It is absolutely fascinating that Paul, in Romans 3:15-17, quotes Isaiah 59: (Isaiah 59:7-8) Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace. Pauls broader argument is that the nations are a mess, but Israel was chosen and called to act as light of the world, but, as demonstrated by her exile, she has failed in that mission. God entrusted His oracles to the circumcision, but they were unfaithful. This is likewise the subject of Isaiah 59. The people have broken the covenant, and that has created distance between them and God: (Isaiah 59:1-14) Behold, the Lords hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness. No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity. They hatch adders eggs; they weave the spiders web; he who eats their eggs dies, and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched. Their webs will not serve as clothing; men will not cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace. Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men. We all growl like bears; we moan and moan like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: transgressing, and denying the Lord, and turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. Paul, in 3:1-8, insists that God is utterly faithful to His promises, and He will bring His light to the world through Israel after all. Thats why we then have his statement that the righteousness of God (Gods covenant faithfulness) is enacted through the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah. Remember that Paul has already quoted Isaiah 59. After Israel mourns its own faithlessness to the covenant and consequent separation from God, this is what the Lord says: (Isaiah 59:16) He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. God looks at Israel, and sees that no man can fulfill her calling, no man is faithful. And then we have the enactment of the righteousness of God. His arm brings salvation. This calls to mind passages from the Torah where God displays his arm over and against the armies of Egypt. This is about the return from exile, the second exodus. God saw that there was no one to intercede. Where have we heard this before? Right here: (Isaiah 53:12) Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 59:17-19) He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment. So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the Lord drives. God, seeing that no one in Israel could do what was needed, decided to enter into Israels history and do it Himself. This is the incarnation. It bears mentioning that this is the root of Pauls language about putting on the armor of God in Ephesians 5. Thats about theosis through the incarnation. Continuing: (Isaiah 59:20-21) And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression, declares the Lord. And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord: My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your childrens offspring, says the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore. I have seen that last text used by Orthodox Jewish apologists to argue that Judaism, being the national religion of the Jewish people, must be true. That is strange, because Isaiah 59:21 is not about the state of Israel in Isaiahs day. It is part of the promise of the new covenant, when God gives His Spirit to His people Israel. 59:20 should sound familiar, because Paul quotes it in Romans 11: (Romans 11:26-27) And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob; and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins. But where Isaiah 59 says the Redeemer will come to Zion, Romans 11 has Him coming from Zion. Why? The solution can be found simply by continuing to read in Isaiah. The next verse: (Isaiah 60:1-7) Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will beautify my beautiful house. After a remnant (those who turn from transgression) is redeemed, Jerusalem is elevated and filled with Glory. The nations stream to Zion and find acceptance at the altar of Israels Temple. Thats why Paul sees the Redeemer coming from Zion. Having arrived at Israel and gathered the remnant to Himself, the Redeemer makes Israel the light of the world and gathers the nations into Himself. That is why the quotation of Isaiah 59 stands where it does in Romans 3. Paul has proclaimed Israels unfaithfulness in being light of the world, quotes Isaiah 59, then says that the covenant faithfulness of God is enacted through Jesus the Messiah, upon which Israel acts as light of the world. This is Isaiah 59 en nuce. One more thing. Isaiah has a twist in store for his readers. Throughout the book, he consistently predicts that there is going to be a centripetal flow of the nations to Zion to worship Israels God. But at the end of the book, Isaiah reveals the way that this will actually happen. (Isaiah 66:17-21) Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pigs flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the Lord. For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord. The way in which Israel finally acts as light of the world is not through the nations autonomously flowing to Zion. Rather, the purified remnant is redeemed and then sent to the nations to proclaim the greatness of the God of Israel. Innertextuality with Isaiah 59 should be clear. Some of the same nations are mentioned. Isaiah 59 said that Gentiles will find acceptance at Gods altar, and Isaiah 66 says that God will actually make some of these Gentiles priests and Levites. The reason that the book closes with this is because we are supposed to re-read the whole book in light of it. The flow of the nations to Zion is accomplished by the flow of Zion to the nations. P.S. Remember that Isaiah says that the purified remnant, having declared God to the nations, will bring Gentiles as an offering to the Lord. (Romans 15:15-16) But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. ;)
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 15:45:54 +0000