Isaiah 40: Observational Outline

0:00 All right, Isaiah chapter forty and the first hour, we did a literary devices outline of Isaiah forty, looking at all the literary devices that were utilized. We finished it in the first hour. The second hour for Isaiah forty. I know we've spent a lot of time looking at how other pastors misuse this text, twist it, abuse it, put us into the text. We are going to just forget about all the other pastors. What we're gonna do right now is in Isaiah chapter forty. For this next hour, we are going to try to create working together. I mean, I have it all written out, but I'm going to try to have you work to do this. You know, with me, who knows what you guys will come up with.

0:42 We're going to try to create an observational outline of Isaiah chapter forty. Now, what is the reason why do we create observational outlines? Because the key to Bible study, the key to Bible interpretation, is what conservation. Observation always comes what first, right, You cannot interpret what you haven't observed right now? To me, that I mean, well, there shouldn't even be a debate here. There shouldn't even be an argument here. You can't observe, You can't interpret what you haven't observed. So what should this mean? What this should mean in a practical sense, right, And I think in this church, I think we've moved on all past this.

1:31 It never really mattered in the history of this church. But this is the way it should work in a practical sense in every church. This is the way it should work. It's never going to do this, So this is just me pretending like, oh, in fantasy land, it could one day be this way. But the way it should work is no one in the pew should ever disagree or criticize the interpretation of a text unless they have first done observational outline of the text in which they're criticizing or disagreeing with. That's the way it should work. And why should it work that way? Because the person can't criticize what they haven't want observed. They can't disagree well what they have observed? Does that? What work that way?

2:22 In practice? No people sit in church, they sit in the pew, they're hearing interpretation. Immediately do what make a determination whether they agree or disagree, And in many cases they will do so in the middle of the sermon or immediately after come and say no, and you're like, well, that's great, I'm glad you were able to come up with how much. And so you almost want to ask what question, how much time have you spent in the text this week? And typically what's the answer They say, yeah, it doesn't matter or none, and it's like, okay, well that's great, that's great that you've not spent any time in the text. But you see where that can become frustrating, right, But that's the Protestant world has created this monster, and there's no way of ever getting rid of the monster.

3:19 And the Catholic world it doesn't work that way, does it. In the Catholic world, the church has the power to interpret, not the people. And the Protestant world who has the power? The people, not the pastor. Now we still like to pretend the pastor has an authority, but how much authority does the pastor have? I only have authority until you what disagree, and then once you disagree, then whose interpretation becomes authoritative? Yours not mine? So I don't have any authority. So that's the way it works. So all I can say is that, look, Protestants can continue to operate that way, and I know this after two thousand years, what have we seen? We've seen nothing but vision, disagreement and countless interpretations.

4:03 So all I can try to say is to any individual listening online or hear, if you actually care, you can just sit there and disagree with anything, or you can say I'm gonna actually care about the text and do what learn how to do observational outlines. So that's what we're about to do. Everybody ready, We're gonna do an observational outline on Isaiah forty and we're gonna try to focus strictly on the structure and flow of the text without any what interpretation. If your outline has interpretation in it, what does that mean about your outline? You fail? Okay. If you're in hermonutics class, you fail. Okay. If we're in church and we're doing outline and your outline has interpretation in it, what happens? Well, nothing, but you should fail something, right, You get a bad grade for church. Okay, you don't get to go home with a star. Okay, you don't get a little sticker, you don't get anything. Okay, you get booed and told to leave. All right, Okay, that's what happens no interpretation, no interpretation. But it's hard to do that, isn't it? What makes it hard to do an observational out What do you think is the thing that makes it most difficult in doing an observational outline versus without any interpretation? What do you think is the thing that makes it difficult? I think the longer you're in church, the more sermons you listen to, the

5:35 more you are committed to a specific theology, the more difficult it becomes because you immediately, like, if we go to certain chapters in the Bible, you've heard that chapter fifty thousand times, So what do you do when you outline it? You're just reading, You're just placing into it what you've already known. It's so difficult to approach the text without all all of the things you've heard. It is so difficult. But what happens as soon as you present something that strips away all of that interpretation? People get very defensive. They get they'll get really upset with you, really quick, because you're taking away they're you know, they're taking you're taking fluffy away from them, and they need their fluff. They need fluffy. But Fluffy's gotta go right, all right, so everybody ready to do this? All right? Good?

6:31 Hopefully my voice I was starting to cough and that's no good for the recording. But I think we're good to go. Here we go. Observational outline of Isaiah forty. I suggest that the first part all right, Roman numeral one, if we want to do that. However you would like to break it down. I don't really care if it's in correct outline form. I never care about that. I care about just getting what's on the text on paper. Right, Okay, here we go. I suggest that Isaiah forty that the first section should be verses one and two. Right. The reason I suggest this is, let's read, comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God, speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardon, for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice of Him that crieth in the wilderness, I see that is like WHOA, what just happened? Right? Comfort ye, comfort yee? And now all of a sudden we have a voice in the wilderness.

