Isaiah 12 Study

Isaiah 12: Setting and Purpose: Fiery indignation from an angry God is the stereotype associated with conservative Christianity by many in mainstream culture. People do not reject the truths we hold so dear; they reject caricatures of those truths. Dichotomies are drawn between a “God of wrath” and a “God of love” as if He had to be one and not the other. Because the perception is that Christians worship an angry God, it is nearly inconceivable to think that anyone could relish the thought of the coming end. 

    God’s portrait in Isaiah 12 shows Himself laying aside His wrath so that He might comfort His own. It shows a people who live in restored relationship with their maker rejoicing in Him who is now their Savior and seeking to make Him famous globally. If God’s main characteristic was anger, He would exult in the destruction of the wicked. But God delights more in laying aside anger for the sake of mercy than he does in keeping his wrath forever.

    As we read these few verses, we find that their focus is on the response of God’s people to God’s salvation. When the end comes and judgment falls on the earth, there will not be a complete end. Just as Noah was preserved along with his family and representatives of all the species, so God will preserve a remnant in that day who will rejoice in the Judge who lays aside his anger at their sin.

    As God manifests His mercy, we see clearly the rationale for Isaiah’s words, “I will trust and not be afraid” (Isa.12:2). He who prefers mercy and pursues relationship will be my trust; though I have done that which deserves judgment, I will not be afraid. My God has shown His bent towards kindness and I will put all of my confidence in Him! Because of His plan and promises, I will respond to Him with my worship.

    Historical Setting of the book of Isaiah: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen.1:1). Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness (Gen.1:26). And God looked on everything he had made, and behold, it was very good (Gen.1:31). God’s work to create a world in which to showcase His glory was a success. Man was created in God’s likeness—and he was very good! Hard on the heels of this perfect creation, mankind chose rebellion against God; a devastating change took place in the cosmos. Good and evil became mingled in what once was only good; the tree of the knowledge of good and evil had done its work.

    As our race multiplied on the earth, our wickedness became so desperate that God decided to make a near-end of everything and start over with a new first family (Gen.6-11). After the new human race again began to spread abroad on the earth, God called Abram to trust Him to make out of him a nation. According to God’s word of promise, Abram became a multitude—the nation of Israel. Part of the promise that God made to Abram concerning his descendants was that they would inhabit the land to which God had led him. God made a covenant with His people in which He promised to maintain their ownership of the land as well as their prosperity in it for as long as they would be faithful to Him, serving Him only (Dt.28). In the interests of shepherding their faithfulness to Him, He gave them a Law which would instruct their obedience (Ex.20). 

    When Israel was first given the Law, they were still wanderers in the wilderness, outside the Promised Land of Canaan. Eventually, God brought them into that promised inheritance. After a time, Israel set up kings over themselves who led them after the image of their own idolatries. King followed king while apostasy followed apostasy.

    Prophetic Messengers: Into this cycle of tragedies, God sent men and women who would represent Him before His erring people. Because the Law had been given, but not heeded, God’s prophets were sent to remind God’s people of the holiness of their God, the holiness of His Law and the dire consequences of their unfaithfulness to him (according to the Law).

    Isaiah began his prophetic ministry in 740 B.C. (the year King Uzziah died—Isa.6:1). This would have been approximately eighteen years before the deportation of Israel by Assyria (722 B.C—2Kin.17:6). God, who made mankind to manifest His glory on the earth, endured His people’s choosing rather of shame until He could endure it no longer. But this stroke had not yet fallen when we focus on Isa. 12.

    Isaiah 1 presents God’s case against Israel. Chapter 2 introduces the Day of the Lord (referred to in Isaiah as ‘in that day’)—a day in which Yahweh comes to rescue the righteous and punish the wicked; this theme of judgment on a coming day is further developed in ch.3. We learn something new in Ch.4: the day of the Lord will be a revelation of the Messiah (the Branch). Chapter 5 is a review (in the form of a song) of God’s case against Israel. God had sowed good seed and had not reaped accordingly. A juxtaposition of God’s holiness and the earth’s wickedness is revealed in ch.6; Isaiah is commissioned to represent God and is warned that His message will not lead to repentance, but rather to a hardening (6:9,10)—which it turn, leads to destruction (6:11-13).

    Isaiah 12 is the culmination and foreshadowing of all that went before it and that which comes after it. It is a song which celebrates God’s judgment, His mercy and the glorious salvation of the remnant. When Messiah comes (on the Day of the Lord), those He saves will sing of the wonder of wrath averted and salvation becoming available. The result will be global glory for God because of His faithful mercy to the nation of Israel.

