Isaiah

Isaiah was a renowned prophet who lived during the last half of the eighth century BC. For at least 50 years, he ministered to the southern kingdom of Judah during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. The prophet Micah was his contemporary in the south; Amos and Hosea were slightly ahead of Isaiah but concentrated on the northern kingdom of Israel. As with most of God’s prophets, Isaiah’s words were largely ignored with only a remnant benefiting from his message.

Looking to the future

Isaiah’s words concerned the future, as well as his own time, with some of his message being yet future to us (e.g. Isa. 11,26,35). Of great interest to us are the vivid portraits supplied of the life and trials of our Savior. Of all the prophets, Isaiah portrays our Master’s life in the greatest detail. Isaiah 53 provides so many accurate particulars that if read out of context, it could easily be mistaken for a portion of the New Testament.

Perhaps only our Lord fully appreciated these portraits of his life as the true servant of God. His followers came to a much fuller appreciation of such scripture after the resurrection (cf. Luke 24:44-46). Even we find the deeper meaning eludes us until we begin to follow our Lord’s example. After reading Isaiah 53, the words of Christ, “…he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me,” take on new meaning. Taken together, the two scriptures give us sufficient cause to examine ourselves: Are we really this serious about following our Master?

A message of warning

After a period of prosperity, Judah turned its back on God and immorality captured the hearts of the people. The rulers were corrupt, and violence and injustice had filled the city of Jerusa­lem (1:23; 59:1-13). God was angry with both the princes and the people: “Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah” (1:10). Weary of the sin, oppression and hypocrisy that was dominating Jerusa­lem, God now found it necessary to discipline the nation.

God sent Isaiah to persuade the remaining people of Judah to reconsider their careless behavior. Before God inflicted the punishment, He encouraged the people to assess their transgressions: “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” (1:18). Full of mercy toward His people, God, even until the last minute, was ready to forgive their sins. For their part, they had to repent, openly confessing their sins and turning from them. John’s first epistle provides us with similar encouragement: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:8,9).

Eventually, as the prospect of repentance faded, God found it necessary to act. Judah, like Israel, had ignored His warning so God called on Judah’s enemies to bring judgment on the people and land (Isa. 5:26-30).

A prototype of mercy

Bold and outspoken, Isaiah was a powerful witness to “the Holy One of Israel,” warning His people of the hazards of continued disobedience (1:20). Yet a gentler side is revealed when one hearer repented. When the king of Assyria threatened Jerusalem, king Hezekiah was distraught: “…he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD” (37:1).

When Isaiah was contacted by EliaIdm, he sent Hezekiah these comforting words: “Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me…I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land” (37:6,7). Only later, when Hezekiah acted proudly, did Isaiah deliver a harsher message, and even it was tempered with God’s mercy (39:1-8).

Substituting sacrifices for obedience

Isaiah reveals that part of the nation’s disintegration can be explained by individual failure to recognize God as master. Although God provided sacrifices for sinners to obtain forgiveness, the people now regarded them as a substitute for obedience. They had a “form of godliness,” an outward show of worship, but idol worship had gained the upper hand (Isa. 2:8,9; 44:9-20; 57:4-7).

Folly of idolatry

In Isaiah 44, idol worship is ridiculed for part of a tree is burned for cooking and heat while the remainder is shaped by human hands into an idol that is worshipped. Isaiah laments: “And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor under­standing to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?” (44:19).

Although we are inclined to laugh at their foolish behavior, let us too consider how we use our extra resources. Are we offering God’s bounty back to Him in service, or do we covet it and secure our own “idols” to worship? It is easy to for­get Paul’s rebuke, “covetousness…is idolatry” (Col. 3:5) or “…having food and raiment let us be therewith content” (I Tim. 6:8).

Details regarding Cyrus

Perhaps for new Bible students, one of the more surprising sections of Isaiah is the prophecy of Cyrus, king of Persia (559-530 BC). Not only is Cyrus referred to by name, this Gentile is called a shepherd for his role in helping the Jews return to Jerusalem (44:28; 45:13). Referring to Cyrus by name is significant. “And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.”

Bible skeptics have suggested no prophecy can be this specific, even suggesting this could not have been written 150 years before the events. Yet other fulfilled prophecies, particularly those concerning Jesus (Isa. 53), show just how absurd is the skeptics’ view.

Ezra helps to explain the mechanism behind Cyrus’ response this way: “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia…the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia” (Ez. 1:1). It has been suggested that Cyrus read Isaiah’s prophecy and was motivated to carry it out. Whether this was what happened, it is certain that by some means, “the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus,” for he certainly was convinced of the divine plan.

One purpose of fulfilled prophecy is to prove that God Himself inspired the words of scripture. “Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them” (42:9). This gives us confidence that God’s word can inform us what is coming to pass upon the earth.