Isaiah - Lesson 17

Dr. John Oswalt 
Isaiah 
ot650-17 
Revelation of the Deliverer 
Lesson Transcript

We are looking at grace, the means of servant hood chapters 49 to 55, which are dealing with the issue of how it's possible for God to issue the grace to His people that He did. I've said to you several times, or to say it again, he cannot simply ignore sin, or that would be to deny his structure of the universe where cause has very predictable expectable consequences or effects. And so it is with sin. Sin is a reality that cannot simply be dismissed. So what are we going to do about it? We've seen in chapters 49 through 5212. Anticipation. God saying, I'm going to save you. I'm going to deliver you. I'm going to restore you. I intend to comfort you to give you that strength, that security, that assurance that all is well. And I'm going to do it by means of my mighty arm, an arm for which the whole world waits. Not just Israel, but the ends of the Earth are waiting for the revelation of this mighty arm of God. So we've built in anticipation. Up through that lovely illustration at the end, or in the middle of chapter 52, the. Harold has come running over the mountain pass, waving the palm branch, saying God has won the Lord reigns. He is coming to deliver. The watchmen are rejoicing. And the prophet says, Go out, go out, Go out of the situation where you are. Go out of the besieged city where you have been held captive. Wow. What is going to be the revelation that comes next? The absolute opening of God's victory. What's it going to look like? Because as I said, in chapters 54 and 55, we have an invitation. Anticipation becomes invitation. What's going to make the difference? And the difference is 5213 to 5312.

As you're perhaps aware, the verse divisions and the chapter divisions are later, much later than when the Bible was written. They are devices that believers put in to make it easier to find things and organize things. Most of the time, the chapter divisions work well. Most of the time the chapter divisions have been put in at the correct place in the division of thought. But there are four or five where they missed it, and this is one where they missed it. Chapter 53 really begins at Chapter 5213, and the poem that has been created here is very clear. It's in a set of three verse stanzas, three sentence stanzas that take us right through, and the first stanza begins in 52, verse 13. See, my servant hears God talking right here at the beginning. My servant will in five says, Act wisely. If I recall, King James, it says, will prosper. In fact, I think both of those are incorrect, not wrong, but not getting the idea right. Here's another one of these words with a huge pool of meaning and it is prosper. That's one correct rendering. Act wisely. That's one correct rendering. But there's another one. And that is be successful. I think that's what we're talking about here. My servant is going to succeed. My servant is going to achieve what the purpose of his his servant hood was all about. And I'm personally quite confident that's the sense here. My servant is going to be successful. He's going to accomplish this purpose that we've been anticipating up through the previous chapters. He will be high and lifted up. Do you remember I pointed this out earlier in chapter six? He's seated on a throne high and lifted up. Then we're going to see it again in chapter 57, where we're told that God dwells in the high and lifted up place, and also with the contrite and lowly of heart.

Three times that phraseology is used, two times clearly of Yahweh and the third time of this servant. Oh, my. Who is this servant anyway that he can be referred to in terms that are otherwise limited to your way? He will be high and lifted up and highly exalted. Yes. Then we're going to look at the end of the passage. Look at verse 12 of chapter 53. Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great and he will divide the spoils with the strong. Hmm. He's going to be successful. He's high and lifted up. He is victorious. Well, what are we saying? We're saying the destiny of servant hood is try out. This servant is going to be successful. This servant is going to be the victor. He's going to be the winner. Who is going to be dividing the spoils after the victory. So the passage begins and ends on this note of success. A victory of triumph. Now, you will know from what I've said before and what I have implied up to this point, I'm confident this is a description of Jesus. This is a description of the Messiah who is to come. How could Jesus, the second member of the Trinity, lay aside all of his glory? He didn't lay aside his deity. He didn't lay aside his power. But he laid aside his glory. And in that amazing picture in Psalm excuse me, Philippians chapter two, we see the picture of him stepping down a staircase of the stars. From servant to human to death on the cross. How could he do that? How could he lay aside the robes of glory and put on the robes of a slave, if you will? Because he knew the outcome. He knew how the story would end.