7:41 Is the voice of the wilderness, the one bringing the comfort is the voice in the wilderness to it? What's going on? Right? I believe then verse one and two should be its own section. Does everybody agree with that? Disagree? I think it makes sense? Okay, I think it makes sense. So what should we call verse one and two? Well, Comfort's a good way to go. Who's calling for the comfort? So I think it's fair to say God's call to comfort or well, look at verse one, his people Jerusalem is being personified as his people. But yeah, okay, I get the idea. All right, So we're gonna call it God's call to comfort his people Isaiah forty one through two.

8:28 Is everybody okay with that? Wait? Is everyone okay with that? We have agreement, Ladies and gentlemen. I retire as being a pastor. It has been fun. That's it. This is the end of this recording. Everyone, goodbye. Y'are not even shocked there was agreement? Okay? All right, okay, I guess okay, see Stevens like, don't get carried away with yourself. Okay, it's only two verse is okay? We got plenty of room to disagree. All right, here we go. So so I'm gonna call this section God's called a comfort his people Isaiah forty, verses one through two. Now, that's that's the section. Now, let's break it down into some sub points. Right, So we got Roman numeral one. Now let's break it down to some sub points here, right, let's break it down into two. Let's break it down into two sections.

9:23 What verse one would be? What? What? What would we call verse one? We know the section is God's call to comfort as people, But what would be verse one? I'm gonna call this a command to comfort? Comfort? Ye? Comfort ye my people. God is commanding that his people be comforted? Correct, I would say, Sarah, Is this correct? Is that a repeated imperative? Okay? Good? All right? So I'm gonna call it a repeated imperative being repeated? Right, comfort, comfort my people, says God. God is commanding someone to do what to comfort his people? Right? Comfort? Ye? Comfort ye my people say? If your God he needs he's he wants someone to bring comfort to his people. Right.

10:18 We know that that I in that sense, God is speaking to Isaiah to write this way before they even get into captivity. To bring comfort. Someone is going to have to bring this message and do what bring the comfort? All right, so it's a command to comfort. What do we have in verse two? I changed this like fifty times. Okay, I've come up with the first thing I thought was way too interpreted. I don't remember the first one I've I've deleted it and changed it so many times. So we have verse one two two is God's call to comfort his people. Then the first subpoint is God's command to the to comfort. And then what do we have in verse two? Do what reason? Instructions? Okay? I like that?

11:07 What else could we call verse two the method? Okay, that's pretty good. Okay, I'm gonna say tell me if you think this is okay? All right, So we have God's call, we have the command to comfort. What do we call this the declaration of the comfort? He's declaring the comfort, and what is he at first? It's addressed to whom to Jerusalem? And verse two speaking comfortably to Jerusalem. All right. Now Jerusalem is being personified. That's his people being personified as Jerusalem, right, okay? And Jerusalem served as important to these people, right, okay? Now look what he tells him to do, or tells him what he declares?

11:56 Some things to them, he tells, he speaks you speak comfortably to Jerusalem. That kind of goes still with that command, right, that command to comfort. Someone needs to speak comfortably to Jerusalem. But look what's declared? Cry under her? Everybody see that cry under her. There's the declaration. Now, what's the first thing? Warfare? It has ended? Hey, why she I comfort my people? What do you tell them? You declare to them? Your warfare has ended? Now? What does that mean? Well, that's interpretation. I can't tell you that right now. Okay, right, second, your hard service has been compared. That gives you an idea.

12:42 But of course the NIV is going interpretation versus translation. But that gives us the idea there, But we don't want to do any interpretation, so we're going to ignore the NIV. Right, what's the second thing? Her iniquity is pardoned. Third thing, she has received double for all her sins. Does that make sense? Okay, So let's go through this. The first section is Isaiah forty one through two. What is this section called God God's call to comfort as people? Right? Then we're gonna break those two verses into two subpoints. The first subpoint is what command two comfort? It's a repeated imperative comfort comfort ye my people. Everybody see that.

13:32 You could almost break it down Isaiah forty verse one to Isaiah forty verse two. A right, because the command seems to say comfort ye, comfort, ye my people speak comfortably to Jerusalem. So in a roundabout way, both of those carry that kind of command. Right. But then the second part of our breaking this down into a subpoint is declare this comfort? And what are you declaring? Warfare is ended, iniquity has pardoned, and you've received double for all your sins. Everybody see that? All right, so let's just see how well you can do. Close your eyes.

14:12 First section goes from verse one to two. It's called God's comfort to his people. All right, Now that's broken into two sections. The first section is the command, and we can see that in verse one and a little bit of part of verse two, verse two. The very first part, I think, I agree. I believe that that's correct, right, okay. Second, then we have the declaration of the comfort, and that declaration includes what your warfare is ended, your sins have been pardoned, and you've received double for all your sins. Got that that's the first section, all right? Everybody got that down. Now, did we do any interpretation. Just what are we no by just looking at that verse? What needs to be interpreted? Okay, who's supposed to be doing the comfort? Okay? What does it mean that their warfare is ended? Those are the basic questions. We probably could ask a couple of more, but those are the basic questions.

