Creation by judgment

Isaiah uses the loaded verb bara’ in 4:5, and, as my colleague toby Sumpter points out, this comes after a double reference to the Spirit (cf. Genesis 1:2) and before creation-related references to day, night, and possibly a firmament covering/canopy.

But Isaiah’s “new creation” is coming through judgment. The Spirit is not a soothing Spirit of order, but a purging Spirit of judgment and fire. Creation comes through Word and Spirit; new creation through the Word and Spirit of judgment.

And, of course, the last verses of chapter 4 give us everything Meredith Kline could want from a theology of glory: Creation, tent, glory, Spirit.,

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Visiting an Armenian Archbishop in Prison

Joel Veldkamp

On February 3, I stood in a poorly lit meeting room in the National Security Services building…

Christians Are Reclaiming Marriage to Protect Children

Katy Faust

Gay marriage did not merely redefine an institution. It created child victims. After ten years, a coalition…

Save the Fox, Kill the Fetus

Carl R. Trueman

Question: Why do babies in the womb have fewer rights than vermin? Answer: Because men can buy…