Isaiah 40:6-8 Pt 1

0:01 All right, Isaiah chapter forty, Isaiah chapter forty. This is how we're going to end the year. Sow will begin next year. It's gonna be Isaiah forty through fifty five a lot until we can try to finish this section up. And of course this all started because of listening to sermons on Isaiah forty through fifty five. And I'm ending the year still listening to sermons on Isaiah forty through fifty five, and I can still report they only get worse. Okay, Yesterday I will spend an hour and a half reviewing a sermon on Isaiah forty three versus I think eighteen and nineteen. If you want to look at those verses really quick. Isaiah forty three eighteen through nineteen. Isaiah forty three eighteen through nineteen. We read these words, do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing. And guess what those two verses Isaiah forty three, eighteen through nineteen. They are constantly used in sermons at this time of the year, because today all the sermons and most churches today will be sermons focusing on what the new year. So it turns into God's going to do a new thing. The only problem with that, Isaiah forty three, eighteen through nineteen has zero nothing to do with you. Okay, you can't

1:33 be telling people God's going to do a new thing for you. What is the new thing He's going to do in Isaiah forty three, verse nineteen. What's the new thing in Isaiah forty three nineteen? It's releasing them from Babylonian captivity. We've talked about this like a thirty seven thousand times. And if you go to Isaiah forty look at like verse one and two, Isaiah forty three, verse one and two, does it mention who these message is for? Oh Jacob? What's the next verse? Oh Israel. So it's not complicated. Ladies and gentlemen. You don't need to go to Bible college. You don't need to go to seminary.

2:16 You just need to learn how to read. But for some reason, sermons cannot handle the text correctly. So we spent an hour and a half yesterday reviewing a sermon on Isaiah through eighteen through nineteen, and it was basically self help pop psychology, telling everyone God's going to do a new thing for you in the coming year. It's just complete garbage. Right. So then this morning I'm like, well, we're in Isaiah chapter forty, and where are we today? What section do we begin today? We started verse six, and we decided in our observational outline that we're going to break it down Isaiah forty verse six to what if you remember the observational outline, Yeah, we broke of six to eight if you remember correctly. Okay, all right, so six to eight. So then I was like, okay, well, let me just look really quick this morning, do a search for Isaiah forty six to eight. Guess what. I pull up a sermon. I start hitting play, and at first I was pretty impressed. I'm like, okay, this is interesting.

3:26 He starts with an illustration. Okay, pretty typical in a sermon, and his illustration was this, there's lots of shows on television where people have certain items assess to determine their value. Right, They'll go into a pawn shop, They'll say, Hey, here's this item, and then someone will assess it. There are a lot of reality shows on television. He names a few of those shows, and so then he hey has a demonstration for everyone in the congregation. He has two items for everyone. The first item is a little card on the card on the front and back is writing. He sets the card aside, he says in the second item is a twenty dollars bill. Which item do you think is worth more? Well, obviously in most situations, people would pick the twenty dollars bill, but because he's compared, he has that with the card. He knows that everyone will probably say the card. So he's like, right, most people will say the card. So he explains what the card is. He had a little family project. He told everyone in his family to imagine that they were in captivity, they were in prison and North Korea, and that on this card they were going to write down the things that they would want to remember being kept in captivity, what they would want to remember, right, So they wrote everything on the card. And I was like, oh, this is interesting, right, because if he's going to use this as an opening illustration for Isaiah forty versus six through eight, that makes sense, right, because how would you then fit

4:58 the illustration to the passage. These people are in captivity and Isaiah forty through fifty five is their card to help them remember something, right, right? I mean, come on, right? Let's where it should go, right, guess where it goes? It goes nowhere, because then he prays, and then he just starts something completely different and never refers back to the card. I'm now maybe by the end of the sermon he refers back to the card. I'm hoping. I was trying to listen to the end of the sermon right there when we started, and he was in two Timothy somewhere, so I don't know what was going on, and I was like, what is happening? What is that?

5:39 Because I thought immediately he would be like, ladies and gentlemen, you remember this card, and it may not appear to be valuable, but it would be valuable to the people in captivity. Right now. The only problem with his illustration number one, he didn't even return to it. But number one, the things they had written on the card were probably things, you know, sentimental things. Let's make it very clear. What makes Isaiah forty through fifty five of great value to the people it was given to who were in Babylonian captivity? What makes it of such great value? Okay, that's a good church answer. Well, true, true, that's true. It tells them they're getting out of captivity. So I know, as Christians we gotta make it sentimental, right, but there's nothing sentimental about it. It's God's word. It is God's word that means I can at least trust it. But it is telling them they're getting out of captivity. If it would have been like, well, for God so loved the world, if it would have been just some basic Bible verse, what a value would it be to them in captivity. Now, I know you want to say, well, it's God's word and they'll be, but in reality, what meant something to those in captivity was what this isn't gonna get out?

