1:6- see on Job 2:7

Is. 1:15  seems relevant to God's method of rejecting prayer through the Angels. "When ye spread forth your hands (in prayer) I will hide Mine eyes (Angels) from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear". God Himself hears and sees all words and actions, including insincere prayer. But He lets Himself be limited through His Angels turning away from being sensitive to some words of prayer. See on Is. 6:7

1:25,26- see on Zech. 12:4

At the day of judgment, we will all go through the Moses experience; hiding in the rock in the presence of God's glory (Is. 2:10 cp. Ex. 33:22). And our vision of that glory in the face of the Lord Jesus even now should have the same humbling effect.

"The vineyard of the Lord of Hosts (Angels) is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant: and He looked for judgement but behold oppression" (Is. 5:7). God looking for judgement implies the use of His eyes- the Angels.

5:9- see on 1 Tim. 4:1

It appears from Is. 6:7 that Angels even have the power delegated to them to forgive (through Christ, now) our sins in response to our prayers. The Angels being God's eyes means that they are His sensors to our prayers and thoughts; thus it would be fitting if our prayers went to them first in the process of their presentation to God, although God Himself knows our every thought and word. Naturally it must ever be remembered that there is only one mediator- the Lord Jesus, not Angels (1 Tim. 2:5). The connection between the Angels as God's eyes and His hearing of prayer becomes more relevant once it is realized that to 'find grace in God's sight'  (eyes-Angels)  is equivalent to saying 'please hear my prayer'- see Gen. 19:19; 32:5; 33:10,15; 34:11- at least in Genesis. This again explains why early believers conceived of God in terms of an Angel, as they would have prayed to the Angel and received the answers and other revelation of God from one. See on Heb. 2:6; Rev. 14:18; 5:8; 8:3,8; 15:8; Is. 1:15; Lk. 1:19; Ps. 20:2; 80:1

When God asks Isaiah whom He should send out, in a scene reminiscent of the Angelic court of Heaven in 1 Kings 22, Isaiah says “Send me” (Is. 6:8). He wanted to be part of God’s way and word. And with us too, we are all in that sense ‘apostles’, sent ones, in that the word we preach must be identified with us personally. For the Lord’s parable speaks of how the Father sends out His servants- us- to invite men and women in to the supper of His Kingdom (Mt. 22:14). See on 9:7.

The Assyrian invader is described as having wings and "glory" (Is. 8:7,8), both of which are terms associated with the Angel-cherubim, seeing that they were ultimately behind the invasion. All that happens on earth is somehow a reflection of, and is reflected in, the situation in the court of Heaven.

8:11- see on 1 Tim. 4:1

8:18- see on Gen. 33:5

There are many references in Isaiah to the Lord-Angel- coming out of His dwelling place in the temple to punish the Assyrians; the sacrifices and prayers made "before the Lord" in the temple were thus made in the presence of this Angel. Such phrases as "The Lord of Hosts (Angels) which dwelleth in Mount Zion" (Is. 8:18) are common. Solomon's dedication of the temple emphasized the fact that God's Name dwelt there-which was carried by the Angel (Ex. 23:20,21), and that His eyes (Angels) were present in the house. Thus a literal Angel dwelt in the temple- see on Ps. 78:60

The members of this court of Heaven have various names- Holy ones (Hos. 12:1; Zech 14:5); spirits (1 Kings 22:21-23; Ps 104:4); messengers/angels (Ps 91:11; 103:20); ministers (Ps 103:21; 104:4); servants (Job 4:18); those on high (Job 21:22); princes (Josh. 5:14; Dan 10:13). Supremely, Is. 9:5 LXX speaks of Messiah as "the Messenger of the Great Council" [megales boules angelos].

