The Gospel according to God

<i>I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley to read and review.</i>

The Gospel According To God is John F. MacArthur's detailed study of Isaiah chapter 52, verse 13 through chapter 53, verse 12, also known as the song of the "Suffering Servant." It's the last of four such "Servant" songs in the book of Isaiah, a set of prophecies that foretell the coming of the Jewish Messiah, the divine individual who was promised to restore Israel and lead the world into salvation. MacArthur undertakes to demonstrate that, in its details, its theology, and its prophetic meaning, this Song exactly predicts the events of the life of Jesus of Nazareth - otherwise known as Jesus Christ - several hundred years before he lived. Further, MacArthur argues that this text is a proto-gospel (a predecessor and precursor to the four Christian Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and that as such, it contains everything one must know to arrive at a believing faith in that same predicted Messiah. In other words, according to MacArthur, Isaiah's 53rd chapter is a gospel ("good news") literally from the mouth of God.

The book is divided into two Parts. Part One provides an in-depth analysis of the Biblical text, giving readers a close look at a passage of prophetic verse that they may have read during Easter services, but not invested much more time into. At this, it succeeds quite well, deftly handling the minutiae of grammar, structure, and vocabulary, explaining why they matter without bogging the reader down too much. In the shorter Part Two, MacArthur summarizes the historical background of the prophet Isaiah, the Jewish kingdoms, the kings under whose reign he served, and what came to pass after his death. At this, also, the author proves quite adept - indeed, I enjoyed the historical scene-setting more than the analysis in Part One.

The book is, essentially, a deep Bible study, guided by an experienced theologian and preacher. It's a genre likely familiar to most readers of Christian study guides. And while it convincingly argues its thesis (that the Suffering Servant song is a prophetic proto-gospel), it also suffers something of an identity crisis.

It seems that the intended audience for this title is, predominantly, believing Christians who want to deepen their knowledge. But often, MacArthur seems to write as though he is attempting to convert. He occasionally switches out his professorial tenor for a rather more plaintive, personal address. He invokes the pronoun “you” quite often, calling upon the reader directly. He makes assertions about the text and invokes the audience to provide his proof for him (e.g. “...any fair-minded reader would see…”). Rather than building upon a reader’s knowledge, these digressions over already-covered basics of Christian belief seem extraneous, and cause the reader to ask why the author is so defensive.

Beyond attempting to convert the (likely) already converted, he frequently seems to be arguing with believing Jews. As an example, he asserts that Isaiah 53 is a “forbidden” text, withheld from public readings in Jewish circles. But unlike nearly every other factual point in his book, this assertion is followed by no footnote or source. It may be that Isaiah 53 is not read publicly in Jewish synagogues, but MacArthur doesn’t see fit to include proof of that assertion. He makes a leap from there to argue that Judaism ignores, or is made uncomfortable by, this text – which is, it must be pointed out, contained in their own Holy Scriptures – but again, he provides no source beyond a reference in-text to a Christian-created documentary. It may be that his assertions carry some truth in them, but his refusal to acknowledge a possible reply from his alleged opponents decreases his arguments’ power. (And, again, provokes readers to question his defensive position – especially since it seems the intended audience for the title would not be Jewish readers).

There are further small points: digressions where MacArthur seems to want to work out hobby-horse arguments against fellow believers who disagree with his interpretations; an apparent refusal to cite sources more recent than 50 years ago (is there nothing to gain from work done in the past decade?); historical assertions that disparage ancient cultures without adequate explanation (e.g, the Assyrians are apparently uncivilized – intriguing, since at one point they were the governing civilization of most of their known world); and other similar problems.

The Gospel According to God is worth reading for the textual analysis and the historical setting. When MacArthur sticks to the Biblical text, he provides insight and help to those who seek understanding. When he leaves the Biblical text for extraneous subjects, the book ceases being helpful or insightful.

First sentence: This is one of the chapters that lie at the very heart of the Scriptures. It is the very Holy of holies of Divine Writ. Let us, therefore, put off our shoes from our feet, for the place whereon we stand is specially holy ground. This fifty-third of Isaiah is a Bible in miniature. It is the condensed essence of the gospel. Charles Spurgeon

I love that MacArthur begins the book--begins most chapters of his book--with a quote by Charles Spurgeon.

The Gospel According to God is a study of Isaiah 52:13-53:12. The book is divided into two sections. The first section--the majority of the book--walks readers verse by verse through this chapter. The second chapter--just two chapters--is about the life and times of the prophet Isaiah.

MacArthur writes, "The book of Isaiah is sometimes called the “fifth Gospel.” It’s really more than that. It contains in microcosm the whole range of redemptive truth. It is like a miniature compendium of the Bible. In fact, there are some interesting parallels between how the book of Isaiah is laid out and the arrangement of the Bible as a whole." He continues, "No text in the entire Old Testament is more momentous than Isaiah 52:13–53:12. It is a prophecy that begins and ends with the voice of Yahweh himself."

