References in Isa 40-55 to destruction
in Judah are often automatically connected to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BCE,
even though there were several other occasion when Judah or Jerusalem suffered
serious ruin and the deportation of its citizens. Since Isa 40-55 does not
identify who put Judah in ruins, it is difficult to know whether the
perpetrator was, for example, Shishak/Egypt, Hazael/Aram, Israel, Assyria, or
Babylon. Without firm evidence regarding which defeat is in view, many
commentators simply assume that the text addresses the Babylonian exiles about
Jerusalem’s being destroyed in 586 BCE. The references to ruin or destruction
in chapters 40-55 fall into three general groups: (a) references to past or
present plunder, desolation, and war (41;11-12; 44:22-25; 51:13-14, 17-19;
52:3-5); (b) references to Cyrus rebuilding the ruins of Jerusalem (49:8,
17-19, 24-26; 52:9; 54:3). If this understanding is correct, only two
references (44:26; 45:130 refer to the fall of Jerusalem, and these two appear
in the context of a future rebuilding of the city. The examples listed above do
not offer much support for assuming that the fall of Jerusalem has already
taken place.
Isaiah 40-55 presents the big picture
of Israel’s past, present, and future According to this panoramic perspective,
Israel was sinful and blind (41:19-20; 43:8), performed useless worship
(43:22-24), made idols (44:9-20), argued with God (45:9), was stubborn (48:4,
8), and falsely accused God (49;14). The prophet recognized that the people in Judah
were attacked in war (41:11-12; 42:22-25) and predicted a future judgment of
Judah (43:28; 48:9-11). This yields and overarching metanarrative of (a) cycles
of past/present sins and past/present judgments, (b) future judgment (43:28),
(c) restoration by Cyrus (44:26-28), and (d) a final, marvelous eschatological
restoration. Although some believe that the wars mentioned in Isa 40-55 refer
to Babylon’s defeat and ruin of Jerusalem in 586 BCE, this does not fit some
texts. In Isa 41:8-14 YHWH promises that Israel’s enemies will “become nothing
and perish, you will look for them but you will not find them” (41:11-12). This
promise matches only one Israelite experience—YHWH’s miraculous deliverance of
Jerusalem from Sennacherib when an angel defeated the Assyrian army. (Gary V.
Smith, “Cyrus or Sennacherib? Historical Issues Involved in the Interpretation
of Isaiah 40-55,” in Bind Up the Testimony: Explorations in the Genesis of
the Book of Isaiah, ed. Daniel I. Block and Richard L. Schultz [Peabody,
Mass.: Hendrickson, 2015], 182-83)