Isaiah 9 describes the titles which Jesus was to take (at His ascension- Phil. 2:9 etc. ); they include (v. 6) "Mighty God"-  'El Gibbor' (see margin). This phrase is the same as 'Gabriel'. So can we conclude that at His ascension, Jesus took over the role of the Angel Gabriel?  Thus until then the Angel Gabriel would have been a type of Jesus, and perhaps His guardian Angel. Maybe this implies that we will take over the role of our guardian Angel when we are glorified. Is. 9:6 also gives Jesus the title 'Wonderful'- which  is  the  name of another Angel (Judges 13:18 mg. ; or is this just another title of the Angel Gabriel?). Thus when Jesus was exalted above the Angels as explained in Heb. 1, Jesus took the names of the Angels as He took those of God Himself.

We have seen that 1 Kings 22 describes Angels being “sent out” to operationalize God’s word / will. Yet we also read of God’s word being sent out; He sent a word [of judgment] against Jacob (Is. 9:7); God sent His word and delivered them (Ps. 107:20). Angels were sent out to do those things; yet they are so closely identified with God’s word, because they exist to fulfill it. See on Jer. 23:18; Is. 6:8

This is one of the passages which speak of God "coming down" through the Angels, e. g. at Babel, if the Angels physically descend  to earth to implement God's will and manifest Him to men. The idea of God "visiting " His people through an Angel also takes on a literal element- thus Isaiah 10:3 speaks of the "day of visitation" in the context of God's destruction of the Assyrian hosts through His Angel. It seems that great stress is placed in Scripture on the Angels physically moving through space, both on the earth and between Heaven and earth, in order to fulfill their tasks, rather than being static in Heaven or earth and bringing things about by just willing them to happen. See on Gen. 18:10

Is. 10 speaks of the same "day of visitation"- not just on Israel but on the hearts of the Assyrians to effect that punishment: "O Assyrian, the rod of Mine anger. . I will send him against a hypocritical nation. . . I will give him a charge to take the spoil. . howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few" (Is. 10:3,5-7). Thus it was in his heart to punish Israel and other nations; "howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so". It therefore follows that the Angels must have put the thought into his heart, as of himself he did not think that way. The rest of Isaiah 10 has much Angelic language. Several times it is explained that because Assyria thought he had got success because of his own hand, he would be punished; implying he should have recognized that it was God's hand that enabled his success. The hand of God is Angelic language. Because of their pride in their own achievement, as they thought, it was "as if the rod should shake itself against them (the Angels) that lift it up" (v. 15). "Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of Hosts (Angels), send among the fat ones leanness; and under his glory He shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire (this is Angel-cherubim language). And the light of Israel shall be for a fire (referring back to the Angel in the wilderness giving light in the night due to the fire in which He dwelt), and his Holy One (Angelic language) for a flame"(v. 16,17). The Angels are made "a flame of fire" (Ps. 104:4). There follow a further four references to the "God of Hosts" in Isaiah 10, along with "the God of Jacob" and the "Holy One" again.

11:11,15- see on Zech. 12:4

Isaiah 13 concerning the fall of Babylon is more relevant to the destruction of Sennacherib's Assyrian army in Hezekiah's time, 'Assyria' and 'Babylon' being at time interchangeable terms. Thus we read in v. 3,4 of the Angels coming against Israel in judgement, and mustering the Assyrian armies against Jerusalem: " I have commanded My sanctified ones, I have also  called My mighty ones for Mine anger, even them that rejoice in My highness. . the weapons of His indignation, to destroy the whole land... the Lord of hosts (Angels) mustereth the host of the battle". Yet we clearly read elsewhere that "the Angel of the Lord" went out and smote the Assyrians. So we have some Angels sent with a mission to bring the Assyrians there  and others sent to destroy them. Other Angels are actually described as the armies themselves, the weapons of indignation against the land of Israel. And another Angel 'destroys' them. So here we have the wondrous ways of God, absolute unity in absolute diversity.

