We are beginning a new series – so in this lesson you have both the intro and the first chapter. Just a s head’s up, much of the intro came from Charles Swindoll but the rest is from various work and personal study. Because this is the an OT book, I will attempt to make an effort to look at some principles that transcend the OT period and the southern kingdom of Judah. For example, near the end of this lesson, you’ll read “Wickedness is never defeated through religious activity”. Watch for those kinds of statements that are aimed to help bridge the gap from the context of Isaiah to our modern day use.
Isaiah
Important Chapters in the Major Prophet
Who wrote the book?
As is the case with nearly all the books of “the prophets,” the book of Isaiah takes its name from its writer. Isaiah was married to a prophetess who bore him at least two sons (Isaiah 7:3; 8:3). He prophesied under the reign of four Judean kings—Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (1:1)—and he likely met his death under a fifth, the evil King Manasseh. Christian tradition as early as the second century identifies Isaiah as one of the prophets whose death is described in Hebrews 11:37, specifically the prophet who was “sawn in two.” Isaiah likely lived in Jerusalem, given the book’s concern with the city (Isaiah 1:1) and his close proximity to at least two significant kings during the period of his prophecy (7:3; 38:1).
Much of scholarship for the past two centuries has assigned multiple writers to Isaiah, dividing the book into three sections: 1–39, 40–55, and 56–66. However, these divisions come out of a scholarly denial of predictive prophecy. This position not only limits the power of God to communicate with His people but also ignores the wide variety of specific, predictive claims about Jesus Christ scattered throughout the book.
The Big Picture
You might have heard that book of Isaiah is 66 chapters long, and in fact can be divided between two parts that are highly symbolic of the Old and the New Testament. Chapters 1-39 is a often referred to as the Book of Judgment. Chapters 40 – 66 the Book of Comfort and provides us with the most complete picture of Christ in the entire Old Testament.
Where are we?
Isaiah prophesied from 739–681 BC to a nation that had turned a deaf ear to the Lord. Instead of serving Him with humility and offering love to their neighbors, the nation of Judah offered meaningless sacrifices in God’s temple at Jerusalem and committed injustices throughout the nation. The people of Judah turned their backs on God and alienated themselves from Him, which created the need for Isaiah’s pronouncements of judgment—declarations made in the hope that God’s chosen people would return to Him.
Why is Isaiah so important?
The book of Isaiah provides us with the most comprehensive prophetic picture of Jesus Christ in the entire Old Testament. It includes the full scope of His life: the announcement of His coming (Isaiah 40:3–5), His virgin birth (7:14), His proclamation of the good news (61:1), His sacrificial death (52:13–53:12), and His return to claim His own (60:2–3). Because of these and numerous other Christological texts in Isaiah, the book stands as a testament of hope in the Lord, the One who saves His people from themselves.
What’s the big idea?
Isaiah’s overall theme receives its clearest statement in chapter 12: “Behold, God is my salvation, / I will trust and not be afraid” (Isaiah 12:2). This echoes the meaning of Isaiah’s name, which means the “salvation of Yahweh.”2 Having read the book, one might wonder about the strong presence of judgment that runs through the first thirty-nine chapters when the theme is salvation. How can the two coexist? The presence of judgment indicates its necessity for salvation to occur. Before we can have salvation, we must have a need for it!
So the bulk of those early chapters in Isaiah detail judgments against the people who have turned their backs on the Lord, showing us that those who persist in their rebellion will receive judgment. On the other hand, we also see God’s faithfulness to His promise. He will preserve a small remnant of faithful believers, those who will continue on into the glorious renewed world He has prepared for His children in the end times (65:17–66:24).
How do I apply this?
Because of its scope, Isaiah contains one of the clearest expressions of the gospel in all the Old Testament. Even from the first chapter, it is clear that the people have turned away from God and failed in their responsibilities as His children (Isaiah 1:2–17). Yet God miraculously holds out hope to this unrepentant people, offering cleansing of sins and the blessing that comes with faith and obedience in Him (1:18–20). Salvation lies only in God—the only question is whether or not we will accept His offer.
In addition to its gospel message, the book of Isaiah clearly articulates the sins of God’s people—dealing with others unjustly which resulted in their offering hypocritical sacrifices to God. Do you see anything in your own life that might fall under Isaiah’s critique of injustice—treating family, colleagues, or even strangers with unkindness or even disdain? Isaiah’s message is also a call for believers to come back to purity in our love for God and for our neighbors (Luke 10:26–28).
A word about Prophecy
One of the ways that prophecy was explained to me is that many (not all but some) prophecies had both immediate and long-term predictions in store. So although God was explaining what was on the immediate horizon, He was also giving a larger picture of His plans through time. It was the image of a far reaching series of hills. The prophecy comes and you think it is about the first mountain you see in the valley, but after getting to that hill and discovering that the prophecy was correct, you can then see the much further hill from your new observation point. So although much of Isaiah deals with the state of Judah, God is also directing things past the timeframe of Hezekiah’s reign to a far reaching future. We’ll look at some specifics as they come along.
Potentially, these are the chapters (I think) we will look at more deeply.
Isaiah 1
Isaiah 6
Isaiah 35
Isaiah 37
Isaiah 40
Isaiah 41
Isaiah 42
Isaiah 45
Isaiah 48
Isaiah 49
Isaiah 50
Isaiah 51
Isaiah 53
Isaiah 54
Isaiah 55
Isaiah 56
Isaiah 57
Isaiah 58
Isaiah 59
Isaiah 60
Isaiah 61
Isaiah 1