15:18 Now those questions can only be answered by doing what interpreting? Observational outline is not supposed to do that, So we can't do that right now. So why are you asking those questions? Okay? Right next? Okay, here we go. What's the next section? We know the next section begins with what verse three? Now, what's the question we have to ask ourselves? How far does it go? All? Right, here we go, Ladies and gentlemen, figure it out. You tell me, mm hmm okay, all right, So Steven is suggesting three to eight. Okay, I do agree. There's a voice there in six? I do agree. What do you think? Now?

16:38 Interpret If we were trying to do an interpretation, we have, well, what question would we ask? Is the voice in three the same voice in six? That's an interpretive question, is it not? But it is a good observation that the voice in there's a voice in three, and there's a voice in six. Everybody see that? But for breaking it down? What do you Stephen won't want suggested three to eight? What other suggestions do we have? The worst you can be is wrong? So oh three to five? Okay? Almost? I think if your bibles tend to group things, almost every Bible breaks it into three through five. Now here's the problem, though, am i? Am I being influenced by that?

17:27 Am I being influenced by that? Because every Bible I have breaks it down that way? I think almost everyone. Let me see here. Okay, that's good, that's good. It's good to have a Bible that doesn't have the breaks in some cases, because then you're forced to do it yourself and you're not being power of suggestion is not there? Okay? Do what this one? Oh? It goes all the way to eleven. Okay, all right, good, So we have different The bibles don't agree, all right? Who knows? So nobody? No, no, cause the thing is when it comes to breaking into sections. What let's be honest. When it comes to breaking in into sections, that is what subjective and very much an interpretation.

18:15 Now what really, let's do this when you break it into sections, what are you attempting to do? You're just trying to get what's on text into some kind of manageable thing that makes some kind of sense. Right, But we're only doing observation. So even if we break it into sections that we agree or disagree on, as long as it doesn't impact the interpretation, that's okay. I think sometimes when you start doing an observational outline, you break things into sections and then guess what happens? You get like three or four points down and you're kind of like, why what am I doing here? Right? Because it can get very confusing after you break If you break it down wrong, then all of your sections start falling apart.

19:07 Does that make sense? Like? I have the one Bible here, Guess what it does? Three through five, six by itself, then seven following different So there are a lot of different ways to do this. So I'm gonna go with three through fives as a section right now? Support voice? Yeah, the whole section. There's a voice? Now? Is it the same voice? Say that? But that seed for an observation, I would have to start trying to do interpretation there right now. Guess what can happen? We can do an observational one. And then when we start interpreting, what could we find out? We could find out hmm, maybe I need to go change my outline. But the outline is only just to get the observation going, right, because then that leads to the interpretation. So we really don't ever have to go back and change our observational because the sin as we go back and change our observational, it stops being observational. Right does that make sense? Right? So observational outlines are not supposed to be necessarily perfect. It's supposed to be what is it helping you do get a sense of the text? Right? So forty verse one through two, the time we spend on that section, what do you now understand? Well, we have a command for God from God telling someone some people to comfort his people,

20:40 and he wants to declare to them that how many things that have been done for them? Three? Their warfare has been accomplished, iniquity is pardoned, and they have received the Lord's hand double for all their sins. Right you know that now? Right now, you may not know what it means. But if anyone comes along and says anything about Isaiah forty one through two, that doesn't correspond with that observation, you can immediately say you're preaching a sermon, you're not teaching the text. That's why you do observation, because observation protects you from what people inserting something into the text, because you're gonna be like, no, I spent fifteen hours observing it, it's not there. Stop pretending, right, Okay, So well, well I have to find out. But now, so let's go to the next section. What do we call verses three through five? We have a voice? Should we call it the voice or a voice? What do you think if we're doing observational should we call it a or the a voice? And the reason we would say a voice? I know the text says the voice, but the fact is we have the voice in six.

22:02 Where's the other use of voice? Nine? What doesn't say voice there? And none? Okay? Right? So yeah, yeah, lift up that voice in verse yeah nine, but that's speaking to old Jerusalem. Yeah, but it does mention his voice. Right. So but in verse six and verse three, we have the voice. Do you notice that phrase? So then that can that could be an argument for making the voice in three the same voice in six? Could it not? But we don't want to do that right now, because that requires what That requires interpretation, right, and I can't interpret that voice yet, right, So I'm just gonna be I'm just gonna say verse three through five, a voice, a voice, and what is it doing? It crieth in the wilderness, prepare you the way of the Lord. So I'm gonna put a voice of preparation. I'm just gonna put a voice. I'm not gonna even say what he's preparing for or what the voice is preparing for. It's a voice preparing or calling for preparing, crying for preparing maybe that, but a voice of preparation. Let's just do that.

