Isaiah 40: Literary Devices

0:01 All right, Isaiah chapter forty. That's where we have been. Well, we took a little detour with James chapter one nineteen through twenty seven, but we need to get back to Isaiah forty. Now. All the work that we've done on Isaiah forty was really focused a lot on all of the issues that I have discovered and found in sermon after sermon after sermon I've listened to on Isaiah forty, which is a constant barrage of pastors taking Isaiah forty, inserting us into the text, and obviously, inadvertently, maybe even on purpose, I don't know, they move out the original recipients. So a lot we've done a lot of discussion about that type of thing. To simply put, Isaiah forty is God's message of comfort. It goes from chapter forty to chapter fifty five, God's message of comfort to those who are in Babylonian captivity. That's an easy way to understand it.

0:59 That makes it simple. We've talked about it and talked about it and talked about it. So starting today, we need to really start now not so much trying to address how all the other pastors handle it. Let's just try to forget about them, and now we focus on the text itself. So my first idea was to show up here for this hour and start an observational outline of Isaiah forty. So I worked on my observational outline, got it ready to go, started changing it, and then this morning, as I was sitting there kind of going over the text again, looking at it, I was like, well, maybe in the first hour, instead of doing an observational outline, let's do an outline of Isaiah forty. We're gonna basically do two forms of outlining today in a sense. Well, the first hour we're gonna look at Isaiah forty, but we're gonna look at it to try to identify all of the literary devices used with an Isaiah forty all right, As one source says, the beauty of Isaiah forty lies not only in its message, but also in its masterful use of literary devices. So some refer to Isaiah forty as that master class of literary devices. So I did a podcast this week I think I think it was this week on reading comprehension and Bible interpretation, right, and

2:33 I discussed this. A podcast really inspired the idea, but based on all the studies, I could find majority of Americans. I think it's over seventy percent. I think it's over seventy percent, maybe over eighty percent of Americans. Basically they're reading level. They're reading comprehension level is at a sixth grade level or under. All, right, Well, if you have seventy eighty percent of the population and they're reading comprehension is at a sixth grade level, well you've come the end to a church. If the majority of the church is reading ability and reading comprehension is at a sixth grade level or lower. I don't know then how Protestants would reject a magisterium. If you're reading comprehension is at a sixth grade level or lower, you should be running to a Catholic church and you should be accepting a magisterium because if because an our system, who's responsible the individual?

3:34 Because you're not only supposed to read and study, you're supposed to do what you're supposed to be determining if what is preached is true or false. So that is a like I was kind of shocked by, wait, wait, how does this even work within the church? And I don't think there's a really good I don't think there's really a good explanation and how it works in the Protestant church. I don't think most Protestants care how it actually works in practice. But if that's an issue, then that that's a problem. So I was thinking, well, if this is a masterclass in literary devices, well, then this is a way to challenge us in our reading comprehension and our ability to identify them. Now, these literary devices, they it amplifies the philological depth of the chapter, the emotional power of the chapter, and it may demonstrate it's enduring relevance to us. These devices, as one source says, is crafted with precision. They serve as tools to engage the audience, emphasize key themes, and draw readers into the text's richness. So there's a lot of praise for the literary devices in Isaiah forty. There's a lot of praise for them. Isaiah forty, as we've already discussed, marks the beginning of what we refer to as what the Book of Isaiah forty begins the section referred to as the

5:06 Book of Comfort, Yes, the Book of Consolation. We talked about this like a lot. It addresses people who are weary from judgment. They're in Babylonian captivity, and why are they there? Because of God's judgment. They are in exile, so they're separated from their homeland. They're separated from the temple because the temple is destroyed and all of the things that that would bring about. So this is a chapter on its surface, I think we can acknowledge is filled with some form of hope and some promise of renewal. The literary devices, or some would refer to it as the literary artistry, reflects the profound nature of the message.

5:51 If we study these devices in this chapter, we may be able to gain a deeper appreciation of how the text is. It's not only communicating these truths to us, but most importantly, how we communicated the truths to the original recipients. Okay, that's very very, very very important. Right. So you may be thinking, Okay, that sounds all great, that's all wonderful, But why should we study these literary devices? I think we could argue why should we study the literary devices in any chapter? Or should I think maybe a different way, why should we study the literary devices of every chapter in the Bible. In fact, we probably should create a Bible study method on literary devices is what we probably should do. I think I'm going to have to take up that challenge. But we need, we need to know how to handle literary devices. Well. The first reason we should do this it gives us enhanced understanding, gives us better understanding literary devices like parallelism, imagery, repetition.

