Comfort for God's Exiles: Isaiah 40 - 55 Outline

VI. Comfort for God's Exiles: "The Glory of the Lord Shall Be Revealed" (40:1–55:13)

A.The God of glory: his coming, exclusivity, power (40:1–31)
B. The one true God moving history for his people (41:1–20)
C. False hopes, the Lord's servant, a new song (41:21–42:17)
D. God reclaims his people for his glory (42:18–43:21)
E. God revives his people for his glory (43:22–44:23)
F. God predicts his use of Cyrus (44:24–45:25)
G.The gods and pride of Babylon doomed (46:1–47:15)
H.God will free his people from Babylon for his own sake (48:1–22)
I.The Lord's servant displayed, his people assured (49:1–50:3)
J.The Lord's servant taught, his people attentive (50:4–51:8)
K. Encouragements to a responsive faith (51:9–52:12)
L. The Lord's servant: the exalted sin-bearer (52:13–53:12)
M. Compassion for God's people, offered to all (54:1–55:13)

VI. Isa. 40:1–55:13 Comfort for God's Exiles: "The Glory of the Lord Shall Be Revealed." The assumed addressees in these chapters are the exiles in Babylonian captivity; and yet this is a message for Isaiah's contemporaries (see Introduction: Date; and Purpose, Occasion, and Background). God comforts his exiled people by promising the world-transforming display of his glory. Isaiah's perspective moves forward from his own eighth-century setting to the Jews' sixth-century exile predicted in 39:5–7. Isaiah's tone changes from confrontation to assurance.

A. Isa. 40:1–31 The God of Glory: His Coming, Exclusivity, Power. God provides a comforting promise of hope for the brokenhearted people of God. God is incomparably powerful over all things and promises strength for endurance to all who will wait for him.

1. Isa. 40:1–11 A promise of glorious hope breaks upon the people of God.
2. Isa. 40:12–26 God is able to keep his promise because no opposition can compare with the Creator of all things.
3. Isa. 40:27–31 Faith in God's promise empowers his people for endurance.

B. Isa. 41:1–20 The One True God Moving History for His People. God reassures his people that he alone is guiding all events in human history, for his glory and their benefit.

1. Isa. 41:1–7 God argues for his sovereignty over history and the terrifying inadequacy of all idolatrous hopes.
2. Isa. 41:8–20 God reassures his people that they have nothing to fear amid the turbulence he is stirring up in history.
• Isa. 41:17–20 The One stirring up the crises of history also pours out refreshment on his dry people for his own glory.
• Isa. 41:20 God acts in history, in both judgment and salvation, for his own glory. History is not only controlled by God; when understood rightly in light of God's word, history also displays the character of God, as everyone will ultimately acknowledge (cf. 45:22–23).

C. Isa. 41:21–42:17 False Hopes, the Lord's Servant, a New Song. God challenges the false claims of human idols, he presents his servant as the only hope of the world, and he invites the whole human race to praise him for his salvation.

1. Isa. 41:21–29 Set forth your case. God renews his challenge from v. 1, that the nations of the earth, with the help of their gods, demonstrate the truth of their beliefs. This is a recurring theme in this part of Isaiah: the Lord is superior to all other "gods," whether Canaanite (who tempted Isaiah's audience) or Mesopotamian (who confronted the exiles).
2. ?? Isa. 42:1–9 This is the first of four Servant Songs, fulfilled in Jesus Christ (cf. 49:1–13; 50:4–9; 52:13–53:12)
3. Isa. 42:10–17 God calls all the nations to rejoice in his triumphant self-vindication.

D. Isa. 42:18–43:21 God Reclaims His People for His Glory. God promises to restore his confused people to clarity about himself as their only Savior.

1. Isa. 42:18–25 God's own people need deliverance as much as the nations do.
2. Isa. 43:1–7 God reassures his people that, for his own glory, he will ensure their wonderful restoration.
3. Isa. 43:8–13 God's people exist in order to declare his exclusive deity.
4. Isa. 43:14–15 God promises that the Babylonian conquerors of the Jewish people will themselves be conquered and exiled
5. Isa. 43:16–21 God promises that his people will be released from exile through a new exodus.

E. Isa. 43:22–44:23 God Revives His People for His Glory. God promises to pour his life-giving Spirit upon his weary people.

1. Isa. 43:22–28 Far from declaring his praise, God's people have failed him. Therefore, he will save them for his own sake (v. 25).
2. Isa. 44:1–5 God reassures his people that his final purpose for them is blessing.
3. Isa. 44:6–8 The Lord alone is God and therefore fully able to keep his promises.
4. Isa. 44:9–20 The idols made by humans delude people into compulsive folly (cf. Acts 14:15; 17:24–25; Rom. 1:21–25; 1 Cor. 8:4–6; 1 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 21:8; 22:14–15).
5. Isa. 44:21–23 God calls his people to clear awareness of his glorious grace.

F. Isa. 44:24–45:25 God Predicts His Use of Cyrus. God names Cyrus the Great as the one through whom he will restore postexilic Jerusalem.

