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& Links > Bible Studies > Inductive Bible Studies
Inductive Bible Studies
The Book of Isaiah
adapted
from "Introduction to Isaiah" by Keith Sharp
Isaiah was married to a prophetess (8:3), and they had
at least two
sons with prophetic names. The elder was Shear-Jashub (7:3), whose name
means "a remnant shall return"; and the younger was
Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (8:3), which means "the spoil speedeth, the prey
hasteth."
 Background
Isaiah's ministry occured at a critical time in
Judah's
history. The
Assyrian power was rising, and in the light of this fact two groups
appeared within the nation. One sought alliance with Egypt and the
other with Syria. Isaiah, however, forbade human alliances and urged
the nation to trust in God.
Isaiah's work as a prophet began in the year
King Uzziah
of Judah
died, 739 B.C. (6:1). His call was accompanied by an apocalyptic vision
of God on His throne which foreshadowed John's parellel vision in
Revelation 4-6. He prophesied during the reigns of "Uzziah,
Jotham,
Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judan" (1:1). Isaiah outlived King
Hezekiah, who died in 686 B.C., for he recorded the death of King
Sennacherib of Assyria (37:37-38), who was assassinated by two of his
own sons in 681 B.C. As he lived on into the reign of Hezekiah's wicked
son Manasseh, he apparently spoke of his public ministry in 1:1. Thus,
his public prophetic ministry apparently lasted 53 years (739 B.C. -
686 B.C.), and he lived several years longer. Jewish tradition claims
he was sawed in two at the command of King Manasseh (cf. Hebrews 11:37).
Isaiah
ministered at a time when both Israel, under Jeroboam II, and Judah,
under Hezekiah, had reached their zenith of prosperity and political
power. Yet the seeds of destruction had germinated and almost reached
maturity in both nations in the form of idolatry and its attendant
vices, personal immorality and political corruption.
Assyria was
the great power to the northeast, which would with incredible cruelty
counquer the Middle East, destroying totally and finally the northern
kingdom, Samaria (or Israel) and, but for the dependence on the Lord of
Isaiah and Hezekiah, would have annihilated Judah as well. Under
Tiglath-Pileser III (2 Kings 15:29, 1 Chronicles 5:26), who ruled from
745-727 BC, Assyria reached the height of its power and threatened to
overwhelm God's people, the Jews. This king began the destruction of
Israel by deporting the Israelite tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali
(Isaiah 9:1-2). Ahaz, King of Judah, submitted to Tighath-Pileser and
became his vassal (2 Kings 16:7).
Tiglath-Pileser's successor
Shalmanezer V conquereed the northern kingdom (variously called Israel,
Samaria or Ephraim) and killed of deported its upper class citizens in
722-711 BC (2 Kings 17:6, 18:9-12). Citizens of pagan countries were
brought to Israel (2 Kings 17:24) and an idolatrous mixture of paganism
and worship of the Lord was introduced (2 Kings 17:26-33). These people
intermarried with the Israelites left in the land, and the resultant
people became the Samaritans of Jesus' day. This was the end of the
northern kingdom.
The Assyrian king Sennacherib (705-661 BC)
besieged Jerusalem, the capital of Judah and godly King Hezekiah. This
was a crucial time in the history of Israel, and Isaiah was the man of
the hour.
Amos (755 BC) and Hosea (750-725 BC) had been
sent to
warn Samaria, but Israel had not heeded. Isaiah and his younger, less
known contemporary, Micah, successfully admonished Judah. Isaiah, in
the capital Jerusalem, prophesied to all classes of people,
from
kings to commoners. Micah preached to the common people in the villages
and countryside.
With Judah's deliverance from King Sennacherib
(ch. 36-37), Isaiah turned his attention to the future menace of
Babylon (ch. 39) and a future day of glory for God's people under the
reign of Messiah (Christ).
Prophecy
God called and
commissioned Isaiah to be a prophet (Isaiah chapter 6). The Lord
chiefly made known His Will to Isaiah by means of visions (Isaiah 1:1).
In a vision the prophet fell into a trance while awake and saw visible
scenes with the mind's eye (cf. Numbers 12:4, 16). Isaiah, more than
most prophets, was blessed with divinely inspired visions of future
events.
Theme
As Isaiah's name means "salvation is of the
Lord", he,
far more than any other Old Testament prophet, wrote of salvation. The
word "salvation" is found twenty-six times in Isaiah and only seven
times in all the other prophets combined.
Isaiah is preeminently the Messianic prophet.
This means
he prophesied about the Messiah (Christ). More than any other Old
Testament prophet, Isaiah foretold the coming of Christ (2:1-4; 4:2-6;
7:14-15; 11:1-12:6; 24:21-23; 25:6-8; 26:1-2; 27:12-13; 30:18-26;
32:1-7, 16-20; 33:17-24; 35:1-10; 42:1-9; 49:1-55:13; 60:1-62:12;
66:18-24).
Thus, Isaiah is quoted in the New Testament more
than
any other prophet. There are about fifty-four New Testament quotations
of Isaiah.
The great theme of Isaiah is Salvation
through
Messiah the
Servant of the Lord. This theme is preeminently traced in
perhaps the greatest prophecy of the Christ in the Bible, Isaiah
52:13-53:13.
Outline
Isaiah fortells the salvation through the Christ
which
is about to come. The first part of Isaiah primarily contains
prophecies of judgment, whereas the second division predominatly
consists of prophecies of peace. The historical chapters of Isaiah (ch.
36-39) serve as a transition from the Assyrian Period to the Babylonian
Period.
- Prophecies of
Judgment (Assyrian Period)—chapters
1-39
- Judgment of Judah—chapters
1-12
- Judgment of
Nations—chapters 13-23
- Judgment of World—chapters
24-27
- Book of Woes—chapters 28-35
- Historical: Isaiah and
Hezekiah-chapters 36-39
- Prophecies of
Peace (Babylonian Period)—chapters
40-66
- The Lord vs. Idols—chapters
40-48
- The Servant of the
Lord—chapters 49-57
- Future Glory—chapters 58-66
Isaiah Quoted in the New
Testament (King James Version)
| Scripture |
King
James Version |
New
Living Translation |
| Romans 9:29 |
And
as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of
Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like
unto Gomorrha. |
It
is just as Isaiah said previously: "Unless the
Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah." |
| Matthew 13:14,15 |
And
in them
is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall
hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not
perceive: For
this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing,
and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with
their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their
heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
|
In
them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "
'You will be ever hearing but never
understanding; you will be
ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become
calloused; they hardly
hear with their ears, and they
have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with
their ears, understand
with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' |
| Matthew 1:23 |
Behold,
a virgin shall be with child, and shall
bring forth a son, and
they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with
us. |
"The
virgin will be with child and will give
birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with
us." |
| 1 Peter 3:14 |
But
and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake,
happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; |
But
even if you should suffer for what is right,
you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." |
| Romans 9:33 |
As
it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a
stumblingstone and rock of
offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. |
As
it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone
that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one
who trusts in him will never be put to shame." |
| Hebrews
2:13 |
And
again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children
which God hath given me. |
And
again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and
the children God has given me." |
| Matthew
4:15,16 |
The
land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea,
beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in
darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and
shadow of death light is sprung up. |
"Land
of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great
light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has
dawned." |
| Romans
9:27-28 |
Esaias
also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the
children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:
For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because
a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. |
Isaiah
cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be
like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. For the Lord
will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality." |
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