6:52 They help us see the layers of meaning in the text, which helps us understand its themes. Look, if you really want to understand the meaning, you got to how are the How is the meaning communicated in the Bible? Meaning is communicated in the Bible with the use of words. Words are put together, and those words put together utilize what different concepts literary devices in order to communicate that meaning? What do we tend to do as Christians? We run and think we can just understand the meaning in most cases, what can people not do identify the literary device that is actually communicating the meaning. If you don't understand the device being utilized to communicate the meaning, what is a high probability that you don't truly understand the meaning? Now you are you complete misunderstanding of the meaning. So why do we study literary devices so we can enhance our understanding, so that we can assure that we have right understanding.

7:53 I think another reason we study literary devices it allows us to be sensitive to the context. These techniques ground Isaiah forty. They ground any chapter in the historical and cultural context. This helps us see how Isaiah's audience would have received and understood his words. Now why is this important? Because my whole issue with Isaiah forty is how pastors obliterate the original context or they only pay lip service for about five seconds so that they can assert us into it. By studying the literary devices, I think it makes us a well, wait a minute, why is he communicating this way? Because he's trying to communicate a specific way to a specific people and a specific time, And the idea would be those people would understand what those literary devices. Does that make sense? I think it does.

8:52 I think it does. Number three. I think also literary devices can help engage our imagination to some level. These elements invite us to experience the text with our minds and hearts, making abstract theological concepts vivid and memorable. If you understand the concepts, and the devices I think can help remember it it can help us understand the emotion of it. So then it can it can kind of connect us to the text in a deeper way. We can say imagination, we could say emotion. It just brings us into it in a deeper way. Right. Another thing, by studying the literary devices, I think this is important, we can see if we because what's one of the presuppositions we bring to the text as Christians? We believe that the text was inspired by God. That means if there's literary devices, what does that tell us God intentionally put them there? So if we really believe the Bible's inspired, then I don't know why Christians ignore literary device because God put them there. Correct soever, as one source with states it, every literary device reflects God's purpose, purposeful revelation, showing that he speaks in ways that are not only true, but he uses veryed devices in order to communicate that truth.

10:20 And that's that's something that we have to be able to understand right now. These So those are some of the reasons we should study literary devices. I want us to consider just briefly, some of the themes that are amplified by the literary devices. We're going to look at. There are certain themes that seems to be emphasized by these literary devices. I'll go through these themes quickly. Right, the first theme that we're going to see that's going to be emphasized by these literary devices is the theme of comfort and renewal. Now, that shouldn't be too hard to figure out. The entire section is called what the Book of Comfort, right or the Book of Consolation. And one of the things that's going to bring this comfort a promise of renewal. So the literary devices is going to emphasize comfort and renewal. Does that make sense? Second, it's going to emphasize God's sovereignty and power. It's going to emphasize God's sovereignty empower. Why would you need to use literary devices to emphasize God's sovereignty empower to these people. Yeah, they're in Babylonian captivity the Babylonians. Can they overthrow the Babylonians? No?

11:35 Can they defeat the No? They can't do anything. They're helpless and they're hopeless. So the message is going to come to them utilizing literary devices to emphasize God's sovereignty empower. Another thing that's going to do these literary devices is going to emphasize man's frailty and divine permanence. It's going to show us that we are we are, we are frail, we are, we are fleeting, are passing. God is the thing that is permanent. All right? Does that make sense. It's also going to emphasize hope for the weary. It's gonna offer it's gonna emphasize hope for the weary. So the themes that are amplified are comfort and renewal, God's sovereignty and power, human frailty or human weakness, and divine permanence, and hope for the weary. And I could I could go into paragraphs explaining each one. I just wanted to make it quick. All right, So what are we going to try to do through this? All right? Well, well, I guess well, there's a lot of things here. I'm gonna skip a lot of my notes here because of time.

12:41 We're going to try to ident What we're going to do is we're going to identify all the literary devices in Isaiah forty. That's what we're going to attempt to do this morning. We're going to try to identify all the literary devices. We're going to try to understand how these devices are being used, what what can we learn from it? And hopefully, hopefully I think the real goal here is it gets us where, it gets us into the text. It gets us into the text, It gets us into the text. So literary device, this hour, next hour, observational outline. So that's the goal. All right, everybody ready, We're going to try to go through these quickly. I've got a lot of notes here, so I've got to decide just right there. My introduction there was supposed to be probably fifteen minutes, and I just completely cut that in half. All right, so there's a lot there I skipped. Okay, so are you ready for a We're going to do like an let's call this a literary outline of Isaiah forty, focusing on the literary devices. All right, everybody got their bibles open Isaiah forty. What is the first literary device you see in Isaiah forty? Starts with an R? It's not that comp Okay, this repetition? There we go. Repetition.

