“Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary” (Isa 40:31).
Hope in the book of Isaiah has changed the world
The United Nations was established post WWII as a world authority to manage international conflicts and end war. The U.N. has been headquartered in New York City since 1951 and many nations have given it historical symbols of peace. Surprisingly, it was the Soviet Union in 1959 that donated a sculpture with a quote that says: “Let Us Beat Swords Into Plowshares,” (see photo). The sculpture is of a workman beating a sword into a plowshare and bears the Biblical quote from 28 centuries ago. Interesting, this gift inspired another monument not located on U.N. property, but positioned across the street to appease any nations that would be opposed to this Biblical quote. It quotes the full Isaiah verse (above) and is often misquoted as being engraved on one of the U.N. buildings. Appropriately, this site is now simply called “the Isaiah Wall.” It says: “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
Isaiah was a major prophet who is quoted more times in the New Testament than any other Old Testament prophet. Jesus quoted Isaiah many times and alluded to his writings as well (Matt 5:4; 11:5; 12:18-21; 15:7-9; 21:5). Isaiah’s name means “salvation of the Lord” and his message parallels that of all prophets who acted as God’s spokesmen to the people. The nation of Israel was steeped in sin at the time, and Isaiah had the unpopular job of rebuking and exhorting the people to change and obey Yahweh, the God of Israel. He gave a doom-and-gloom outlook for the people and their country, if they continued in their wayward ways. Isaiah saw the sins of idolatry and declared God’s will to repent for nearly 50 years. It was a challenging job for any man of God as he predicted one disaster after another.
However, Isaiah was also blessed to announce some of the most amazing visions of the future. Of all the books in the Bible, Isaiah gives more specific, beautiful and unique pictures of the future Kingdom of God. The Gospel of Isaiah — as it should be known — presents the true Bible hope regarding the King, the Kingdom and the eternal glory to be revealed. It is an uplifting prediction about all the goodness that God intends for mankind on His earth. It’s a rare look into the reality of God’s promises.
Isaiah and The King
The book of Isaiah introduces all hopeful people to the personality of the Messiah. Other books in the Bible talk about what the Messiah will do, but Isaiah gives insights to his feelings and emotions (See Isaiah 53). Isaiah is contemporary with the great King Hezekiah, who became a savior to his people. Hezekiah overcame incredible hurdles through his Godly faith, and became a forerunner of the Messiah. Jesus comes alive in Isaiah. We learn about his virgin birth and his sacrificial death. We learn that salvation comes through the Servant-Messiah. Great expectations are given about the future arrival of the Savior, and his miraculous powers. Some of Isaiah’s predictions were fulfilled during Jesus’ time on earth, and others will be completed at his return. Here are a few glimpses into Isaiah’s pictures of the future Messiah, King of Israel, and the whole earth:
“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. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isa 2:3).
“Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (Isa 9:7).
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn” (Isa 61:1-2).
“The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: ‘Say to the Daughter of Zion, “See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.” They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted’ ” (Isa 62:11-12).
Isaiah and the Kingdom
Like virtually every prophet in Israel, Isaiah led a ministry of peaks and valleys. Isaiah prophesized during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah and concluded with evil Manasseh. Isaiah lived at the time when the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria and the people were removed from the land. He predicted the fall of the southern kingdom, Judah, as well and this was ultimately fulfilled by Babylon in 586 BC. Isaiah was tasked for many years with unpopular messages condemning the godlessness of the Jewish people. He had a job nobody else would want until the righteous King Hezekiah began to reign. He literally cleaned up the country from its idolatry and Hezekiah’s kingdom became a symbol of the future Kingdom of God. The book of Isaiah is closely connected to Hezekiah’s kingdom and points forward to Jesus as king of the greater Kingdom. Regarding this promised kingdom, Isaiah gives many gleams of hope to encourage the troubled people. Those who have faith in Abraham’s promises and in Isaiah’s predictions are sure to inherit the good news in Isaiah about God’s future kingdom. Isaiah said:
“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them… They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isa 11:6, 9).
“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert….
And the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (Isa 35:5-6, 10).
“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more… They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord” (Isa 65:17-25).
Isaiah is considered the greatest of all Hebrew prophets. He left a bright gleam of hope that is just as relevant today as it was in ancient times. Isaiah wrote about a great King and his kingdom to come. He filled in the gaps in the promises to Abraham and David with amazing detail and emotion. He prophesized about salvation in the promised Messiah and introduces us to the personality of Jesus Christ. Thanks to Isaiah, we have a living hope that can last forever.
“We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world” Helen Keller.
“The Old Testament teems with prophecies of the Messiah, but nowhere is it intimated that that Messiah is to stand as a God to be worshipped. He is to bring peace on earth, to build up the waste places — to comfort the broken-hearted” Olympia Brown.
“He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation” (Isa 25:8-9).
The Bible says:
- Isaiah gave detailed insight into the Bible hope (Isa 11:6-9; Isa 35).
- Isaiah predicted a great hope tied to the coming Messiah, King of Israel (Isa 9:7; Isa 61:1-2).
Isaiah wrote unlike any other about the Kingdom of God (Isa 2:2-4; Isa 25:6 9; Isa 45:18).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One