"Isaiah 53 is so replete with gospel truth that those who see the passage for the first time might well think they are reading the New Testament. Jewish people whose exposure to the Scripture is limited to texts that are read aloud in their synagogues each week will be completely unfamiliar with Isaiah 53. The entire passage is always omitted from the scheduled public readings.Every Sabbath in every synagogue worldwide, two portions of Scripture are prescribed to be read aloud—one from the Pentateuch (the Torah), and the other (the haftarah) a selection of texts drawn from the prophets. The same schedule of readings is followed in all synagogues, year after year. Over a year’s time, the rotation covers every verse of the Torah in canonical order. But the haftarah readings are more selective. One of the featured haftarah excerpts is Isaiah 51:12–52:12. The next reading in the cycle is Isaiah 54:1–10. Isaiah 52:13—53:12 is therefore never read publicly in the synagogues. As a result, Isaiah 53 is an unfamiliar passage for multitudes of devout Jewish people."

MacArthur's book is an exposition of Isaiah 53--verse by verse. It is also a reminder of what the gospel is and what the gospel isn't. Do we as individuals get to determine what the gospel is and isn't? Or is the Bible emphatic and clear?! Do we get to change and modify the gospel to suit or needs? Or is the Bible calling us to change and be changed by the gospel, through the gospel?!

MacArthur's book challenged me to think of Isaiah 53 in a new way. I had always thought of it in a simplistic way: Look, Isaiah is prophesying about Jesus! Jesus came and fulfilled this prophecy! The end. MacArthur writes,
"Don’t miss this fact: the prophet is describing the sacrifice of the suffering servant from a vantage point that looks back from a time still in the future even now. He is seeing the cross from a prophetic perspective near the end of human history. He is prophesying the collective response of the Jewish people when they finally see, understand, and believe that the one they rejected truly is the promised Messiah. Isaiah is standing prophetically on that very day, near the end of human history, literally thousands of years after Jesus was crucified. He therefore speaks of Christ’s death on the cross as a past event. That explains why all the verbs in chapter 53 from verse 1 through the first part of verse 10 are in the past tense. In other words, we need to understand this passage not merely as a description of the crucifixion per se; it is literally the lament of repentant Israel at a future time when the Jewish people will look back on the Messiah whom they had for so long rejected, and they will finally embrace him as their Lord and King. Isaiah 53 gives voice prophetically to the dramatic confession of faith that the believing remnant of Israel will make at that time."

He continues, "It is a significant moment in the yet-future final act of the story of redemption. The only worldwide ethnic community that will ever turn to Christ in multitudes together as a group will be Israel. And when they do so, the words of Isaiah 53 will be their confession."

I definitely enjoyed reading this one.

Isaiah 53 and it’s correlation to the Messiah is not new material, but this book is a great in-depth study of the subject for Christians. MacArthur always digs into the context of Scripture and uses original language translation and historical fact to expose the Word.

I, personally, learned a lot from this book and it was a great study! It did a good job of breaking down Scripture and how Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecies. I found it very interesting to read and keep reading. Sometimes when reading books such as these they are dry, but I have always gleaned a lot from MacArthur’s writing and preaching and with great interest! This book is no exception to my past experience!

Part 1 of the book shows how Jesus fulfills every one of Isaiah’s prophecies to a T.

Part 2 is a good look at the life of Isaiah. This was so interesting to have more background on him, history, and the kings who reigned during his life.

This book is well worth the short read and I would recommend it to friends!

***I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley.***

The Gospel According to God is classic John MacArthur. It is a biblically saturated, clear exposition of Isaiah 53 (beginning from 52:13), “the complete gospel in prophetic form, a surprisingly explicit foretelling of what the Messiah would do to put away the sins of his people forever. It is the gospel according to God, set forth in the Hebrew Scriptures.”

I have listened to several testimonies of Messianic Jews who never heard of Isaiah 53 being read in their synagogues. John MacArthur asserts the same fact and explains why practicing Jews avoid this chapter. The first part of the book covers the in-depth study of the passage. Using the Scriptures as the basis of his points, MacArthur skillfully and convincingly proves that the prophecy of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53 is fulfilled in none other than Jesus Christ. Because of this, it is a good apologetics book to share with your Jewish friends.

The second part of this book talks about the historical context of the book of Isaiah - what was happening during the time of its writing. Understanding this part gives a deeper insight into the importance of the book.

Finally, I am pleased that MacArthur included Charles Spurgeon’s sermon on the Man of Sorrows in the Appendix. It is a fitting conclusion to his exposition of the passage. It is where the masterfully detailed study in prior chapters becomes devotional.

We will never understand completely the severity of the cross, at least in this life. “Yahweh ordained that something horrific, inexplicable, and incomprehensible would happen to his servant. The servant’s death was God’s doing, according to God’s plan...It was ultimately the Lord God who pierced him for our transgressions, chastised him to bring us peace, wounded him to heal us, and laid our iniquities on him. But even more shocking is that God, who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 18:23, 32; 33:11), took pleasure in the death of his servant, the righteous one.”