14:03 Where do you see it? Comfort? Ye? Comfort ye my people, saith your God? All right, the repetition of comfort? What does that emphasize urgency. What else could it emphasize assurance that comfort is coming? Right, It could show the depth of it, but it's emphasizing it. Yes, it's reinforcing God's message of consolation for his people. All right, you see that repetition of comfort comfort. Look in Isaiah forty twenty one and Isaiah forty twenty eight and see if you see another use of repetition I used in both verses twenty eight? Do you see that? Do you not know?

15:03 Have you not heard? Everybody see that forty twenty one? All right, have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you? From the beginning verse twenty eight? Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard? Okay, very similar verbage. Right, there's more repetition, Do you not know? Have you not heard? These rhetorical devices or repetitions emphasize the enduring truths about God's greatness and vite reflection. So there's comfort, there is comfort is repeated, and these questions are repeated. All right, I'm going to get that and those kind of questions. If questions are repeated, what are you supposed to do with repeated questions? That's supposed to make you stop and consider the question. Right. God's asking now in this case, he's asking whom the original recipient, So we have to understand the questions in light of whom the original recipient. Okay, does that make sense? All right?

16:10 So what's the first literary device? Repetition? It's used in two places Isaiah forty verse one, comfort comfort, right, and then it's used in Isaiah forty twenty one and twenty eight. So actually three places forty verse one, forty twenty one, forty twenty eight. The comfort comforts in verse one, the questions do you not know? Have you not heard? Are in twenty one and twenty eight. Repetition? Right. You should always look for repetition, right, because repetition something is being emphasized. The writer, the author is trying to get a point across. So you should be able to identify repetition. Right. What's the second one that we find? Well, on this one, instead of making you look it up, I'm just going to give you what we're going to be looking for, because there's different kinds of these. We're gonna be looking for parallelism. Parallelism. Now I'm gonna I had to look up a definition of parallelism, so I could try to summarize it in a simple way. I don't know if this is simple, because it's a relatively long paragraph. Sarah, do you want to tell us what parallelism in a simple way? Or do you want me to give you the long answer? Okay, it okay? Parallelism. Some refer to this as thought rhyme. All right. It's a rhetorical device that compounds words or phrases that have equivalent meanings so

17:42 as to create a definite pattern. The structure is particularly effective when specifying pairs or series of like things, a scheme of balance. Parallelism represents one of the basic principles of grammar and rhetoric. Parallelism uses a rhetorical device. It's used in many languages and cultures around the world. It's used in poetry, epics, songs, written prose, and speech from the folk level to the professional all right, and just where it's used constantly in the Bible. Parallelism is all over the Bible. It's everywhere, right, especially in Psalms, proverbs.

18:26 It's all over the place. Yet, but it's so frustrating is the people sitting in the pew who decides if a sermon is right or wrong. In many cases, can't even identify what parallelism it can't even define parallelism. And they're yet they're gonna tell if a sermon is right or wrong. See, that's the absurdity of the Protestant system in cases, that's absurd. Right. So what are the different kinds of parallelism. I'm not going to go through all of them. We're gonna start with one, all right. We're gonna start with the ones they're in Isaiah forty right. So this is not an exhaustive look at parallelism, all right, This is just pointing out and let's make sure we do this. I'm going to have you try to point out the kind of parallelism being used, and we'll see if there's agreement or disagreement. Okay. So if there's disagreement, that's okay, we'll go. I'm gonna be relying on different things to go with this, all right. What's Isaiah chapter forty verse four? Isaiah forty verse four. Now we're looking at the kind of parallelism, okayda, see I kind of weigh your direction. Other sources call it synonymous parallelism, all right, because Isaiah forty verse and all, I'm going to read their explanation, every valley should be lifted up and every mountain shall be made low. To me, that's kind of

19:56 contrasting two separate things, right, one high, one low. Right, Yeah, So that that's how I kind of looked at it. This is yeah, now, synonymous parallelism, I'll give a definition is a literary device commonly used in Hebrew poetry where the second line of a verse or subsequent line repeats or reinforces the meaning of the first line using different words or phrasing. This technique enhances the message by restating it with slight variation. Emphasis are providing clarity. So if you look at it Isaiah forty verse four, I see kind of like, well, wait a minute, one is up, one is down. But I think what they're trying to say is every valley should be exalted, every mountain shall be made low. I think they're what they're trying to point out, at least in my mind, is that the second part is just re emphasizing the first part, basically saying what there's going to be some kind of change between the valley and the mountains. There's going to be some kind of geographical change depending on how we how far we take this? All right, does that make some sense?