Is. 13 describes God's "sanctified ones. . . My mighty ones. . . that rejoice in My highness" as being "the Lord of Hosts (of Angels) mustering the host of the battle. They come from a far country, from the end of Heaven, even the Lord" (Is. 13:3-5). Despite the primary reference to the Persians, these verses have so much Angelic language that they must refer to the work of the Angels behind whatever human instruments they use to bring about the gathering to Armageddon. The Angels are again identified so closely with those on earth that they represent- as in the case of Job’s satan. That Is. 13 concerns the last days is shown by the many links here with Joel's prophecy; v. 8,10 with Luke 21; and v. 16 with Dt. 28, to list just a few.

14:13 - see on Rev. 1:20

Isaiah 19:13,14 says that the princes of Zoan were become fools because of the "perverse spirit" the LORD had mingled in their hearts- presumably through the work of His Angels, seeing that God makes His Angels spirits. Through the work of the Angels God can work directly on men’s hearts, and sometimes he does send an "evil spirit" (an "Angel of evil"?) on us, like He did to Saul, which temptations we must spiritually battle against to overcome. See on Ez. 14:9

There are indications that the Angels will still have a distinct role in the Kingdom. Isaiah 19:18 describes the cities of Egypt swearing "to the Lord of Hosts" when Egypt and Assyria will be blessed by "the Lord of Hosts" (v. 25). If these "Hosts" are redeemed saints, one would expect the name Yahweh Elohim to be used. Similarly, every man shall sit "under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for (because) the mouth of the Lord of Hosts (Angels) hath spoken " (Micah 4:4)- i. e. because of the Angels' instituting the Kingdom, none can oppose it. And it may be possible that when "all people will walk every one in the name of his God" (v. 5), their personal 'god' may be an Angel.

Esau's desperate pleading for Jacob's pottage at the cost of his birthright seems to be the background for 1 Cor. 15:32, where those without the hope of covenant resurrection are described as saying " Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die" , just as the faithless in Israel did in Hezekiah's time. Instead of weeping in repentance, their attitude was " let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die" (Is. 22:13). This category is associated with Esau, craving for the things of today at the cost of an eternal tomorrow.

God gave a prophecy about Tyre the generation before Judah went into exile for 70 years. He said that Tyre would be forgotten for 70 years and then would be visited by Yahweh and revived (Is. 23:17). Surely this was in order to prepare those who had ears to hear to the fact that if God could operate like this with Tyre, how much more could He revive and "visit" His beloved people after 70 years.

Israel are often called 'Jacob' in passages concerning idolatry. The historical Jacob and idolatry go together. Thus " By this therefore shall the sin of Jacob be purged; when he (not 'they') maketh all the stones of the (pagan) altar as chalkstone...the groves and images shall not stand up" (Is. 27:9).  

Is. 28:1,4 speak of “the drunkards of Ephraim” as a “fading flower”, and yet Is. 40:6-8 describe all of humanity with the very same language. In spiritual terms, alcoholics are the epitome of us all in our unredeemed state.

28:22 consumption – see on Rom. 9:28,29

30:21- see on Gen. 18:19

Is. 30:31- see on 2 Chron. 32:21.

The deliverance of Jerusalem from Sennacherib's army is often attributed to the work of the Angels. The gathering of the Angels together to do this is likened to shepherds being rallied from different parts of the moor or from their various houses to come and frighten off a lion attacking the flock. Thus the idea of a hasty, physical moving together is conveyed: "Like as the lion (Assyria) and the young lion roaring on his prey(Jerusalem), when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him. . so shall the LORD of hosts (a common title for God manifested in the Angels) come down to fight for Mount Zion. . as birds flying (i. e. gathering together and moving together), so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem" (Is. 31:4,5). It seems that great stress is placed in Scripture on the Angels physically moving through space, both on the earth and between Heaven and earth, in order to fulfil their tasks, rather than being static in Heaven or earth and bringing things about by just willing them to happen. See on Gen. 18:10