“Jesus took on himself his people’s sin, guilt, grief, sorrow—and every other sinister expression of our fallenness. He voluntarily endured God’s punishment for those evils. And he thereby purchased peace and blessing from God for us. The death of the physician made the patient well.”

Get his book. Read it. Study it. Be changed by it. Share it with others. Marvel at the worthiness of Jesus Christ, the Suffering Servant, the Man of sorrows. Be humbled that His undeserved sufferings result in our undeserving salvation.

Wow. This is an impressive book. There are those times when JM focuses on immersing you into the setting of the text that it makes you feel like you were there. It makes you relate to the text and feel what you ought to feel and think and understand what you ought to understand. His sermon, A Tale of Two Sons, is the best illustration of JM at his best. This book is also one of those times. If you want to understand the whole of Isaiah 53 and how it relates to the gospel, as well as get a good feel for the background of the prophet, this is the best book I've read on the subject.

The Gospel According to God is a great look at the Gospel written beforehand. John MacArthur takes a detailed look at Isaiah 53 and the prophecy that is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. This book goes into detail and really helps the reader grasps the way that both the Jews of that day and even current Jews perceive this passage. Any pastor looking to preach on Isaiah should read this book. And anyone that doubts the claims of Jesus as Messiah or is looking to strengthen their Biblical knowledge on the supremacy of Christ needs a copy of The Gospel According to God.

An excellent commentary on Isaiah 53! John MacArthur does a fantastic job at explaining the importance and meaning of this pivotal Old Testament passage. He places the chapter in its context of the book of Isaiah as a whole and then deals with the individual verses in detail. MacArthur also has a section at the end where he gives a biographical sketch of Isaiah's life and ministry and places it in its historical context in the Kingdom of Judah. This book is a very helpful resource for anyone preaching through this passage or just interested in studying it in depth.

I received a digital copy of this book for free from the publisher and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are entirely my own.

John MacArthur goes back to the Old Testament and discusses the Gospel according to God as it is told in the book of Isaiah. This is a fascinating exposition of the book of Isaiah, particularly Isaiah 52:13–53:12.

In the first part of the book MacArthur summarizes the prophecies of the Messiah as told in the Old Testament, correlated with the New Testament, regarding Christ's birth, earthly life, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. He then begins to focus on unpacking Isaiah, and he uses it to illustrate how nowhere in the Old Testament is the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, more fully and clearly revealed than in the prophecies recorded by Isaiah.

Spurgeon proclaimed the "fifty-third of Isaiah is a Bible in miniature. It is the condensed essence of the gospel." Other scholars have proclaimed that Isaiah should be considered the fifth gospel.

In the latter part of the book, MacArthur discusses how different religions interpret the life of Christ. He compares the two side by side, ultimately using the Gospels and Isaiah to proclaim that the Bible, the infallible and inerrant Word of God, is the only authority on the matter.

In part two of the book, MacArthur delves into the life and ministry of Isaiah and the historical context of his writings. It is helpful to see how Isaiah 53 fits in the range of prophetic messages. So far, every prediction Isaiah wrote down has come to pass. It is important to remember that Isaiah also wrote about a future that is yet to come.

I would highly recommend this book to all Christians, as well as non-believers. I received this as a free ARC from Crossway on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Gospel of God is a well written, easily understood book. One truly appreciates the background work that John has done to weave in the history of the Jewish view regarding Isaiah 53 and the pertinence of the Chapter in relation to the Gospel. His expository of Isaiah 53 will leave you in Awe and Wonder of the truly selfless loving act of Christ's death on the cross. This chapter alone, years before it's revelation came to light, shares the truth of the time leading up to and His death on the cross, the resurrection and also the future yet to come! Definitely a MUST book to read!

Great book on the importance of Isaiah and Jesus. Good for a lost person to read. The book gives great commentary and themes in Isaiah.

John MacArthur is well-know for his ability to exegete the New Testament, but it is precisely that sensitivity and at-homeness in the pages of the Christian Sctipures that makes him so well qualified to preach from the Hebrew Bible. His writings on Isaiah 53 demonstrate the unity of the Scriptures and the focal point of the gospel of Jesus Christ that brings them together.

Everything you would expect from a John MacArthur book: solid, biblical exegesis on a fantastic chapter from Isaiah. While some evangelical leaders need to keep quiet as they age, MacArthur just gets better and better. Highly recommended. Praise God for this decades-faithful pastor!

I have been a fan of MacArthur for years. He is a very well spoken, knowledgeable author who clearly understands the contents of the bible and the doctrine of Christianity. What I love about this book is that it's easy to understand and follow. His message is clear and precise. I would recommend this book to any person who is wanting to expand their knowledge and understanding of God's word.