    Purpose of Isaiah: Structurally, the first half of Isaiah (ch.1-39) is written in light of the threat of Assyria’s aggression while the remainder is addressed to the exiles of Judah (the Babylonian exile). Each of the prophecies stand on their own for the time in which they were uttered; but it is the opinion of this author that the book itself was written as a reminder of all that was said beforehand along with its results. In short, God is holy, righteous and just. If His just expectation that His glory will be manifested through His people is disappointed, judgment will follow. But God wants Israel to know that His aim is not destruction—not pure justice—but rather a mingling of judgment and mercy. A remnant will be preserved (just as there was in the days of Noah—Isa.10:21, 11:11-14).

    Isaiah’s words are preserved as a testament of God’s glorious plan to exalt Himself in the sight of all the nations (2:2-5). His justice is not only for Israel and Judah, but for all the nations (Lebanon, 2:13, Tarshish, 2:16, Assyria, 10:12, Philistia 11:14, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Egypt 11:14,15, and Babylon, 13:1). God’s just and merciful dealings with Judah are a microcosm of His plans for the whole earth.

    Dr. J. Carl Laney has noted that one out every seventeen verses of the book of Isaiah are quoted in the New Testament. The reason for this is that Isaiah presents so clearly the heart and soul of the gospel. Mankind, originally created to manifest the glory of God, has descended into rebellion and shame. God has promised to bring judgment, yet He is making an offer of mercy which leads to restoration in the kingdom of Messiah for all who willingly repent and follow His authority at the present time. All who come to benefit from this offer of mercy will sing songs of praise for their rescue (Isa.12). Many clear and compelling prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah, his propitiatory death, his eschatological satisfaction in his atoning work as well as the ultimate fate of all rebels would be lacking without the book of Isaiah. 

Theme of Isaiah: Isaiah’s theme is that God reveals who He is in relation to His privileged, yet unworthy people by predicting judgment, performing judgment, and mercifully preserving and restoring His people. A quick survey of the book shows that the vast majority of these 66 chapters fits neatly within this thematic summary. God’s nature is expounded (1:24, 2:10, 15:5, 30:11, 40:9-31, 45:5-25, 65:1, 66:1,18), God’s deeds are revealed (1:2,15,25, 2:11, 25:1-12, 40:6-8, 45:1-4, 50:2-11, 66:2), God’s people are shown to be uniquely privileged (1:2-4, 5:2,4,7), and God’s people are shown to be unworthy (1:2,15,21-23,30,31, 2:6-9, 5:2,4,7, 30:1,2-14, 65:2-5, 66:4). God predicts judgment (1:5-8,20, ch3, 5:5,6, 10:1-5, 15:1-9, 20:1-6, 30:3-5, 65:11-13, 66:4,5,14-18,24), and He performs judgment (4:9, 10:5-19, 50:1, 65:6,7, 66:6). Finally, God, in His mercy, promises preservation and restoration (1:9,16-19,26,27, 2:1-5, 4:2-7, 10:20-27, 30:15-29, ch35, 40:1-5, ch55, ch60, 65:8-10,13,16,17-25, 66:2,5,7-14,19,22,23). Noting these themes may give the artificial sense of separation betwixt them; in reality though, they are intertwined. While we might simplify matters by reducing our categories to “who God is and what he has done” (Taylor, p.16), or, “a blend of judgment and hope” (NDBT pp.219,220), the fuller definition above more adequately covers the full range of topics present in Isaiah.

Isaiah 12 Theme: The Day of the Lord promises to be one in which God’s people rejoice in His salvation. This joy in God’s preservation and restoration (12:3) is set on the backdrop of, “your anger turned away,” (12:1) which refers to the predicted and performed judgments of God (and by implication, the unfaithfulness of the people which brought about the threats). God is shown to be “exalted, my strength, my song and my salvation…holy and present” (12:2,4,6). Who He is flows into what He does in the transition of verses 4 and 5. In this way, Isaiah 12 fills five out of seven portions of the main theme (with no explicit mention of guilt or impending judgment). 

Context of Isaiah 12: Isaiah 11 introduces chapter 12 by identifying the eschatological Day of the Lord as the same day on which Messiah begins to reign—or possibly, “at that time” as a reference to the whole period of the millennial reign of Christ on earth. Thus, the salvific theme of chapter 12 finds fulfillment in the person named, ‘God is my salvation.’ Yeshua comes to fulfill all of the promises of salvation and restoration; because of His consummated work, His saved people sing. We will trust and not be afraid (12:2) because a shoot from the stump of Jesse springs forth (11:1). The ministry of this One upon whom the Spirit of the LORD rests (11:2) brings about the turning away of God’s just wrath (12:1 cf. 1Jn.2:2) and gives rise to this redemption hymn.  