23:22 I'm putting a voice. Now. I know what you could argue, But wait a minute. If you're doing observational, the text says the voice. I know that. But the minute I put the voice down, I feel like I'm just working. I'm walking myself right into an interpretation, right, And I want to say what the interpretation will identify the voice? Does that make sense? So I know I could put the voice down and I wouldn't necessarily be wrong, but I want to stay away from identifying the voice because you guys doing observation have already identified the more than one voice. So that's a good thing. Right, So we're gonna call this section a voice of preparation Verses three through five. Now, let's break this section down into parts.

24:12 All right, We're gonna break verses three through five down into different parts. What do we have in verse three? The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord. Now, Stephen did make a good observation. It does identify the wilderness. That is good. That is good. So I'm just gonna say here that we have a voice. We have the call to prepare the way. Let's do that. We have the call to prepare the way because the voice of him that crieth, there's the call right now. It does identify that he's in the wilderness. All right, prepare ye the way of the Lord. What else does it say? Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. So so that we have the section is the voice of preparation number one?

25:13 We have the call to prepare in verse three. And if you see, what are what are some of the parts of the call to prepare where we can kind of see well crying, right, there's the cry. So it's going to be spoken or cried out. It's in the wilderness. It's to prepare the way. It's to make it straight, uh straight in the desert, a highway for our God. So you kind of you could kind of break it down a little bit more, but that's okay, all right. So we have a call to prepare? What what do we have in verse four? Make this okay? Well, I'm gonna I'm breaking I'm gonna break this section down into three parts, right, So Isaiah forty three through five, I'm breaking down into three parts. Right. So the overall section is the voice of preparation, the first section, and that is the call to prepare Isaiah forty verse three, Isaiah forty verse four. I'm gonna take it by itself, and I'm gonna call this what what would we just call verse four? Not how we? Not we us, nothing, not we anything. Okay, get that way out of there. Okay, there's no we in it. Okay. I'm just gonna call this.

26:42 And we talked about it in the last hour. Transformation of the land, the change of the land. Every valley shall be what exalted, every mountain shall be, what the crooked should be what and the rough plane? All right, that's the transformation of land. That's the change of land. Now, interpretive question would be what. Well, the first is this literal a figurative? Has it already happened? Which land? Now in our context we could start answering some of these questions. Right, Obviously, in the context, it has to be the land that they are in, which is Babylon, and this has to be something about them possibly being leaving. So it sounds like that this would be changing the land to such a way that they could walk out. But what is the land the thing holding them back? No, so it sounds like that this could be allegorical of doing what All the things that would keep them held is going to be transformed so that they can walk out. The land has been personified as the thing holding them back.

28:02 It's not the land that's keeping them. They're not like, hey, guys, we've been in babyloning captivity for seventy years. If we could just have someone cut down some trees and we can walk out here, that's not the problem. Okay, right, does that make sense? Right? Yes? Right, all right, Now, if you've been going to church for a long time and we read Isaiah forty, verse three, four and five. Immediately, what do you do John the dobdast because it's quoted in the New Testament. But see now you're doing wide you're not even doing observation. You're now doing cross referencing, and you're trying. We can't do that right now? Right, just we just know that what verses three through five we have a voice of preparation the first part of this section, Versus three through five, we have a call to prepare the way that's verse three. Everybody see that? Right? Second, with the transformation of land or the change of land Isaiah forty, verse fort does everybody see that? All? Right?

29:08 So what do we have in five? There? Look at that? Look at that Twilat has gone to this church for way too long. Right, the glory revealed, or we can call it the revelation of God's glory. Everybody see that? And the glory of the Lord shall be right. That's that. When you just basically have the text on your paper, you know you're doing observation. Right. Are we asking how it's going to be revealed when it's going to be real? No, we're not asking any of that. And all the flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. So it's a revelation of the glory of God. All flesh will see the glory. The mouth of the Lord has spoken. All right, so now let's let's put this all together, right, everybody ready? You see, Observational outlines take a long time, right, they do. They take a lot of work, and this is why people in church don't want to do them. So they pastors when they typically give an outline, are their outlines observational, No, they're interpretive all day commentaries. Outlines are wide interpretive. The outlines are simply there to reinforce their interpretation. And when a pastor gives an outline, what does he do. When a pastor gives an outline, his outline is simply going to reinforce his interpretation and the theology of the church.

30:34 Meaning you're you're like eighteen miles removed from what the text and that should tick off every Christian, But it doesn't take off anybody. They go to those churches and love them because they don't care about the scriptures. Right, But so that's what It takes a lot of work to do. This, does it not? I mean, it can be tedious. Nobody goes to church to do what we're doing. If anyone visited this, they would buck out in five seconds. They're like, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. Sitting there spending all this time to build an outline, give me a break. I can get an outline for my study Bible. Okay, well, congratulations, And I don't want a sermon giving me an observation outline. I want a sermon given me three points and make me feel like Jesus loves me, and then I get to go to the potluck after. That's why nobody would want this kind of That's why my whole concept of church is contrary to anybody else. But if we care about the text, this is the way it has to work.

