The Bible Series Isaiah
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We have concluded the wisdom and poetry books, spanning all time and all generations…
We now enter into a series of writings called the PROPHETS:
These will take us back into the timeline of the historical books and transport us into things to come…
These 17 prophetic books comprise almost 1/4 of the scriptures
The two classifications are Major (5) and Minor (12) Prophets (only for their length)
The messages of the prophets typically evades most people more than any other section of scripture
This is primarily due to neglect, lack of interest or laziness
The English word “Prophet” comes from two Greek words literally meaning “SPEAK FOR”
These individuals spoke for God, delivered His Message, His Warnings, His Words!!!
It was delivered in written, orally, and sometimes in visual form or illustration
We grow fascinated with the messages that are FORETELLING (things to come)
Yet we fail as did the original audience most often, to heed the message that is FORTHTELLING! (things to change now… primarily sin)
The prophets messages can be summarized two fold:
1) Judgement and condemnation due to sin & disobedience
2) Consolation and HOPE because of God’s marvelous GRACE!
We see both the message of condemnation and consolation in the writings of Isaiah...
Judah’s Condition
Judah’s Condition
Isaiah begins his ministry as Israel is being taken into captivity by Assyria…
This should serve as a warning to Judah…
Yet we see the southern kingdom fall into the same sins...
Isaiah the prophet will have a 40 year ministry… tradition tells us he was saw in two martyred for his message from God
When you look at Israel and Judah you see a people who do not know the Lord… Isaiah 1:2-3
Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the Lord speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.”
In verses 9 & 10 of the same chapter God compares them to Sodom & Gomorrah
There is moral disease and decline
People neglect God and His Word
They look to rituals and facades
Self will and desire are the gods of the people
They look to armies, rulers, and power for security
God pleads with Judah and extends hope… Isaiah 1:16-20
“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; “But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Judah is going through the motions… they have the law, they have the promises...
Genesis 12 Through Abraham God wood bless all nations
2 Samuel 7 the Messiah would come from David’s line (Judah)
Exodus 19 declared blessing & they were to be a holy people a nation of priest (mediators)
Idolatry has gripped the people, and their lacks the relationship, the knowing God… it is merely ritual at best
We see early on in the writings of Isaiah that God is dealing with not just Judah… but all nations! God is faithful and will preserve a remnant for Himself!
Isaiah’s Call
Isaiah’s Call
In Isaiah 6:3-5 we see God call Isaiah into the ministry work of prophet “speaking for God”…
And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”
GOD IS HOLY
Isaiah is purified!
Isaiah sees his sin first and foremost!
In light of a HOLY GOD we need to see sin as it is!
Only after seeing his own sin does he then bring the sin of the people before God as well in grief
In light of SIN we see God’s JUDGEMENT…
Isaiah 6:8… “SEND ME!”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah is called the evangelist or Paul of the Old Testament!
Sin consequence and the salvation of the Lord
Isaiah’s message declares that it is YAHWEH who brings SALVATION
Overview of this Book
Overview of this Book
We see a very clear and distinct two parts to this this book...
Interestingly it mirrors the bible as a whole in a unique way
The first part is 39 chapters like the OT
The second portion is 27 chapters like the NT
We see early on in Isaiah that the morality of the people is spiraling downward while Idolatry is on the rise
… The message and outcome of this is that the OLD JERUSALEM will be destroyed with fire
… There is throughout a HOPE that is given as they look to the NEW JERUSALEM to come
ASSYRIA… comes on the scene taking Israel, yet we see a repentance on Judah’s part and God miraculously protects them.
There is a pattern of the kings and people to look to MAN, POWER, and ALLIANCES for safety and salvation rather than look to God for salvation… Over and over we see Isaiah declare that YAHWEH is SALVATION
The First Portion deals with:
God’s Judgement for sin
The CONDEMNATION that is coming and warned about
This is for Judah
It is also declared for other nations… Assyria, Babylon, Egypt… etc
It is eye opening how much God is dealing with not only Judah but all Nations… all people
It is to addressed to the CURRENT GENERATION of JUDAH
Over and over God declares MAN’S GREAT NEED FOR SALVATION!!!
The Second Portion deals with:
God’s CONSOLATION for man.... there is HOPE!!!
Chapters 40-66 would be for Judah… BUT FUTURE GENERATIONS
This would also include ALL NATIONS
Where there was GREAT NEED
WE NOW SEE GREAT PROVISION!!!
We see One described as a SERVANT / yet also a KING!!!
As servant: messiah, Promised Seed, Savior, the Suffering Servant
As King: Conqueror, King, a New Jerusalem, God’s Kingdom on earth
To the current generation all this hinged on the EXILE… Isaiah had prophesied in great detail the return even naming Cyrus!!!
Future generations would read his words
They would see God was right and accurate
THEREFORE!!! The rest must be true as well!
The detail given is absolutely remarkable… wow what a God!
The Coming Servant King
The Coming Servant King
As one reads the words of the prophets they would see a Messiah and a King to come… their perspective however lacked depth… it was two dimensional … [next slide 3-D]
Chap 7 declares he would be born of a virgin
Chap 9 the government would be on His shoulders and names He would be declared by
Chap 11 from the line of Jesse
Also his rule on earth
Chap 32 his righteous rule
Chap 40 John the baptist
Chap 42 Gentiles would be part of His plan
Chap 49 his being worship by all rulers
Chap 50 his beard plucked, spit on beat in the face
Chap 52-53 His crucifixion, death, burial and exaltation
Chap 60 the glory of the Lord shining among men as he rules
Chap 61 the work, healing, and preaching of the Servant
The Old Testament has over three hundred prophecies about the first advent of Christ, and Isaiah contributes a number of them. The odds that even ten of them could be fulfilled by one person is a statistical marvel.
We see the prophesy true of the EXILED JEWS… we see the prophecy of the first Advent of Christ… We can trust that what is stated about His second Advent will also be true!
SO WHAT?
SO WHAT?
It is so tempting to read Isaiah for just the nuts and bolts of history and coming events…
the fascination of accuracy on so many levels
the deeper understanding of how God worked with Israel, Judah, and other kingdoms and empires
we can leave feeling smarter, better informed, more confident
we can even leave here today feeling a greater sense of HOPE!
I struggled to conclude this book… what is the takeaway???
Then I read the last chapter…
All mankind we are talking people from all nations will worship the LORD, bowing down before Him.
Its beautiful to read!!!
It thrills the soul
There is however… a CONTRAST with those who rebelled against the LORD.
They will suffer eternal torment. Isaiah 66:23-24
“And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the Lord. “Then they will go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die And their fire will not be quenched; And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.”
What a powerful and awesome way to conclude this majestic Book of Isaiah
Isaiah points to the need for unrepentant people to turn to the Lord, the only God, the Holy One of Israel.
AND GOD DESIRES THIS!!!
I read this chapter…
HUMBLED that God would provide a Way of Salvation
Grieved that there are those who do not know Him or have rejected Him
And I was in awe that a HOLY HOLY HOLY GOD would extend such GRACE and MERCY in light of my own sin!
We read Isaiah and study it to understand:
Our holy God
The depth of our sin
And the extend of His grace and mercy Isaiah 53:5-6
But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.