7:07 All right? So if you give me a little card and I'm in captivity in North Korea and you got little sentimental sayings, I'm gonna throw the sneaking card in the trash. I don't care about your sentimental sayings. I want to say, I want a card that tells me what I'm getting out. I know that sounds horrible, but come on, let's just be I know in church we gotta make everything like it's a Hallmark movie, but we can be realistic, right, Little sentimental sayings don't do anything for me. If I'm in a North Korean prison. I need a message that tells me what I'm getting out. What the great comfort of this is not that God spoke to them. The great comfort is that God told them what they're getting out right, they're getting out? And that is that? Not exactly how the message begins? Comfort, Ye come fory my people, speak, says your God speak comfortable, Speak comfort to Jerusalem and cry out to her. And well, what is that? It gets right to the point, does it not? Hey? Comfort, go give comfort to the people.

8:13 And what are you and what are you to speak comfort to Jerusalem and cry out to her? What are you to cry out to her? Your warfare is ended? And is pardon you ever see from the Lord? Double var Her says, Remember we spent I don't know if it feels like three sermons on all of that. Yes, so it gets right to the point. Is that some sentimental sentiment. No, it's getting right to the point. So so so many times in preaching, we just I don't get what we do. I just don't I don't understand, Like I'm all I mean, I almost wish that there would be a law passed in the United States of America that would ban all sermons, because it may be the best thing that could ever happen to the church is for sermons to come to an end, because that has the sermons keep people from the text. It was just like yesterday when I reviewed the sermon on Isaiah forty three eighteen through nineteen. By the end of that message, even though all the people in the congregation loved it and they were saying Amen, Amen, Amen, they didn't learn anything about Isaiah forty three, eighteen through nineteen. And the message I was listening to this morning on Isaiah forty six through eight, at least the direction it was going immediately turned it into whom us and Ah, the whole thing has got to stop. So all that's why we're doing this. That's why we're doing this, and so to move us into the next year working on this, here we go. And if you think about it, really the

9:45 point of all of this, let's just make it very clear, it's not even really about Isaiah forty through fifty five. If anyone's caught on, this is about just basic how to handle the text of scripture. And isn't it crazy that I'm like probably over eighty sermons and I've yet to find one, and I've listened to sermons from Baptists, Reform Baptists, Presbyterians, you name it, Bible churches and every single one. Just I don't understand, like it's like you think, like on one hand, when you when you when I start criticizing, I start thinking, well, I wonder if I'm being fair, you know, But how many sermons does one have to review before you kind of go? I think I'm on to something here, right, I think I'm on to something here. So is everybody ready? Isaiah chapter forty?

10:32 All right? Does everybody remember what we called this? I'm not gonna go back and review. Well, we'll just read. We'll do this. Since we're still I think we can at least do this. We'll go back and we'll read Isaiah forty one through five. Because we do have the time to do that, we can at least try to establish the basic context here. So Isaiah forty one through five. Everybody ready? Here we go. Comfort Depending on which translation I'm reading, I'm going to read it from. I'm going to go from here because I'm reading it from a different translation, but I'm reading the words on my mind from the King James. Right, here we go. Isaiah, Chapter forty, Verse one, comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

11:17 All right, someone is being told to comfort his people. Who are the people who are the people? Right? Comfort my people? These are the people who areware Babylonian captivity. How do we know this? Chapter thirty nine? Okay, verses five and following here, everybody got that down, all right. So someone's being told to go comfort the people who are in Babylonian captivity. And who is telling them to bring that comfort? God's right. They're in verse one right there, to speak comfortably to Jerusalem. What is the significance of Jerusalem, capital city of which kingdom? Judah, who's in Babylonian captivity?

11:59 All right, all right, very good, speak comfortably to Jerusalem and cry under her what is to be cried under her. Warfare is accomplished, Her iniquity has pardon, and for she has received the Lord's hand double of all her sins. Everybody should know those three things. We went over them so many times. Then last week was all about verses three through five. The voice of Him that crieth in the wilderness. Prepare ye. The way of the Lord makes straight in the desert a highway for our God, every valley shall be exalted, every mountain shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough place plain, And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. All right? What was the big emphasis in verses three through five that we spent on last week? Okay? Well, we acknowledge that that text is referencing the New Testament to John the Baptist, but we're not studying the New Testament, so we're not in that part portion. So what did we focus on for the two plus hours? All right? Yeah, okay, we definitely I made an argument that we've got to we can't state it this way. Did we not spend two plus hours trying to identify the voice? Right? Okay? Because

