![]() ![]() While the book of Isaiah provides several historical touch points that anchor the prophet in a particular period of Judah’s history, the book ranges in its visions from Isaiah’s own times through to the end of time when God creates “new heavens and a new earth” (Is. ![]() Isaiah differs from Jeremiah and Ezekiel in that the character of his prophetic ministry blends foretelling (the seer seeing far into the future) in a greater measure with forthtelling (preaching the truth to a sinful people). Like his contemporary Amos (who delivered God’s messages at the shrine in Bethel to the unrepentant people of Israel), Isaiah clearly saw that lip-service worship leads to self-serving social ethics. While the political scene in Judah was different from that in the northern kingdom of Israel, the sins of the people were distressingly similar: idol worship, the oppression and marginalization of the poor for personal gain, and business practices that fundamentally threatened God’s Law. He served as God’s emissary to Judah for more than fifty years (from around 740 to 686 B.C.), roughly a hundred years before the other three major writing prophets - Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. It is not incidental that Jews of Jesus’ day often summarized the Old Testament succinctly as “the Law and the Prophets.” To be most clearly understood, the Prophets should be read not only within their historical setting, but also against the background of God’s covenant and law.Īn Overview of the Book of Isaiah Back to Table of Contents Back to Table of ContentsĪccording to Isaiah 1:1, the prophet Isaiah’s career extended through the reigns of four kings in the southern kingdom of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. Isaiah, like the other writing prophets, proclaims the people’s - and especially the leaders’ - failure to obey God’s law. They promised him worship and observance of the law he gave them. He promised them security, peace and prosperity, secured by his presence among them. Through Moses, God entered a covenant with his people. Some knowledge of the book of Deuteronomy is necessary in reading the writing prophets because the failing grades God meted out to Israel’s and Judah’s leaders must be understood in light of the covenant embodied in the Law of Moses. Isaiah is the first of the major Old Testament “writing prophets” - those whose prophecies are written in books titled with the name of the prophet. The bulk of the book of Isaiah consists of the prophet Isaiah giving voice to God’s assessment of Israel’s failure to live up to the covenant between God and Israel. God's Assessment of Israel and Judah (Isaiah) Moreover, in Isaiah’s view, the way we work today has value and meaning in the New Creation that God promises for his people. Yet the writing of Isaiah can be applied to today’s world if we understand what this book meant in its original setting, and we work out principles that apply to the workplace today. For example, the leaders seen in the book work in the government, military or religious spheres, but many of today’s leaders work in corporate, entrepreneurial, scientific and academic institutions. Modern workplaces differ significantly from those in ancient Israel. In a sense, it is an extended - and mostly negative - performance review of the kings and other leaders of Israel and Judah. In particular the book of Isaiah gives a clear, and at times a frightening, picture of God’s expectations of leaders. When we understand who God is and where we stand in relation to him, we come out different people in our values and our work ethic. It changes the way we live, the way we do business and the way we worship. But it also can give us a clear picture of what is truly valuable in this life. When we glimpse who God is in Scripture, it can cleanse away our inflated self-importance and the insufficiency of our lip-service in worship. ![]() “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). Glimpsing God’s majesty led him to a humble view of himself and his society. The Prophet Isaiah received a vision of God - of his great power, his glorious majesty, and his purifying holiness. Introduction to Isaiah Back to Table of Contents Back to Table of Contents #Practical applications of holiness in my life and ministry how toLearning From the Psalms How to Pray Through Your Work. ![]()
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