21:09 They state it this way, parallel ideas reinforce the theme of transformation and preparing for God's coming. So they're saying, these are parallel ideas that reinforce the theme of transformation and preparation. They're not focusing on what They're not focusing on high low, They're just focusing on whether it's higher, whether it's low. What is it emphasizing transformation, transformation. So they're saying the second part reinforces the first part in a synonymous way because both parts represent what transformation change, or it shows the preparation for God's coming, because if you look in verse three, the voice of Him that Christ in the wilderness, prepare ye, the way makes straight a desert and a hig way. Everybody see that in verse three? Well, verse four now is gonna use this synonymous parallelism the way they identify it as every valley should be exalted in, every mountain should be made low low high, doesn't matter if it's up or down. That's not the important part. What's the important part, transformation, right, gonna It's gonna make the way right, gonna make the way straight, gonna make the way smooth. Everybody see that.

22:29 So synonymous parallelism. So do we agree with that or do we disagree with that? What do you think, Sarah? And know I'm putting it on on you, but right so, I think what they're doing, if you go to three, everything is about making the way right, preparing away, making a way so that people can travel it. Right, So the high low is more just like whatever needs to be done to make the way smooth. So it's not so much about whether it's higher low, it's about it's transforming it so that people can traverse this way, whatever that way may be referring to. Does that make sense?

23:24 All right? How about Isaiah forty verse eight? All right, so the grass weathers the flower fades. That's synonymous parallelism, right right, But I'm saying we're just looking for the parallelism, right, So that phrase right there, I mean they're not saying there won't be others and there's other passages, but the grass weathers the flower phase. Everybody see that. The second part is doing what restating the first part. Maybe slight variation in words, but it's the same concept. Right, So you can read it and we may say, oh, that's kind of redundant. You're saying the same thing, but you're saying the same thing in a repetitive way. And this parallelism because it reinforces the idea. What's the idea being reinforced here? Yeah, the fleeting nature of humanity. Right, it's showing that whether it's grass, whether it's flower, what's going to happen to both? Whither gonna fade? Right, So now it's going to contrast that to the permanence of God's word.

24:41 But right here it just demonstrated that. So that's synonymous parallelism. Can everyone understand synonymous parallelism where the second part basically restates the first part with a slight variation in words or a slight variation the first part and the second part, the second part reinforces the first part. That's synonymous parallelism. Does everybody see that? Why is that important? It's a literary device using Isaiah, but it helps us see what in the text that this is really being emphasized. Right, God is saying it, then God's saying it again in a different way. Now, sometimes what we can do is sometimes we can get so caught up. This is sometimes the danger. We can get so caught up on the individual words, or we start trying to make the words represent this, or we start trying to apply to this.

25:35 Sometimes we got to take a step back and just like, what's the basic idea of being given here? Right? So, and that first example Isaiah forty four, right, forty verse four, The idea is not whether the mountain is higher, whether the valley is low. In our minds, we want to go there, right, Well, wait a minute, why is one high? Why is one low? What could that mean? Well, what they're trying to show us is that, well, if we just see the parallelism, then it's just we can take a step back and just say, oh, it just means that this is going to be transformed and the way is going to be made smooth and open for anyone, all right, And then that second one is much easier to see. All right, that's synonymous parallelism. Everybody got that one, all right? Look at Isaiah forty thirty one, and see what kind of parallelism is here? Isaiah forty thirty one.

26:26 Everybody knows this verse what kind of parallelism is this? And if we disagree, that's okay, that's okay. If you've ever been in a literature class talking about literature, there's going to be disagreement. Oh wait, that's what we do with the Bible every Sunday. I'm just giving you the verse and you tell me if you where do you see any kind of parallelism in it? Yeah? What type of parallelism is it? We've already left parallel synonymous parallelism.