13:30 this voice is to cry in the wilderness? Right now? We identified that, that was pretty simple. Yes, What was the significance of the wilderness? Yeah, to leave Babylon to go back to Jerusalem, in a sense was wilderness. So a voice is in a sense crying out in their captivity, right right, crying out in their cactivity. And what is this voice saying? Prepare the way of the Lord. Right, there needs to be preparation made, and so it says, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley should be exalted, every mountain and shall be made low, the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough place is plain. Now we agreed that that most likely is using some form of poetic language. But remember I really pushed back and saying, just because it's poetic language doesn't mean it's not pointing to something that's literally going to happen. But it's just the issue that it's describing it in a poetic way. And the reason I made such a major point of that is because most sermons take this prepare the way and they see all of that preparing the way. They see it as being what kind of preparation sermon after sermon did this spiritual? Right, So then it turns into, hey, you need to prepare for God, and you need to prepare for God by doing what repenting of your says, humbling yourself. And they'll give you a list of four or five stop watching Netflix, whatever the case may be. They'll give you a list

15:00 of things to do that has nothing to do with this text. Now, John the Baptist may reference as the one crying in the wilderness to prepare the way, and he calls people to repent, but you can't read that back into this text, right. So what we said is that this voice is telling people to prepare to make what a day, remove all obstacles that will stop them from doing what. Going back to Jerusalem. Yes, So we then said, well, hmm, who's the individual who steps up, who really prepares the way and who gets involved in all of this? And we said Cyrus, right, And we looked at the decree of Cyrus and we compared the decree of Cyrus to this and what did we find.

15:48 There's enough similarities that you can be like, hmm. In a way, Cyrus is the one who cries out and tells everyone to do what. Remember he told it. He called for the people to do what, get this and gather this, and so in a sense, he was a part of it. So we talked about that and we went through that. I don't want to go back and review everything, but I just want to make sure we're on the same page there, right, okay, And then ultimately the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all the flesh shall see it. And I think the glory of the Lord here being revealed, is revealed in what way Cyrus is rising up, Babylon is defeated, and they get to go back. I don't. And then what happens when they get back, Well, they rebuild the temple, right, which is which is associated with what God's glory? All right?

16:41 All right, so everybody see how that all corresponds? All right? And in a sense, all flesh you'll see it at least all when we say all flesh again, I think this is all poetic language. It's the idea that everyone's going to know that Cyrus has done what with the Jews released him, and they're going to go back. Okay, I think that's very clear, right, And all this is going to happen. Why the end of verse five, the end of verse five, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. This is all happening because of God. God is the one sovereign of sovereign over the entire process. Everybody got that? All right? Now? That brings us to six through eight. Let's read six through eight. Everybody ready, everybody, ready, here we go. The voice said, cry, And he said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field.

17:45 The grass withthereth the flower fadeth, because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass, the grass withereth the flower fadeth. But the word of our God shall stand for ever. All right, now, and those verses what immediately jumps out at you? Now, we're just doing some basic observations. What are some things that jump out at you? What like? What's what really stands out or you feel is important? Okay, good, good, good good? All right, you may let's all may write that down. All right, we have a voice here. This is important. Okay, this this the first big thing that should jump out at everyone. All right?

18:29 Second, okay, possibly all right? Anything else? Okay, there's some comparison happening. There is that comparison and contrasting. Right, what's being what's kind of being compared and contrasted here? Well? I think we could I think I can never one agree to this that what's being compared is the frailty of life ultimately to the Word of God? Is it not? Does it? Remember? Does everyone remember our observational outline what we reference the section as we spent. That's why, that's why we spent all that time on the observational outline. We spent over to it.

19:48 There we go the frailty of humanity and the enduring word of God, or how God's word endures? Right, because is that not the way it's all set up? Look and look at verse six. All all to words, all flesh or all man is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is the flower that fail of the field. So it's trying to say, hey, human beings are just like what grass, They're like the flower. What happens to it? They all fade, they all go away, they blow away? Correct, But what in contrast to that? What is the contrast? Look at verse eight. The word of the contrast to the frailty of life is the enduring word of God. Okay, everybody see that now and its context, it's simple. Why is he telling them, hey, we are frail and we will all go away, but God's word endures. Why is that so important to them? Okay, So we'll look at the end of verse five. That's why we worked all the way through the versus. The end of verse five, all right, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it right, Okay, all this is going to happen because God has spoken it. So then in verse six through eight,

21:22 what does he then re emphasize the word the Lord is going to endure forever? Why is that important? Because human beings are going to come and go right? So and their situation? Who do they see as the powerful humans? And their context the Babylonians? What is he telling them about the Babylonians? They're like grass are going to be blown away? Who's gonna ultimately tape blow them off the scene? Persia is gonna come in, Cyrus is gonna come in and release them? Sooner or later, the Persians are gonna go away. All human beings, no matter their power, no matter their position, their prestige, no matter their fame, they're there and they disappear. What's going to last? God's word?

