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The Predicted Judgment (The former half).
(1)
"A great forsaking in the midst of the land" (Isa. 6: 12).
(2)
"The land forsaken of both her kings" (Isa. 7: 16).
(3)
"The cities of Aroer are forsaken" (Isa. 17: 2).
(4)
"In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough . . . . ." (Isa. 17: 9).
(5)
"Which they left because of the children of Israel" (Isa. 17: 9).
(6)
"The habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness" (Isa. 27: 10).
(7)
"The multitude of the city shall be left" (Isa. 32: 14).
The Predicted Blessing (The latter half).
(1)
"I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them" (Isa. 41: 17).
(2)
"These things will I do unto them, and will not forsake them" (Isa. 42: 16).
(3)
"The Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken" (Isa. 59: 6).
(4)
"For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather
thee" (Isa. 54: 7).
(5)
"Thou hast been forsaken . . . . . I will make thee . . . . . a joy" (Isa. 60: 15).
(6)
"Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken" (Isa. 62: 4).
(7)
"Thou shalt be called, Sought out, a city not forsaken" (Isa. 62: 12).
The structure, which is set out on page 43, shows that the former prophecy is divided
into three great groups, the first group ending with 10: 33 - 12:, the second with
24:-27:, and the third with chapter 35:
These three closing portions of the
three groups contain a special prophetic message, which finds an echo in the latter part of
the prophecy. Taking the earlier chapters first, we have the following:
(1)
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the
kid . . . . . the lion shall eat straw like the ox . . . . . they shall not hurt nor destroy
in all My holy mountain" (Isa. 11: 6-9).
(2)
"The Lord God shall wipe away tears from off all faces" (Isa. 25: 8).
(3)
"Everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow
and sighing shall flee away" (Isa. 35: 10).
These early promises are found, inverse order, in the latter portion of the prophecy:
(3) "Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and
sorrow and mourning shall flee away" (Isa. 51: 11).
(1)
"The voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying"
(Isa. 65: 19).
(1) "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the
bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in
all My holy mountain, saith the Lord" (Isa. 65: 25).
The forsaking of Israel was consequent upon Israel's own forsaking of their covenant
with God; their restoration will be based upon a New Covenant of grace. The word
"covenant" occurs twelve times in Isaiah, and its distribution is in complete harmony
with the trend of the prophecy.
The first and last occurrences are in chapter 24: and chapter 61::