Commentators often divide the book of Isaiah into three sections, with chapters 1-39 in the first section, chapters 40-55 in the second, and chapters 56-66 in the third.
John Oswalt explains one rationale for this structure in his NIVAC commentary on Isaiah. In chapters 1-39, he observes, "righteousness" usually refers to people following God's Torah. Then in chapters 40-55, the emphasis is on God's righteousness in the sense to his faithfulness to his covenant with Israel. Finally, chapters 56-66 put these two meanings of righteousness together, making clear that righteous living is important but can only be accomplished through the grace of God.
Both meanings of righteousness come together in Isa 56:1, where God tells his people to "do righteousness" in anticipation of God's salvation. The ensuing verses make clear that just being one of the chosen people is not enough; instead, it is those who are submitted to and in relationship with God who are his true people.
No comments:
Post a Comment