Isaiah 1-39 I. Introduction A. Isaiah 1-39 B. Moving into the prophets 1. "Major" prophets-- longer books 2. Begins with Isaiah 3. Isaiah one book written to two different audiences C. Let us consider the book II. Isaiah 1-39: The Details A. Authorship 1. The prophecies of Isaiah son of Amoz (Isaiah 1:1) 2. Book compiled in current form at some point after his death 3. One of three most quoted books of the OT in the NT B. Dating 1. Isaiah prophesies from Uzziah through Hezekiah, kings of Judah 2. Therefore, prophecies date from ca. 750-690 BCE C. Audience 1. Isaiah 1-39 preached to Judah during its own period 2. Later compiled for exilic and postexilic Israel 3. We can gain much also D. Purpose 1. To set forth the prophecies spoken by Isaiah 2. To condemn ungodliness and unrighteousness in Judah 3. To set forth the future hope of Israel, seen most clearly in the Christ III. Isaiah 1-39: The Story A. Main Sections 1. Prophecies to Judah (Isaiah 1-12) 2. Nation oracles (Isaiah 13-24) 3. Condemnation and Redemption (Isaiah 25-35) 4. Hezekiah's Reign (Isaiah 36-39) B. Judah's Wickedness (Isaiah 1; ca. 700 BCE) 1. Introduction (Isaiah 1:1) 2. Sinfulness of Judah continues despite destruction of all cities save Jerusalem (Isaiah 1:2-9) 3. Invocation of Sodom and Gomorrah: sacrifices, other services despised by God because of the sinfulness of the people (Isaiah 1:10-17) 4. God's disputation and its possible resolutions (Isaiah 1:18-19) 5. Jerusalem as a whore, unfaithfulness of Judah; God will cleanse them through fire; Judah will be ashamed of their sins on that day (Isaiah 1:20-31) C. Judah's Complacency and Sin (Isaiah 2:1-4:1; ca. 750-735 BCE) 1. Latter day establishment of Zion; all nations gather to it; peace (Isaiah 2:1-4) 2. Jacob to learn way of God since he has been rejected; prosperity of the land; upcoming humiliation of Israel (Isaiah 2:5-19) 3. Man will realize worthlessness of idolatry, need to fear God on that day (Isaiah 2:20-22) 4. God will take all things from Judah; terrible conditions of the people; all will have fallen (Isaiah 3:1-8) 5. Wicked do not hide their sin; God will repay them and it will be ill with them; even though they may oppress, God judges them; condemnation of women of Judah-- their finery will become bonds of slavery, will desire to remove their reproach (Isaiah 3:9-4:1) D. The Branch, the Vineyard, the Sinful (Isaiah 4:2-5:30; ca. 750-735 BCE) 1. After purging of evil, all in Jerusalem will be holy; cleansing of Zion; Zion as refuge (Isaiah 4:2-6) 2. Story of vineyard; destruction of vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7) 3. Wickedness: oppression in property, those living the drunkard's life; God will humble them and condemn them (Isaiah 5:8-17) 4. Woes to the wicked, those calling good evil and vice versa, others; God's anger burns and will be satisfied; description of the (Assyrian) army coming forth (Isaiah 5:18-30) E. A Vision, Immanuel, Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Isaiah 6-8; ca. 735 BCE) 1. Isaiah's heavenly vision: God enthroned, Isaiah as sinful; Isaiah cleansed; God's commission; hardness of Israel's heart; desolation of the land (Isaiah 6) 2. Pekah and Rezin against Ahaz; Isaiah sent to Ahaz to tell him to do nothing, God will take care of them (Isaiah 7:1-9) 3. Sign to Ahaz: virgin will bear child named Immanuel; will eat curds and honey when he can know good, refuse evil-- thus, in few years, Rezin and Pekah will be gone via Assyria (Isaiah 7:10-17) 4. Desolation, destruction, and devastation on that day (Isaiah 7:18-25) 5. God to Isaiah: Attestation of tablet regarding Maher-shalal-hash-baz; wife bears son, given that name, demonstrating how Aram and Israel will be taken into captivity; Assyria will even attack Judah (Isaiah 8:1-10) 6. Do not fear what people fear; fear God (Isaiah 8:11-15) 7. Testimony of Isaiah to be bound up; difficulties of people who follow after necromancy, etc., seeking word of God; thrust into darkness (Isaiah 8:16-22) F. The Promised One; Present Difficulties (Isaiah 9-10) 1. Glory that will come to land of Zebulun, Naphtali (Isaiah 9:1) 2. Humiliation turned to glory with birth of Christ child; He will obtain the throne of David; accomplished by God (Isaiah 9:2-7) 3. Condemnation of presumptuous thinking: things are not going to get better in Judah or Israel, but worse; Israel as to be cut off; lack of satisfaction for Israel, anger of Lord still hot against them (Isaiah 9:8-21) 