A Gracious Hope: Isaiah’s Biblical Theology of Creation
Good authors know how to weave important themes throughout the tapestry of their texts. For example, Homer does this masterfully with honor and respect in the Iliad (ca. 1194-84 bc), Augustine with citizenship and heaven in City of God (ca. 413-26), Chaucer with religion and social class in The Canterbury Tales (ca. late-1380s), and Hawthorne with sin and legalism in The Scarlet Letter (1850). How much more reliable is this truism under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration!
The Book of Isaiah covers many themes, including sin, judgment, redemption, servanthood, and renewal. Yet another, oft-neglected theme is creation. In fact, this motif serves as an undercurrent to these other themes, informing and shaping them. Reed Lessing describes Isaiah’s creational theology as “monumental,” “soaring,” and having “breathtaking splendor” [1]. Throughout Isaiah, God uses creation imagery to indict Judah for covenant unfaithfulness and to offer her hope. In a similar manner, God can use creation to convict and offer us hope too.
Creation Theology Indicts Us of Covenant Unfaithfulness
First, creation shows us our sin. Isaiah certainly recognized this, even beginning his book by inviting the heavens to “listen” and the earth to “hear” about Judah’s unfaithfulness (Isa. 1:2; cf. 34:1). About 550 years prior, Moses had invoked heaven and earth as witnesses against Israel (Deut. 30:19; 32:1). Now, Isaiah calls them to testify. While the examples are many, God indicts Judah particularly for the sins of injustice to the poor and idol worship.
a. Injustice to the Poor
“Woe to those who enact evil statutes / And to those who constantly record unjust decisions / So as to deprive the needy of justice / And rob the poor of My people of their rights / So that widows may be their spoil / And that they may plunder the orphans” (Isa. 10:1-2), writes Isaiah. Similar indictments appear throughout Isaiah’s text in which he reminds readers that the poor are God’s created people [2].
God creates the poor. To show them injustice is to show God’s own creation injustice. Judah would have known this. Their proverbs taught it: “He who oppresses [or mocks] the poor taunts his Maker (Prov. 14:31; 17:5). Isaiah appeals to this tradition by consistently invoking terms such as “Creator” and “Maker.” The significance of his use of “Creator” is heightened by the fact that he is the only Old Testament author to even use the term (barring Ecclesiastes’ author) [3]. Isaiah’s writes that God is “the Creator of the ends of the earth” (40:28), “the maker of all things” (44:24), and the giver of life itself (42:5).
What do we learn from this? God creates the poor. They bear His very image and, hence, great significance. Mistreatment of these is mistreatment of God’s purposeful creation. This also extends to society’s undesirables—the diseased, drug addicts, homeless, impoverished, outcasts, sexually deviant, and others. We should consequentially treat them with the respect that image-bearers warrant, and seek to alleviate and eliminate mistreatment where we find it.
New Testament authors also emphasized this. Consider Jesus’ countless parables about the poor, Luke’s strong emphasis in his Gospel, or even James’ poignant words in Jas. 2:1-7. A great modern-day example, consider C.S. Lewis, who “gave away most of what he earned,” despite his “comical fear of going broke”—talk about faith in action! [4]
b. Idol Worship
Like injustice, Isaiah also uses creation theology to indict Judah of her idolatry: Isaiah reminds Judah first that God creates the elements that they use to form idols in the first place and then mocks them for such foolishness.
Consider chapter 40 where Isaiah appeals to God as Creator of the heavens, stars, waters, earth, mountains, hills, grass, and flowers. “God is actively using creation…for his own glory,” comments Ray Ortlund [5]. Or consider chapter 44, where the Lord uses creation theology to mock Judah for her idolatry, even commenting humorously that they worship the same gods that they themselves fashion out of iron and wood. No, the Lord, Maker of all things, forms us—not our self-made idols [6].
Do we worship idols in the same way that these ancient Hebrews did? Do we stoop to our knees or bow our bodies to gods that we ourselves make? Well, no, but in everything from love to sex, and from money to success, we fashion idols [7]. We even idolize ministry in some cases. However, Isaiah reminds us that God is the Creator of these things, and we are foolish to make them our idols. If anything begins to bear greater worth than God, we should pause and reexamine our course. God alone warrants our worship.
Despite Our Covenant Unfaithfulness, Creation Theology Also Offers Hope
Despite our unfaithfulness, the Lord is faithful and grants hope. We see this in Isaiah, who weaves the creation theme throughout his discussions of redemption, servanthood, and re-creation. Recall, by this time, Assyria and Babylon increasingly threaten Judah with sure annihilation. Lessing writes that Babylon “wreaked havoc upon [their] ecosystems,” adopting a “scorched-earth” or “slash and burn” policy against the land [8]. Hence, God’s Isaian, eschatological message of hope is also ecological and encourages an otherwise discouraged people.
a. Redemption and Servant Songs
By employing creation theology, the Lord offers Judah hope through redemption in the Suffering Servant: God as Redeemer is also Creator, and creation itself celebrates this redemption.
First, Isaiah links God’s act of creation to His act of redemption. To illustrate, Isaiah includes God’s creation of the waters, heavens, earth, mountains, hills, and stars on the heels of His redemption in chapter 40. The “Creator” who “formed” them will also redeem them and forget their sins. In unfolding this redemption plan, Isaiah presents several “servant songs” to explain how it will occur. What we find in chapter 42 is that Isaiah establishes unmistakable continuity between Judah’s Creator and her Servant-Redeemer. As Creator, He gives them life, and as Servant-Redeemer, He establishes justice upon the earth and serves as a light to all peoples [9].