27:17 This is a different kind. Starts with an a what do you think, Sarah? Yeah? Those listening online? She she is, she came to church on the wrong day. It's it's all going. She's gonna have to answer every question. Antithetical parallelism, antithetical parallelism? Does anybody know what antithetical parallelism is? All right, well, I'm gonna have to be honest with everyone. I had to look this one up because I was I was like, wait, antithetical parallelism do I? I don't know if I remember this one, okay, which then made me feel stupid because if the text is using antithetical parallelism and I don't know what antithetical parallelism is, what if that typically mean about my ability to understand the text, all right, you see right? You see so that? Oh see, that makes me mad. That takes me off, Okay, so. Antithetical parallelism is a form of parallelism where the meaning of two or more excerts of text are observed although directly linked, by providing the same meaning from different perspectives. This type of parallelism is used in order to create repetition of meaning as a technique of cognitive reinforcement, thus more effectively communicating the meaning of the text. Right, that's a long explanation.

28:46 Let me try that again, everybody ready. It's a form of parallelism where the meaning of two or more excerts of text are observed although directly linked by providing the same meaning from different perspectives. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Do you feel like it's doing that we have two or more excerpts of texts. They are observed although directly linked, by providing the same meaning from different perspectives. Is the same meaning being provided? Yes, the same meaning is being provided multiple times. Right, mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. We got this idea of mounting up with wings like an eagle.

29:37 Then we have the idea of running. But what's the main idea? Not being weary and not feigning. Does that kind of give the idea? All right? One? An explanation stated this way, you're contrasting actions flying, running, walking, highlighting God's power to sustain at all levels, whether it flying, running, or walking. Dude, This flying, running, and walking all mentioned in Isaiah forty thirty one. All right, and what's the bottom line about Whether it's the flying or the running or the walking doesn't matter because what's gonna happen, Yeah, not gonna be weary, not gonna faint. The idea is that eagle's not gonna do what fall from the sky and just crash to the ground. Right, Okay, that's that's the idea. Does that make some sense? All right? Now?

30:35 We could go into greater detail about antithetical parallelism, but we I think we can see that verse and get the basic idea. Right whether now that's the one good thing I did feel better. I may not know that, I may not have identified that as antithetical parallelism, but I would have noticed that it's using all of this language to tell me what that there's a sustaining here. Now in the context, Who's gonna be stained? Israel's gonna be sustained. Right, They're gonna be sustained through their judgment coming out of their judgment. Right. So then, uh, the wait upon the Lord? What are they waiting on for him to deliver them from bondage? Right? So as they wait, God's gonna renew their strength. They're gonna mount up with wings as eagles. Right, They're gonna in a sense, be above whatever's going to happen. They're gonna run, They're not gonna be weary, they're not gonna walk, they're not gonna faint. Basically, it's what that's a very poetical way of saying what you're going into the captivity and you're coming out of the captivity. Now, that doesn't mean every individual is gonna come out, but it means as a nation, God is gonna sustain the nation. That's why you have to make this nationalistic. We love to make it about whom us.

31:57 Major problems with that, right because then we're like, well, well, whatever I go through, God is going to somehow sustain me. I mean, what is he going? Then we got to ask what does that even mean? Is he gonna give me some kind of specific power? Now that's about a nation, and did God sustain that nation through their judgment? Yes? They went in, they came out. Did all the individuals come out? No? So does that make sense? All right? So what's the first The first literary device was what repetition? That was used in Isaiah forty verse one and Isaiah forty twenty one and twenty eight? Parallelism? Right? The first form of parallelism is synonymous parallelism used in what verse Isaiah chapter forty verse four? Right in Isaiah forty verse eight.

32:42 The second we'll call it antithetical parallelism Isaiah forty thirty one. Right, everybody got that? What's the third literary device? Everyone? Look at Isaiah chapter forty verse twelve, look at Isaiah forty twelve, and the look at Isaiah forty eighteen. Station Oh okay, they're questions. What kind of questions are? They? Starts with an r rhetorical questions. There we go, there's rhetorical questions and rhetorical questions, do what in order to do what emphasize something. Right, when you ask a rhetorical question, aren't you trying to emphasize something that the answers already assumed? Right? Right? Yeah, I'm not really asked get you for an answer? Like sometimes I ask a questions so we're answer and I'll be like that, okay, never mind, and I'm just like and I'll move on because there with a rhetorical question, right, So, because sometimes people will ask a rhetorical question or someone will answer it not realizing it's a rhetorical question. Well,

34:13 and here this is these seems to be rhetorical questions. And these rhetorical questions are you being utilized to emphasize something? So in Isaiah forty twelve, what is the rhetorical question and what is it emphasizing? Go? Okay, who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand? Everybody see that? Okay? All right? The obvious answer is okay, no one, right, none of us has right? All right, it's rhetorical. But what is it emphasizing then? Okay? Or it's emphasizing that no one can compare to God. He's there's an incomparability to God. He nobody can compare anything to God, because God is beyond being compared to, because He's beyond everything.