4. More woes to the oppressors and unjust; what will they do on the day of the Lord? (Isaiah 10:1-4) 5. Condemnation of Assyria: God sent him to accomplish His purposes for Israel, Judah, yet Assyria acts arrogantly and presumptuously against God; pending destruction (Isaiah 10:5-11) 6. God will humble Assyria's arrogance; Israel will stand again (Isaiah 10:12-19) 7. Remnant of Israel will lean on God again; do not fear Assyria, for God will soon strike them (Isaiah 10:20-27) 8. Scene of Assyrian army coming into land; God will cut them down (Isaiah 10:28-34) G. The Branch; A Song (Isaiah 11-12) 1. Branch from Jesse; future just rule of Messiah (Isaiah 11:1-5) 2. The peace that will come from His rule (Isaiah 11:6-10) 3. Ingathering of Dispersion; picture of reunited Israel defeating its enemies (Isaiah 11:11-16) 4. Song of thanks: God's anger abated, God brings salvation; praises sung to God's name (Isaiah 12) H. Nation Oracles (Isaiah 13-23; likely before 722) 1. Babylon: day of the LORD brings condemnation; Medes against them (Isaiah 13) 2. Restoration of Jacob (Isaiah 14:1-2) 3. Taunt against king of Babylon, glorying in his humiliation, death (Isaiah 14:3-23) 4. Assyria: Broken in land of Israel (Isaiah 14:24-27) 5. Philistia: glory not in Israel's demise, your own comes also (Isaiah 14:28-32) 6. Moab: mourning, weeping, brought low; devastation and disaster; its pride humbled (Isaiah 15-16) 7. Damascus: a ruin; Aram's fate as Israel's fate; Jacob's glory brought low; only gleanings left; eventually man will look toward God and not idols; devastation near because they forgot God (Isaiah 17) 8. Cush/Ethiopia: Messengers to that nation; they will suffer, and then send tribute to God (Isaiah 18) 9. Egypt: Egyptians will fight selves, ruled over by another king; idols will fail them; Nile will dry up; despite pretensions, suffering will come (Isaiah 19:1-15) 10. Egyptians then terrified of Judeans; Egyptians will eventually believe in God, serve Him; Assyria will also do the same, along with Israel (Isaiah 19:16-25) 11. Isaiah told to walk around naked and barefoot for three years as a sign to Egypt and Cush: their men will be exiled naked by Assyria (Isaiah 20) 12. Wilderness of the sea: siege of Media and Elam; pictures of terror; Babylon as fallen (Isaiah 21:1-10) 13. Dumah: continue to inquire (Isaiah 21:11-12) 14. Arabia: many fugitives present; glory of Kedar to end (Isaiah 21:13-17) 15. Valley of Vision: many captured; Jerusalem destroyed; vain searching for deliverance, yet not to God; they reveled when mourning was called for; no atonement for iniquity until death (Isaiah 22:1-14) 16. Shebna, royal official condemned for his rock-cut tomb; to be removed from position; Eliakim to be given authority instead (Isaiah 22:15-25) 17. Tyre and Sidon: great weeping; judgment brought since they acted as prostitutes; eventual redemption by God (Isaiah 23) 18. The earth: God making the earth desolate; all equally distressed; earth as defiled because of sin of its people; scenes of gloom, desolation, devastation; praise is heard for God, but woe comes to many on account of all the violence and devastation; God as punishing the sinful (Isaiah 24) I. Exaltation, Song, and Redemption (Isaiah 25-27) 1. God praised for His plans: ruined cities, those lifted from oppression praise Him; God as preparing a feast; pain removed, reproach taken away; salvation for Israel, condemnation of Moab (Isaiah 25) 2. Song to be sung in Judah that day: open city; live in peace; trust in God; humbles the exalted; seeking the LORD; Israel blessed, other nations have passed away (Isaiah 26:1-15) 3. Judah as writhing pregnant woman; deliverance accomplished by God; people to hide until fury of God passes over (Isaiah 26:16-21) 4. Leviathan as killed by God on that day; vineyard of God restored; Israel as blossom providing fruit to world; atonement of sin through renunciation of idolatry; until then, condemnation; final restoration of people to Israel (Isaiah 27) J. Judgment on the Rebellious (Isaiah 28-31; before 722) 1. Ephraim proud, will be trodden down; the LORD will be exalted that day; picture of people drunk and staggering; people as nitpicking God's message; foreigners will make God's purposes clear to them in destruction (Isaiah 28:1-13) 2. Those in Zion made covenant with death, falsehood; God as cornerstone of Zion; justice as foundation of city; terror for the city (Isaiah 28:14-22) 3. Agricultural images to demonstrate