No. 8. >> That was really helpful. I have a follow-up question. But I would like to ask if you have a book you would suggest to us that traces the history you have just described. Now my question has to do with the major points Isaiah will be making in the first 39 chapters. What are some of Isaiah's major theological themes? And is Chapter 1 an overview of the entire book of Isaiah? I seem to remember reading that. >> There are several books I might suggest to understand the historical nature of the events that we have looked at so far in this course. And it would be a book called "The Word Becoming Flesh" by Horace Hummel. Now, the reason I mention that book because of the fact when someone approaches the Old Testament, the temptation is to think of it all in terms of just history and history only. Horace Hummel in this book from Concordia Publishing House is able to take the history and help you understand the theology behind the history. And that's what makes the Old Testament come alive. And then there's application. And you can preach and teach from the Old Testament. Because if it's just history and history only, devoid of theology, then there really isn't an entry into an appropriation of the Old Testament for the life of the baptized. So get Hummel's book. Read it. And read it again. You might have to read it twice in order for the Old Testament to become a part of who you are as a pastor and as a theological thinker. Well, let's turn now to the second part of your question. And that has to deal with what we've already said in terms of our outline of the book of Isaiah. That Chapter 1 is an overview of the entire book. Let me answer this in terms of several different categories. First of all, let me just simply indicate how Chapter 1 is not only an overview of the book, but also forms a nice grand wrap around with Chapters 65 and 66. So Israel in Chapter 1 is oblivious to who God is. Let's look at Chapter 1 Verse 3. I've already alluded to this earlier. But Chapter 1 Verse 3 connects nicely with Chapter 65 Verse 1 and 65 Verse 12. And again, is a major theme throughout the book. So open your Bibles to Isaiah 1 Verse 3. It says: An ox knows his master. So an ox is not a real smart animal. In fact, it's kind of dumb. It's kind of real stupid. But the way Hebrew poetry quite often works is repetition with intensity. That's it. Repetition with intensity. In this case we have the idea of knowledge being repeated four different times in 1 Verse 3. And the intensity part is in terms of the lack of knowledge. So you think an ox knows his master. But the second part, an ass, see, knows the trough of its owners. So an ass doesn't know the owner, the master. He just knows where to eat. See, if an ox is dumb, an ass is real dumb. And I won't use the colloquial statement that we're all familiar with. You're as dumb as a -- you fill in the blank. So you have the ox and the ass. Really dim witted, slow, lethargic, stupid animals. Repetition with intensity. What could be stupider than an ox or an ass? Oh, the third part of Isaiah 1 Verse 3. Israel doesn't know. See, Israel doesn't know anything. Let's kind of roll up our sleeves and get into the details of this verse. An ox knows the master. And the ass knows where to eat. But Israel doesn't know the master. Israel doesn't know where to eat. Israel doesn't know anything. Zip, zatta, goose eggs, nothing. And my people don't understand even themselves. That's the best translation of the last part of Isaiah 1 Verse 3. A huge theme in Isaiah, that the people don't even know who they are. This idea is going to be demonstrated in terms of any number of ways throughout the book. They don't understand truth from lies. Sight from blindness. Hearing from being deaf. Sobriety in -- against being drunk. Worship of God versus the worship of idols. Flesh and Spirit. Chariots and horses. And faith and Yahweh. So throughout the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, not to mention the whole book, the people choose lies and blindness and deafness and drunkenness and idols and the flesh and chariots and horses or military might as opposed to truth and sight and hearing and sobriety and worshiping the Lord in Spirit and faith in Yahweh. So there you are it. A major theme in Chapter 1 Verse 3. And a major theme throughout the book itself. Well, let's back up and look at Verse 2 in Chapter 1 of Isaiah. We've mentioned this already. Hear, O heavens, give an ear, O earth. Because Yahweh, LORD all in caps in your English versions, has spoken. Sons I raised in rear. But they -- that is they rebelled against me. Major theme in the book of Isaiah. First of all, the heavens and earth locate us back to the sinaitic covenant. Isaiah is a covenant lawsuit mediator. And the mentions of heavens and earth set the stage for Israel's guilty standing before