"OVERVIEW OF ISAIAH"

What do you put your trust in?

Who do you trust in?

Isaiah was a contemporary of Hosea and Micah –

Isaiah—This pinnacle of the prophets has a twofold message of condemnation (1–39) and consolation (40–66). Isaiah analyzes the sins of Judah and pronounces God’s judgment on the nation. He broadens his scope to include judgment on the surrounding nations and moves to universal judgment followed by blessing. After a historical parenthesis concerning King Hezekiah, Isaiah consoles the people with a message of future salvation and restoration. Yahweh is the sovereign Savior who will rescue His people[i]

The basic theme of this book is found in Isaiah’s name: salvation is of the Lord. The word “salvation” appears twenty-six times in Isaiah but only seven times in all the other prophets combined. Chapters 1–39 portray man’s great need for salvation, and chapters 40–66 reveal God’s great provision of salvation. Salvation is of God, not man, and He is seen as the supreme Ruler, the sovereign Lord of history, and the only Savior. Isaiah solemnly warned Judah of approaching judgment because of moral depravity, political corruption, social injustice, and especially spiritual idolatry[ii]

Isaiah is quoted in the New Testament far more than any other prophet. He is mentioned twenty-one times by name, and chapter 53 alone is quoted or alluded to at least eighty-five times in the New Testament. Isaiah is characterized by systematic presentation, brilliant imagery, broad scope, clarity, beauty, and power.[iii]

Isaiah’s ministered from about 740 to 680 b.c.

· Uzziah’s reign (790–739 b.c.)

· Jotham (739–731 b.c.),

· Ahaz (731–715 b.c.), and

· Hezekiah (715–686 b.c.).

Assyria destroyed Israel I 722 BC

Babylon destroyed Judah is 586 BC

Isaiah ministered from the time of

· Tiglath-pileser (745–727 b.c.) to the time of

· Sennacherib (705–681 b.c.) of Assyria.

Tradition has it that he met his death under King Manasseh (ca. 695–642 b.c.) by being cut in two with a wooden saw (cf. Heb. 11:37).[iv]

What did the prophets do?

(1) The prophets exposed the sinful practices of the people.

(2) The prophets called the people back to the moral, civil, and ceremonial law of God.

(3) They warned the people of coming judgment.

(4) The prophets anticipated the coming Messiah.

The message was twofold –

· Condemnation

· Consolation

As we do a fly by over the book of Isaiah this evening, we are going to see two things 1) the problem, and 2) the solution.

1. The Problem: Trusting the wrong things

Isaiah 1:2–4 (NASB95)

2Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the Lord speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me.

3“An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.”

4Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.

a. Trusting Other Kings

Isaiah 31:1 (NASB95)

1Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help And rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!

Isaiah 31:3 (NASB95)

3Now the Egyptians are men and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; So the Lord will stretch out His hand, And he who helps will stumble And he who is helped will fall, And all of them will come to an end together.

b. Trusting other gods

c. Trusting themselves

d. Trusting their own unfaithful leaders

2. The Solution: Trusting God

a. Trusting God’s coming judgment

b. Trusting God’s coming deliverance and salvation

3. The Solution Sharpened: Hoping and Trusting in Christ

a. Hoping in a coming Messiah-King

b. Hoping in a coming Servant

c. Hoping in the Messiah-King and Servant as One

d. Hoping in Jesus as this One

Isaiah 2:2–4 (NASB95)

2Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LordWill be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.

3And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4And He will judge between the nations And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.

Isaiah 42:1–9 (NASB95)

1“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.

2“He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street.

3“A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.

4“He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”

5Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it,

6“I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations,

7To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.

8“I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.

9“Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”

Isaiah 44:28–45:1 (NASB95)

28“It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.’ And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’ ”

1Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed, Whom I have taken by the right hand, To subdue nations before him And to loose the loins of kings; To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

Isaiah 53:1–12 (NASB95)

1Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lordbeen revealed?

2For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

3He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.

5But 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.

6All 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.

7He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.

8By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

9His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

10But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lordwill prosper in His hand.

11As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.

12Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.

Questions for Reflection -

ü What so called gods do most people trust in?

ü 4.What are you trusting?

ü Is trusting in yourself beneficial?

ü What’s the relationship between hope and trust? Are they the same thing?

ü 10. Take a few moments to read Isaiah 52:13–53:12. What is this passage talking about? Why is this the very heart of the good news that Christians have to tell the world?

ü If you are a Christian, do you spend more time in your prayers and songs telling God how much you love him, or thanking and praising him for how much he loves you? What’s the best way to learn about God’s love for us?

ü What do you hope in? Whom do you trust?

[i]Wilkinson, B., & Boa, K. (1983). Talk thru the Bible(p. 187). Nashville: T. Nelson. [ii]Wilkinson, B., & Boa, K. (1983). Talk thru the Bible(p. 191). Nashville: T. Nelson. [iii]Wilkinson, B., & Boa, K. (1983). Talk thru the Bible(p. 193). Nashville: T. Nelson. [iv]MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible(electronic ed., p. 952). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.