Our passage divides into three sections. The connecting thread is the Lord’s deliverance of His people from their enemies. In the first part Isaiah anticipates a day of divine vengeance and ‘the year of my redeemed’. In the second part the kindness and faithfulness of God in times past is recalled, especially the deliverance of Israel from captivity in Egypt. The final part is a prayer for help. In it, faith is expressed, sins are confessed, and an appeal is made for recovery and restoration upon covenant grounds. Isaiah quizzes Christ The prophecy is descriptive of the victories of the Lord Jesus over His enemies at the cross and the triumphs of His love and grace in redemption. It opens with a series of questions…

Suppose we lived in Isaiah’s day. What outward factors and conditions would contribute to our comfort and peace? What circumstances might indicate temporal blessing and prosperity? Living in a fortified and gated city, perhaps, protected by armed guards. Fertile fields close by with fruitful vineyards to provide supplies of food and wine. An honourable reputation, strong, local alliances and proven friends affording a sense of national and regional stability. Long life, good health and large families that bode well for the future. Spiritual blessings By such representative images the prophet anticipates the gospel age and comfort and peace of a spiritual kind. He foresees spiritual blessings given to the church which describe its privileges under the Messiah’s rule. Isaiah’s purpose is to encourage God’s remnant…