To be barred from the Temple was like being ostracized from society as a whole. It was a powerful card to hold, and the Sadducees were not shy about using it.

Obviously, the LORD has no intention of slapping a bandage on creation. He will completely restore—it will be made new.

The LORD vindicates His people in the midst of their misery and despair—for this He has come.

The Exodus always remains a continual and present reality for the people of Israel—it is always on their mind. It was and remained the big salvific event of the Old Testament, yet at the same time it points forward to what God will yet/continue to do to save His people.

In our preaching it is important to decide how to understand this. Are we going to preach the “now” or the “not yet”? As the people of Israel are living in their “now,” are they hearing the words of Isaiah as the “not yet” or, the “not yet of the not yet”?

This is a difficult time, but Ezekiel is giving great hope in our text for today. In spite of the circumstances, the Gospel predominates.

God is still faithful. There are still the covenantal promises. There is still the preservation of the Messianic line because He who promised, He who covenanted, must be faithful.

The Promise Land's true value is in the gift of Jesus who will provide His blood and very life to endow all people with forgiveness and everlasting life for His children.

The LORD God shows His favor and presence with Joshua in the parting of the Jordan and other signs which suggest Joshua is the new Moses… but he is not!

The theology is obvious: God is in control—so much so, that He can even use evil to accomplish His purposes.

The question the pericope begs us to contemplate is not whether the heart trusts or believes, but rather, what does the heart trust and believe in.

Isaiah finds himself in the presence of the living God—the Holy One. This is a terrifying situation because Isaiah knows full well that the unholy cannot endure the presence of the Holy.