wisdom of God (Isaiah 28:23-29) 4. Jerusalem, or Ariel, as distressed and besieged; humbled by foreigners but really by God; people as providing lip service, really serving traditions; God will terrorize them; Israel as insolent clay before the potter; God will uphold the righteous, lay low the wicked; Jacob will eventually sanctify God's name (Isaiah 29) 5. Judah should not go down to Egypt to make alliance; will be shamed for it (Isaiah 30:1-5) 6. Oracle on beasts of Negeb: Egypt as worthless (Isaiah 30:6-7) 7. Inscribe in book regarding rebelliousness of people; do not want the word of the LORD, prefers that which makes them feel better even if wrong; terrible consequences for such iniquity, great destruction and suffering; that which they wanted to benefit them will be used against them (Isaiah 30:8-17) 8. God wants to show mercy; He will afflict Zion in order to get people to follow Him; benefits will be given, life pleasant when He turns to heal them (Isaiah 30:18-26) 9. To the nations God will be an adversary and terror; Assyria will hear His voice and be afraid; they will be struck; gladness for Israel (Isaiah 30:27-33) 10. Woe to those who go to Egypt, trust chariots, not God; He will condemn evildoers; Egypt man and not God; God alone will protect Jerusalem; Assyria will fall (Isaiah 31) K. Hope Despite Condemnation (Isaiah 32-35) 1. A king will reign in righteousness; description of the nature of righteousness in the land; the fool will be seen for his folly, disgraced; nobility will be noble (Isaiah 32:1-8) 2. Complacent women condemned; they ought to mourn for upcoming trial; when Spirit poured out, righteousness will prevail, blessings flow (Isaiah 32:9-20) 3. End of the destroyer; petition to God for graciousness; God as exalted; scenes of devastation and tragedy; God is then exalted; God's justice seen, His power no longer denied; the wicked will be cast away, and Zion restored (Isaiah 33) 4. Nations to be devoted to destruction; judgment especially on Edom; scenes of devastation and desolation (Isaiah 34) 5. A picture of redemption: deserts bloom, glory given to it; glory of God seen; the weak strengthened in message of God's vengeance; those handicapped will be healed; highway of holiness for the ransomed of God returning to Zion in joy (Isaiah 35) L. Fulfillment: The Days of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36-39; cf. 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 29-32) 1. Sennacherib's invasion of Judah; speech of Rabshakeh (Isaiah 36; 2 Kings 18:13-37) 2. Hezekiah informed; mourning; new message from Rabshakeh; Hezekiah's prayer; Isaiah's message of condemnation for Assyria; army of Assyria stricken (Isaiah 37; 2 Kings 19) 3. Hezekiah ill, recovers; Hezekiah's writing regarding illness, petition to God (Isaiah 38; 2 Kings 20:1-11) 4. Hezekiah and messengers from Merodach-baladan of Babylon; Isaiah's prediction of how all of Judah will be given over to Babylon-- leads into next section, Isaiah 40-66, speaking to people living after that time (Isaiah 39; 2 Kings 20:12-19) IV. Isaiah 1-39: Important Passages A. Isaiah 1:18-19 1. Often used in encouraging sense 2. In context, just as easily condemnatory! B. Isaiah 2:1-4 / Micah 4:1-3 C. Isaiah 5:1-7 / Matthew 21:33-44 D. Isaiah 5:19-20 E. Isaiah 6 1. vv. 1-4 / Revelation 4-5 2. vv. 9-10 / Matthew 13:14-15, Acts 28:26-27 F. Isaiah 7:14 / Matthew 1:23 G. Isaiah 9:1-7 / Matthew 4:15-16 H. Isaiah 11:1-10 I. Isaiah 14:12-21 1. Belief that "Day Star" here, Lucifer, is Satan 2. Context shows that it is king of Babylon, likely Nebuchadnezzar J. Isaiah 28:16 / Romans 9:33, 1 Peter 2:6 K. Isaiah 29 1. v. 13 / Matthew 15:8-9 2. v. 14 / 1 Corinthians 1:19 3. v. 16 / Romans 9:20-21 L. Isaiah 35 1. v. 3 / Hebrews 12:12 2. v. 10 / Revelation 7:17, 21:4 V. Conclusion A. Isaiah's prophecies B. Rebuke and condemnation 1. Great sin in Israel and Judah 2. God's condemnation just 3. Great terrors predicted, come to pass C. Hope and reconciliation 1. Message of future restoration, redemption 2. First seen in part in period between Sennacherib of Assyria and Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (ca. 700-600 BCE) 3. Seen again in part in return from exile (ca. 530 BCE and beyond) 4. Fulfillment, spiritual reality seen in Jesus of Nazareth and His Kingdom (33 CE until forever)! D. Let us not fall into the same example of disobedience as Israel and derive comfort from Isaiah's encouragement! E. Invitation/songbook