31:30 All right. So what's the first section in Isaiah chapter forty All right? It's verses one through two. It's God's call to comfort. That section is brooking down into two parts. We have God's a call or we have the command to comfort in Isaiah forty verse one. Everybody see that? What is that? It's an imperative? It's a command comfort my people? Right? Who says it? God? God is commanding that his people be comforted. Everybody see that. Then we have the the second part, we have the declaration of that comfort, which is warfare is ended iniquity as pardon. You've received double for all your sins. Everybody see that. There's the first section. Everybody see that. Now, who does this apply to the people in Babylonian captivity? Isaiah chapter thirty nine said, step that context. Everybody remember that. Okay.

32:23 Number two. The second section goes from verses three through five, and it's a voice of preparation. We've broken that section down into three parts. Verse three the call to prepare. It's the voice and the wilderness saying, prepare the way of the Lord. Everybody see that, all right? Second verse four the transformation of the land, the change of the land. Everybody see that. And then what do we have in verse five the revelation of God's glory or God's glory revealed. All right, we're doing We're we're moving so fast. We're gonna be done with this about twenty twenty eight. Okay, but that's all right. You're gonna know this chapter, are you not? All right? Here we go, third section? All right, here we going back to this debate. We know then we're gonna start this section where we're gonna start it in six? Where do we end it? Ladies and gentlemen?

33:21 Where should we end this section? Ooh, y'all, y'all went straight to eight? All right? Why because I'm curious? Oh look at okay, good Sarah explained it? How did she explain it? Six to eight? We have a recurring kind of theme grass flower verse nine, Oh, Zion, something just changed unless Zion is the flower shop. Okay, something just changed. All right, So now so that's good. I like when man, that's two times we've agreed this Jesus is coming back today. Okay, okay something wait, no, things are supposed to get worse and worse. No disagree more? Okay, all right, I'm okay.

34:10 Are you ready? Here we go? So what should we call this section? Oh? Okay, all right, you don't interpret, don't interpret. Okay, I'm just making sure. I'm just making sure there's a comparison. All right. Well this, I'll just show you how easy it is for observ observation turn into interpretation here, right, If you look at some sources here, right, they will say something like this, Verses six, to eight the frailty of humanity and the Enduring Word of God. Now, what did they immediately do there, interpretation? Because they just identified the grass there we got that's observation. That's a oh way, oh okay, all right, good point, okay, good good, good good, very good observation, very good. All right. All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as

35:41 the okay, it says as of Okay, Sarah just did a good job there, right, because a part of me would want to throw that out because I'd be like, wait a minute, you're interpreting it. But it identifies what the flower in the grass is. It doesn't leave us to go what it tells us all flesh, all flesh is humanity, and it's saying that it does what whether's and fades. Okay, so uh let's go with that. Let's go with the frailty of humanity. Now does the enduring Word of God show up in sixty eight? Where okay?

36:21 So I don't so so okay? It to me, I felt immediately because when uh Twila referred to it as this section is flesh or uh grass and flowers or flowers and grass and a meal, I was like, Okay, that sounds that's very much how I would think, because obviously she's been here for too long, right, Yeah, But the fact that the text says flesh and people been okay. Now now we're okay, because part of me would be very like, I just want to call it flesh or flowers and grass or grass and flowers, because that's that's very observational. But the text itself, if I'm observing, it goes stept. So Sarah did a. That's a good job there.

37:02 That's good because I I was gonna be like, Nope, just flowers and grass, that's what we're gonna call it, right, But it actually the text does that. So we're gonna call it the frailty of humanity and the Enduring Word of God Versus six to eight. Does that sound good? All right? We're gonna break this section down into two parts. Okay, what do you think we have in Uh, we're gonna We're gonna we're gonna bring it into two parts. We have Versus six to eight. So the first part we're gonna cover Versus six two seven. What do we call verses six two seven? What do you see in six to seven? Oh? Okay, well, there you go, the proclamation of human fraility. It's the proclamation. Right, the voice said cry, and I said, what shall I cry? And what shall you cry? All flesh is grass. All the goodliness thereof is of the flower of the field. The grass withthereth the flower faith, because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass. Now which we know which people this is referring to. This is referring to the people in Babylonian captivity. But this is the idea.

38:24 This is the proclamation of human frailty. Right, it's the proclamation, and it's a proclamation because it's the idea of cry, what shall I cry? Right? You get that? Right? Now? What are we having in verse eight? The permanence of God's word, The permanence of God's words. So this section goes from six to eight. We'll call it the frailty of humanity and the enduring word. First section is proclamation of the frailty. The second is the permanence of God's Word or I'm well does it? Well, yeah, I could change that up a little bit, but I won't. All right, so we have three sections. Section number one. All right, everybody got that God's called a comfort as people. That goes in verse one through two. That's broken into two parts.

39:27 Command of comfort, declaration of the comfort everybody got That second section goes from forty to three of chapter forty, verses three through five. This is a voice of preparation for the well, just a voice of preparation. I had, I changed it like fifty different ways, but the voice of preparation, all right. Then we broke this into three parts, the call to prepare verse three, the change of the land verse four, and the glory of God revealed or the revelation of God's glory and verse five. Everybody got that right. The third section goes chapter forty, verses six through eight. This is the frailty of humanity and the enduring word of God. We broke this into two parts.

