The Prophet and His Day: Isaiah 1-39 - Free Bible Commentary

2. II Cor. 13:143. I Pet. 1:2The Spirit is linked to human activity.1. Acts 15:282. Rom. 8:263. I Cor. 12:114. Eph. 4:30At the very beginning of Acts the Spirit’s role is emphasized. Pentecost was not the beginning ofthe work of the Spirit, but a new chapter. Jesus always had the Spirit. His baptism was not thebeginning of the work of the Spirit, but a new chapter. Luke prepares the church for a new chapter ofeffective ministry. Jesus is still the focus, the Spirit is still the effective means and the Father’s love,forgiveness, and restoration of all humans made in His image is the goal!2. The wilderness becomes a fertile field. . .a forest, v. 15. This is the reversal of vv. 12-13. Seethe same metaphor of fertility in 29:17.3. Justice. . .righteousness abide, v. 164. Peace, quietness, and confidence forever, v. 17. This means no invasions (cf. v. 18).5. Verse 19 may refer to the destruction of Assyria.6. Verse 20 is another blessing, but it is somewhat ambiguous.32:15NASB, NKJV,NIV “Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high”NRSV, JPSOA “until a spirit from on high is poured out on us”TEV“God will send us his spirit”NJB“until the spirit is poured out on us from above”REB“until a spirit from on high is lavished upon us”The Hebrew text has no ARTICLE, PRONOUN, or descriptive phrase (i.e., “of the LORD,” as in 11:2 or“My,” 44:3; 59:21; Joel 2:28) linked to the NOUN “spirit” (BDB 924). The question is to whom does itrefer.1. the spirit of the new age2. the Holy Spirit3. a spirit of repentance and trust from GodGrammar suggests #1 or #3, but context suggests #2.This is a radical break in the context. Similar passages which speak of God’s Spirit are Isa. 44:3;Ezek. 39:29; Joel 2:28-29; Zech. 12:10; Acts 2:1-21. The same VERB is used in a sacrificial sense of theMessiah in Isa. 53:12. There is a series of seven blessings that will result because of the Spirit’spresence: (1) fertility, (2) justice, (3) righteousness, (4) peace, (5) quietness, (6) confidence, and (7)secure dwelling.} “from on high” This is an idiom for “heaven,” the place of YHWH’s abode (cf. Job 16:19; 31:2; Isa.33:5).32:16 “justice. . .righteousness” These are a common pair in the OT (cf. II Sam. 8:15; I Kgs. 10:9; IChr. 18:14; II Chr. 9:8; Ps. 99:4; Isa. 9:7; 32:16; 33:5; 59:14; Jer. 4:2; 9:24; 22:3,15; 23:5; 33:15; Ezek.18:5,19, 21,27; 33:14,16,19; 45:9; Amos 5:7,24). They denote the kind of society (cf. vv. 17-18) where320