And he knew that laying aside all of that, he lost nothing. I want to say that's true for you and me. If we are to take the lowest place. If we are to take the place. That no one else will take. If we are to take the cross and there are no velvet covered crosses. How can we do that? Because we know how the story ends. We know the glory that lies before us. We know that in losing all this stuff, we lose nothing. Servant Hood. The destiny of a servant to it is triumph. And that is absolutely necessary for us to know and be aware of. Because. The result of servant hood is astonishment and rejection. This first stanza is interesting in its construction. The other stanzas, basically all three sentences are saying the same thing. They're making the same point. They have the same emphasis. But this one is characterized by dramatic contrast. My servant will be successful. He will be raised up and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as many were appalled at. And Ivy says him. It says you who are appalled at you. I think that's a reference to Isaiah. Do you remember back way back in chapter 20. What happened to Isaiah? For three years? He walked around, stripped and barefoot. Just as many were appalled that you, Isaiah. His appearance is so transfigured beyond that of any human being, his form marred beyond human likeness. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. He's going to be successful. He's going to be high and lift it up. He's going to be exalted and he's going to be so appalling. That people won't want to look at him. My goodness. Then the next verse. And Ivy says he will sprinkle many nations.

This is another word that we have to wrestle with. This word occurs about a dozen times in the Old Testament. Every other time it is followed by an indirect object. He will sprinkle something on something else. So in other words, many nations here ought to be what he will sprinkle. He's going to sprinkle many nations on something. What about that? In Arabic. There is a word with these same consonants that means to start startle. Look at it this way. He will startle many nations and kings will shut their mouths because of him. Do you remember what I said about Hebrew poetry that typically you have two lines and the second line says the same thing as the first. Only in synonymous language. Now, here's the clincher. Guess how the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament translates this verse. He will astonish many nations and kings will be silent because of him. I think the Greek translators knew that this is one occurrence. It's the only occurrence of the word with that connotation. But I think and and I have to say, most contemporary commentators agree on this, that the correct translation is not. He will sprinkle many nations onto something, but he will astonish he will startle many nations. Now, of course, we like Sprinkle because of the suggestion of sprinkling blood, Jesus blood on the altar and cleansing us from sin and so on and so forth. But I think we've simply got to say that's not the point here. The point here, though, this guy is going to be successful, though. He's going to be high and lifted up and exalted. That's not the way it's going to be, for starters. For starters, he's going to be shocking, for starters. He's going to be astonishing.

For starters, he's going to scare people. Go to the next stanza then for what they were not told. They will see what they'd not heard. They'll understand. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Is this what we were waiting for? Is this what we were anticipating? Is this how Deliverance looks? Oh, my goodness. Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed. No, this is no 28 inch bicep. This is a spindly, stringy little thing that can't even take care of itself. Does the arm of the Lord look like this? Yes. We'd better remember that the destiny of servant hood is triumph. Because the results of servant hood are astonishment and rejection. He grew up before him like a tender shoot. Like a route out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him. Nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men. A man of suffering familiar with sorrow. Like one from whom people hide their faces. He was despised. And this says we held him in low esteem. The only steam I know are steamed clams. So what are we talking about here? We didn't pay him any attention. That's what it's saying. He was not even worth our glancing at him. We didn't even think about him. Hmm. This is the arm of the Lord. Go back with me. Two chapters. Seven. Through 12. The Assyrians are coming in and and between us and the Assyrians are our neighbors, Israel and Syria. We need to deliver here. We need a mighty man. A child. A baby. A king who is a little shoot out of a burned out stump. Yeah. God's weakness. Is mightier than the world's strength.

You thought you knew what Deliverance would look like. You thought you knew how God would have to deliver you. How God would have to defeat your sin. How God would have to justify you. You figured it all out. Well, you figured it out wrong. And if you choose the way of servant hood. Don't expect people to appreciate you. Don't expect people to praise you. Everybody wants the bomb of servant hood, but nobody can stand its marred face. Once, when I was preaching on this passage, I made the point that according to this, Jesus was ugly. A lady met me at the door and she said, You cannot say that my Jesus was ugly. And I said, Well, it says he borrowed our grease and our sorrows. And for some of us, the first grief of the day is looking in the mirror. We want a drum major to lead our triumphal parade. We want a guy who's six foot three and weighs about 180 and looks good. Now, I don't know what Jesus looked like, and I think that's important. I think the fact that Jesus physical appearance is never anywhere described is intentional so that we can't say, well, he has to look like that. We can all say he looks like me, he looks like us in our loss, in our pain and our brokenness, in our ugliness. In our fat or our skinny or. He has come and he has come to take upon himself our weakness, our shame, our astonishment. The destiny of servitude is triumph, but the results of servitude are going to be astonishment and rejection. Why? Well. He brought it on himself. You got to be a little smart in life. You don't lead with your chin. Oh, you got to be careful.