35:03 You see how it's being emphasized. So these this question is challenging the reader to contemplate the vastness of God's power and wisdom. Now, why would God? Why would Isaiah use that rhetorical device for the people in captivity. Yeah, he's trying to demonstrate to them because what they what could they make compare to God? There's possibly two things they would have been tempted to compare to God while they were in captivity. Two things Babylon that mean He's seen Babylon is greater, or maybe three things Babylon specific two their circumstances, and three the false religion, the false gods of Babylon. So they there'd have been three things they could have possibly said, even if they didn't state it, they could have said, my circumstance is greater in God, Babylon is greater in God. And maybe if I'm in captivity at Babylon, what now, especially in a super there you go, Babylon's gods could be greater than our God because our God can't seem to get us. He didn't stop us from going into captivity, and he's hasn't gotten this out of captivity, and my kids have died in captivity, so you could see, are we all tempted to do that?

36:29 I mean, it's great to have a powerful God, but a powerful God is of no value unless the power is being utilized in my favor. But he's just reminding them. Okay, you may not see it, but I'm gonna ask you some rhetorical questions to demonstrate what. Yeah, who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand? No one can compare? What's the second rhetorical question in forty eighteen? Who is like God and believes? Now? Who? Then? To whom? Then? Will you like in God? Or white likeness compared with him? Based in this section, he's now bringing them to what.

37:09 By using a rhetorical question, he is engaged. So first, he's emphasizing something in the first part, and the second he's now really engaging the audience to really consider something. Right, he is forcing the audience to do what acknowledge that God is unique and the futility of idolatry. So rhetorical questions here is used number one to emphasize and number two to engage the audience. He's emphasizing something, and he's engaging the audience. What he's emphasizing, basically, in these rhetorical questions, he's emphasizing the greatness of God, and he's engaging the cult the people to really come to a conclusion. Wait a minute, God is greater than all of this, even though they're circumstances with statewide circumstance. Yeah's circumstances would have told them three things. Babylon is greater than God, circumstances are greater in God, and Babylon Babylonian gods are greater than God. That's what their circumstances would say. So Isaiah, of course, writing writing this one hundred years before they even go into captivity, or before even before that, he is reminding them that, Hey, when you're in captivity, you need to be reminded God is greater even though it doesn't appear in your circumstances. That's hard to comprehend, is it not. I mean, that defies every line of logic, because if my God is greater than my circumstances, if my God is greater than this nation, if my God

38:41 is greater than these gods, then do something. But how does the chapter end? We just read it a minute ago. Those who wait upon the Lord demonstrating that if you wait sooner and law soon enough or sooner or later, God's power will reveal itself and all our capacity we are faced with the same thing. We look around the world and we maybe go, where's God. Well, we have to be a reminded God's power is still powerful even though it's not doing anything. But there will come a day that what will happen Dennis power will be revealed? So there's a parallel there? Does that see? So does everyone see those rhetorical questions? You gotta know when it's a rhetorical question, and it's make it very clear. When you identify a rhetorical question, what do you have to do with it? Then? What does it emphasize it? What is it doing? It's one thing to just go, oh, that's a rhetorical question, great, what's the answer? What is it attempting to tell us? All right? So what's the first literary device? Repetition? Second parallelism? We've had synonymous parallelism, we had antithetical parallelism. All right, Now we've had rhetorical questions.

39:52 What do we have next? Look at Isaiah, chapter forty, verse twelve. Isaiah forty twelve, what do we have? He measures the heavens with a what? Okay? He weighs the mountains what some translation says he measures the heavens with a span, and he weighs the mountains in scales depending on translations? Okay? What? What? What literary device is being utilized here? I'll just help, I'll just move quickly cause we're gonna run out of time. Imagery. This is natural imagery because he's doing what talking about the heavens and the mountains, right, So it's using an imagery here to convey what what? What is this imagery trying to convey God's sovereignty over creation? Right? Everybody see that? Because I mean, are we supposed to take from this? He measures the

41:23 heavens with a span and weighs the mountains and scales as something literal? No, it's imagery, right, choosing imagery, right, I think we should be able to figure that. Isaiah forty seven through eight. The grass weather in the flower pace? Now here we can say does grass literally weather? Yes? Does grass literally fade? Yes? But is it about grass? It's using the imagery of that to convey something greater, which is what the frailty of human being, of human life, the transient nature of life. It's trying to show, hey, look at the grass, look at this, look at that, and this image is to tell something about us and contrast to whom God's word, right, okay, to everybody see that.