At the coming of Christ the responsible will be gathered to judgement at Jerusalem. The plain Biblical evidence for this is too hard to go against. With Hezekiah in Jerusalem were "the sinners in Zion" (Is. 33:14), who would equate with the unworthy who are also gathered into Jerusalem. It is largely through the Angels that the judgement is ministered; and so it was in Hezekiah's time. In the  context of describing the punishment of these "sinners in Zion" we read: "The Lord will come with fire, and with His (Angel) chariots like a whirlwind (Angelic language), to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire". This is alluded to (quoted?) in 2 Thess. 1:7,8 concerning the Angelic punishment of the unworthy at the judgement: "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with His mighty Angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance. . ". That those punished are renegade saints who "know not God (any longer), and that obey not the Gospel" is evident from the fact that they are punished "from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power". In common with much of Thessalonians, Paul is alluding back to Matthew 24 and 25, here to the passage in 25:31-34 regarding the responsible being gathered to the judgement before "the throne of His glory". Only the responsible come into the  personal presence of Christ. The description of the judgement in Jude  24 chimes in too: "The presence of His glory".

Our eyes shall “behold the land that is very far off” (Is. 33:17) just as Moses had been given the vision of the promised land far off. See on Jn. 3:3,5

35:3,4- see on Job 4:3-5

Rabshakeh retreated from Jerusalem because God “put a spirit in him” (Is. 37:7 RV). The AV has: “I will send a blast / spirit upon him”. Was it not that the Angel who later destroyed him came upon him and put a spirit / disposition of mind within him that made him want to retreat?

Isaiah 37 is shot through with allusions to the Angel cherubim destroying the Assyrian host. The Angel went forth (v. 36)- perhaps referring to Him physically going forth out of the temple where He dwelt to slay the Assyrians outside the walls of Jerusalem. This phrase 'went out' is nearly always used about literal physical movement, which we have seen is what  Angels literally do. Thus in the Ezekiel visions of the cherubim, they and the lightnings "went forth", physically and literally, in performing God's work. "Let my sentence come forth from Thy presence (Angelic language); let Thine eyes (Angels) behold the things that are equal", seeing they are involved with the 'coming forth', according to the parallelism of this verse. Similarly Job's satan Angel "went forth" from the presence of the Lord (Job 1:12). And so it happened that there were Angels on earth, as it were. Zech. 2:3 also has an Angel going forth to answer the prayers concerning  restoring the fortunes of Jerusalem (see Zech. 5:5 too). Ps. 81:5 describes the Angel going out through the land of Egypt in order to "remove (Israel's) shoulder from the burden". Ps. 81 is 'Angelic', following Ps. 80, which is another such Psalm. Heb. 1:14 also offers support: the Angels are "sent forth" to minister to us- by answering prayers?

Hezekiah saw Jacob's watershed experience that night of wrestling as analogous to his own experience during his sickness: " I reckoned till morning, that as a lion he would break all my bones (cp. Esau's approach)...I shall go softly (cp. " I will lead on softly" , Gen. 33:14)...for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back" (Is. 38:13). Tragically, Hezekiah didn't keep Jacob as his hero. He succumbed to the very materialism which Jacob permanently rejected that night.

There are a number of passages which associate Job with Israel in general terms. It has been suggested that the book of Job was re-written and compiled by Hezekiah's men who at the same time produced the Psalter (all under inspiration, of course). The copious connections between the suffering servant prophecies of Isaiah and the book of Job (take a glance down the A.V. margins of Job) are therefore more easily understandable- the account of Job's sufferings and vindication amidst opposition was framed in language that pointed forward to the similar suffering (through the same disease?) and vindication of Hezekiah. The suffering servant of Isaiah refers to both Israel and the Lord Jesus, exactly as the parable of Job also does. The connections between Isaiah 40 and the book of Job are especially marked: 

Isaiah 40	Job
:14	21:22
:17	6:18
:22	9:8
:23	12:21
:24	14:8
:26	25:3
:27	3:23
:31	29:20

40:1 Comfort- see on Zech. 1:13

40:2- see on Job 7:1

40:3,4 "Prepare ye the way… make straight in the desert a highway. . . the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough   places plain" is similar to Is. 45:1,2,13 "Thus saith the Lord to Cyrus. . I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight. . . I will make straight all his ways. . he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives". The preparation for the restoration in Is. 45 becomes a type of the preparation of the way to Christ.