You got a plan. We considered him punished by God? Yeah, he had it coming to him. You got to be a little more careful. You got to be a little more smart. You don't just thumb your nose at those Pharisees. You got to do a little bit of. Fancy footwork. Little broken. Feel running. What was the burden of his servant hood? I mentioned to you before. Pay attention to pronouns. Surely he took up our pain. And bore our suffering. We considered him punished by God, stricken by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. And the punishment that brought us this is peace. Now. Health. Health. Shalom is wellness. When Israelis greet one another on the street, they say Marshal Omaha, which is How are you? What's your health today? What's your state of well-being? He got beat so we could get better. The punishment that brought us health. The punishment that brought us healing was on him by his wounds. We are healed. We, like sheep, have gone astray and the Lord has laid on him. Do you think the prophet might be trying to make a point? Yes. Yes. What is the burden of serving to do it? It is the griefs, the sorrows, the pain, the brokenness of the world. Oh, we're so good at avoiding that. I don't want to hurt. I don't want to have trouble. You got trouble. Good for you. In our. Darkest dreams. We need to see ourselves lifting spotless fera say hems. So that they won't be spotted by the world. Hmm. He took our sin upon himself. I remind you of that startling New Testament text. He who knew no sin became sin. Oh, my goodness. My goodness.

I can't fathom the depth of that. Perhaps you can. It's not merely that he sort of carried it apart from himself out here somewhere. No, he became it. He entered into it. You and I. I'm pretty good at throwing money. Pretty good at saying. Hope you feel better. Hope it works. To actually get under the load to actually carry it. To actually bear that burden. Oh, my. Oh, my. I'm not sure I want to be that Christ like. The destiny of servitude is triumph. The result of servant hood is astonishment and rejection. The burden of servitude. Is the griefs, the sorrows, the brokenness, the pain of others. I grew up on the farm and while I was in high school, my dad and I had sheep. And so the references to sheep here are attention getting for me. But look at it. We are all like sheep have gone astray. Each one of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us. Now, sometimes people say sheep are dumb. I'm not so sure. I think mainly they're single minded. Oh, look at this clump of grass. Oh, that's good. Oh, look at that one. That's good. And that one. And that one. And that one. And that. Where am I? How did I get here? That's us. That's us. One cup of grass leads to another. And one day we find ourselves where we never intended to go. And so what happens? We beat the sheep. Get back there where you belong. No, not here. If you will. It's the shepherd that gets beaten. We went astray and God laid the consequences of that. Perhaps you remember we talked a little bit about this word that gets translated iniquity.

It seems to mean the objective result of sin. God laid the consequences on him. Now look what happens in the next verse. We continue talking about sheep. But it's the other aspect of, if I can coin a word, cheaply ness. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter as a sheep before assures is silent. So he did not open his mouth. In US sheep plainness. Is that mild, self-serving? That leads us into the ditch in him. It is that mild, defenseless ness. We had one ram who was mean. You didn't turn your back on him unless you wanted to go for a little ride. And I was when the shearer was coming, I thought, This is going to be fun. This is going to be fun. We're going to see who wins this one. Well, they stood there and looked at each other and all of a sudden, like a flash, the shearer reached down and got the ram by his back leg and flipped him over. And suddenly the ram is against the shearer's chest with his four feet in the air Just. Perfectly peaceful. Our nature. He takes our nature upon himself and transforms it. That's who he is. So what's the outcome? What's the issue of his service to it? Like a lamb led to the slaughter. By oppression and judgment. He was taken away. Hmm. Didn't even get. And I'm pretty sure the sense there is by oppressive judgment. The two words are intended to be interpreted together by oppressive judgment, unfairness. He did not get what he deserved. He did not get the kind of judgment that justice would call for. And. What about his children? Cut off.