22:07 What then do they need to hold on to? And what specifically about God's word? Not some sentimental message, but the very specific message that they are going to be released from their captivity. That, I mean, the section is easy to understand, right, We don't need to spendle I mean, I think I've already just explained it, right. I mean, we'll work through it a little bit more. But there's the base. I just want you to get the basic grasp of it. So from our hermeneutical perspective, six to eight is maybe the easiest section in the whole book, right, I mean, that's simple. You don't even need to go to Bible call. Oh, you don't need to go to Bible college for anything. If you have reading comprehension. Bible college actually may be more detrimental to pastors than just taking classes on reading comprehension. But verse six is where the hermoneutical challenge is. And what is the hermoneutical challenges?

22:54 And verse six the voice? What's the hermoneutical question? Oh, there we go, first the identity, and second is it the same voice in verse three? Right? I mean that's a good question to have, right. And verse three we have the voice. Now please note we note in the Hebrew there's not a definite article, right, so it should not necessarily be translated. The voices should be translated a voice, right, does everybody remember that? Okay? So verse three we have the voice. Now in verse six we have the voice said, so the voice of him that Christ in the wilderness.

23:41 Now the voice said, so, how do we understand this? That's what we're gonna spend some time working on this morning. We're going to try to figure this part out. Does that make sense? All right? So we're gonna look at the connection or possibly disconnection between the voice in Isaiah forty verse six and the voice in Isaiah chapter forty verse three. Right, and I believe that we can agree that this is an important interpretive question. Right, So just starting out, how many, with the show of hands, think the voice in three and the voice in six is the same voice? It's It's okay, We're just gonna just see what you think. I mean. You've all read Isaiah forty hopefully about a bazillion times in your Christian life. Okay, so you've had to draw some conclusion. So based on your previous study, all right, Robert's willing to commit what has everyone else done in the past with it? You did something with it when you read it? Okay? Yes, same voice? I think most people when we read it, we probably just assume it's the same voice. Let's be fair.

24:55 And most of our reading throughout our Christian life, what did we probably not bother to do? We probably didn't bother to identify the voice right, which just shows how poor our reading skill is, because anybody should stop and go, hmm, I gotta figure this out here, right. In fact, what we tend to do is we because we've read the New Testament, we just read verse three and just probably immediately oh John the Baptist and not even realizing we're destroying the actual historical context of the section. So is it the same? Is it different? I think it's very important. So we're gonna try to figure this out. Okay, all right, So I think we can reference this if we want to outline this a little bit. Well, I think we can say, well, look at this as the text of two voices, the text of two voices, and the two voices are identified, and what two verses three and six?

25:48 All right, it's very simple. We've already established that, but just for an outline purpose, we'll call this the text of two voices, and then we'll just say the we'll have Isaiah underneath that. You can put Isaiah forty verse three and Isaiah four verse six. Right, So far, so good. All right, So now we want to do the second So right there, we just want to say the text of the two voices and those are the text verse three and verse six. Second thing I want to do is point out the observations on their similarities, the observations on their similarities. Okay, right, what are what's the first similarity? First observation? We're just doing observation, not interpretation. What's the first observation on a similarity that you see here? What's the first similarity? Both first three and verse six begin with a voice. Okay, that's the first, right, that's the we're doing observation. Nothing complicated about observation. Right, it's a voice.

27:00 Please note a voice. I know some translate it the but we don't want we want to get away from that. Right. Second and both verses, an unidentified voice speaks, which creates a literary connection and invites the reader to explore how the two voices relate. I think we can see that, right. Is it an unidentified voice? Yes? Does it not create then a literary connection? That would it? Says? Some people would say invite the reader. I don't like to say that. It doesn't invite the reader. It demands that the reader figures out how the two voices relate. Anyone who's ever read Isaiah forty and didn't stop to figure that out.

27:46 That's not reading, okay, that's just skimming words. To read it, you would have to go, wait, what's just happening here? I hate? I hate when I see how if I don't have a novel here in front of me, if you read a novel, people will spend more. Might be much more likely to stop in a novel and go, h what's going on here? Who's that? Wait? How do they connect here? Wait? Didn't they do that in chapter three? Wait? What's happening in the Bible? Okay? Done? I don't know why we do that. That shows we show more respect to a novel than we do to God, because we should be like, what is going on here? It should be more important to figure this out than it is to figure out how a novel What a novel is trying to say? Should it not? But with so many times it don't, So it demands, it demands that the reader does something with it? All right, Next, so we have both begin with a voice, Well both verses I have an unidentified voice which speaks, which demands the reader does something here. Try to figure this out. I think it's fair to say, does both kind of contain a divine commission. Both voices appear to issue commands, and verse three the voice does what what is he commanding? Commands?