    The picture of wrath and judgment missing from Isaiah 12 was saved up for chapter 13. Interestingly, though, the first verse in chapter 14 frames the contents of chapter 13 as acts of mercy towards Israel. God promises to pour out His wrath on Babylon through the agency of the Medes (13:17-19) because of His compassion for Israel (14:1). Chapter 13 ought to place a question mark over the theory of multiple authors of the book of Isaiah since, according to the theory, the Babylonian threat came about 150 years after Assyria was no longer the main aggressor in the middle east.

Indispensability of Isaiah 12:  Isaiah 12 is a hymn of praise to be sung by those who have experienced its content; this hymn centers on who God is seen in both judgment and mercy. He is my salvation (v.2), my comforter (v.1), angry at sin (v.1), my strength (v.2), my song (v.2), a doer of glorious deeds (vv.4,5), dwelling among us (v.6). In the estimation of this author, God’s main point in inspiring the writing was to reveal who He is so that He would be praised. Therefore, to remove chapter 12 from the book would be to subvert the very reason for its existence. God’s purpose is to be praised by a people who have been redeemed by Him. 

    Isaiah twelve naturally falls into two stanzas, each of which are introduced with the words, “You will say in that day.” (vv.1,4) Beginning with these two prominent heads, the task then is to recognize the poetic symmetry in what follows after these introductory phrases. Gratifyingly, we immediately see that both sections launch into expressions of thanksgiving. The first section concludes with a prophetic prediction while the second section concludes with a prophetic prescription.

  1. Stanza One: You will say in that Day (v.1)
    1. Giving of Thanks (vv.1,2)
      1. Thanks ascribed to the relational God (YHWH) (v.1)
      2. Acknowledgment of His anger (v.1)
      3. Anger turned away (propitiation) (v.1)
      4. Comfort (v.1)
      5. God is my salvation (v.2)
      6. I will trust by not being afraid (v.2)
      7. Relational God (YHWH): my strength, song, salvation (v.2)
    2. Prophetic Prediction (v.3)
      1. You will draw water from the wells of salvation (v.3)
      2. With joy (v.3)
  2. Stanza Two: You will say in that Day (v.4)
    1. Giving of Thanks (v.4) *note the imperative verbs
      1. Thanks commanded to relational God (v.4)
      2. Thanks specified as calling on Hashem (YHWH)
      3. Thanks extended as proclamation to all peoples
      4. YHWH (relational God) is exalted in our salvation
    2. Prophetic Prescription (vv.5,6)
      1. Sing praises to YHWH (why?)
      2. Because He has done gloriously
      3. Proclaim this in all the earth (how?)
      4. Shout
      5. Sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion (another reason?)
      6. Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel (Immanuel)

Expositional Summary

    Introduction: After significant research, J. Alec Motyer was the only commentator who attempted to make an outline of Isaiah 12. (Motyer, p.128). With all due respect to his efforts, my evaluation of the structure of the chapter under question is simpler and (I believe) more helpful. Surprisingly, there are also not many scholars who attempt an exposition of this chapter. Most of the scholarly discussion revolves around authorship of Isaiah (e.g. William Henry Cobb). The one exposition which did come to light was not well organized or sophisticated (Praising God…by William Rhodes). The first twelve chapters of Isaiah are widely recognized as a literary unit; this division makes chapter twelve the conclusion of this section. It neatly summarizes the major themes of judgment, restoration and the coming of the Messiah which were introduced in the first eleven chapters. The song of Isaiah 12 is introduced in two verses.