Without. Offspring. Unjust judgment. Cut off in life. You know what Satan was saying to Jesus in those last months when he was on the way to Jerusalem? Jesus. You're going to go up there and they're going to kill you. You don't have any children. It'll be like you never lived. Now, look. Any one of these women that have been following you would be delighted to marry you. And you can raise a little family. And you could teach them all these wonderful things you've been teaching people. I'm so glad I know what Jesus said. He said, Shut up. Unfair judgment, no children and adding insult to injury. He's not even allowed to be buried with the poor whom he loved. He's buried with the wicked rich. Now, again, that has been somewhat troubling to translators. And you get some interesting translations. You know, if he gets it right here, I think he was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, although he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. It wasn't it wasn't a kindly nurse to be buried in Joseph of Arimathea is tomb. Joseph of Arimathea may well have been a good man. But the other people around there probably weren't. How is he able to do that? And the answer is what we saw in some earlier chapters in the in the two previous servant songs. I'm going to be vindicated by God. I can trust God. It's not up to me. All it's up to me is to be faithful. Hmm. That's going to have to be true for us. Don't expect honor in this life. Don't expect anyone to praise you here. And I say that so easily the words drip off my tongue.

But I. I am often in the same situation, Lord, after all I've done for you. And they treat me like this. Lord, this is not fair. This is not right. I do these things and nobody knows it. I leave the issue in your hands, Father. I'm confident in the end the end of the story. There is victory. There is triumph. And along the way, whatever is the result, that's okay. That's okay. The destiny of the servant is triumph. The result of servitude, astonishment and rejection, the burden of servant hood, the sins, the sorrows, the griefs, the brokenness of others. The issue of servitude led away to the slaughter. Oppressive judgment. Cut off from the land of the living. Buried with the wicked rich. Why? And this is. This is the bottom line. This is where we're headed. Is this simply doing good to people? Is this simply laying down your life to help people? No, no, it's more than that. Verse ten. In some ways, the opening line might be the worst verse in Scripture. And and the Navy softens it a little bit. Literally. The Hebrew says it made the Lord glad. To crush him. And to break him. No, no, no, no. No. How could that be? Only one way if his being crushed, if his being suffer is suffering, were to in fact produce a greater good one, so good that it was worth even this. You've perhaps heard the illustration, but it's one that is very meaningful to me because I have two sons. The man who was a bridge tender, he was in charge of a great railroad lift bridge over a waterway. He raised it when the ships were going to go through, lowered it when the train was coming.

One day he took his little son to work with him. And he was doing something else. The bridge was normally raised. When the train came, he had to put it down. He was doing something else and and suddenly heard the sound of the horn in the distance. And he went to the machinery, threw it into gear, and tons and tons of steel started slowly down. And his little son said, Daddy. And he turned to see. His son's coat sleeve caught in those great gears. He had a choice. He could throw the machinery out of gear and save his son's life. And drowned 300 people in the water. Or he could stop his ears. And leave the machinery in gear. And save 300 lives. At the cost of his son's life. I suggest to you that's the only way your way could be glad. Over this effect as a result of this. Millions. Will live for all eternity. Billions will live for all eternity. Now here's another translation issue in verse ten that is in my mind of great importance. This is what the new international version says. Though the Lord makes his life and offering for sin. He will see his offspring and prolong his days and the gladness of the Lord will. Be successful. In his hand. I'm sorry, but that is not what the Hebrew says. The Hebrew says. Not, though. But if if you make his soul and offering for sin, he will see his offspring. Seeing his offspring is a consequence of the choice that you make. Now the ESV says. Even more complicated than that if his soul is made an offering. What's going on here? Theology is being allowed to correct the text. Who is the you here? Theology will say there is nothing you can do to save yourself.

