Second Isaiah, Exile and Justice
One of the portions of text that we haven’t yet had the opportunity to explore here is second, or ‘Deutero’ Isaiah. For a quick overview of First Isaiah and its historical context, see this earlier edition of the newsletter:
If you want to see why scholars might want to divide the text at chapter 39, read from there through to the end of 40 and see what you notice. What is the setting of the text? Who is speaking? What style of text is it?
Context
While the first portion of Isaiah (1-39) is thought to have been written in the time before and leading up to the exile, Deutero-Isaiah (40-55) is considered to be an exilic or early post-exilic text. This means that the writers were reflecting on either the immediate or recent occurrence of significant political and social upheaval, which informed some of the theological questions that they were asking.
Jenni Williams, in her theological commentary on Isaiah, summarises the issue like this:
‘This section of the book is addressed to [the] exiles, not to those left in Judah. The trauma of the exile and the confusion of those deported to Babylon are the main background of the prophecies in this section of the book. It is impossible to underestimate the effect on the Judahites in Babylon of the deportation and destruction of their city in 587 BC’1
Lorenzo Monaco - The Prophet Isaiah, between 1405 and 1410, commons.wikimedia.com
Content
This portion of Isaiah is distinctive. It uses lots of rhetorical questions (40:21, 42:19) and focusses on the figure of the ‘servant’ who is sometimes understood to be Israel, sometimes king Cyrus, and sometimes Jesus. These servant songs appear in 42:1-4, 49:1-6, 50:4-9, and 52:13-53:12 and are complex and multifaceted descriptions of what it means to serve God.
Distinctive themes run though Deutero-Isaiah, which make the most sense through the lens of its exilic/post-exilic context. For a people in distress, the themes of salvation, restoration, and God’s sovereignty would be especially important.
Justice in Deutero-Isaiah
Another significant theme in Deutero-Isaiah, which comes through especially strongly in the related lectionary Old Testament reading for this Sunday (58.9b–14) is social justice. Here, the text mirrors themes found in other prophetic books, as well as Deuteronomy, especially strongly. Concern for the vulnerable, especially the widow orphan and alien, is paramount in Deutero-Isaiah and elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. In this portion of Isaiah, the people are encouraged to ‘offer your food to the hungry’ and ‘satisfy the needs of the afflicted’ (v10). Even in their exiled state, care for the poor was still to be prioritized.
Another link with Deuteronomy comes with the mention of ‘trampling the Sabbath’ in v 13. The Sabbath law is set out within the ten commandments in Deut 5:12-15, and the rationale given is that the people were freed from slavery and therefore they should not inflict the kind of unjust work they were subject to either on themselves or others. The way in which the Sabbath law makes clear that everyone should rest - including slaves and animals - shows us how it is concerned with justice. In the version of the 10 commandments in Exodus (20:8-11), the rationale for resting is that God rested on the seventh day. You can see how Deuteronomy has a different emphasis!
The echoes of the exile come through clearly in vv 11-12 which promises that the people will become like a ‘watered garden’ and that their ‘ancient ruins shall be rebuilt’. Here, the concern shifts from justice for the poor to justice for everyone. The Israelites were living in oppression in Babylon, but Deutero-Isaiah speaks of freedom for the whole people.
This passage reminds us of the importance of care for the poor in Isaiah and beyond. It is full of promises and provocation to live sacrificially and distinctively. May we be encouraged by the promise of v 11;
‘The Lord will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail’
Questions to consider for preaching:
The gospel reading discusses healing on the Sabbath - how does the exchange between Jesus and the leader of the synagogue relate to the discussion of ‘trampling the sabbath’ in Isa 58?
What might the promises in Isa 58 have meant to the disabled woman in the passage? How might they have encouraged her to come to Jesus seeking healing?
Jenni Williams, The kingdom of our God : a theological commentary on Isaiah, (London: SCM, 2019)