Questions for Thought
- Why did God say in Isaiah 1:2 He had nourished and brought up children and they had rebelled?
- How does a parent feel when she has brought up children only to have them become rebellious?
- Isaiah volunteered to take the Lord’s message to the people. Sometimes we are called upon to confront someone in error. How hard is it to try to warn and correct someone?
The book of Isaiah has 66 chapters. It has been said the book is similar to the Holy Bible in that the first 39 chapters of Isaiah contain judgments upon the people and the last 27 share a message of hope. As you know the Bible is divided into an Old Testament with 39 books with accounts of a people who continued to struggle with sin even going after false gods, and 27 New Testament books devoted to the one and only cure for those sins, Jesus Christ.
Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah and Jeroboam II, king of Israel. His prophecy covered at least 40 years. The people of Israel had continued to sin against God and refused to obey His commands. In the book of Isaiah are many prophecies against not only Judah but other people of the land. We will look at a few of these condemnations and why they were given along with the activities of some of the kings of this period. But for us, the prophecies concerning Christ and His Kingdom are more important. We will see many of those wonderful promises God made through Isaiah.
The prophecy in Isaiah 1 against Judah and Jerusalem begins with Isaiah seeing a vision in which God says He has nourished and brought children and they have rebelled against Him. In verse 3 we read how the ox and mule know their master’s feed trough but Israel did not know their master. Throughout the chapter, the Lord reminded the people of their sinful condition, but in verse 9, there is a glimmer of hope in that there would be a remnant left for the Lord. Then in verse 16 He said for them to wash themselves and be clean, putting away the evil from them. In doing this, the people would receive a blessing recorded in verse 18: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
After an opening chapter in which Israel was reminded of her sinful past, in Isaiah 2:2 God made a most glorious promise. He promised in the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house would be established and all nations would flow unto it. This prophecy was realized in Acts 2 when the church was established in Jerusalem and people of the many nations present (Acts 2:5-11) in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost were added to it (Acts 2:41). Following this promise in Isaiah, we have more prophecy against Israel.
In Isaiah 3 God told the people why they were going to fall. In verse 8 He said Jerusalem was ruined and Judah was fallen because their tongue and their doings were against the Lord. He told them in verse 9 they had brought the evil upon themselves. In the following verses, the Lord told them of some of the punishments they would face.
God compared His beloved Israel to a vineyard in chapter 5. He said He fenced it in, removed the stones from it, and planted it with the best vine. He had even put a tower in the middle of it and made a winepress fully expecting this vineyard to bring forth grapes, but in verse 2 He said the vineyard brought forth wild grapes. Continuing in verses 5-6 God again promised punishment to Israel.
Just as today, the people were calling good evil and evil good according to Isaiah 5:20. They were condemned for such wickedness as will be this generation and all generations that refuse to follow God. In verse 25 God again said His anger was kindled against this people and they were being punished for their evil.
Finally, when we get to chapter 6, we learn about how Isaiah was commissioned to be the prophet delivering God’s message. He said in the year king Uzziah died, he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne and in verse 8 the Lord asked whom should He send to carry the warnings to the people. Isaiah volunteered in verse 8 with “Here am I; send me.” How often do we have the opportunity to say, “Here am I; send me,” but fail to do so? All too often we say, “I’m too busy; send someone else.”
Then in Isaiah 7 beginning in verse 14 we have the prophecy concerning the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Isaiah said He would be born of a virgin and His name would be Immanuel or God with Us. In Isaiah 9:1-2, Isaiah said the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light because in verse 6, a child is born, a son is given and the government would be upon His shoulders. His name would be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. According to verse 7 there would be no end to His government and peace and He would be an heir to David’s throne.
Upon the establishment of this kingdom prophesied in Isaiah 9:7 which we know as the church, according to Isaiah 11:11, the Lord would for the second time recover the remnant of His people. The first recovery of a remnant we will look at when we study the books of Ezra and Nehemiah after the captured Israelites were allowed to return home to Jerusalem. This second recovery of the remnant is a spiritual recovery in Christ’s church. As we continue to look at the prophecies in Isaiah concerning Christ and His kingdom, we realize it is a spiritual kingdom.
Backing up to Isaiah 8, the Lord told Isaiah to call his son’s name Mahershalalhashbaz. What a name for a child. But as we saw in Hosea, many times names had meanings and this one was a sign to Israel their destruction was coming. The name meant make speed to spoil, hasten to the prey. In verse 4 the Lord said before this child would have the knowledge to cry father or mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria would be taken away. In Isaiah 10 we find although God was using Assyria as His rod to punish Israel, Assyria would also be ruined. Previously in Isaiah 7:20 God had referred to Assyria as the razor, and here in 10:6, the Lord calls Assyria the rod. In chapter 10, we see while God was using Assyria to punish His people, the Assyrian leaders did not realize it was through the power of God they would be successful. Instead, the rulers would take full credit for themselves. According to historians, Damascus fell to Assyria in 732 BC and Samaria fell in 722 BC.
But now Isaiah is saying in 10:12 the Lord will punish Assyria for their arrogance. This most likely happened as recorded in 2 Kings 19 and Isaiah 35 when the Assyrians were attacking Judah and King Hezekiah prayed to God for help. God gave that help and Isaiah was given a message from God which he sent to Hezekiah telling him the king of Assyria would not come into Jerusalem. This was the occasion when an angel of God killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.
Continuing in Isaiah 10 we find a promise that even though God was going to let His chosen people be conquered, there would be a remnant that would return unto God. In verses 21-34 God says in a little while He will remove those who are against His people. He will deliver His people and He wanted them to know it will be by His power (verse 33) and not by man.
Then in chapter 11, we have that great prophecy of the Messiah and His kingdom. We know this is referring to Christ as Paul quoted the passage in Romans 15:12. The branch or shoot from Jesse is our Lord Jesus Christ who died so that we might be saved, both Jews and Gentiles. In chapter 12 the prophecy concerning Christ continues with verse 3 saying when this prophecy concerning the remnant returning to God happens, the people would draw water out of wells of salvation. We find reference to this prophecy in Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well in John 4:10 and 14 and in Christ’s message to the people concerning living water in John 7:37-38.
Next time we will look at the prophecies against several nations beginning in Isaiah 13.
Christian Women's Responsibility in Sharing God's Word 