Only God can save a human soul. And it is God who does the work. Well, okay, If one takes that kind of an approach, there's nothing you can do. You are totally passive in this thing. You just accept what God has done. All right? If you take that theological stance, then at least do what the new King James does and capitalize you. If God makes his soul and offering for sin. Okay. Okay. I'll. I'll go there if. The theology demands it. But I don't think the theology demands it. The theology gives me a choice whether I accept what he has done. He this is a very mixed metaphor, but think of it this way. Jesus comes to me with his broken body in his arms and says, Here, John, offer me to the father. Offer me as a sinner offering in your place. I think that's the natural way to take the reading. If you, the reader, if you the hearer will make his soul and offering for sin. I think that's it. But. But at least at least capitalize the Y. If your theology demands it, don't change. It. Don't change the inspired text to say what it ought to say because of your theological understanding. If you. All right, God. Or you will make his soul an offering for sin. He will prolong his days. He will see his offspring. Isn't that beautiful? He was cut off without children. He was cut off in the middle of life. 30 years old. Mm hmm. But if you will make his soul an offering for sin. He will see his offspring. No children. Jesus says billions of children. Cut off in the middle of life. He lives forever. If you. Well, except. The bloody offering that he offers to you.

And the will of the Lord, the gladness of the Lord will prosper, will achieve its goal in His hand. Ha! Yes. Was it worth it? Jesus. Oh, it was worth it. It was worth it. If. You. Accept the offering. After he has suffered. He will see the light of life and be satisfied. I had the dubious privilege of being in the delivery room when our last child was born. I say dubious. There you are with the woman of your life. Whom you love to the end of things. And she is suffering. Karen says, I have her permission to slug anybody who says childless, painless, childbearing. She's suffering. And all you can do is say push or breathe. And when Peter was born, I have to tell you, he was the ugliest thing I've ever seen. Slimy and red and wrinkled and yowling. And they laid him on Karen's breast. And it was like watching the sun come out from behind the clouds. When you make his soul an offering for sin. He will be satisfied and see the light of life. Yes. His servant hood is redemptive. He has not come merely to teach good teachings. He has not merely come merely to say, Well, God is with you. Hang on. No, no. He has come to bear our sin, to be buried away in the picture of the Old Testament as the goat on the day of atonement. Carried away. Gone. And if you let him do it, he'll say it was worth it all. But if you won't. It's a stillbirth. Oh, not that. And by his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many and he will bear their iniquities. Now, the second phrase second clause, I should say, explains the first by his knowledge, by his a degree, by stuff he's learned.

No, no, no, no. By his experience, by what he has gone through. By what he has borne. He will bear their iniquities. Yes, I say it again. His suffering, his servant hood is redemptive. Now you and I cannot redeem the world. Only Christ can redeem the world. But. But you and I. Can share in his redemptive ministry. We can serve. We can bear the burdens of the lost and the broken and the hurting. And bear them to Christ. Who will indeed justify and redeem and renew. Therefore, I'll give him a portion among the great. He'll divide the spoils with the strong because he poured out his life unto death and was numbered with the transgressors, for he bore the sin of many and made intercession for transgressors. Hmm. Oh, that's the explanation of the anticipation and the excitement that goes through 49, 50, 51 and 52. Yes. Yes. And that explains then the wonder of 54 and 55, which we'll look at in just a moment. But I want to say one more thing before we leave. Chapter 5352 13 to 5312. How could the Jews have missed it? How could they have failed to recognize who Jesus was and what he was doing if they had this as their scriptures? Well, one of the answers is their Bible. The. Common language of the street was Aramaic. Now. It used to be thought that Hebrew was a completely dead language, like Latin in the Middle Ages or something. And we know now from the Dead Sea Scrolls, that's not true. It was still a living language. But the street language, the common language is Aramaic. It is what the Assyrians had chosen as their common language for their empire. And the Babylonians and the Persians had continued that.