Yahweh. And Isaiah being the attorney who is pointing out their sins. So heaven and earth not only testify against Israel in terms of their rebellion against the Lord. But at the end of Isaiah in Chapter 65 Verses 15 and following, God promises a new heaven and a new earth. So at some point in the future, the heavens and the earth won't judge the people of God. But the people of God will be in a new, a renewed, heaven and earth that finally climaxes in Revelation Chapter 21. So let's look at this word rebel. In the Hebrew it is pasha. Pasha. I want you to turn to II Kings 1 Verse 1 where you see where the word pasha, rebel, is used in a political text. II Kings 1 Verse 1 says that after the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against its suzerin, its king of Israel. Well, what does that mean? It means in Chapter 1 Verse 2 of Isaiah, we want to see the idea that Israel is politically and spiritually rebelling against their king, their suzerin, whose name is Yahweh the God of Israel. How do they do that? Well, within the political realm of pasha, to rebel, it means you are aligning yourself with a different king. With a different suzerin. With a different master. And this is exactly what the people do throughout Isaiah Chapters 1 through 39. They align themselves with different monarchs. Different kings. In Chapter 7 Ahaz is going to align himself with remember TP III. In Chapters 30 and 31, Isaiah is going to tell the people: Don't align yourself with the Egyptian king. So in Chapter 1 Verse 2, this idea of rebellion is going to find its way throughout the book itself. Well, let's go on then and try and get another idea of Chapter 1. Especially the first couple of verses, in how the themes play out in the rest of the book. In Chapter 1 Verse 4 Isaiah says: Woe. Woe to the nation of sinners. Now, this word woe means death. It's actually a lament for somebody who is already dead. Let me explain by means of I Kings 13 Verse 30. In I Kings 13 Verse 30, a prophet from Bethel mourns the death of the man of God from Judah as he cries out: Woe, my brother. This is the only time the specific Hebrew word is used outside of prophetic literature. And it tells us that someone is lamenting over the death of someone else. Isaiah loves to say: Woe. He has it throughout Chapter 5. Chapter 10. He says it in Chapter 6. It means that someone is dead. What does he mean then in Chapter 1 Verse 4 when he says: Woe to the nation of sinners. It means that the nation of Israel and Judah, they are both dead. They are spiritually under God's judgement. And the funeral has already happened. Somewhat ironic when you talk to people who are alive. And you tell them that they are dead. This idea of spiritual death and God's judgement throughout Chapter 1 is going to certainly find its way throughout the first 39 chapters of the book itself. Well, let's look at a couple more themes in Chapter 1 that will also find their way throughout the rest of the book. Certainly the redemption of Zion. If you look at Chapter 1 Verse 27, Isaiah says that -- Isaiah says that Zion will be redeemed in righteousness and her leaders in justice. A huge idea in the book of Isaiah that Zion, God's city, is going to be the place of redemption and justice and righteousness. The very language appears in Chapters 40 through 55. Especially, as an example, Chapter 52 Verse 3. Chapter 59 Verse 17 talks about a restored Zion. Similar statement may be made about Chapter 1 Verses 28 through 31. As they resonate language throughout the rest of the book. For example, the reference to the oak in Isaiah 1:29 through 30 is a charge of inappropriate worship. Canaanite fertility worship that we've already referenced. And that specifically is discussed in Isaiah 57:5. The same claim might be made about the false worship in the gardens in Isaiah 1:29 through 30. And it is echoed in Chapter 66 Verse 17. So the first chapter of Isaiah also points to the military destructions that are going to happen throughout the book of Isaiah. Specifically Isaiah 1 Verses 7, 8 and 9 speak about a military campaign in which cities are destroyed. Jerusalem is spared. The daughter of Zion is left like a booth in the vineyard. That's Isaiah 1 Verse 8. And throughout the book of Isaiah, as we've already said, there's wars and rumors of wars. Theirs Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians all over the place. But there's always, you see, a remnant. The daughter of Zion is left. Isaiah 1 Verse 8. So we have the idea of remnant throughout the book of Isaiah. In fact, as we've already said, one of his children is called Shear-Jashub, a remnant will return. Well, there you have it in Reader's Digest version. Some of the major ideas in Chapter 1 and how they echo and find themselves being discussed and developed throughout the rest of the book.