29:11 The preparation of the way of the Lord? Right? How about in verse six the voice that. Right, right, but it's telling it's giving a something to cry. It's a commission to do something right, And verse three the voice cries in the wilderness, telling people to prepare. Correct. The voice in six is saying, hey, cry out, and this is what you are to cry. And then it tells what is to be said. It's it's a I think we can put it down. It's a proclamation of a specific message. Would that be fair to say? All right?

29:59 I think that I I think that's an accurate way. Both passages seem to involve somewhat of, at least in ver especially verse three, somewhat of a prophetic announcement. Oh. I think both of them do to some level. They emphasize God's impending actions deliverance, judgment, or revelation. I think they do point forth to God doing something. So there's kind of a prophetic aspect to them. I think that that's all. I think we can see all of that to some level. How about so there's some observations on similarities. How about some observations on differences, especially in the functions of the voice? All right? And verse three? The voice and verse three announces a call to action. Can we agree to that? And that action is what prepare the way of the Lord? This voice focuses on God's coming and the need to remove obstacles for his arrival. Would you believe that's a accurate statement? Right? Get everything out of the way? Right? Okay? How about verse six? The voice and verse six seems to be issuing a command to cry out to proclaim a message. I think that's fair. Yes, okay.

31:17 The voice shifts the focus to basically to speaking about the human life and enduring nature of God's So the main difference is the roles are kind of different, right, One role is hey, everyone prepare. The other role it seems to be just cry out and proclaim a message. One is a call to action and the other one means as more of a call to proclaim. Could we at least acknowledge that somewhat of a difference. I think that, I think that maybe I think maybe there's a difference. So there's similarities, there's differences, but there's nothing there's nothing really glaring about that. Do you agree if we try to break that observation down to the similarities and differences, there is there nothing that kind of just jumps out going, WHOA, these are so radically different, They're very similar. Can we agree to that? I mean, I know there's a different role there, maybe there's, but it's so similar in so many ways. Yes? Or do you feel different? Yeah? I feel like, whoa, these voices are radically different? Or do you feel like what they're kinda kind of the same.

32:37 But I'm saying that overall it feels pretty similar, don't you think? Or am I missing something? Yeah? They both have a message in a sense. I mean, we can try to find some differences. I just feel like that overall, I don't see like, oh man, this look at this. This voice is so radically different than this voice. I mean, it's night and day. Can we at least agree on that that it's not like night and day? All right? Okay, good, I'm just gonna say that we can agree on that. I don't know if we can, but I feel like I'm not seeing anything that goes ooh, We've got we're onto something here. I could be wrong? All right? So are they the same voice? That's really the question we're trying to ask here. So what have we done here?

33:20 We've realized that we have a text with two voices verse three, verse six. We've looked at observations on similarities, and we've tried to look at some up some observations on differences, and I think we've done a little. We've done is about as well as we can. Right, we could probably break it down a little bit more so Number four, are they the same voice? All right? Are you ready? First, here are all the arguments compiled that they are the same voice. Here are the arguments that they are the same voice. You ready? What do you think is the first argument that they are the same voice? What do you think is the first argument usually listed that they are the same voice? What do you think? Okay? Well, this is the way it's described literary continuity, Right, both voices are introduced in a similar way, a voice with no clear indication of a change in speaker, and the use of the repetition of a voice links the two passages.

34:40 So literary continuity is the first argument that they are the same voice. Does everybody like that? One? Do you think that's a good argument literary continuity. All right. Okay, yeah, you're not being very committed, but okay, all right, I think it's a decent argument. I mean, look, put it this way. At least, it's an argument based off an observation. Both begin with a voice agreed. Both neither one is identified agreed, and it's using that repetition a voice, so it seems to link the two. I think that that's pretty good, all right. Number two. The second argument is that they there is a unified prophetic message. A unified prophetic message. The voice in verse three and the verse and verse six may represent the same divine message being proclaimed in stages. So the argument here is they are a unified prophetic message broken down into two stages. Verse three is to call to prepare for God's coming. Verse six is to proclaim human frailty in God's enduring word, which provides the basis for trusting in his promise God's coming.

36:13 You can trust it. Why Because God's word is enduring. So they're saying it. It could it. There's a correlation between the two. It's like two, it's like part of the same message. It's like part one part two of the same message. Yeah, that they're they're so that that's a that's a good argument that I like that one, maybe even better than literary continuity. That unified message. I like that because even if I'm preaching it, I kind of did that? Did I not? Did I not read the last part of verse five and then say, now this voice see that? Because there's a there's a it flows all right. The next argument is thematic connection. So there's a literary continuity, there's a unified prophetic message, and there's a thematic connection. What is the theme that connects the two? If you're reading this, what do you think the thematic connection is? I feel like we're an English Lit class? Okay, oh well, what did you say? God? Sovereignty?

