THE ISAIAH RIDDLE - PART ONE
This study is based on the confluence of at least three unique patterns found in the Word of God. Several years ago Dr. J. R. Church discovered what he calls a “Torah Pattern” derived from the first five books of the Bible. The pattern is based upon the themes of these five books and is repeated throughout the Torah, (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) and the rest of the entire Bible. For more information on the Torah Pattern please see http://www.luke810.com/tr1.htm .
Another contributing pattern is found in the design of the 7-branch lampstand, or Menorah, as given to Moses by the Lord. The design details of the Menorah show us the sixty-six books of the Bible, and give us specific groupings of the books. For more information on the Menorah Design please see http://www.luke810.com/men1.htm Part of this pattern is the division of the twenty-seven New Testament books into three groups of nine books each. A study of the New Testament will show that the first nine books are addressed to a Jewish audience or deal with Jewish subjects. The middle nine books are specifically addressed to Gentile subjects, while the last nine are again addressed to Jewish subjects. For example, the ninth book, Galatians, deals with the Jewish subject of circumcision, while the tenth book, Ephesians, is expressly written to Gentiles (Ephesians 3:1).
The last book in this group of nine books addressed to Gentiles is Philemon, the story of a Gentile slave being sent home by Paul. We will discuss more about this charming little book later. The next book, the first of the third group addressed to Jews, is Hebrews and deals with very specific Jewish subjects.
Along with the three unique patterns just described, the last component of this study is the wonderful Book of Isaiah. This book with its sixty-six chapters is a model of the entire Bible and its sixty-six books. For further information on this parallel design please see http://www.luke810.com/bo1.htm Scholars divide Isaiah into two parts; the Book of Judgement (chapters 1 to 39) and the Book of Comfort (chapters 40 to 66). So different are these two parts that some like to think that they were written by two different Isaiahs. Of course, the Word clarifies that in John 12:38-40, where John quotes from both parts of Isaiah and attributes them to the one prophet.
Did you notice that the number of chapters of the Book of Judgement in Isaiah exactly parallel the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament? And the number of chapters of the Book of Comfort in Isaiah parallel the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. In fact, the themes of the chapters in Isaiah frequently represent the theme of the corresponding book of the Bible; e.g. - chapter 1, Genesis, chapter 2, Exodus, et cetera . I say “frequently” because I am not wise enough to see it in every chapter. But I would not be surprised if the Lord placed a sometimes obscure theme from the corresponding book in every chapter of Isaiah. After all, the Lord tells us that He speaks to us in riddles and puzzles (Numbers 12:6-8). He wants us to search His Word and there is so much to be found and marveled over.
The chapters of Isaiah also contain the Torah Pattern of (1) the Beginning and the Sin of Man, (2) Redemption and Deliverance, (3) Sanctification, or setting apart, (4) Focus on Sin and the Wilderness, and (5) Summation and the Kingdom. Finding these patterns is part of the fascination of studying the Word. It is like solving a puzzle.
The entire thrust of my weekly lessons is to demonstrate that God’s Word is not a hodge-podge collection of stories, as some would allege, but an integrated document. It is full of patterns and designs that prove it is a unified testimony to us. As an example, I found a puzzle in a group of nine chapters in Isaiah, but I will have to describe it to you in the next lesson. (My attention span is not long.) Until then, read the amazing Book of Isaiah and search for Torah Designs or any of the others mentioned above. You will be blessed.