40:7 See on Mt. 6:26

The link between Is.40:27 and Job 3:23 is most significant: " Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgement is passed over from my God?" . These are the words of Job in 3:23: " Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?" . Thus Job represents Israel; and because " Israel" in Isaiah also refers to our Lord, we can make the equation Job=Israel=Jesus. The distancing between himself and God which Christ felt on the cross (Mt.27:46) is thus foreshadowed by Job feeling the same- and like Christ, it was a trial from God, not a specific punishment for sin. 

40:29 "He giveth power to the faint"- very relevant to the great physical effort that had to be made by the handfull who first set about the rebuilding.

41:6,7 "They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage. So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith. . . ". This refers to the different types of people working together to build Jerusalem. Where exactly does this fit in to the Hezekiah context?

Is. 41:9 is quoted in Heb. 2:10,14 about God taking hold of Jesus, His servant. Is. 41:10 continues concerning Jesus, therefore, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee (the Angels' words to Joshua); be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen  thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness" (an Angel). The right hand Angel of God  strengthened, upheld and helped Jesus spiritually. His dismay which the verse implies He had was therefore at His feeling of being spiritually inadequate to fulfil His great calling- exactly like Joshua. But as with Joshua, the Angel strengthened Him.

41:11,12 "All they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: and they that strive with thee shall perish. . . they that war against thee shall be as nothing". The Samaritans provide a clear fulfilment of all this.

41:14 "Fear not. . . ye few men of Israel; I will help thee, saith. . the Holy One of Israel" (AVmg. ). The few Jews rebuilding Jerusalem aided by the Angel surely correspond to this.

41:14- see on 44:2

42:19- see on 44:2

43:12 "Thou wilt not call upon me, O Jacob; thou wilt be weary of me. Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings"- the same ideas are repeated in Mal. 1:13;  2:17  regarding  Israel's    state    after   the restoration.

43:28 "I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary"- put forth "as polluted from the priesthood" (Ezra 2:62).

The way God showed such grace and imputed righteousness to Jacob even before his birth is also brought out in Is. 44:2, which states that from the womb, Jacob was chosen to be God's servant; and yet Jacob coolly said that only if God did what He promised, would he agree to serve Yahweh, and have Him as his master. Earlier in the same servant prophecies, the servant Jacob is described as a useless servant: " Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect (Jacob was a perfect / plain man, Gen. 25:27), and blind as the Lord's servant?" (Is. 42:19). Although the servant is worse than useless (a deaf messenger), he is seen as perfect by his Divine Master. And the servant prophecies are primarily based on Jacob (note, in passing, how often they associate the servant Jacob with idol worship, which seems to have been an earlier characteristic of Jacob). Consider too the allusions to Jacob in Is. 53; a man of sorrow and grief, despised of men, who would see his seed. As Christ felt a worm on the cross (Ps. 22:6), so Jacob is described (Is. 41:14). That even in his weakness, Jacob prefigured the Lord in his time of ultimate spiritual victory, shows in itself the way God imputed righteousness to him at the time. 

" One shall say, I am Yahweh's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto Yahweh, and surname himself by the name of Israel" (Is. 44:5). The Name of Jacob / Israel is paralleled with Yahweh. Remember how Jacob in his doubt promised God: " If God will be with me...then shall Yahweh be my God" (Gen. 28:20,21); and at the end, Yahweh was Jacob's God. God seems to recognize this by describing Himself as the God of Jacob / Israel so very often. His joy, His sheer delight at Jacob's spiritual achievement is recorded throughout the Bible. The way God describes Himself as " the God of Israel" (201 times) or " the God of Jacob" (25 times) infinitely more times than anyone else's God is proof enough that God saw His relationship with Jacob as very special. " God of Abraham" occurs 17 times; " God of Isaac" 8 times; " God of David" 4 times. Remember that whenever we read " Israel" , we are reading of the man Jacob and his children. That God was the God of mixed-up, struggling Jacob is a sure comfort to every one of us. God is not ashamed to be surnamed the God of Jacob (Heb. 11:16 Gk.).

