A Commentary on Isaiah, Part 65: Called by a New Name

William Finck
Isaiah 62:1-12
CHR20260424-Isaiah65.mp3

A Commentary on Isaiah, Part 65: Called by a New Name

In Isaiah chapter 56 Yahweh had promised to gather the outcasts of Israel, and in chapter 57 His Word avowed that there shall be no peace for the wicked, for His enemies, even if in this age the righteous may suffer on their account. Then in Isaiah chapter 58, the sins for which the children of Israel had been sent into captivity are described, as they had defiled their fasts and their sabbaths by oppressing the weak and disadvantaged of their own people, and having neglected their own flesh they only fasted and used their sabbaths for their own individual self-righteousness. However there they are told how it is that they may repair the breach which such conduct had caused between themselves and Yahweh their God, and in chapter 59 they are reminded again of their more general iniquities, which separated them from their God, the breach of the previous chapter. But there, as they are portrayed, it is only once they realize they cannot save themselves, and turn to their God, that they are promised by Yahweh that He Himself would save them, bringing the destruction of His enemies along with salvation “unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob”. So the promises which are in Christ are echoed in the final verse of that chapter, where we read:

21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.  

In Isaiah chapter 60, there are premonitions of the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, and finally, we left off at the end of chapter 61, where there is a prophecy of “the acceptable year of Yahweh” which Christ Himself had professed as having come to proclaim, as it is recorded in Luke chapter 4. Now here we have given this synopsis, because there is a lesson in the order of subjects in these chapters. We could have begun at Isaiah chapter 41. Salvation is for all of Israel, because in Isaiah chapter 45, there are promises that ultimately, all of Israel shall turn away from transgression, and all of Israel shall be saved with an everlasting salvation.

Spots in Your Feasts of Charity

William Finck
CHR20260417-Spots-Feasts-Charity-Emahiser.mp3

Spots in Your Feasts of Charity, A Review of a Paper by Clifton Emahiser

Here I am going to take a break from our Isaiah commentary, which is nearing completion, to present a critique of a paper by Clifton Emahiser. Evidently, it’s been over five years since we had visited Clifton in this manner, when I reviewed The Day The Word Became Flesh in January of 2021, so it seems to be well past the time that we should hear from him again. So I conceived this presentation on Wednesday, as Clifton would have been 98 years old if he were still with us. But while we miss him, I am certain he is in a better place now.

Clifton never really dated his papers, except in the titles of the file names he stored on his computer, where he added dates which represented the various stage of completion, such as when they were drafted, when they were proofread and when they were finally ready to print. So this particular paper was ready for print on December 21st, 2014, and I posted it on his website two days later. Personally, I think dating papers is important, especially if we hope to write profusely over a long period of time, because over time we ourselves should learn, and our opinions in some matters should evolve, so it may be important to date our papers to show our own progression in learning. No man starts out with a knowledge of all things, and certainly no man can end with one either.

A Commentary on Isaiah, Part 64: The Acceptable Year of Yahweh

William Finck
Isaiah 61:1-11
CHR20260410-Isaiah64.mp3

A Commentary on Isaiah, Part 64: The Acceptable Year of Yahweh

This seems to have been expressed here in various ways already, however we must insist on finding different methods by which to illustrate it as completely as possible, because it is, in my opinion, one of the most significant aspects of this prophecy of Isaiah, and of the lessons of the Old Testament as a whole: There is no temporal salvation for the children of Israel without obedience to Yahshua Christ, and that includes the keeping of His commandments, which are found in the laws of Moses. So what we have read in Isaiah concerning the sins of the children of Israel is sufficient cause for repentance, and repentance certainly is a prerequisite to receiving the blessings and promises of these same chapters. As we have just read, in Isaiah chapter 59:

20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.

However as we have also seen, the prophecies in these chapters also foreshadow many of the words of Christ Himself in the Revelation, so these same conditions of repentance must be satisfied if we are ever going to see the Kingdom of God. Therefore all Christians should seek to follow in the teachings of Christ, and hope to have a part as repairers of the breach which had developed between Yahweh God and His people Israel on account of their sins.

In our last presentation in Isaiah, we cited a much earlier prophecy found in Isaiah chapter 26 where we read in part: 

15 Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth. 16 LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them. 17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD. 18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

A Commentary on Isaiah, Part 63: Premonitions of Sheep and Goats

William Finck
Isaiah 60:1-22
CHR20260403-Isaiah63.mp3

A Commentary on Isaiah, Part 63: Premonitions of Sheep and Goats

In Isaiah chapter 58 there is a recounting of the sins of Israel which had caused a breach between them and Yahweh their God, and we are informed as to how men may be Repairers of the Breach, by caring for the weaker and more unfortunate, the defenseless or even the despised of their own people, which, as we hope to have illustrated, is also the core message of the Gospel of Christ. So it is evident that He is the model Repairer of the Breach and men must aspire to be followers of Him, as He Himself had beckoned. Then in Isaiah chapter 59, many of these same sins were described once again and we learn that the entirety of Israel was responsible for this breach, because ostensibly, none of them had spoken out against the injustice, none had sought to correct it, and therefore Israel had been taken into captivity and punishment For Want of Judgment.

In the course of these things, it is evident in Isaiah chapter 58 that the true significance of fasting and of Sabbaths is for men to put those needs of their people above any concern for themselves, and they are beckoned to use them as opportunities to provide for their people, or to do good for them, especially for the disadvantaged of them, rather than providing only for themselves or taking their leisure time to satiate their own desires. This was also the purpose of the ministry of Christ, and it was expressed frequently throughout the accounts of the Gospel. Then in chapter 59, for want of judgment, Yahweh God Himself “16 … saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor”, and He is portrayed as having adorned Himself with His righteousness, salvation, vengeance and zeal, whereby “20 … the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob.”