EPISODE 3 Judgment of the Nations: No Exemptions Anchor: Isaiah 13-23 (survey, not detail) Purpose: Establish universality of accountability As Isaiah moves beyond Babylon, judgment does not narrow. It widens. From Isaiah 13 through 23, the prophet speaks against a series of nations. But the purpose is not to catalog enemies or to rank guilt. The purpose…
EPISODE 2 Babylon as Archetype, Not Villain Anchor: Isaiah 13 (selectively) Purpose: Prevent historical reductionism As Isaiah turns to the judgment of the nations, he begins, and will later return, with Babylon. The opening line makes this explicit: “The oracle concerning Babylon” (Isaiah 13:1). That placement is deliberate, and it matters. Babylon is not singled out because it is uniquely…
Governing Thesis The necessity of both judgment and redemption – neither makes sense without the other. Everything below serves this claim. Macro-Arc for Isaiah 13-27 (Judgment opening the door for joy; judgment clearing the path for joy) Before we enter some of the most intense chapters in Isaiah, we need to reset how we hear…
Isaiah 6 (ESV) Isaiah’s Vision of the Lord In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he…
XIV. Our Call Made in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26), every person is summoned to holiness. Jesus, true God and true man, is our flawless pattern (Phil. 2:5–11). As “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2), He lived what He taught, formed in the hidden years by Mary and Joseph’s…
XII. Comparing the Call of Isaiah and the Baptismal Commissioning of Jesus Isaiah’s call and Jesus’ baptism stand as two of the most theologically rich commissioning moments in all of Scripture. Both occur at turning points in salvation history: Isaiah’s call (Isa. 6) comes at the end of King Uzziah’s reign, signaling impending judgment and…