1. Isa. 44:24–28 God, sovereign over all things, promises his people a deliverer.
2. Isa. 45:1–7 Through Cyrus God will demonstrate his own sovereignty over everything.
3. Isa. 45:8 Far from a problem to cope with, God's sovereignty over all things, as affirmed in v. 7, is the only hope for the flowering of salvation and righteousness in this world.
4. Isa. 45:9–13 Isaiah warns against challenging God's right to do his will in his own way.
5. Isa. 45:14–19 God's plan goes beyond the return of his people to Jerusalem. His salvation will spread through them to all nations (cf. John 4:22; 10:16; Acts 1:8; Rom. 1:16; Gal. 3:28–29; Eph. 2:11–3:6; Col. 3:11; Rev. 7:9–10).
6. Isa. 45:20–22 God invites all nations to renounce their idols and worship him alone.
7. Isa. 45:23–25 God's goal is a world without idols.

G. Isa. 46:1–47:15 The Gods and Pride of Babylon Doomed. The Lord will humiliate the idols of human self-worship and will demonstrate that he is the one true God.

1. Isa. 46:1–7 The gods of Babylon fail their devotees, but the God of Israel saves his people.
2. Isa. 46:8–13 The only true God will succeed in his glorious purpose for his stubborn people.
3. Isa. 47:1–7 In contrast with Zion's salvation (46:13), Babylon is doomed to national disgrace.
4. Isa. 47:8–11 Babylon's proud religion is exposed.
5. Isa. 47:12–15 Babylon is left alone and helpless.

H. Isa. 48:1–22 God Will Free His People from Babylon for His Own Sake. Despite Israel's stubborn unbelief, God pursues his purpose of redemption.

1. Isa. 48:1–11 God puts up with his backward people for the sake of his own glory.
2. Isa. 48:12–22 God will free his backward people from Babylon through Cyrus.

I. Isa. 49:1–50:3 The Lord's Servant Displayed, His People Assured. The trusting servant will save his despairing people with a salvation available for the whole world.

1. Isa. 49:1–13 The servant of the Lord will restore Israel and save the nations. This is the second of four Servant Songs, describing the Messiah (see note on 42:1–9).
2. Isa. 49:14–26 Human despair is more than offset by divine grace.
3. Isa. 50:1–3 God challenges the despondency of his people.

J. Isa. 50:4–51:8 The Lord's Servant Taught, His People Attentive. The listening servant will sustain his listening people with a salvation that will last forever.

1. Isa. 50:4–9 The servant of the Lord suffers in order to sustain others. This is the third of four Servant Songs, which anticipate the Messiah (see note on 42:1–9). This song focuses on the servant as a rejected prophet.
2. Isa. 50:10–11 Isaiah defines the two responses to the servant of the Lord: 
• (1) Fear the Lord by obeying the voice of his servant, trusting him even in the darkness of this life.
  
• (2) Kindle the false light of one's own wisdom, but then lie down in torment forever (cf. Prov. 16:25).
3. Isa. 51:1–8 These verses follow 50:10, giving three incentives for obeying the voice of the servant: vv. 1–3, 4–6, 7–8.

K. Isa. 51:9–52:12 Encouragements to a Responsive Faith. God's power for his people is always active, opening new ways forward through the gospel.

1. Isa. 51:9–11 God's oppressed people pray for a new exodus into eternal joy.
2. Isa. 51:12–16 God assures his people of his omnipotent salvation.
3. Isa. 51:17–23 God rouses his defeated people to renewed comforts.
4. Isa. 52:1–10 God calls his royal people into a new era of blessing for themselves and the whole world.
5. Isa. 52:11–12 Depart, depart. God calls his exiled people to leave Babylon as pilgrims, staking everything on his promises (cf. 2 Cor. 6:17).

L. Isa. 52:13–53:12 The Lord's Servant: The Exalted Sin-bearer. The fourth and final Servant Song, frequently quoted in the NT (e.g., Acts 8:30–35; 1 Pet. 2:22–25) describes the Messiah (see note on Isa. 42:1–9). Isaiah finally explains how the Holy One can bless sinful people: all the promises of God will come true for them because the suffering and triumphant servant removes their guilt before God by his sacrifice. To be clear on which parties are described, it helps to observe the pronouns: "I" in this passage is typically the Lord, "he" the servant, and "we" the servant's disciples, who themselves need the servant to bear their guilt (53:4–6), which is why the servant cannot be Israel or the pious within Israel.

1. Isa. 52:13–15 The servant appeared repulsive but achieved redemption.
2. Isa. 53:1–3 The servant lived in rejection.
3. Isa. 53:4–6 The servant bore the sins of other people; he was himself innocent. This paragraph is the heart of the passage.
4. Isa. 53:7–9 The servant dies in innocence.
5. Isa. 53:10–12 The servant was crushed but victorious.

M. Isa. 54:1–55:13 Compassion for God's People, Offered to All. The everlasting love of God will heal all his people's sorrows, if they will enter in now on the terms of his glorious grace.

1. Isa. 54:1–3 God commands his people to prepare joyfully for their future.
2. Isa. 54:4–10 God commands his people to confidently expect his endless compassion.
3. Isa. 54:11–17 God assures his people of their glorious future.
4. Isa. 55:1–13 God invites everyone to enter into his promised blessings.