40:07 The proclamation of human frailty goes to six to seven, and then we have the permanence of God's word in verse eight. The grass withers, the flower fades, but what stands forever God's Word? All right? Now, that brings us to section number four. Section number four. Right, Section number four, here we go. We're gonna cover versus Well, let's see this section will begin in which it's going to begin in nine? Where should it end? Where should we end it? Okay?

40:54 All right, all right? Because nine starts with oh Zion, and it ends with he shall feed his flock like a shepherd. And then all of a sudden, twelve he goes who verse thirteen, who, verse fourteen with whom? All right, so I think we can say that's a completely different section and starting verse twelve? Can we agree? So section number four nine through eleven? Now, what should we call this section? Behold your God? Okay, that's good, okay, Oh Zion, that bringeth good tidings, or good tidings, Get thee up in the high mountains of Jerusalem, that bringeth good tidings.

41:51 Lift up thy voice. The voice is identified here, right, and what does they say? Your God? Everybody see that? So what should we call this? There's a lot here. I'm going Now, this is kind of We could do it this way. Tell me if this works. Maybe this is too long, maybe this is too much. We have the proclamation of good news. I think that's accurate, right, Oh Zion, bring us good tidings. There's the good news. Get the up in a mountain, right, lift up your voice? With strength. Right, all right, So it's the idea that to bring this news to proclaim it. Now, what's the good news? Behold your God? So I'm gonna call this section proclamation of good news, Behold your God exclamation mark? Right?

42:47 Does that make sense? Is? Is there a proclamation of good news? What is the good news? What is the good news? Behold your God? Behold your God? Everybody see that? Okay? Good? All right? Does it? You think that works? All right? We're gonna break this down verses nine through eleven. We're gonna break it down into three different parts. All right, So the main section is goes from nine to eleven, proclamation of good news, Behold your God. Let's break it down into three parts. What do you have in verse nine? Yeah, the call to Zion to proclaim the good news. Whatever would agree with that? Verse nine we reads, Oh Zion, that bring us good tidings. Get thee up to the high mountain of o Jerusalem and that bring us good tidings. Yeah.

43:38 I say that this is a call to Jerusalem or to Josiah to proclaim the good news. Sounds good? All right? Now what do we have in verse ten? It will come with strong hand? His arms shall rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. What do we have here? So? Oh say that? Okay, I like that. I have strength and reward. Strength and reward. Is there kind of the idea of a reward there? It actually uses the word I think. There we go.

44:20 So the Lord comes with might his arm, His arm rules for him. His reward and recompense are with him. So we have God's strength and reward in verse as the second section, and that's just verse ten. All right, What do we have in verse eleven? Okay, we have provision. Well, don't just try to take the text, just observe the text. There we go. We have God's tender care as a shepherd. There we go. God's tender care is shepherd verse eleven. Everybody see that? Okay? Now, so now let's break this down a little bit here. I keep trying to do this to help us here. Now, if we go through nine through eleven, there would be some things to try to interpret. What would be some of the interpretive questions we would have through nine through eleven. Okay, when it says, oh, zion, what is that referring to? Okay, got that right? And mentions Jerusalem. Now a good observation should do what well, Jerusalem is mentioned and verse two. Everybody see that? All right, now, let everybody do this. I know we're gonna we're going a little bit beyond, but we'll just I want to throw a little thing. Everyone, grab a Bible dictionary. Grab

45:51 a Bible dictionary, look up Jerusalem, and when you find the entry, let me know. I don't know if the dictionary is gonna. This is on the spy and prop to. I just came up with this idea right here, But I just wanted to do this because I'm curious. Okay, page six fifty in the dictionary. Start skimming it as fast as you can and look for any discussion about how Jerusalem would be connected to Judah during the divided Kingdom.

46:34 Or how about this, how Jerusalem would connect to the Southern Kingdom versus how it connects to the Northern Kingdom. How about that Jerusalem during the divided kingdom stage. Now if we if I had internet connection, I would just ask Ai. But we'll see if the Bible Dictionary addresses it. Oh, there we go, ding ding ding ding ding ding ding. All right, we have a winner here. Ladies and gentlemen, Jerusalem is the capital of the Southern Kingdom. Who's in Babylonian captivity, the Southern Kingdom? So why does he keep mentioning Jerusalem's that's Jerusalem is the capital of these people.

47:23 So the people in Jerusalem are what linked together? So if you speak of Jerusalem, you're speaking of whom the Southern Kingdom. Does that make sense? All right? So those are some of the interpreted questions we should have correct. But when we look at this section nine through eleven, all right, we have a proclamation of good news. Behold your God. This is good news for home the people in Babylonian captivity. What does he saying behold your God? Oh, how are they supposed to behold their God? Well, we broke we broke this section down right. We have the proclamation go to the high mountains o Zion, herald of good News, lift up your voice of Jerusalem. Fear not say to the cities of Judah, behold your God. So there's people obviously, now we're kind of getting to the idea who's to bost to bring this comfort? Right, there is people connected with Jerusalem. There's people connected with Judah.

