Here is a basic understanding of the book of Isaiah The name Isaiah means, the Lord is Salvation or “Jehovah Saves”. Isaiah is quoted more in the New Testament than any other Old Testament book. The book of Isaiah can be divided into three parts. 1. Condemnation, chapters 1-35. 2. History, chapters 36-39. 3. Comfort, 40-66. The book of Isaiah is sometimes called the little Bible. Isaiah has 66 chapters and the Bible has 66 books. The book of Isaiah is broken down into two parts, the first 39 chapters and the second 27 chapters, just like our Bible has 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in New Testament. The first 39 chapters deal with Judah before the Babylonian captivity. The last 27 Chapters [40-66] were written during the Babylonian captivity and are called The Captivity Writings. Chapters 40-66 are also called the “Book of Consolation”. The last 27 chapters deal with the time during the Babylonian Empire when Isaiah actually lived. The first 39 chapters are related to the nation of Judah and the Old Testament. The last 27 Chapters are related to Jesus and the New Testament. For example, chapter 40 and John 1:6, 23 speak of John the Baptist. Isaiah ends just like the book of Revelation, speaking about the new heavens and the new earth. It is interesting to see that chapter 53 is in the middle, dead center, of the Captivity Writings. Chapter 53 speaks of Jesus death. These two separate parts of Isaiah could be viewed as two separate books covering two different periods in time. Isaiah was the son of Amoz, not to be confused with the prophet Amos. His wife whose name is not given was a prophetess. See 8:3. They had two sons. Shearjash,also spelled Shear-Jashub means a remnant shall return. 7:3 and Mahershalalhashbaz, which is the longest name in the Bible. 8:3. Isaiah was a prophet to Judah. He received his calling at the end of King Uzziah’s and King Jotham’s joint reign of Judah in 734 BC, the last year that they were kings. He prophesied during the reigns of five kings of Judah including King Ahaz of Judah 734-715 BC, King Hezekiah of Judah 715-687 BC and part of King Manasseh’s reign [687-642 BC]. By the way, King Jotham is only mentioned two times in Isaiah, 1:1 and 7:1. Isaiah 2:2-4 and Micah 4:1-3 are almost word for word the same and speak of the Lord’s reign in Zion. Notice that Joel is the opposite of Isaiah and Micah. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: Joel 3:10a. They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3. Some time after Isaiah wrote the first 5 chapters, he had a vision and then he wrote the rest of the book. In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple 6:1. And one cried unto another, and said, holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory 6:3. This vision took place in Solomon temple in 734 BC. Isaiahs well-known words are… Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty. 6:5 NIV. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, Here am I. Send me! 6:8. In 6:8, concerning God, the trinity is seen clearly with the words “I” and “Us”. Isaiahs entire message can be summed up in these few verses. He said, Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. Then I said, For how long, O Lord? And he answered: Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the LORD has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land. 6:9-13 NIV. See Matthew 13:14,15, and John 12:40. The Song of the Vineyard is in 5:1-7. Chapters 7 through 12 are called, the book of Immanuel. Isaiahs first confrontation with King Ahaz of Judah. 7:3-9. Ahaz needed to put his trust in God and not in King Tiglath-pileser 3rd of Assyria. Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me. And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria 2 Kings 16:7,8. Isaiah told King Ahaz that God would give him a sign. Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel 7:14 NIV. Matthew applied this prophecy to Jesus. The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel --which means, God with us. Matthew 1:23 NIV. King Ahaz did not consider this a prophecy about the Messiah, but rather a sign to him. Here is why. First of all, Isaiah made a definite connection between the birth of this child and the Assyrian conquest in Palestine and Syria. He assumed that this child would be born around 733 B C. He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah--he will bring the king of Assyria. 7:15-17 NIV. Secondly, The Hebrew word [almah] translated in the King James Version is [virgin]. In the Revised Standard Version [almah] is translated [young woman] which could apply to the wife of Isaiah even though she was already the mother of one child named Shear-Jashub. See 7:3. Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a mans pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz. And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz. For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria 8:1-4. The only problem here is that the two names Immanuel and Mahershalalhashbaz are not the same name. Third of all, King Ahaz would see this sign. He never saw the birth of the Messiah, Immanuel but he did see the birth of Mahershalalhashbaz. The fourth reason is found in 8:18. Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion. In Chapter 8, Isaiah is dictating to a group of prospects. Bind up the testimony and seal up the law among my disciples 8:16 NIV. The fall of Lucifer is in 14:12. This verse is used by some Bible scholars to back up the gap theory. Some Bible scholars believe in what is called The gap theory. That belief simply says that there was a gap in time between verses one and two of Genesis chapter one. See Ezekiel 28:17. The five “I wills” of Satin are in 14:12-14. Isaiah prophesied to eleven different countries. Judah, Babylon, Assyria, Philistia, Moab, Syria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Edom, Arabia, and Tyre. See chapters 13-23. Chapters 24-27 are written in a form that we call apocalyptic form. Apocalyptic form is a highly figurative way of speaking. It is a word picture. Other examples of this would be Daniel, Zechariah and Revelation. There are two chapters in the Bible that are word for word identical. Chapter 37 and 2nd Kings 19. There are four places in the Bible, [two different accounts] that God controls time with the sun. See 38:8. The other three references are Joshua 10: 13, 2nd Kings 20:11 and Habakkuk 3:11. The Captivity Writings: Chapters 40-66 are also called the “Book of Consolation”. Chapters 40-66 did more to shape the foundational beliefs of Judaism and Christianity then any other part of the Old Testament. The song of comfort: Comfort, comfort my people, says your God 40:1 NIV. Asasyria was a world power and a real threat during the time Chapters 1-39 cover, but Asasyria is not mentioned as a present threat in chapters 40-66. Cyrus, the Persian King is mentioned by name: See 45:1. The Hebrew language does not have commas. Commas were added during translation. In the following verse, the NIV has the comma in the correct place. The KJV has the comma in the wrong place. This verse originally dealt with the rebuilding of Judah, but was used by Matthew concerning John the Baptist. The Jews at that time believed that this verse was a prophecy about the Jews returning from Babylon to Judah. A voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way for the LORD ; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God 40:3 NIV. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God 40:3 KJV. Servant Songs: 42:1-4, 49:1-6, 50:4-10, and 52:13-53:12 are referred to as Servant Songs. The most familiar one may be: Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all 53:4-6. Rahab was the name of a mythical sea monster. Another was Tannin, which is translated dragon in the KJV. Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through? 51:9 NIV. It is commonly believed that the prophet Isaiah was one of King Manasseh’s [687-642 BC] victims. In about 681 BC, the prophet Isaiah was put in the hollow trunk of a carob tree and sawed asunder. He was about 120 years old. Some well-known verses are: 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. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this 9:6,7. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea 11:9. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation 12:2. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee 12:4-6. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee 26:3. And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away 35:10. But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint 40:31. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness 41:10. Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God 44:6. Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away 51:11. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! 52:7. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts 55:8, 9. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands 55:11, 12. The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified 61:1-3. See the words of Jesus in Luke 4:17-21. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away 64:6.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 23:26:03 +0000
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