44:26 "That confirmeth the word of His servant (Jeremiah). . . that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited".

"(God). . performeth the counsel (humble advice)  of His messenger" (Heb. Malak- Angels; Is. 44:26). God is open to persuasion from both Angels and even men.

45:1- see on 40:3,4

45:18 "The Lord that created the Heavens; God Himself that formed the earth. . . He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited". If "the earth" is 'the land' of Israel and "the Heavens" refer to the temple (see 1 Kings 8:30; 2 Chron. 30:27; Ps. 20:2,6; 11:4; Heb. 7:26; 2 Sam. 15:15 etc. ) then God is saying that if the temple and land remained uninhabited, His creation of them would be in vain- hence His plan of restoration. The references in Isaiah's prophecies of the restoration to God being the creator of Heaven and earth would therefore be reminders that it was equally in His power to create the new Heavens and earth of the people of Israel/the temple.

46:10 "Declaring the end from the beginning". The emphasis on this (e. g. 41:26) is understandable seeing that such a specific prophecy regarding the 70 years captivity was to be given and fulfilled.

48:7- see on Eph. 1:9,10

Isaiah 48:18,19: “O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! Then had thy peace been as a river…thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof”. The promises to Abraham and the coming of the Messianic seed of Abraham could have been fulfilled; but because Israel chose to be wicked, there was no such peace: “There is no peace…unto the wicked” (Isaiah 48:22).

It would appear from Is. 49:2 that Jesus was protected and specially guided by the Angel in the first thirty years of his life: "In the shadow of His hand (an Angelic phrase) hath He hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in His quiver hath He hid me". The word 'quiver' comes from the word for an astrologer, in the sense of being something that conceals knowledge. Thus the Angel hid the true identity of Jesus, so that "flesh and blood" alone could not recognize that He was God's Son (Mt. 16:13-17). We have seen that "the Lord" that passed by Moses and hid him with his hand in the cleft of the rock was an Angel.

49:4 "My reward is with my God"- cp. "Remember me, O my God, for good" (Neh. 13:31; "my God" is a common theme in Ezra and Nehemiah).

49:16 "Thy (broken down) walls are continually before me"- relevant to the restoration.

49:21- see on Gen. 33:5

50:10 "Who is among you that feareth the Lord. . his God?" cp. Ezra 1:3.

51:7 "Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings"- the Samaritans.

The arm of the Lord- a title of Christ- is described as awaking (cp. Christ's resurrection), and  as being "It which hath dried the (Red) Sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made a way for the ransomed to pass over" (Is. 51:9,10). This is describing the work of Christ in language applicable to the Angel of the Exodus who brought Israel through the Red Sea.

There is Angelic reference here: "The Lord of Hosts (of Angels) is His Name. . . I have put My words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand (an Angelic phrase- for the Angel hid Moses in the shadow of His hand), that I may. . . say unto Zion, Thou art My people" (Is. 51:15,16).

52:12 "Ye shall not go out  (from Babylon) with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord (Angel) will go before you", so that they went with the King's blessing and not in panic.

52:14- see on Gen. 39:6; Job 17:7,8

53:6 - see on Lk. 15:4-6.

53:8- see on Ex. 32:32

53:9- see on Dt. 34:6

It seems to me that in some sense the Lord Jesus had a vision of us in the Kingdom just before his death (Is. 53:10; Heb. 12:2; Ps. 22:17,20 cp. Eph. 5:30).

54:5 "The Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth"- a phrase used in Zechariah regarding the Angel co-ordinating the restoration.