  1. “You will say in that day…” (v.1) What day would that be? Our immediate context reveals that the day to which this song points forward is the day on which the anointed branch (i.e. the Messiah) would come to rule in Judah (Isa.11:1,10,11). Thus, this song will be sung in response to Jesus’s propitiatory work on behalf of His people. Notice how the remainder accords with this analysis.
    1. Personal giving of thanks: note the pronoun “I.” No corporate good is possible apart from the personal engagement with God, our Savior.
      1. The grounds for giving thanks are that there was a just anger of God being expressed against His people. God’s graciousness would not be recognized apart from a display of His wrath. These are foundational gospel themes. (1 Jn.2:2) Anger turning to comfort is the heart of propitiation.
      2. God underwrites relationship by saving His people (v.2)
    2. Prophetic Prediction (v.3) Without water, life does not continue. God’s people without God’s salvation are like a company perishing of thirst in the desert. But what joy would belong to that people if they happened on a well? This is precisely the picture of salvation which is painted here. Isaiah declares that an abundant life-giving source will be opened in the future and that those to whom he prophesies would take advantage of that source with great joy.
  2. “You will say in that day…” (v.4) The character of the verb forms shifts here from declarative to imperative. Those who have come to rejoice in Messiah’s salvation will be transformed into evangelists who stir up the nations to engage in His worship through their testimony. 
    1. God’s personal name is featured (five mentions with 11 allusions in only 6 verses). The Name refers to a deity who reveals Himself as prioritizing relationship—for why else would He introduce Himself by name? (Ex.3:15). God’s salvation of His people is His part in pursuing relationship with them; our giving of thanks along with outreach to the nations is our part. 

Prophetic Prescription: (vv.5,6) Imperatives: sing, make known, shout 

Theology: Isaiah 12 teaches some foundational truths regarding who the one true God is. We see in verse one that He is angry with the sins of His people. In modern Christianity we believe in the truth that God has accepted as children all those who approach Him by faith in His Son. It is instructive to ask whether that acceptance changes the standards of Him who receives us. The very fact that Isa. 12 speaks of God’s anger at all, ought to inform us that divine standards are not relaxed for those whom God accepts. If God’s grace is only large enough to cover past sins while failing to reform our character, then God’s grace is unable to divert His wrath. But anger is not the end of the revelation of Isaiah 12!

Anger is the necessary backdrop for the mercy of God to become visible in its true wonder and beauty. Who would be stunned by the comfort of God if He had not first been justly angry at our transgressions? Our God is one who is high and holy and yet who will not content Himself with a mere enforcement of righteousness. God brings glory to Himself by revealing His mercy (v.2). When verse two says, “I will trust,” we learn that God is trustworthy; three more facets of God follow in this verse: He is my strength, He is my song, He has become my salvation. Note the change in the verb form: there is a temporal development in the understanding of who God is. His past supply of strength has led to a past veneration of Him in song; but now this One who strengthened and was celebrated has (at the present time) become the substance of salvation.

Theological statements answer the question, “Who is God?” In verses 1 and 4 we find that God is worthy of thanks. Verse 4 develops this theme by noting His great deeds among the nations. These deeds reinforce the exaltedness of His name (his name is shorthand for the substance of His person which is manifested in words and deeds). Glorious deeds manifest the greatness of God’s person (vv.5,6). “Among the nations” informs us that YHWH is not a tribal deity who concerns Himself only with the doings of those who acknowledge His patronage. All He has done in relationship to Israel is meant to be on display so that the nations would grow in true knowledge of their Creator.

It is difficult to read how God dwells in the midst of His people (v.6) without reflecting on the words of Isa. 7:14, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Commenting on this verse, Matthew notes that Immanuel means “God with  us” (Matt. 1:23).  Who dwells in the midst of His people? The holy One (v.6). In this one word, we should perceive that there is none to whom our God can be compared—none is His equal, none can stand as His rivals, none compare in greatness to Him. Stunningly, YHWH—the Holy One—is the very same Son of a virgin mentioned in 7:14, for it is He who came to dwell with His people. This very same Immanuel is the One who is responsible for transforming God’s just wrath into comfort (cf. v.2). The identity of Jesus as Immanuel is apparent when we connect the phrase “in that day” from Isa. 12:1,4 with the same phrase in Isa. 11:1,2,10,11. God, who is spirit, has manifested Himself to His people by taking upon Himself flesh (Phil. 2:5-11, Rom. 8:3). God not only manifested Himself by becoming a man, He also overcame the obstacles for fellowship between mankind and God (1 Pet. 2:24). God’s substitution of wrath for favor is summed up in the word ‘propitiation.’ 1 Jn. 2:2 ties the work of propitiation to the nations (good tie-in with Isa. 12:4,5).

Theologically, Isaiah 12 covers wrath, mercy, propitiation, world evangelism, incarnation, worship, relationship, salvation, faith, fear, joy, God’s glorious deeds, and the centrality of Israel in God’s plan for the nations of the earth. In short, these six verses are packed with Christian theology.

Principles: Isaiah twelve centers on the theme of responding to God’s revelation of Himself with worship. We may divide the application of this principle into three categories: Worship in response to God’s revealed character, worship in response to God’s revealed deeds, and some defining characteristics of worship.