37:22 All right? Almost everyone agrees that's the thematic connection here. Both voices emphasize the sovereignty of God and the need for readiness, suggesting they could be a part of one single prophetic proclamation. So those are the arguments for them being the same voice. Literary continuity, unified prophetic message, and thematic connection. Everybody got that? Do you think you can you can make that argument if someone asks you if these are the same voices? Now the reality is if people go to church, they'll never ask you if they're the same voices because church people don't care. If an atheist was reading the text, they would be like, is that the same voice, because they would read it differently.

38:04 Christians would be like, what does this mean to me? Right? Because that's how we preach sermons, right, That's the I'm telling you. Sometimes the worst thing I think everyone should read the Bible before they get saved and they'll understand it better than they do after they get saved. After you get saved actually hinders your ability to understand the Bible because now, once you get saved, you read it as a Christian. And when you read it as a Christian, what do you do? You turn it into this mystical sentimental thing about you and which actually hurts the text. But if someone was to ask you, those would be your three arguments for why they're the same voice. What are they? Literary continuity, unified prophetic message, and thematic connection?

38:47 Everybody got that, all right? How about the arguments that they are different? What would be the arguments that they are different? What arguments would you put forth that these are different voices? Okay? Do what? Yes? Oh? Oh, that's a good point. Okay, keep that in mind. I didn't even think about that one, right, I mean, if it's the same voice, why does they have to then in verse six say a voice, if it's the same voice, would just be a voice said all of these things.

39:40 That's a good point. That's a really good point. All right, So here we go. First, though, this is what is typically offered a change in focus. Verse three focuses on preparing the way of God, while verse six emphasizes the contrast between human fraility and divine permanence. So it says that there is a change of focus, and the shift of focus could indicate that the voice in verse six is a different speaker with a new message. And we did mention that it does. There is, and when we looked at the differences, it does change. This one is prepare and this one is proclaim. So that is a different focus. I think we can at least agree on that, all right. Whether that means that there's a different in speaker, that's a whole different argument. Second, right, now, this one may get confusing. Are you ready? All right? They call this a diological The reason that these are different voices is a diological because of the diological structure, if I can state it correctly, all right, the diological structure, now the structure of the dialogue, You're ready. In verse six, the command cry is followed by a dialogue what shall I cry? This diological element differs from the straightforward proclamation in verse three, suggesting a different voice or a new phase in the message. Does everyone catch that? Verse three?

41:14 It's simply the voice of him, the crist and the wilderness doing what prepare the way? Okay? Verse six the voice said cry, and he said what shall I cry? Now there's this dialogue added in that's missing in the first section. And they're like, wait, something something has changed here. Does everybody see that? Do what it is? Minor? But it is a difference heright, It is a difference we did when we did our observation. We didn't necessarily point that out. It is a difference here, right. The voice in three doesn't seem to need, doesn't need anything. It just knows what to say. Six, it's like a voice cries and said what shall I cry? Well, wait, so the voice said cry. So the voice is telling someone to cry, and then someone responds back to the voice, what shall I cry, right, So there's this dialogue. So and a roundabout way, Verse three just says the voice of him says prepare. Doesn't tell who to prepare, but hey, prepare.

42:32 You don't have any dialogue here. You have the voice speaking to someone and someone speaks back to the voice. That is an interesting difference. Can we at least acknowledge that? Okay? I think we can at least say that, all right? Next? All right, so these are arguments or different voices and change in focus diological structure next and verse three multiple voices. In prophetic literature, Isaiah often employees multiple voices and his prophecies to reflect the variety of divine messages and their progression. This could could imply that verse six introduces a second voice.

43:16 So the argument is that this is somewhat common within prophetic literature to have multiple voices. All Right, Well, I don't know, I don't know what you want to do with that. All right, So we've got so if you look at those arguments, and then we could add Stephen, we could add Steven's point here. I don't know how he stated it, basically, if it's if it's two voices, I'm gonna type this out. If it's two voices, why oh, or I'm sorry? If it's one voice. If it's one voice, why have them identified two separate times? Does that make sense?

44:19 Is that a good way to say it? Is? Everybody okay with that one? Does that make sense? Does everybody understand what's being said? There? Hey? Why if it's if it's the same voice, why would you say in verse three, a voice and then in verse six a a voice, you would just be a voice said what all of these things you wouldn't have You could just say if it's the same voice, then the section would go from where verse three to verse eight. But verse three I mentioned the voice. Verse six men says the voice, you would have no reason to say, say at two different times. So that's a good argument. That's a good argument. Now, so those are our arguments for arguments against. Now here's a question. I didn't even put this down in my notes, but I'm going to ask you here's the question. You're ready, doesn't make any difference?

45:27 Does it make any difference? Does it make any difference if it's one or if it's two. What would make a difference? Do what? Okay? But I'm saying what in what about the voice has the most impact on our interpretation of this text. It's not whether it's one voice or two voices. What would probably be most of most importance is the identity of voice or voices. Correct Why because if we in verse three identified that voice with whom Cyrus, well, that may become a little bit more complicated if that's the same voice in verse six, does it not? Because he's telling someone to go proclaim a message?