48:24 That is supposed to go to these people and tell them what. Behold your God, everybody see that? And what what? What do we? What? Are they told, specifically in verse ten, behold the Lord God will come. What's sorry, now that's very important? Will come? What? What should you draw from that hasn't happened yet for them? Now? Listen, this is where philosophically this can get so frustrating. Right, Okay, it's great that they're told God is going to come, but God hasn't shown up for all the we don't know what you know, this was written before it even happens.

49:09 But God has not shown up to do what didn't stop them from going into captivity, has not gotten them out of captivity. In fact, they're going to be there for how many years? Seventy years? But behold, your God will come with strong hand. His arms shall rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his work shall be before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with his arm, carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Basically, what is they're saying this section, Hey, here's the good news those in captivity. God is going to show up and he's going to lead you out.

49:49 That's the good, But it's for whom, for them? You say, how preachers want to come and do what with that? Oh? Are you having a difficult time? Are you having some tragedy? Your life will behold your God. He's going to come and like a shepherd, he's going to put you in his arms and he's going to take care of all your problems. Stop saying ridiculous things. That's why the church is just a worthless institution when people come there to only be handed fraudulent promises. That promise can't be handed. It can be promised to us where our God wilcome will gather us into eternity. Doesn't mean he's going to show up on Tuesday when your life is falling apart and going together in your arms and make all your problems right. That's what everybody wants to hear. Okay, just like they when did they want God to show up?

50:48 How about day two of captivity? Oh, here's a good idea. How about the day before? Not seventy years later? When do I want God to show up? How about I don't know when I was ten. That's the philological dilemma that we live with Christianity. Churchianity creates this idea that God's going to be there to fix all your problems. It's just not true. I wish it was true. And Garrett, Garrett, where do we go? We go to passages like this where we do what we kick Judah in the face, say get to walking, and then I put myself there going, it's all for me, and God's got to be sitting there going. Can these people not read? That's not for me?

51:44 All right? Oh, we're doing great, We're making fast progress, are we not right? So? Sectional number one God's called it comfort as people goes from chapter forty, verses one through two. I'm not going to give you the sub points there, all right? Number two? Then second mean section the Voice of prep operation Isaiah forty verses three through five. Number three, the frailty of humanity, and the enduring Word goes from six to eight. Everybody got that, all right? I'm not going to give you the sub points. Number four, the proclamation of good news, behold your God? All right? That gets us all the way now to to now we start the next section, Verse twelve is where it starts.

52:27 Where does it end. Oh boy, this one's going to be difficult. Good luck on this one. Oh wow, Twilight went first, fourteen, she went quick. All right, you spend some time debate, argue, throw things at each other. Yeah. I don't think this one we will not have agreement on. I doubt. I doubt we'll have agreement on this one.

53:11 The first thing to do, start reading in verse twelve and just see when you see some dramatic change in something like we've done with the other sections. We're like, whoa, that changed dramatically? Okay, there is there a big change in twenty one. Okay, good question change. Okay, some different questions? Okay, what happens in twenty seven? I just set of questions?

53:52 Huh okay, yeah, okay. So Bobby and Twila on the same team, all right, twelve, fourteen, and fifteen, it's very like they we can here. We have to make a decision, right because really, if you start with verse twelve and you go probably way far twenty seven twelve, I don't even know how far we can literally break this large section and probably multiple parts. Could we not? We probably really could. Now the question would be would we start breaking it into parts that would become somewhat redundant. Hey, questions and answers Questions and answers of a different kind? Right, like, then does it become redundant? So some suggest that we break it down to verse twelve to twenty six. Why they stop in twenty six? We made debate. We're gonna follow this just for for time's sake. I don't know if we're gonna even get through this section, but we're gonna try. All right, now, let's just go ahead, just for argument's sake, just go for twelve to twenty six.

55:23 What would we call this section that's not interpretive? Because questions and Answers is probably where we want to go that could we observationally? Could we say something about what the questions and answers are about? Okay? They are about God? Can we all agree that the questions are about God? All right? Good? Do the questions seem to signify a specific something about God or a couple of things about God? Oh? Okay, Steven said, sovereignty. I see that in my note. So that's good. Does it say anything about maybe being creator? In this section? All right? So would y'all be okay with calling this section? We could call it questions and answers about the greatness of God as Creator and sovereignty.

56:14 Does that make everyone feel better? Calling it questions and answers about God as Creator and sovereignty at the same time, though, does it really provide answers? Or are these rhetorical questions where the answer is not stated it's assumed. Are these rhetorical questions? Answer? Okay? But are they are? Are the answers given and the comparison kind of gives the answer rhetorical? Right? Right? So, in a roundabout way, it's not like a typical Q and A. Right. Can we agree it's a difference. It's not like a typical Q and A. So it's not like a catechetical Q and A. Right. Right, Okay, very good?