In the first place, Isaiah 12 informs us of who YHWH is; this knowledge requires a response of worship. Why would the knowledge of God’s anger at sin elicit worship? Does this not seem threatening? For one thing, God’s anger demonstrates his unbending righteousness. Whether that damns people or not, perfect righteousness is stunning. For another, those who suffer oppression may take comfort in the righteous wrath of God which will avenge them (Rev. 6:9-11). A third reason why God’s anger results in our worship is because His anger “turned away” (v.1) from us. Notice how personal the language is. First person singular pronouns claim the wonders of God as individual benefits (vv.1,2). Corporate worship succeeds or fails at an individual level. God is my strength (v.2), my song (v.2) and my salvation (v.6). God is great (v.6), present (v.6) and He works to comfort me (v.1). In every generation, people who have come to know this God bear the continuing responsibility of responding to how God has manifested Himself in His relationship with Israel.

In the second place, Isaiah twelve points our attention to His deeds for the purpose of a worshipful response. The anger and comfort of v.1 are not hypothetical emotional states which are pent up in the heart of God. Divine anger is expressed in calamities just as His comforts are expressed in restoration. God’s actions make evident his character; thus, our worship of who He is is informed by what He has done. Anger giving way to comfort (v.1) is the heartbeat of salvation (v.2). Having experienced this for ourselves moves us to declare what great things God has done for us—proclaiming His deeds of salvation among all cultures (v.4). Because God has done gloriously, we sing praises to His name (v.5).

In the third place, Isaiah twelve makes six recommendations regarding the expression of our worship to God. Verses 1 and 4 commend the verbal giving of thanks to God. Another much-overlooked mode of worship is brought to light in verse 2: responding to God with trust and in this trust, renouncing fear. People tend to rationalize their fears instead or remembering that there is a choice between fear and worship. Joy is set forth in verses 3 and 6 as the internal state of one who responds to God. It is not always possible to determine how joyful a person is; yet joy ought to characterize those who have tasted of His salvation. Our worship grows in completion as we move from calling on His name (v.4) to making known His deeds internationally. Even these acts of worship would be incomplete until we include singing (v.5) and shouting (v.6). 

Who God is and what He has done came into climactic display when Jesus turned away the wrath of God from us by absorbing it in His own person on the cross. This is the substance of the salvation which is lauded in Isaiah 12. How does one respond to this great salvation? Firstly, we respond by partaking (v.3) with joy. Secondly, we respond by giving expression to our joy with songs and shouts (vv.5,6). There is a relationship between shouting for joy (v.6) and trusting without being afraid (v.2). People are naturally insecure about making a spectacle of themselves. Yet, the worship prescribed in Isaiah 12 seems to prescribe making a spectacle of oneself (2 Sam.6:14-21)—not with the goal of drawing attention to oneself, but to the end of self-forgetfulness in awe of God. Unselfconscious exultation is the heart of worship to God for His great salvation.

    Bibliography

Alexander, T. Desmond, Brian S. Rosner, D.A Carson, and Graeme Goldsworthy, eds. New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000.

Cobb, William Henry “An Examination of the 12th Chapter of Isaiah.” Journal of Biblical Literature. 10, no.2 (1891): p.131-143. http://www.sbl-site.org/.

Elwell, Walter A., ed. Evangelical Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House Company, 1995.

Keil, C.F. and F. Delitzsch. Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes. Translated by James Martin. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1976.

Motyer, J. Alec. The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Rhode, Michael “Praising God: Bible Study, Isaiah 12:1-6.” Journal of European Baptist Studies 15, no.2 (Jan. 2015): p.46-51

Taylor, Larry M. “The Holy One of Israel is Savior: Theological Themes in Isaiah.” Southwestern Journal of Theology 34, no.1 (Fall 1991): p.13-19. https://swbts.edu/school/school-of-theology/southwestern-journal-of-theology/.

Wenham, G.J., J.A. Motyer, D.A. Carson, R.T. France, eds. New Bible Commentary. Edition of the 21st Century. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2003.

Note: For an in-depth study of Isaiah 12, this author recommends the commentary on Isaiah written by J. Alec Motyer, “The Prophecy of Isaiah.” While some may disagree with portions of his conclusions, the writing style is very approachable and insightful (which is what was expected, but not found, in Keil and Delitzsch). Motyer’s outline of the structure of Isaiah 12 was the only attempt at an outline present in any of the resources consulted for the writing of this paper. While others gave some indication of understanding the technical nuances of the Hebrew, none of them drew any insights from their notation of the verbal tenses. A.J. Motyer, in contrast, references the structure of the Hebrew and extracts insights from his observations in a manner accessible to the layman.