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No.7.
pp. 221 - 229
The Twofold Nature of the Prophecy of Isaiah.
The place occupied by the prophecy of Isaiah in the Hebrew canon can be best seen if
the prophets as a whole are set out in their inter-relationship. This has been ably done by
100: H. Welch in An Alphabetical Analysis Part 9, p.184 and for the sake of completeness
we give it here:
Structure of the Prophets according to the Hebrew Canon.
A | JOSHUA. "The Lord of all the earth."
Failure to possess the land (18: 3).
The Canaanite still in possession (15: 63).
B | JUDGES. Failure. Thirteen judges.
Israel forsaking and returning to God. "No King" (21: 25).
C | SAMUEL. Saul (type of Antichrist). David (type of Christ).
Israel want to be "like the nations".
D | KINGS. Decline and failure under Kings.
Removal from the land.
D | ISAIAH. Israel's only hope, final blessing, and restoration.
Messiah--God's King.
C | JEREMIAH. Nebuchadnezzar (type of Antichrist).
David's "Righteous Branch". "Raised up" the Deliverer.
Israel sent into captivity among the nations.
B | EZEKIEL. The glory of God forsaking and returning to the land and people.
Jehovah Shammah. The Lord is there.
A | MINOR PROPHETS. "The Lord of all the earth." Joshua the High Priest.
Restoration of Israel to the land.
"No more Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts" (Zech. 14: 21).
From this arrangement of the Prophets, we an see that Israel reached the depths of
apostasy, the glory has departed and they and all mankind have proved a failure. With
Isaiah we start a new movement. The nation of Israel was called to be the Lord's
"servant-nation" (Isa. 41: 8), but it is the Messiah, Who, in the time of Israel's failure, is
spoken of in the words of Isa. 42: 1 "Behold My Servant". Israel is destined to be the
Lord's "witness-nation" to the world (43: 10), but it is the greater than David Who is
given as a Witness in Isa. 55: 4. The theme of this book as of all the prophets, is tersely
expressed in a twofold way in Jer. 31: 10 "He that scattered Israel will gather him".
In other words the prophets give the record of God's judgments on Israel for their
apostasy and the nations associated with them for their sin, but because of His
unconditional promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, concerning their seed and the
promised land (of which Palestine is only a small part), God will honour His Word and
finally save and restore the nation of Israel so that they can at last fulfil God's will and be
the channel of salvation and blessing to the whole world.