discover more and more about God’s messianic promise. In the days of this coming redeemer, Jerusalem will become a “herald of good news” and God will “tend his flock like a shepherd.” On this program the hosts will walk through chapters 26 through 40 of Isaiah’s amazing prophecy.

In chapter 11 of his prophecy, Isaiah writes that, “[t]he wolf shall dwell with the lamb.” Many interpret this literally as referring to some utopian period way off in the distant future. But is this really what Isaiah’s imagery is pointing to? What does he mean when he says that a shoot shall come forth “from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit”? On this program the hosts will discuss these questions and more as they interact with chapters 10 through 25 of the book of Isaiah.

In this section of the book of Isaiah, we see the beginning of Isaiah’s prophetic call. Though he has already pronounced the covenantal “woes” against unfaithful Israel, here we see him exclaim, “Woe is me!” when confronted with God’s infinite holiness and majesty. The hosts evaluate the significance of this event along with numerous messianic prophecies that begin to appear in chapters 5 through 9 on this edition of White Horse Inn.

Part of the Israelites’ new responsibility after the Exodus from Egypt was to serve “eviction notices” to the pagan nations then occupying the land. Over time, however, God’s covenant people disobeyed him and eventually became indistinguishable from their pagan neighbors. Through the prophet Isaiah, God responded to this unfaithfulness and told his people they too would soon be evicted from the land. The hosts continue their exploration of the book of Isaiah and discuss how God begins to reveal more about the coming messianic deliverer, not only through Isaiah’s words of judgment and condemnation, but also through promises of comfort and grace.

What was the role of an Old Testament prophet, and how are we to interpret this kind of literature in our own day? What are the particular themes and messages that the prophet Isaiah addresses? How are the blessings and curses mentioned throughout this prophecy related to covenants already established? How is Christ revealed throughout this book? The hosts will deal with these questions and more as they begin a new six-part series on “The Gospel According to Isaiah.”