57:21 So can we call it questions? Do we just call this section the Greatness of God is Creator and Sovereign God Greatness, the Greatness of God is Creator and sovereign. Do you think that's fair? Do you think that's too interpretive? The greatness of God as Creator and sovereign? Because I believe the questions clearly show God's greatness, shows a sovereignty, and show him as creator. There's no question that shows him as creator. I don't think there's any question that shows him as sovereign. I don't think that's interpretation or do you feel that interpretation? So I'm gonna call this section Greatness of God as Creator and Sovereign. I kind of want to put the questions there, but the questions are kind of just almost statements more than their questions because they're just they're asking the question, but it's already assumed, right, So does that make sense? All right? So let's see.

58:23 So let's break this section down into Oh man, we're in no way we'll have time. I was gonna break it down into five parts and we're at twelve eleven. So if we break it into five parts, we're done. You know, we're not gonna get We're not gonna get so so we're gonna have to stop right there, all right. So Isaiah forty twelve through twenty six, we're gonna call this what the Greatness of God as Creator and Sovereign? Does that make sense? All right? So quick review and let's see how and then we'll be done, all right. Isaiah Chapter forty Observational outline, first section Isaiah forty, Verses one through ten. It is called God's called a comfort as people, we broke that into two sections where we won't we won't we won't do the sub points. Okay, we're only going with the main point. A right, Does that make sense? So, Isaiah forty one through two, God's called the comfort is people. Number two, the voice of preparation for the Lord's coming, or well, that's the I keep adding to it, the voice of preparation. Just call it that. The voice of preparation, all right? Verses three through five, Okay? Or a voice thank you? A voice, a voice of preparation, and we remember that whole discussion.

59:34 Why I'm calling it a voice? All right? Next? Yeah? Six through eight, The frillative humanity, the enduring Word of God. I think that works, right, I think that works good Number four nine through eleven, Proclamation of good news, behold your God, all right? Next, the Greatness of God is Creator and sovereign. Twenty six I am today by next Sunday, who knows? Okay? All right? I hate stopping it right there.

1:00:15 I hate I hate it. I hated, I hated, I hated. I hate it because by next week, let's be honest, are we gonna remember this? Okay? Good? Yeah, you've got notes, bring your notes. Okay, boy, what you're gonna say? I know, I know it's gonna be very so we may have to change it. But I just had to pick a spot. I had to pick a spot, right. But now, just to end Isaiah, forty are words of comfort given to people in Babylonian captivity. So God's calls for those people to be comforted. A voice shows up in the wilderness to prepare for something, and the only context would make sense to prepare what for their release from that captivity?

1:01:08 Does that make sense? Yeah? Yeah, prior to them even being there. Next we have it's pointed out that humanity is frail. But what lasts? God's where? Now? Why? What? If that make sense? In the context these people have been in captivity for seventy years. Those words were given possibly one hundred years before they even go into captivity. So during that time, what they what have they seen? The human beings die? Things change? But if God's word indoors, that gives them hope for what? Okay, God, even though everything around us dies, God's word doesn't, then we can trust in that because that's the only thing that lasts, right, See, that makes sense? In that context, does it not all right?

1:02:02 Then the proclamation of good news, Behold your God, this is all right, hey, people, you've got to go to the cities of Jerusalem, Zion. You've got to take the news to these people. Wherever people are. Someone's got to take this news to them, because they can't just look it up on the internet. Okay, right, they're not carrying around a pocket book of Isaiah. They may know. And not only that, if the words were given one hundred years before and they've been seventy years in captivity, a good portion of the people that would have been around when the word was originally given or what dead, someone's got to take the word and go to them and going, guys, remember what he said, behold your God, and God is going to do these things for you, for them, okay, not for us, for them? All right? Then what does he want them to understand? Your circumstances, Look what your circumstances look greater than God. Babylon looks greater than God, and Babylonian gods look greater than God. Okay. I want every when to hear that in their situation, three things would have looked greater than God. Babylon because they're in captivity and God didn't do anything to stop it. They're circumstances.

1:03:33 They're never going to get out of this because they've seen people come in and die, and clearly Babylon has gods, and their God must be bigger than our God because we're in captivity. So their god has beat our God. So then what does he do to show up here? In that last section forty twelve through twenty six, the greatness of God as creator and sovereign that spis speak specifically to them, So they have to be able to see God's greatness in spite of all the things around them that would say these things are greater than God. See, now, by going through an observational outline, if we observe it, we can observe it in its proper context. And we're already doing great job with taking it apart, are we not?

1:04:24 All right? We'll stop there. Lord God, we come before you this afternoon. Lord. I thank you that we are in a place where we could do this type of thing. Lord, I pray that it does not make us proud or arrogant. It makes us humbled, that we've probably have all mishandled your word thousands of times. Help us constantly be willing to admit our frailty, our fallibility, and continue to be humbled to strive to understand your word, because the only thing infallible is your word, not us. Forgive us for mishandling it. Help us grow in our understanding of it, it and learn from it. We asked us in Jesus name, and God's people said