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Sixty-six chapters and upwards of 60 years of ministry are contained in this book by Isaiah, the prophet of prophets, whose predominant theme is the LORD's salvation, and whose very name Isaiah means the LORD saves. His ministry covers the ruling period of four kings, Uzziah (740 BC), Jotham (750-731 BC), Ahaz (735-715 BC), Hezekiah (certainly 701 BC) and possibly Manasseh (696-642 BC, esp. if according to tradition it was he who murdered Isaiah). In the lifetime of Isaiah the prominent world power was Assyria, and Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of four Assyrian kings, namely Tiglath-pileser III (745-727 BC), Shalmaneser V (727-722 BC), Sargon II (722-705 BC), and Sennacherib (705-681 BC). Among the prophets, Isaiah was contemporary to Amos, Hosea and Micah. Isaiah begins his ministry in the years that Assyria was beginning to conquer the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Isaiah uses this judgment by God for Israel's sins as a mirror for the Southern Kingdom of Judah to take warning. Even after Israel's fall, Judah would persist for another 150 years. Even though the judgment (c. 150 yrs later) and future restoration of Judah (c. 175 years later) was something that would extend beyond Isaiah's lifetime, he still prophesied its coming very specifically, naming not only the nation that would bring the judgment ("Babylon") but also the king that would be born and come to power and provide restoration ("Cyrus"). All these very specific prophesies would give credence also to the even more distant prophecy of the coming Messiah, variously identified throughout the book as "the Branch of David," "the Servant of the LORD," etc. Isaiah is also a primary source for the even more distant prophecy of the apocalypse, even the Day of the LORD as it represents the final judgment of God and the creation of a new heaven and earth. Isaiah's primary oracle with respect to Judah in his day was against the sins of injustice and idolatry. It was not so much that they stopped worshipping the LORD or fasting or celebrating the Feasts and Sabbaths and other matters of ritual. The problem was that their worship was but "lip service" (cf. Isaiah 58, the precious passage that defines a "true fast") and did not result in acts of mercy and justice in obedience to the Law. And even though they worshipped the LORD, they also worshiped idols. Because of the lack of obedience to the weightier matters of the Law and because of their defilement of pure worship with idolatry and self-serving exceptionalism, God declared coming judgment. Now, because Isaiah spoke over an extended period of time, different oracles applied to different kings and peoples. Also, there are specific historical interludes that are also part of this book. For example, Isaiah provides the amazing account of his calling to be a prophet in Isaiah 6 and the account of the seige and deliverance of Judah during the days of Hezekiah in Isaiah 36-38. The interplay of prophecy, oracle and history can get a little confusing, but they give testimony to the sovereignty of God over His people and the nations of the world. Finally, the Book of Isaiah contains some of the most precious announcements with respect to the coming of the Messiah, including His coming and future reign (Isaiah 9:1-7; cf. 42:1-9) and His substitutionary death for the sins of His people (Isaiah 53). The Book of Isaiah, the first of the Major Prophets (books called "major" because they are generally longer than the Minor Prophets), has many quotably profound passages. I encourage you not to hurry through it. Also, I will likely be teaching on this book for my next GHC Stairmaster Bible Study class. [top] |