So in the synagogue. When the Hebrew was read, an Aramaic translation was written that was read at the same time. But it wasn't a translation. For the Pentateuch. It's pretty close, pretty close to being a translation. But when you get out of the Pentateuch, it says what they wanted it to say. Now we don't have time for me to read the entire Aramaic translation of this passage, but I want to read some selected verses. If you've got your Bible there, turn to verse two and look at it. And as you look and listen to what I read. The righteous shall grow up before him. Yay. Like sprouts that bloom and like a tree which sends forth its roots toward flowing waters. So the generations of the holy ones will increase on the earth, for it was necessary that his appearance be not that of a commoner, nor that his fear be that of the ignorant. Rather, his countenance shall be that of the holy ones, so that all who see him shall reflect on him. That would protect said. Now here are the last now, not the last three verses nine, ten and 11. This verse nine He shall deliver over the wicked to hell and the rich who obtained their possessions by force unto the death of Abadon in order that those who sin may not be established and not speak deceit with their mouths. Verse ten. It was the Lord's pleasure to refine and purify the remainder of his people in order to cleanse their souls from sin. They shall look upon the kingdom of their Messiah. They shall increase sons and daughters. They shall have long life. And those who keep the law of the Lord shall prosper in His pleasure. Verse 11, He shall deliver their soul from the subjection of the nations.

They shall look upon the punishments of those who hate them. They shall be satisfied with the spoil of their kings. By his wisdom, he shall justify the just in order to subject many to the law and for their sin. He shall pray. Well, if that, in fact, is what they heard. Perhaps we can understand that they missed it. This speaks to me of the importance of Bible translation. We need to get God's Word as God said it in the language of the people. Yes, but God's Word, not our word. Let me just quickly call your attention to chapters 54 and 55. Before we finished sing Barren Woman Who Never Bore a Child burst into song, Shout for Joy, You who are never in labor because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband, says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent. Stretch your tent curtains wide. Don't hold back. Lengthen your cords. Strengthen your stakes for you will spread out to the right and to the left. Your descendants will dispossessed nations. Settle in their desolate cities. Don't be afraid. You will not be put to shame. Your trust is not going to fail you. Do not fear. Disgrace. You will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth. Remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your maker is your husband. Yow of heaven's armies is your easiest name. The Holy one of Israel is your Redeemer. He is called the God of all the Earth. Do you see what I mean when I say we've moved from anticipation to invitation? Come on. Participate in this. Enjoy it. Live in it. And so that 54th chapter continues in that length. Look at verse eight.

In a surge of anger. I hid my face from you for a moment. But with everlasting kindness. That's the word that is otherwise. Other places translated. Unfailing love. I will have compassion on you, says the Lord your Redeemer. And then to chapter 55, come all you who are thirsty come to the waters. You who have no money. Come by, eat, come by wine and milk without money, without cost. Why spend money on what's not bread and your labor of what doesn't satisfy? Listen, Listen to me. Eat what is good. Delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me. Listen that you may live. I'll make an everlasting covenant with you. My unfailing love promised to David. And then. Verse six. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call on him while he's near. Let the wicked forsake their ways. See, we're not talking about captivity now. We're talking about wickedness. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous, their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord and he'll have mercy on them. To our God. For He will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways. My ways, declares the Lord. What's going on there? I think what's going on there is people having read this and saying, Whoa, wait a minute. Who. Who was this? Who? Who is this? How is he going to do this? How is his death going to deliver us from our death? I can't figure that out. I don't. God says don't try to figure it out. Believe it. Trust me that indeed what I've said to you is going to happen. And in it's happening, there is deliverance. Don't try to depend on your thoughts. My thoughts are far above yours.

Just accept what I have offered you and believe it. Trust me. And indeed, experience all that I have planned for you. I think that's what he's saying there. He's saying my word is going to bear fruit in your life if you'll let it. But if you demand that what I've done, be perfectly rationally, consistent and acceptable in terms of your small thinking, I'm not going to work. So we see the means of servant hood, the coming of the servant who makes servant hood possible for us. Now, that ought to be the end of the book. I mean, what more can there be but salvation And in a real way, Chapter 55 seems to end with a benediction. You'll go out in joy and be led forth in peace. This sounds like chapter 35 back there. We've seen it. Also along the way, the mountains in the hills will burst into song before you. All the trees of the field will clap their hands instead of the thorn. Bush will grow the juniper instead of briers, the myrtle will grow brambles, thorns the. This will be for the Lords, renowned for an everlasting sign that will endure forever. Amen. And amen. See you next week. But in fact, there's 11 chapters to go. What's that about? We'll talk about that in the next lecture.