46:47 Is Cyrus? Cyrus is spoken of in very glowing terms right as a servant of God and basically the anointed in all kinds of ways. But this would be him serving almost as what telling someone to go preach a message? Or am I missing y'ah? I feel like y'are looking at me like I'm crazy? If Cyrus is the voice in verse three, as we discussed, right, we talked about not everyone. Remember, even Ai pushed back on that. But Ai had to acknowledge that Isaiah forty three through six, it has a lot of similarities with the decree of Cyrus, So there was at least some agreement even with Ai. There.

47:29 I'm saying now, if we get to verse three through five, if we get to verse six and it becomes the same voice. Now we have Cyrus Ezra one. Remember remember okay, oh, we're right. Oh, now that's true. That does provide a little bit of help. But you see that it would be Cyrus telling someone to go preach. Right now, do we need to look at the decree of Cyrus to see if you feel that that would be in character?

48:15 Do we need to look at it? I mean, we looked at the decree pretty good last week, but we can look at it again. Now. I know I'm introducing this discussion early on, but that's okay. Duck can look at it and tell me what you think. Everybody there, all right, if you've started Ezra one, verse one, this is your Bible, may even say this decree of Cyrus, or it may see King Cyrus's proclamation for chapter heading.

48:58 Everybody see that, all right? Look at that proclamation. Where does he start speaking? Two? Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia, the Lord God of Heaven, have given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Now what is the striking thing that jumps out at you immediately? In verse two? What is the most striking thing about his words. There the Lord, God of Heaven, and he uses what word for Lord there? It's all capitals, right, What does that mean? Jehovah? Right, using the covenant name for God, right, the national name for God. The eternal One has given me all the kings of the earth.

49:57 And he hath charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people, his God be? Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him? And let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel. He is the God which is in Jerusalem. Now he's definitely giving a proclamation, right, and he tells them what to do. Yes, let the men of the place help him with silver, gold, all the preparation. Kind of type of thing is occurring. Right. That's why it sounds so much like Isaiah forty three through five. Can you see why I'm so committed to that? You know that position well. Now The problem is, though, when you get the verse six, Now my position may have a problem.

50:53 Do you see where it can become complicated? Now because you would have go back to Isaiah forty verse six, the voice said, if we say that voice is whom Cyrus, then what is Sorrus saying someone? Then he says, cry right, And as Robert pointed out, then the people or whoever this person is, is looking to Cyrus and saying, what what shall I say? And what are you supposed to say? All men is like grass? All the goodliness thereof is the fire of the field. And then he goes on to say the word of God will abide forever. Now at the same time, though, is that too far out of character considering what he says in the proclamation? Because he is convinced that who told him to go build the city, that God himself has given him his word to do so, and he wants the people to know that what's going to stand that word from God? So in some ways it kind of fits and other ways.

51:55 I don't know if I'm stretching a little bit, right, I don't know. I don't know. I'm just saying, I mean, those are it's pretty strong words to say God. I mean, he calls him the Lord God, he tells him he look, what did he say? Go back to Ezra one like verse two or three does he say God told me or God commanded me? How did he say it? Oh? It definitely was right. But I'm yeah, he looked at the way he mentions how it's spoken. He says, what about God?

52:43 Yes, yeah, yeah, well then you would have the voice being God in verse. Yeah. I don't know if that works right, I mean, he definitely says God said right. Oh yeah. Look, look, I understand my argument is nobody. I mean, nobody agrees with me, even Ai disagrees with me. I understand that. So and some will argue we shouldn't even have to identify the voice. It's just a metaphorical literary device to just say, hey, it's personalizing this entire concept. We don't really need to figure it out. It's just an unspoken voice that does these things, and we don't need to really try to figure it out. I understand that's how many people approach it. I'm just saying, if I look at verse three, I don't know the voice of him that Christ in the Woldern is telling everyone to prepare the way. I don't know who else that can be other than Cyrus. But okay, I mean you could argue it's Isaiah. But Isaiah's been dead for one hundred years, so or you could just say it doesn't matter, it's just God telling everyone to prepare the way for himself.

54:02 You could, but Cyrus is the only one who fits the bill in any historical setting. So I'm not saying then that means that he's the same voice in verse six. I'm just saying if we say verse three and verse six is the same voice, you can see what happens if you put Cyrus in three. Okay, right, Oh, he'd be speaking then to someone else, right, it becomes yeah, I.

54:43 Know now verse six. Then then then then you start trying to figure out, uh, the voice said cry, and he said what shall I cry? Okay, well, who's who? Who entered into the dialogue? Right? The voice in verse six? Okay, so God telling Isaiah? So in verse three. So so you're gonna say, then just make sure I'm following the flow. So first, are you saying the voice in three and six are the same? Okay? So then you would say the voice of him that Christ in the wilderness is God, and the and the voice then in verse six is God.

