Isaiah, it has been said, is the Old Testament evangelist par-excellence. While every book in the Old Testament points to Christ as the fulfilment in the New Testament, few do so as overtly or as insistently at the book of Isaiah. The text became a framework for Christology, ecclesiology, and missiology in the early church, and along with the Psalms it remains most quoted scripture in the New Testament.

In this volume on chapters 40-55, Dr. Lessing’s scholarly expertise and decades of service as a seminary professor and pastor are evident as he meticulously expounds the text, historical setting, theology, Christology, and pastoral applications of the 40-55^th chapters of “the fifth Gospel.” Using a faithful, Christo-centric hermeneutic, he focuses on the Isaiah’s visions of “shalom” and Israel’s peaceful homecoming from the Babylonian exile and explains why the prophet’s saving message, soaring language, and unforgettable imagery are so tightly woven into the fabric of Christian hymnody, liturgy, and prayer. He also features the four “servant songs,” espousing the traditional interpretation that they sing of Christ and addressing alternatives that have emerged in recent academia.

Essays

• The Literary, Historical, and Canonical Context of Isaiah
• A History of Studies on Isaiah
• The Servant Songs in Isaiah