Isaiah Simplified

We are Now in the Final Part of the Old Testament - the Prophets

These Men Prophesied in the Times of the Kings of Judah and Israel

For Most of My Life, I’ve Been Afraid or Uninterested in Reading the Prophets Because I Didn’t Think that I Could Understand Them

My Hope is to Alleviate Those Feelings for Everyone Who Currently Shares Them

When Reading the Prophets, it’s Best to Back Up and Look at the Forest Instead of Getting Distracted by All the Trees

The Prophets Use Imagery and Phrases that Might Not Make Sense to Us

That’s Okay! Don’t Get Hung Up on the Language, Focus on the Message

The Messages of the Prophets are Very Easy to Understand if We Stop Zooming in So Much to Look at the Trees and Just Back Up to Look at the Forest

We will Start with One of the Most Fascinating Books in the Old Testament, Isaiah

Title

Isaiah 1:1 (NASB)

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

The First Verse Tells Us a Lot about the Book

It’s Named After a Prophet Named Isaiah

He Prophesied During the Reigns of Several Kings of Judah

And He Prophesied to Judah and Jerusalem

Isaiah = YHWH is Salvation

Isaiah is Known as the Messianic Prophet

Because He Talks SO MUCH about the Coming Messiah, Jesus

Hebrews 11:37 (NASB)

They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated

Looking at the Faithful Cloud of Witnesses Who Came Before Us, Many of Them Were Harshly Persecuted

Traditionally, Isaiah was Sawn in 2 by the Wicked King of Judah, Manasseh

Context

Isaiah Prophesied Before, During, and After Northern Israel was Destroyed and Exiled into Assyria

It Looked Like Judah Would Possibly Meet the Same Fate to the Assyrians

But Isaiah Tells Them that They Will Eventually be Carried Off into Exile by the Babylonians

Since We Know from Verse 1 that Isaiah Prophesied During the Reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah...

We Can Read the Historical Account of Some of the Things that are Going on in 2 Kings 15-20

Purpose

The Book of Isaiah Addresses the Problem of Sin, Showing the Need for Salvation. Isaiah is Called by God to Speak to the People of Judah and Call Attention to Their Wrongdoings—and the Resulting Judgment

But Judgment is Not the End of the Story; the Book also Prophesies Salvation and Restoration.

This Hopeful Picture is What Made Isaiah Such a Compelling Book to Early Christians, Who Saw its Ultimate Fulfillment in Jesus.

More Specifically, Isaiah Addresses His People in 3 Different Times:

He Addresses Judah’s Lack of Trust in God’s Security Under Threat of the Assyrians

He Addresses Judah in Their Future Exile in Babylon and Encourages Them that Salvation is Coming

He Addresses the Returned Exiles as Well as All People Who will Place Their Trust in God, Telling Them to Continue in Righteousness and Faithfulness Until All God’s Promises are Fulfilled

Key Themes

The Central Theme of the Book is God Himself

Everything Else is Defined by its Relation to God

God is Offended by the Religious Rituals of the Unrighteous

Isaiah 1:10–17 (NASB95)

Hear the word of YHWH, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the instruction of our God, You people of Gomorrah. “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says YHWH. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. 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.”

God’s True People Will Become a Multinational Community

Isaiah 2:2-4

Isaiah 2:2–4 (NASB)

Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of YHWH Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of YHWH, 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 YHWH from Jerusalem. And 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.

God Opposes All Human Pride

Isaiah 2:10–17 (NASB)

Enter the rock and hide in the dust From the terror of YHWH and from the splendor of His majesty. The proud look of man will be abased And the loftiness of man will be humbled, And YHWH alone will be exalted in that day. For YHWH of hosts will have a day of reckoning Against everyone who is proud and lofty And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be abased. And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan, Against all the lofty mountains, Against all the hills that are lifted up, Against every high tower, Against every fortified wall, Against all the ships of Tarshish And against all the beautiful craft. The pride of man will be humbled And the loftiness of men will be abased; And YHWH alone will be exalted in that day

Man-Made Idols are Destined for Destruction

Isaiah 44:9–20 (NASB)

Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no profit? Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together be put to shame. The man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. Another shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, so that it may sit in a house. Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow. Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.” They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!” He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Key Phrases

Key Passages

Outline

Why We Need Isaiah

Jesus In Isaiah

Besides the book of Psalms there is none other in the OT containing so many prophecies concerning the Lord Jesus. It is as if the prophet had had Christ constantly before his eyes (compare Is. 6 and John 12:38-41). The most important paragraphs are:

- The promised redeemer is Jehovah Himself: chap. 47:4; 48:17

- The incarnation of the Son of God: chap. 7:14; 9:2.6; 11:1-2; 48:16

- His humiliation: chap. 4:2; 42:1; 50:4-5; 53:1-2

- His rejection: chap. 8:14; 49:4; 53:3

- His sufferings: chap. 50:6; 52:14; 53:3-7. 10-12; 63:9

- His glory: chap. 9:7; 11:3-10; 25:8 , 28:16; 32:1; 49:6; 52:15; 53:9-12; 58 -66.

Besides these references there are many more in this book speaking of the Messiah, the redeemer Jesus Christ.