54:6 see on Zech. 11:10,11

54:7,6 "For a small moment (70 years) have I forsaken thee. . . as a woman forsaken. . . and a wife. . . refused"- cp. our comments showing that it was the Angel who married Israel, becoming 'The God of Israel', and then forsook her.

As the Jews of Hezekiah's time went out of Jerusalem to a revitalized land and started to receive the tribute of the surrounding nations (the primary application of Isaiah's Kingdom prophecies), so the saints will pour forth from Jerusalem to establish the Kingdom worldwide. "Ye shall go out (from Jerusalem) with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and hills shall break forth before you into singing. . . " (Is. 55:12). After the surrounding of Christ in Jerusalem and the defeat of Gog, Ps. 2 describes the establishment of the Kingdom worldwide: "I shall give the heathen for thine inheritance. . . kiss the son, lest He be angry. . " (v. 8,12).

56:2,5 "Blessed is the man. . . that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it. . . unto them will I give in Mine house and within My (rebuilt) walls a place. . ". There was a problem with Sabbath abuse during the restoration.

57:2 - see on Rev. 21:12

57:19 "Peace to him that is far off (in Babylon), and to him that is near" (in the land).

58:12 "Build the old waste places. . raise up the foundations. . . and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in" (and 58:13=Neh. 13:22).

59:16- see on Ex. 2:11,12

Is.59:16,17- cp. David's shunning of such physical armour for its spiritual counterpart. Is there a conscious allusion to David and Goliath here? See article "David and Goliath" in 1 Sam. 17.

A connection between Joshua and Israel is developed in Is. 59:21, which describes the new covenant which God will make with Israel in the Messianic Kingdom in terms evidently reminiscent of Joshua- as if the new covenant was made with him, thereby enabling him potentially to be part of a Messianic Kingdom even in his day:  “And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord: my Spirit that is upon thee [“Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him” Dt. 34:9; Num. 27:18-23] , and my words which I have put in thy mouth [Dt. 18:18- God’s words were put in Joshua’s mouth], shall not depart out of thy mouth [“this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth”, Josh. 1:8, s.w.], nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever”.  See on Josh. 1:6

Our prayers are to give the Father no " rest" (Is. 62:7), no cessation from violent warfare (Strong).

 63:4-6- see on Ex. 2:11,12

The natural Jews in Jerusalem will mirror those in Hezekiah's time exactly- they will have experienced the humiliation of past defeats, will be prone to the taunts of the invaders about not trusting in their unproven Messiah (as they were taunted about Hezekiah), and they will be torn between the temptation of capitulating to the offers of a part in a new communist state of Israel (cp. Is. 36:16,17 and the Assyrian policy for conquered areas), and having total faith in Christ. Due to the spiritual effect of their previous trials at the hands of the Arabs (Zech. 13:8,9), they will make the right decision. The description in Is. 63 of the natural Jews  looking  warily out of Jerusalem to the saviour Angel coming to save them now falls into place. The saviour that comes up from fighting in Edom and Bozrah, having judged (the figure of the winepress, Is.63:3) both the saints and the enemies of the Jews, is defined in v. 8-13 as the Angel that led Israel through the wilderness. In the same way as the Angel's kindness and unjustified love at that time was so glorious, so Is. 63 captures the same spirit of supreme thankfulness that will be amongst the Jews as they witness such great salvation yet again.

The Angel with Israel in the wilderness initially thought "Surely they are my people, children that will not lie" (Is. 63:8)- but found Himself mistaken to some extent  after testing them.

The Angels' manifestation of God is so great that they are called "the Angel of His presence" (Is. 63:9); whilst concerning the same Angel going with Israel through the wilderness we are told "My presence shall go with thee" (Ex. 33:14). Thus when Adam and Eve "hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden" (Gen. 3:8) they were hiding from the Angel walking in the garden. The language certainly implies that the Lord God was walking around in a personal form and eventually confronted them face to face.

