{"id":65801,"date":"2019-11-19T00:20:41","date_gmt":"2019-11-18T22:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=65801"},"modified":"2023-06-13T18:26:23","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T15:26:23","slug":"isaiahs-comforting-words-but-for-whom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/isaiahs-comforting-words-but-for-whom\/","title":{"rendered":"Isaiah\u2019s Comforting Words – But For Whom?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[504,607,469,506],"acf":{"old_id":"65801","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34250,"related_cahpter":"353","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"God didn\u2019t build a nation to win, but to be a blessing for the world","content":"

The Talmud (Bava Batra 14b) calls the book of Isaiah \u201centirely comfort,\u201d though it might take some creative interpretation to reconcile certain prophecies of doom with that description.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the prophecies of doom are directed not at Isaiah\u2019s own people, but at their enemies, we see the comfort more easily. Divine retribution will \u201ccome like havoc\u201d to Babylon (13:4), which will \u201cnevermore be settled\u201d (ibid. 20), while God \u201cwill pardon Jacob\u2026 again choose Israel, and will settle them on their own soil\u201d (14:1). This contrast in destinies is so comforting that the prophet seems to encourage Israel to gleefully rub it in Babylon\u2019s face: \u201crecite this song of scorn over the king of Babylon\u2026 How is oppression ended!\u201d (ibid. 4). There is comfort in the fall of one\u2019s oppressors.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Isaiah turns to Egypt, however, it is harder to tell which nation is being comforted. Egypt will be terrified, shattered at the mere mention of Judah (19:16-17) \u2013 but wait, what else will happen \u201con that day\u201d? \u201cSeveral towns in the land of Egypt speaking the language of Canaan and swearing loyalty to the LORD of Hosts\u201d (v.18); \u201can altar to the LORD inside the land of Egypt\u201d (v.19); and these will remind the Egyptians of God, \u201cso that when [the Egyptians] cry out to the LORD against oppressors, He will send them a savior and champion to deliver them\u201d (v.20).<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of inviting his people to finally celebrate Egypt\u2019s downfall, Isaiah foretells a newfound Egyptian belief in the God of Israel, rewarded by His interventions on their behalf.<\/span><\/p>\n

Israel will still be God\u2019s <\/span>nachalah<\/span><\/i> (inheritance, special people) \u2013 but Egypt will be newly blessed as His nation, and Assyria (how did they get into Egypt\u2019s prophecy?) as \u201cthe work of My hands\u201d (v. 25, according to Radak; others read the entire verse as referring to Israel).<\/span><\/p>\n

Is it good for the Jews?<\/span><\/p>\n

The LORD said to Abram, \u2018Go forth from your native land\u2026 you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse him that curses you; and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you\u2019 (Gen. 12:1-3).<\/span><\/p>\n

God didn\u2019t build a nation to win, but to be a blessing for the world. Those who persist in cursing His nation \u2013 well, the prophet describes what\u2019s coming to them. But those who pay attention when God \u201cmakes Himself known,\u201d who \u201cacknowledge the LORD\u201d and even \u201cserve [Him] with sacrifice…\u201d (Is.19:21) \u2013 well, isn\u2019t that the goal? And how fitting that it is Egypt, highlighted almost from the beginning of Abram\u2019s journeys as<\/span> the antithesis of his budding nation<\/span><\/a>, the \u201cland that is not theirs (Gen.15:13) \u2013 along with Assyria, in the region where his journeys began \u2013 that finally comes around. (Yehuda Elitzur develops some of these points in<\/span> this Hebrew article<\/span><\/a>.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Foretelling the ultimate fulfillment of Israel\u2019s national goal is a comfort indeed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":65802,"id":65802,"title":"is19-comfort","filename":"is19-comfort.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is19-comfort.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/isaiahs-comforting-words-but-for-whom\/is19-comfort\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is19-comfort","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":65801,"date":"2019-11-18 22:20:09","modified":"2019-11-18 22:20:21","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is19-comfort-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is19-comfort-300x200.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":200,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is19-comfort-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is19-comfort-1024x683.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":683,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is19-comfort.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is19-comfort.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1280,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is19-comfort-1200x800.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":800,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is19-comfort-630x420.jpg","home_baner-width":630,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Isaiah\u2019s Comforting Words - 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