Isaiah ministered during the rule of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. His primary focus was the coming judgment on the southern kingdom of Judah due to its great wickedness. Isaiah identified the root of Judah’s trouble as its idolatry and apostasy. Although he spoke of judgments on other nations as well, he urged the kings and the people to put their trust in God rather than in alliances with earthly powers. He comforted his people with the realization that God loves those who are faithful to Him and keep His commandments. He spoke of the future Messiah who would come to redeem the nation and restore the Kingdom.
The central messages of the book of Isaiah are the holiness of God and the coming of Messiah Yeshua, who would come to provide peace, forgiveness, and salvation to all who would put their faith and hope in him. Isaiah foretells both the birth of Messiah Yehusa (Christ Jesus) and his death as the final sacrifice for the sins of humanity. God is highly exalted above all his creatures. His moral perfection stands in contrast to evil people and nations. God is perfect and sinless in all his motives and actions, so he is in perfect control of his power, judgment, love, and mercy. His holy nature is our yardstick for morality. Because God is without sin, he alone can help us with our sin. It is only right that we regard him as supreme in power and moral perfection. We must never treat God as common or ordinary. He alone deserves our devotion and praise. He is always truthful, fair, and just.
Because God is Holy, he requires his people to treat others justly. He promised to punish Israel, Judah, and other nations for faithless immorality and idolatry. True faith had degenerated into national pride and empty religious rituals. We must trust in God alone and fulfill his commands. We cannot forsake justice nor give in to selfishness. If we harden our heart against his message, punishment will surely come to us. Because God’s judgment is coming, we need a Savior. No man or nation can be saved without God’s help. Messiah’s perfect sacrifice for our sins is foretold and portrayed in Isaiah. All who trust God can be freed from their sin and restored to him. Messiah Yeshua died to save us from our sin. We cannot save ourselves. He is willing to save all those who turn from their sin and come to him. Salvation is from God alone. No amount of good works can earn it.
God will send the Messiah Yeshua to save his people. He will set up his own Kingdom as the faithful Prince of Peace, who rules with righteousness. He will come as sovereign Lord, but he will do so as a servant who will die to take away sins. Our trust must be in the Messiah Yeshua, not in ourselves or in any nation or power. There is no hope unless we believe in him. Trust Messiah fully and let him rule in your life as your sovereign Lord. God promises comfort, deliverance, and restoration in his future Kingdom. The Messiah will rule over his faithful followers in the age to come. Hope is possible because Messiah Yeshua is coming. We can be refreshed because there is compassion for those who repent. No matter how bleak our situation or how evil the world is, we must continue to be God’s faithful people who hope for his return.
THE PROPET ISAIAH
The prophet Isaiah was a man of royal blood, his father, Amoz, being a younger son of Joash, King of Judah. He was a man with a strong and commanding personality, who became a statesman and he wielded tremendous influence for good in the State. He married a woman who shared the same prophetic gift, he had two sons, he labored for sixty years, and he died a martyr in the reign of Manasseh.
LITERARY STYLE OF THE BOOK
The prophet Isaiah is the William Shakespeare of the Sacred Hebrew Scriptures because he writes in one of the most beautiful and sublime styles of all the prophetic writers. He has been called the greatest of the prophets. With the exception of chapters 36 to 39, the book of Isaiah is decorated with poetry, science, and eschatology. The book is immersed in metaphors. His description for the coming Messiah was endowed with eloquence and dramatic language. As the New Testament Christian Scriptures present Messiah Yeshua as its major theme, so does Isaiah the prophet present Messiah Yeshua as his theme. The Book of Isaiah has been called the 5th Gospel because Messiah Yeshua’s virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6), His character, His life, His death, His resurrection, and His second coming are all found in Isaiah’s book with certainty and clarity.
There are 66 books in the Holy Scriptures and 66 chapters in the Book of Isaiah. There are 39 books in the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures and 39 chapters about the God’s Law and God’s government in the Book of Isaiah. There are 27 books in the New Testament Christian Scriptures and 27 chapters on the subject of grace and God’s salvation for humanity in the Book of Isaiah. Additionally, there are 66 direct quotations from Isaiah in the New Testament Christian Scriptures.
SUMMARY OF CHAPTERS AND ANALYSIS
The book of Isaiah can be divided into three sections involving denunciation, history, and restoration. The first section (chapters 1 to 35) begins with Lord’s giving the reason for the impending judgment and captivity of Israel, but ends with blessing and the restoration of Israel. The second section (chapters 36 to 39) gives the Lord’s intervention and deliverance of Israel. The third section (chapters 40 to 66) is in three parts, two of which end with refrain: “there is
RELATED SOURCES
Biblical Mysteries; Donald P. Ryan, Ph.D; 2000. The Bible; Jim Bell and Stan Cambell; 1999. The Complete Guide to the Bible; Stephen M. Miller; 2007. The Hand Writing of God; Dr. Grant Jeffrey; 2000. The Signature of God; Dr. Grant Jeffrey; 2010. The Septuagint With Apocrypha: English; Sir Lancelot C.L. Brenton; 1851. Book of Isaiah; Dr. J. Vernon McGee; 1988. Bible Outline by Robert Lee.