42:24 So that's using natural imagery. It's taking things from nature and then using it as an image to convey deeper and bigger things. Does that make sense? Yeah? We have. We have repetition, right, I mean just remember sometimes in one verse or one section, you may have multiple literary devices being utilized. Oh yeah, metaphor see look at that now. Now we're getting somewhere. Now we're going right, all right, yeah, okay, well that's good. That's that's why you come to church. You got to learn something, right. I can't just tell you what you are already know. Okay, I have to learn too, So we're all learning, all right. How about what do we see in Isaiah forty eleven? Okay, now Sarah's getting all fired up. Now she's just pulling them all out. Now now we got okay, well we're still doing with the imagery here, but okay, we have shepherd imagery, right, when natural imagery dealing with nature? Now what do we have?

43:29 He will tend his flock Isaiah forty, verse eleven. He will tend his flock. Depending on your translation, there we go. He will tend his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arm. This is an image. This is you're using the idea the imagery of a shepherd to show God's care and guidance of his people. What people Israel and their Babylonian captivity? All right? Everybody got that? How about Isaiah forty verse twenty six. Isaiah forty verse twenty six. So we have natural imagery or that of nature, we have shepherd imagery. Now what kind of imagery do we have going on? And possibly in Isaiah forty twenty six Isaiah verse twenty six, he tells them to lift their eyes to see what the heavens? Right, all right, so he wants them to see the heavens.

44:43 Does he want them to see the heavens so that they can try to figure out, you know, what is orbiting what and the size of this or the temperature of this or all right? Basically, what is he doing here? He's using the cosmic imagery to call attention to the stars as evidence of God's create power. He wants them to see the image of this, this imagery to go This is about God. It's not about trying to figure out how all of that works. Right, It's not a science question, as is a imagery to point to God. Does that make sense? All right? All right, okay, so we got there's imagery. Now let's move to another one.

45:23 Go to Isaiah forty verse six through eight. I know we've kind of looked at the same section over and over and over this, okay, Isaiah chapter forty, verse six through eight. We have all flesh is what? But okay, but then it goes on to talk about does it have some butt? There? About the word of the Lord. There we go. You see, whenever you see the butt, what do we have? Contrast? There we go? All right, we have the literary device of contrast. All right. The first contrast is human frailty versus God's permanence. Do we see that all flesh is grass, but the Word of God will stand forever Isaiah forty six to eight. This is showing the transient nature of humanity compared to the eternal reliability of God's word. Everybody see that contrast human frailty versus God's permanence. Look at Isaiah forty nineteen. Is there a contrast here? Well, you can just look at that section see if there is a contrast that appears somewhere there. They only point to nineteen. I don't know if nineteen in and of itself could be considered a contrast.

46:50 I think we need more than nineteen. But okay, I don't have the entire verse, and we look at it. Yeah, I think we need more than that. What's happening, Well, let me try it this way, because typically in a contrast, we need that butt right there, right, we need something to So we don't really have that here. But in this section, what is happening? Starting in verse nineteen, there we go, So a craftsman and this the workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spread it over with gold and casteth silver chains. So a craftsman casts it and a goldsmith overlays it with gold. This is being contrasted with whom God all right, So this is showing the futility of idols with the omnipotence of God. An idol you're making. God makes everything. So it is showing a contrast, just not in that In that case, you kind of need to see the contrast in the broader section, not just in that verse. Yeah, yeah, definitely. If you in eighteen, you see it a little bit. So there's a contrast there of idols versus gods. All right, So it contrasts the futility of idols with the omnipotence of God.

48:09 All right, Then one last one, because we're going to run out of time. Look at Isaiah chapter forty verse two. Isaiah chapter forty verse two. What literary device is being used here? Isaiah verse two says, speak what comfortably? Some will say, speak tenderly to whom? All right? Do they need to speak? Is this words to be spoken to Jerusalem, the city? Just go talk to the city, all right?