There even seems to be the suggestion that Angels have the capacity to forget. In Is. 63 we read of the Angel of the presence that went with Israel through the wilderness, and of His subsequent thoughts: "They rebelled and vexed His Holy Spirit (the "Angel of His presence"): therefore He was turned to be their enemy, and He fought against them. Then He (the Angel) remembered the days of old, Moses and His people, saying, Where is He that brought them up out of the Sea. . that led them through the seep. . the Spirit of the Lord (an Angel) caused him (Moses) to rest: so didst Thou lead Thy people" (vv. 10-14). This shows the Angel looking back to the days when He led them through the wilderness, and in wrath remembering mercy. "Where is He that brought them up. . " He asked- it was the same Angel which is speaking who brought them up. So the Angel was remembering His former manifestation of God as He brought them up from Egypt, and deciding to go back to the attitude towards the people which He had then. This again shows the place of pity and emotion in affecting Angelic decisions, although all under the over-ruling hand of God Himself.

Isaiah 63:10 describes the work of the Holy Spirit Angel with regard to punishing Israel in language which hints at the flood: "It repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth (land), and it grieved Him at His heart" (Gen. 6:6) connects with "They rebelled, and vexed His Holy Spirit (cp. grieved at the heart): therefore He was turned to be their enemy (cp. "repented"), and He fought against them". 2 Peter 3:6,7; Mt. 24:37 and Dan. 9:26 (an impressive trio) say that the flood is a type of God's judgement of the earth at the second coming- and we know that Jesus will come with His Angels with Him to do this, in the same way as the Angels were prominent in this earlier "coming" of the Lord at the flood.

God (in the Angel of the presence) "was turned to be (Israel's) enemy" because of their sin (Is. 63:10)- likewise Job complains that his satan-Angel has " turned to be cruel to me" (30:21 AVmg.).

63:10- see on Jn. 14:26,30

See on Gen. 8:1; Josh. 24:17

63:11- see on Ex. 34:27

Israel were led by God’s hand (Heb. 8:9; Is. 63:13); but in practice by Moses’ hand (Ps. 77:20; Is. 63:12).

63:14- see on Dt. 34:5,6

64:10,11 "Jerusalem a desolation. . . our beautiful house. . is burned up with fire"- clearly speaking of the restoration

65:11- see on Gen. 49:19

"The sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed" (65:20). How can this be reconciled with a punishment of the wicked by fire? Is. 65:17-25 is describing the state of the mortal people during the Millennium. The passage makes no reference to the state of the saints. The people are described as being obedient, blessed and righteous. But the fact that some will be rejected at the second judgement at the end of the Millennium shows that not all will be like this; even during the Millennium the sinner will not receive the blessings of long life, and will be "accursed". Thus there will be a more public divide between the seeds of the woman and serpent, as there was in early times (so Genesis and the nature of the discussion in the book of Job implies). Is. 66:24 concludes that the rejected "shall be an abhorring to all flesh"- the Hebrew text of Dan. 12:2 concerning the punishment of the responsible at judgement suggests some allusion to this: "some to shame and everlasting contempt".

Is. 66:1 rest- see on Ps. 132:8

66:1 "Where is the house that ye build unto me?. . . to this man will I look. . . that. . trembleth at My word"- as a few did at the restoration (Ezra 9:4; 10:3), although the majority were more concerned with the physical work of the temple than truly responding in the right spirit to God's word. Similarities with us?

The "sinners in Zion" of Is. 33:14 are described as "the men that have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched" (Is. 66:24). This is quoted in Mk. 9:44 concerning Gehenna, the place of punishment for the unworthy saints. If the judgement is to be at Jerusalem, it would fit into place if the unworthy are punished literally in the physical location of Gehenna. This would make more sense of Christ's repeated allusions to it when talking of the judgement. The repeated reference to fire being used to punish the unworthy (remember the Angels can be made a flaming fire) implies their punishment will be within a defined period of time- probably very short, seeing God has no pleasure in punishing sin- and if fire is to be used, it would be logical if it was in a confined location. A punishment in literal Gehenna fits in.