Introduction
of Isaiah
It has been
called the ‘Mount Everest’ of the Bible: a sweeping, grand prophecy that tells
us so much indispensable revelation of the people of God and of the Messiah to
the nations, Jesus of Nazareth. Not only is it deep in its information, it is
also highly poetic, like Shakespeare is to English, Isaiah is in Hebrew (the
King James Version also highlights the poetic side of Isaiah).
Starting
with the call of the prophet, to Judah and Jerusalem, Isaiah speaks about an
amazing vision of God on His throne in heaven. There the Lord gives the call ‘Whom
shall I send, and who will go for us’ (6:8). Isaiah quickly volunteers and
thus begins a great adventure for him and the world.
Sixty-six
chapters long, just as the Bible has 66 books, and neatly divided in 39 chapter
and 27 chapters, just as the Bible has 39 books of the Old Testament and 27
books of the New.
One of the
great stories is the unsuccessful Assyrian siege of Jerusalem, which is
repeated in II Kings and II Chronicles. This was among the greatest crises in
Israelite history and had nature taken its course, all of Biblical and world
history would have been altered. The Assyrians lost the siege because of divine
intervention, forecast by Isaiah’s prophetic ministry (Note: two ‘souvenirs’ of
the siege in 701 BC are Hezekiah’s Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City Jewish Quarter
and Hezekiah’s Tunnel in the City of David).
In addition,
there are other dramatic prophecies that were fulfilled in and after Isaiah’s
day. Israel, the church, and the world, have been greatly enriched because of
this great book.
Isaiah is
the most quoted prophet in the New Testament, with 21 references by name and 66
direct quotations. Twenty of the 27 books take a reference from Isaiah. Chapter
53 is directly quoted or alluded to numerous times.
If you ever
go to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the centrepiece of it all is the ‘Shrine
of the Book,’ dedicated to the Dead Sea scrolls And in the centre of the shrine
is a replica of the ‘Isaiah scroll’ - the entire book of Isaiah in ancient
Hebrew on one impressive scroll. What is even more impressive is that modern
Hebrew readers have no problem reading Isaiah’s Hebrew from 2,000 years ago.
Truly, God’s Word abides forever (40:8).
Hebrew Name
of Isaiah
The Hebrew
name is yesha-yahu, meaning ‘Yahweh/God is our salvation.’ As Bob Gass
aptly says, Jesus had to be God to save us and man to die for us. Isaiah
12:2: Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for
the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Author of
Isaiah
Who is the
author of Isaiah? The answer should be relatively easy - Isaiah 1:1 says
Isaiah the son of Amoz. Because the depth and breath of prophecy,
the fact that Isaiah predicts the rise of Cyrus the Great of Medo-Persia 150
years before his coming; the distinctive between chapters 1-39 versus 40-66,
there has been speculation of ‘two Isaiahs.’ This creates problems, especially
since one of those ‘Isaiahs’ has been deceitful, dressing up history as
prophecy.
Yet the
unity and affirmation of ‘one Isaiah’ is found in the New Testament (e.g. John
12:37-41 quotes Isaiah 6:9-10; 53:1; Romans 9:27; 10:16-21 reflects Isaiah
10,53; 65); the Talmud, the Septuagint, and Ecclesiasticus. Isaiah had a long
ministry from 740-680 and lived through the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and
Hezekiah. This full, lengthy career explains the richness and variety of the
book.
The great
Bible teacher G. Vernon McGee made these comments about the ‘two Isaiah theory.’
‘There is not a scrap of documentary evidence beyond the skepticism of the
destructive critic. They have cut Isaiah up like a railroad restaurant pie.
History presents only one Isaiah, not two or three.’ [1]
Portrait of
Christ in Isaiah
Isaiah is
replete with many Messianic prophecies and portraits of Christ:
(7:14)
Immanuel
(8:14, 9:6)
Stone of Stumbling, Rock of Offence, Sanctuary.
(9:6)
Wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of
Peace
(11:1) Rod
out of Jesse
(11:10) An
ensign of the people
(28:16)
Precious cornerstone; firm foundation
(42:1) My
servant, My Elect
(43:14) Lord
your Redeemer
(49:2)
Polished Shaft
(51:9,10)
Arm of the Lord
(53:3) Man
of Sorrows - the suffering servant
(59:20) The
Redeemer
(63:9) The
Angel of His Presence
In addition
to these portraits, we have some important references regarding the life of
Christ, including:
•
His virgin birth (7:14; 9:6);
•
His simplicity of lifestyle (7:15);
•
His family (11:1);
•
His anointing (11:2);
•
His glorious global 1,000 year reign (11:3-16;
32);
•
His resurrection (25:8);
•
His gentleness (42:1-4);
•
His suffering and death (53).
Theme
Despite the
length of the book, the theme is simple: God is our salvation.
Chapters
1-39 speak of God to Judah, the region, and the world, about holiness,
righteousness, and divine judgment.
Chapters
40-66 speaks of Messiah, His grace, compassion and comfort.
Key Verses
‘Holy,
Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory’ —Isaiah
6:3
‘For unto us
a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His
shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and
peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to
order it and establish it with judgment and justice form that time forward, even
forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this’ — Isaiah
9:6-7
‘All we like
sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD
has laid on Him the iniquity of us all’ — Isaiah 53:6
Summary of
Isaiah
The book
begins with God’s call on Judah and Jerusalem. From there, the coming Messiah
is introduced (6-12), including the vision of God in heaven, the great sign of
a virgin giving birth to Immanuel. There are the burdens against the nations,
including Babylon, Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Ethiopia, Egypt, wilderness of
the Sea, Dumah (Edom), Arabia, Valley of Vision, and Tyre. After this are the ‘woes’
and subsequent deliverance: the earth will be destroyed but there is victory
over death itself. Woes are pronounced over the drunkards of Ephraim,
Jerusalem, and evil-doers, yet God will be gracious. From chapters 36-39 is the
details of the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC. Judah is miraculously
delivered. Hezekiah’s illness and sin are dealt with. In the ‘comfort chapters’
of Isaiah 40-66, God and His servant are revealed. The people are called to
righteous living. The Messianic reign is described in chapters 60-66.
Outline of
Isaiah
•
Prophecies of Condemnation (1-35)
•
Historical section (36-39)
•
Prophecies of Comfort (40-59)
•
Messianic reign (60-66).
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