Year of Prophecy – Episode 8: In a prophecy found within the book of Isaiah, God looks out over the world and realizes that there is no one present who can redeem humanity. Discover what God chooses to do and how He solves this problem in this podcast episode.
Read the transcript:
As we continue moving forward in our journey through Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled, we come to a prophecy that I had a difficult time deciding where to place in our year together. On one hand, this prophecy that’s found in the book of Isaiah would fit nicely within the group of prophecies that focus on Jesus’ mission and death. However, there is another aspect of this prophecy that gets fulfilled near the beginning of Jesus’ time on earth.
For this second reason, I pulled this prophecy up to this week, and placed it here, at the point in our prophecies right after Jesus arrives on earth to help give us a frame and an understanding of why He came to this planet of sinners.
Let’s read the prophecy, then unpack some of the details shared within it. Our prophecy is found in the book of Isaiah, chapter 59, and we will read it using the New American Standard Bible. Starting in verse 12, which is part way into this prophecy, Isaiah writes:
12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You,And our sins testify against us;For our transgressions are with us,And we know our iniquities:13 Transgressing and denying the Lord,And turning away from our God,Speaking oppression and revolt,Conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words.14 Justice is turned back,And righteousness stands far away;For truth has stumbled in the street,And uprightness cannot enter.15a Yes, truth is lacking;And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey.
Pausing reading our prophecy, I cannot help but see in what we just read a description of our world today. However, I suspect that what is described here could be relevant to most points in time in history, and I suspect that the first century when Jesus walked the earth, and also the century several hundred years before this when Isaiah was alive could be described this way.
However, let’s continue with this prophecy to discover what God does with the world in this state. Picking back up in the second half of verse 15, we read:
15b Now the Lord saw,And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice.16 And He saw that there was no man,And was astonished that there was no one to intercede;Then His own arm brought salvation to Him,And His righteousness upheld Him.17 He put on righteousness like a breastplate,And a helmet of salvation on His head;And He put on garments of vengeance for clothingAnd wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.18 According to their deeds, so He will repay,Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies;To the coastlands He will make recompense.19 So they will fear the name of the Lord from the westAnd His glory from the rising of the sun,For He will come like a rushing streamWhich the wind of the Lord drives.20 “A Redeemer will come to Zion,And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the Lord.
21 “As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from now and forever.”
In this prophecy, after seeing that there was no way for humanity to redeem itself, God decides to take matters into His own hands and step into history as a Redeemer. Looking out at the inhabitants of this planet, from God’s perspective, there was no one available who could intercede on our behalf to fix the sin problem. Because of this, God decided that He would send Himself, specifically Jesus, one member of the Godhead, to intercede for us and be the Redeemer for humanity.
At the very beginning of Jesus’ time on this planet as a baby, Luke’s gospel describes a fascinating encounter Jesus and His earthly parents have when they go to dedicate Him in the temple a few days after His birth. In Luke, chapter 2, starting in verse 25, we read:
25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,According to Your word;30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,32 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,And the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. 38 At that very moment she came up and begangiving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
When Joseph and Mary enter the temple, they are greeted by two people who have amazing things to say about Jesus. The first person Luke’s gospel describes as a man, Simeon. For most of my growing up life, I had pictured Simeon as the priest on duty that day, but nothing in Luke’s gospel suggests this.
Instead, Simeon happens to be a somewhat regular guy who had an extra-close relationship with God. Luke’s gospel describes Simeon having the Holy Spirit in his life, and Simeon speaks a prophetic word over Jesus’ life and ministry.
Anna, who is called a prophetess, was also there, and while we don’t know exactly what she said, she drew the attention of everyone present onto Jesus and who He was.
Here at the opening of Jesus’ time on earth, we find a partial fulfillment of the covenant promise found at the end of Isaiah’s prophecy. “As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from now and forever.”
Looking at Jesus’ life and ministry, He came to be our Savior, our Intercessor, and our Redeemer. While there was nothing we could do to break free from the grip of sin, because of Jesus, and through the help of God’s Holy Spirit, we can leave sin in our past and live a redeemed life with God. When we place our faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus, and live with and for God in this life, drawing close to Him, we prepare ourselves for eternity when we will live with God in the new heaven and new earth forever.
As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:
As I always open by challenging you, intentionally seek God first in your life. Intentionally place your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus and lean on Him as your Redeemer and Intercessor. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross pays the debt our sin caused, and when we let Jesus, He is happy to pay this debt when we choose to align our lives with God while also turning away from sin.
Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to grow personally closer to Jesus each and every day. Through regular prayer and Bible study, discover how God loves you personally and just how far He is willing to go to redeem you from the sin that has infected this world.
And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or deviate away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!
Read this article on the web on it's official page: Sending Himself: Isaiah 59:12-21
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