48:54 So that's doing what persignific cation, right, personification. Jerusalem is personified as someone who can be consoled, emphasizing the intimate nature of God's relationship with his people. Everybody see that? All right? How about Isaiah forty verse four. This one may be hard. I'm not sure about this one. The mountains and hills made low, the rough place is plain.

49:39 Now they say, some sources say that this is a personification of nature as being actively transformed in preparation for God's arrival. I don't know about that one. I don't know about that one, so I'm not gonna put that one down. I question that one. I question that one because now we get into is that personification or is it? Yeah, so yeah, yeah, I don't know about that one. But we'll go to the next one really quick because of time, all right, and because the next one everyone knows what the next one is. Go to Isaiah, chapter forty verse fifteen, forty fifteen. We could go there. Hyperbally, yes, my favorite, all right, hyperbole. What is it? It's exaggerating the insignificance of what of nations. It's it's exaggerating the nations are like a drop a bucket. Now, in some ways it's an exaggeration. In some ways you can say, well, that's true, right, But hyperbole is exaggerating the insignificance of a nation to emphasize a point. All right, look at Isaiah forty verse sixteen.

51:20 Isaiah forty verse sixteen. Yeah, Elebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beast enough for a burnt offering, if he took all the animals in it, if you burnt the entire place, it would not be sufficient. This is hyperbole to illustrate the vastness of God's wrath compared of God's worth compared to the world's resources. If you took all the world's resources, they are not vast enough to compare to God's worth in God's greatness. Right, So there's a little bit of hyperbole there, and then I don't have time to go through the other We have illusion, we have metaphor, and we have inclusio. We'll end with inclusio.

52:08 What's inclusio, Sarah? All right? It's an inclusio is a literary device where a passage or section of text is framed by similar words, phrases, or themes at the beginning and at the end. This technique creates a sense of unity and coherence, signaling to the reader that everything within the inclusio forms a complete and meaningful unit. Sometimes this is referred to as a framing device. All right, so what does the chapter begin with? Comfort? What does it end with? Well? Comfort, Some may say it ends with right, hey, hey, don't hey, don't become weary, because guess what your strength is gonna be real. You're gonna be renewed. You're gonna have the strength to do what leave captivity. So the framing emphasizes God's ability to bring not only comfort but restoration and the ability to sustain his people. That's a framing device. How it begins and how it ends. It's framing it. So that helps you understand what everything in between. Right, how it begins and how it ends. Everything in between,

53:41 that's a framing device. It's being framed. Now. I'm not saying this works in every chapter, but sometimes if you read the beginning of a chapter, in the end of a chapter, you can be like, ah, novels love to do this the way it begins and how it in movies will do this, how it begins. Songs will do this, will do this. So many things use that literary device. All right, So and then we have verbal irony to end, but we won't have time there. So yeah, there we go. So what are all the literary devices used in Isaiah Chapter forty? Number one was repetition. Number two was parallelism. I won't break down all the different parallelisms. Number three was rhetorical questions. Number four was imagery, Number five was contrast, number six is personification, number seven is hyperbole, number eight illusion, and number nine metaphor. Number ten and clusio or framing device.

54:47 And then last but not least, verbal irony illusion I'm sorry A yeah illusion yeah. All right, there we go. Now this is how one summarized all of this. Isaiah forty is a masterclass in literary artistry, employing repetition, parallelism, imagery, contrast, and rhetorical questions to convey its themes of God's sovereignty, human fraility, frailty, and divine comfort. These devices reinforce the textsyllological depth emotional resonance, making it profound message for both its original audience and readers today. So some will say Isaiah forty is the masterclass. If you want to see all the different literary devices, Isaiah forty has them all, while not all, but has most of them. Most literary devices can be found in one chapter. So then that tells us what God did a lot of work to ensure that the message could be understood, especially by the people who it was written to. But it also challenges the reader to be able to do what identifying these literary devices. Because we can identify the literary devices in Isaiah forty, what should we be able to do understand all literary devices used all throughout the pages of the Bible.

56:14 All right, so but that framing is important. How does the chapter begin comfort and it ends with renewal, so a lot in between. It kind of is going to get us from one thing to the other. All right, let's pray, Lord God, we come before you this morning. Lord, you gave us your word. If we believe it's from you, then we have to understand you put it together in very specific ways. Help us not ignore that structure, but explore it, understand it so that we show reverence to your word and we show a desire to truly understand it. We ask this in Jesus name, and gots people said