Additionally, the Servant’s suffering itself is related to creation. Not only is His suffering emotional, psychological, and spiritual—it is also physical: His back is struck, His beard is plucked, and His appearance greatly marred. He is spit upon, pierced, crushed, chastened, scourged, oppressed, afflicted, and finally killed (50:6; 52:14; 53:5, 7, 9). Yes, creation is unquestionably linked to God’s redemption.
Second, creation itself offers praise to God for Judah’s redemption through the Servant. Previously, the Lord had called upon creation as witnesses for Judah’s unfaithfulness (Isa. 1:2). Now, He calls it to celebrate: The heavens, earth, waters, islands, mountains, forest, and trees will shout joyfully for God’s redemption of Judah (cf. 44:23, 24; 49:1, 13; 55:12-13). It’s no wonder that J.R.R. Tolkien includes the tree-like creatures known as Ents in Middle Earth’s redemption in his legendary The Lord of the Rings!
What does this mean for us? Simply put, it means that creation and redemption are undeniably linked. Our redemption should have implications on our treatment of God’s creation. If we confess God as Redeemer, and if we confess His servant Jesus Christ, then we also confess Him as Creator—of human life, the earth, and all it contains. Necessarily, this should inform our attitudes towards and engagement with God’s creation. Bioethics matter: abortion, assisted suicide, cloning, eugenics, euthanasia, and human rights. Creation care matters: conservation, energy usage, environmental and land degradation, air and water pollution, resource depletion, sustainability, and waste management. As the redeemed, these should concern us, for they concern the Creator.
b. Re-creation
Finally, Isaiah also weaves creation theology into his discussion of re-creation. This is seen in the elements used, the worship and salvation offered, and God’s promise of making all things new.
First, God will renew creation with tangible elements. Phrases such as “a lavish banquet,” “choice pieces with marrow,” and “refined, aged wine” suggest a certain earthiness to this renewal (Isa. 25:6). Next, Judah will no longer look to idols, but to their Maker who has renewed and recreated them (45:11-13), for her Redeemer is the God of the earth (54:5). Third, God will offer this message of redemption and renewal to all peoples (42:6). Finally, the LORD will make all things new: new strength, new songs, new names, new wine, and a new heavens and earth (cf. 40:31) [10].
Lamenting the unbiblical dismissal of creation, Lessing writes, “Creation is not a subordinate doctrine to salvation. Rather, in Isaiah 40-55 Yahweh’s salvific goal is to restore all creation” [11]. Just as God assured the Israelites of a new creation or re-creation, so He assures us. To be sure, complete redemption will not occur until Christ returns, when He will make all things new—both humanity and creation. Paul anticipates this when he writes that creation “waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God,” after which it “will be set free from its slavery” (Rom. 8:20, 21). Still, God calls us as earth’s stewards today. As we have seen, Isaiah’s creation motif, while literarily significant, also applies to us presently, convicting us of our sins of injustice and idolatry, and offering us hope through the Servant-Redeemer, the “firstborn of all creation” (Col. 1:15), who brings about the new creation.
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[1] Reed Lessing, Yahweh versus Marduk: Creation Theology in Isaiah 40-55, 2, 3, 4.
[2] Cf. 3:14-15. In addition to being God’s created people, the poor are also God’s covenant people in Isaiah—a theme in itself that is related to creation. First, this theme is scattered throughout the Torah. Isaiah picks up on this: “They are My people” (Isa. 3:15; 10:2; italics mine), declares the Lord. In so declaring, note that Isaiah ties this covenant language directly to creation language by intertwining these two themes into the same texts, for the Lord (God’s covenant name) is also their Creator, Maker, and the one who formed Israel in the womb (cf. Isa. 43:1, 15; 44:2; 45:11). For more information, see William Dumbrell, Covenant and Creation (2009).
[3] For “Creator,” see Isa. 27:11; 40:28, 43:1, 15; and for “Maker,” see 17:7; 27:11; 29:16; 44:24; 45:9, 11; 51:13; 54:5. Also, Lessing writes of Isaiah’s “deep love for the created order,” even commenting that “Isaiah 40-55 has more to say about creation than any other place in Holy Scripture” (Lessing, 4).
[4] Walter Hooper, “C. S. Lewis: Reflections of an Editor,” Keynote Address at “C. S. Lewis: The Man and His Work” (Oct. 2007), Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 9:30-9:55.
[5] Raymond C. Ortlund Jr., ESV Study Bible, “Introduction to Isaiah” (Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1237. See Isa. 10:5-19; 13:1-27:13; 36:1-39:8; 40:12-26; 44:24-45:13.
[6] For chapter 40, consider verses 4, 6-7, 12, 22, 26. For chapter 44, consider verses 12-13, 21, 24; cf. Pss. 115:8; 135:18). Other examples of judgment against idolatry in Isaiah include 2:8, 18-20; 10:10-11; 19:1-4; 31:6-7; 46:1-13; 48:1-11. Of these, the following contain explicit references to the creation motif: Isaiah 42:14-17 (see v. 5), 45:14-15 (see vv. 7-13, 18), 57:11-13 (see vv. 16-19); 66:1-3 (see vv. 2, 22-24).
[7] See Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters (New York: Penguin Group, 2009).
[8] Lessing, 7, 8.
[9] For chapter 40, consider verses 2, 3, 11, 12, 22, 26. For chapter 42, see verses 1, 5-7. See also Isa. 43:1, 25; cf. 51:10, 13; 45:11-13; 48:17, 20.
[10] On point three, see also Isa. 49:6, 8; 51:4; 52:15; 60:1-3. On point four, see also Isa. 41:1, 15; 42:9-10; 43:19; 62:2, 8; 65:13-25; 66:22-24.
[11] Lessing, 10.
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