Tonight I went to Ombudsman’s last class in his twenty-week-long course on the book of Isaiah. We started last fall, and took some time off for December, but we met twenty times (as a class – I think I made seventeen of the classes). Craig is working on his Master’s degree in Biblical Studies, and he spent an entire class just on Isaiah, so he did a great job of teaching the book. Some of the things I took away and want to remember:

– God offers his rest if we trust in him. Frantic activity on our part does not offer rest.
– Prophecy happens in a cycle of patterns, so that a prophecy can be “fulfilled” more than once.
– Isaiah tells us who God is and what he wants, over and over.
– God has always been looking for servants who want (God’s) justice and righteousness. This is heavily concerned with the treatment of the poor and powerless.
– Judah only escaped (with delayed) punishment with Israel because of Emmanuel – “God with us”; only because God chose to extend grace to Judah (not because they earned better treatment).
– God offers salvation – not the world (consider Hezekiah finally trusting in God instead of Egypt and God then turning the Assyrian army away).
– Although God calls his servants to strive for justice and righteousness, in the end God must establish these things himself. That is the basis for the promises that Isaiah makes – God himself will do them.
– God will make things right, but in his own timing, not ours.

What a great class. Props to Ombudsman for a lot of work and dedication (in addition to a full-time job, growing family, grad school, and various ministries).