55:35 He cries out and he's telling whoever because it can't be can't necessarily be I guess it could be Isaiah writing this one hundred years before. So all right, so that God is the one in three and God is the one in six. Okay, all right? That that I mean that that's a possibility. I'm not I'm not gonna well it definitely is fulfilled. Sorry, oh yeah, yeah, she just basically a he went hey wall okay, yeah, right right, all right. So so Sarah's arguments three and six, God is the voice? All right, does anybody? Is everybody see that?

56:34 And then verse yeah, the response in six what shall I cry? Then God is speaking and he's telling someone to try out. It could be Isaiah. And then Isaiah is like, well what shall I say? And then he gives him the message. Well, the that is hope, the God's words going to abide forever. So yeah, the reality is, hey, men die that my word will abide forever. So it works versus I think it works to some level. Three and six B. I mean, I like, obviously I like it being Cyrus and three, but I understand the problems that arises in six, right, But at the same time, Ezra, the way he speaks in Ezra that sounds so like it.

57:26 I can see it fitting here, right, I mean he said, I mean when you it's almost shocking to read how he speaks, and Ezra, you're kind of like, that's Cyrus, Like what what is that? Oh? Right, absolutely right, But in this particular case, so if we go with that, we could change all of last week's message if and that's perfectly okay, if we need to change all of last week's message, but uh no, I mean it's perfectly okay because we may need to have to go back. The whole point here is to work through this and a in a careful way where others don't, and so that it's all it's all worth doing all of this.

58:07 So if we go with this concept, then the voice of him that cries in the wilderness, let's just make sure we're on the same page. If we go with this concept, the voice of him that cries in the wilderness is God. He's crying out into their wilderness, their captivity. He tells everyone to prepare the way for himself. Right, and then he says that, hey, all of this is to be done. So he's just so weird if that's God talking, because he speaks, do what you see how that's kind of weird because then it's like, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. Well wait, it's the voice, okay, So yeah, now we're back to two voices. Now, if we go back to two voices, then I'm going to return back to three. Is okay? Then I'm gonna go back to three. You see that? That what? What are we discovering? Though? Here's the look, and that's perfectly okay.

59:08 Other people listening to this will be like, oh, that's a mess, and it was all confusing. I don't care what anybody else thinks. This is the reason we do this, because what are we demonstrating that this is hard and complicated and all the nice, little cute little sermons do nothing to help anyone see the complications here. And this is why when little you know, kid who grew up in church walks into a college classroom and the professor can tear them into shreds because the little kid's never been prepared to deal with the text. Okay, you gotta know how to deal with the text. What are we learning? I don't know what to do with three through eight, right, I'm trying to identify all of the you know what some people say, is you're making it too complicated? No, we're not. These are basic questions that what should should arise from what just observational reading has to have These questions dealt with sermons. Don't want to do with this.

1:00:02 It's just coming in to do you do? What? Give you three points of application? Right? Hey, guys, you need to prepare this week and you need to listen to sermons and read your Bible and repent. And it's gonna give you a list of things to do that This is not This text is not prescriptive telling us what to do, is it. It's giving them what to do. It maysn't even relate to us in that particular way. So we'll stop here for the first hour and what we're gonna We're gonna, well, we'll try to put this back together in the next But I think what we just discovered is looking at these voices, Why was it beneficial? Because now we're realizing the difficulty in identifying the voice? Can we agree? And because as soon as we start trying to identify the voice, what do we run into possible problems? Like everyone can make a good argument here, Sarah was making a good argument, right, but then I think there's some difficulties with the argument. Right.

1:01:05 In some ways, I liked it because it was going to simplify it, but then when I start reading it, then I'm like, I don't know if it works. But then I want to go with Cyrus, which sounds good, and then I get the verse six and then I'm like, well, I'm not so sure about that, right, So that like, it's not easy. So what we may have to do is we may have to just come to the conclusion that we the the identity identity of these voices are never going to be known. And then we have to say, well, then how does that impact our interpretation of the text? Right? Does that make sense? And it will have some profound impact on it, But we'll have to we'll determine that in the next hour. Right, So let's stop here for now. Lord God, we come before you this morning. Lord, we thank you that we can be in a place where we can do exactly what we've just done. It may sound confusing to other people. They may not understand why we would want to even be in a place doing this on a Sunday morning, but Lord, it's your word, and we're trying to demonstrate that we take that seriously and we want to understand it, because without proper understanding, then all we're doing is just making it say whatever we want it to say, which we've probably all been guilty of. Forgive us for doing that. Help us consider this even more carefully in the next hour and see what conclusion we can come to. And we ask all of this in Jesus name, and God's people said