A Few Excerpts Concerning Isaiah

RIDDERBOS: Among the Jews living at the time of Jesus,the picture of the messenger of peace in Isaiah remained alive. The mebasser will come, the messianic time will start. It is not always said who this messenger is. But with his coming the malkuth shalmaim (the kingdom of heaven) will begin.
Thus the roots of Jesus' use of the word "gospel" are discovered. Even if the Rabbinical places were to be eliminated, it would still be evident that Jesus identifies himself with the messenger of joy of Isaiah. For the above mentioned words: "the poor have the good news preached to them" are not only a quotation from Isaiah 61:1, but also in his initial proclomation of the gospel, according to Luke, Jesus explicitly states that the prophecy of the messenger of joy of Isaiah 61 is fulfilled now while he is addressing his hearers. This messenger has been annointed with the Holy Spirit, and has been sent to preach the gospel to the poor (Luke 4:21). Against this Old Testament back ground we should interpret the original meaning of the expression "the gospel of the kingdom of heaven." And it follows that in this preaching of the gospel as it echoes in the ears of Jesus' audience, the kingdom of heaven has become a present reality: the mebasser, the bringer of the good news to the poor, has appeared; the great moment of salvation has begun (p.72).
Ridderbos, Herman. "The Coming of the Kingdom" P&R publishing, 1962.

An Outline

Here is a link to an outline and which includes a few interesting notes. http://www.wrs.edu/Materials_for_Web_Site/Courses/OT_Prophetic_Literature/Ch_5b-Isaiah_2.pdf
We could print this outline and use it to stimulate our discussion of passages we are concentrating on.

"Righteous Nation"

Chapters 20-27 of Isaiah seem to speak of the failure of trusting in the powers of this age and the deliverance of the people who wait on the Lord.

"So it will happen in that day," is a phrase repeated here (Isaiah 24:21, 27:1) and refers to that which will be accomplished through the messiah. Jesus will be "a defense for the needy" and a "refuge from the storm" of maltreatment which "the ruthless" will pour on them (Isa. 25:3-5).

In Isaiah 25: 6-8 we hear of God's plan to prepare a rich banquet for those who wait on Him. finally in 26:2 we hear the instruction that the gates of the city of God should be opened that the "righteous nation" (or "legitimate," see "legitimacy" article linked below)may enter. I would think this is a reference to the righteous or legitimate nation that Jesus speaks of in the parable of the land owner and the vineyard workers (Matt. 21:33-45) in which Jesus told those who laid claim to the title "Israel" that the Kingdom of God would be taken away from them and be given to a nation producing the fruit of that Kingdom. So How can we, the readers of Isaiah be that "righteous nation?" By being of a kind with the true Jew, the true son of God, Jesus Christ.

looking forward to the "lavish banquet,"
Jeff Miller