Both of our lessons for today speak to exiles.

1 Peter 1 is written to Christians who are in “exile” scattered throughout the area of Turkey. We Christians live an exile’s life here on earth while we wait in hope for our heavenly home.

Note the reference to the Trinity in the greeting.

• Chosen by the Father.
• Sanctified or set up apart as holy to God by the work of the Holy Spirit. 
• Sprinkled by the blood of God’s Son.

As exiles our lives are filled with stress and trials (1:6). But the powerful God who raised Jesus from the dead is protecting us (1:5) and is using our times of stress to bring praise and honor to Him (1:7).

Peter then goes on to assure us of the inspiration of the Bible. The prophets studied their own writings. They didn’t fully understand what they wrote because the Spirit was speaking through them.


Isaiah 40-42 iis an example of that struggle the prophets had.

Isaiah lived about 700 BC when the Assyrian empire was the dominant world power. He had just foretold to Hezekiah that the Babylonians would come and take the Israelites into exile (Isaiah 39). That happened beginning in 605 BC and culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.

This second half of Isaiah is written to that generation not yet born, to those who would experience that exile in Babylon. He wrote of a servant of the LORD who would come from the north and east - the Persian empire that became the world power in the 500's BC. The nation was far to the east, yet when he arrived in Jerusalem, he would come from the north because armies did not come straight across the desert but followed the "Fertile Cresent." 

Life in exile was stressful.

• Has the LORD abandoned his people?
• Will they ever return home?
• Can God forgive their trust in idols?

Lots of questions about the meaning and purpose of life – very few answers. That’s when the Holy Spirit steps in and supplies answers.

• The LORD will bring the exiles back home.
• The LORD will care for his people.
• The LORD will use a “servant” (who will be revealed in Isaiah 44 as Cyrus) to bring the people back from exile.
• The LORD will use that human servant (Isaiah 41) as a picture or type of a greater Human Servant (Isaiah 42) whom we know as Jesus.

Dear brothers and sisters, in so many conversations, I am reminded that we are in exile. Things happen – strife in families, car accidents, serious illness, death.

“If you chose us to be your own dear children, LORD, why are these things happening?”

Because this is the life of exile. This is the life of hope, not fulfillment

All of these sufferings cause me to look forward to the wonderful appearing of our Savior at the last day. That’s when I will see how the LORD filled in the valleys and brought the hills low (Isaiah 40:4) to bring me to his heavenly home. That’s when I will see that he has carried me like a lamb close to his heart.

The Structure of Isaiah 40-66

See the attached chapter divisions document to see the structure of the last half of Isaiah. I'll attach this many times over the next few days as a road map to help you understand Isaiah's line of thought.