INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS
THE BOOK OF ISAIAH

This page represents the first page of a lifelong dream to write a simple commentary on the great book of Isaiah, a goal which I hope to achieve within the next 12 months (2008/2009), should the LORD tarry. Please pray with me and for me that God's Word of Truth would be rightly divided for His glory, through the ministry of His Spirit and His Son, our promised Messiah and soon coming King of kings. Amen.

DISCLAIMER: I should state at the outset that my approach to the interpretation of Isaiah will be conservative, evangelical and literal, with a firm conviction that the unfulfilled Old Testament prophetic promises to Israel (specifically the remnant) will one day be fulfilled to the letter (including those that describe the Millennium) and that the New Testament church has not replaced Israel (see discussion of the Israel of God). I will frequently quote from commentaries both old and new which espouse a "replacement" view (the church replacing Israel) in order that the reader might be aware of the prevalence of such an interpretative view. As discussed below, the NT writings make it very clear that the church was a mystery not revealed in the OT, and one would think that such Scriptural evidence would be sufficient to exclude serious consideration of the replacement view, but tragically it is not! On the other hand, while Judah and Jerusalem are the main "target" audience, Isaiah is replete with both pithy and comforting applications for all NT saints.

E. M. Blaiklock wrote that in this book...

We see Isaiah move with fearless dignity through the chaos of his day, firm in his quiet faith, sure in his God (Handbook of Bible People, Scripture Union).

Warren Wiersbe in his preface to his commentary on Isaiah writes...

Isaiah is the prophet we need to hear today as he cries out God’s message above the din of world upheaval, “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” (Isa 40:1, NKJV) The English word “comfort” comes from two Latin words that together mean “with strength.” When Isaiah says to us, “Be comforted!” it is not a word of pity but of power. God’s comfort does not weaken us; it strengthens us. God is not indulging us but empowering us. “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” (Be Comforted. Victor Books)

G Campbell Morgan wrote that..

The whole story of the prophet Isaiah, as it is revealed to us in this one book, is that of a man who spoke to an inattentive age or to an age which, if attentive, mocked him and refused to obey his message, until, as the prophetic period drew to a close, he inquired in anguish, ‘Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’ (Isa 53:1) ” (Westminster Pulpit, vol. 10, p. 10)

Ray Stedman a gifted expositor presents an eloquent introduction to the book of Isaiah...

Isaiah was the greatest of the prophets and a superb master of language. If you enjoy beautiful, rolling cadences and marvelous literary passages, you will enjoy this book for that reason alone.

Isaiah is the fullest revelation of Christ in the Old Testament -- so much so, that it is often called "the gospel according to Isaiah." To acquaint yourself with these magnificent, prophetic passages looking forward to Christ is to experience much of the richness and depth of Scripture.

Also, the prophetic nature of the book of Isaiah is one of the great proofs that the Bible is the word of God, for Isaiah lived some 724 years before Christ. The many passages looking forward to the Messiah point so clearly to Christ and are fulfilled in him, and thereby constitute an unanswerable argument for the divine inspiration of the book.

Any time we approach a new book, we always want to look for a key. I am afraid, however, that this is sometimes a rather weak approach. Sometimes these Bible books seem like locked houses, barred and shuttered, so that you can't get anything out of them unless you find the key. And some people feel that the only duly-licensed real estate agents are the Bible teachers, who alone have the keys to the Scripture's "real estate."

But scriptural books are not like that. They are more like national parks. They are open to everyone to roam in, and are a delight to explore all by yourself. But each park has a characteristic peculiar to itself that distinguishes it from the others; and you appreciate a park better if you know what that characteristic is. I have learned to appreciate some of the distinct characteristics of the great national parks in the West. For instance, if you want to see nature's various moods, go to Yellowstone Park. There she pulls all the tricks out of her bag and throws everything together. If you want to see mountain grandeur and cool lakes, Glacier Park in Montana is the place to go. If you want to be awed and humbled and stirred, then go to the Grand Canyon. If you are looking for a quiet valley in which to rest and reflect, Yosemite fills the bill -- that is, any time other than midsummer, when some twenty thousand people are in the valley with you.

Sometimes I think of these books of the Bible like this. The book of Revelation is to me very much like Yellowstone National Park. It is full of spouting geysers and all kinds of weird symbolism and a variety of formations. The Gospel of John is more like Yosemite; quiet and deep and reverent. But there is no question that the book of Isaiah is the Grand Canyon of scripture. Geologists tell us that the Grand Canyon is a miniature history of the earth -- a condensed history, a pocket volume of the past -- just so, the book of Isaiah has long been recognized as a miniature Bible...

Visitors to the Grand Canyon are always astonished by one thing when they go there. They stand at the rim and look out over the vast. jumbled, silent canyon -- down to the Colorado River, which seems but a silver thread more than a mile below them -- and sooner or later some tourist cries in amazement, "I don't understand how a tiny thing like that river could have carved a canyon like this!" They are amazed by that concept.

Now if you read the book of Isaiah thoughtfully and carefully, you sense immediately the grandeur and the power of God. You hear the powerful, rolling cadences of this book's language. You sense the insignificance of man when compared with the might and the wisdom and majesty of God. And if you ask yourself, "How could Isaiah, just a human being like myself, write a book like this?" to answer seems impossible....

Now if any key is needed to this book, this is it. Isaiah was a man who was searching for something. Peter says he was searching after the salvation that was to come from God. And the interesting thing is that the name "Isaiah" means "The salvation of Jehovah."

Now what sets this man searching? Why does he pore over his writings, puzzling over this matter? Well, when you read this book you can see his problem. Isaiah lived in a time of national stress, when man's true nature was visible and was exposing itself for what it was just as in our day. (Reference)

To understand Isaiah or any of the OT prophets one must have a grasp of the history of the nation of Israel as summarized below. The reader is encouraged to read the Scripture references that substantiate the historical events (words in blue are also active links). After pondering and digesting the history of Israel, the diligent student of God's Word would be well advised to study the table (table) that depicts the OT prophets, their times and their target audience (Israel or Judah). Finally, as an aid to understanding prophetic passages, the astute reader would be prudent to study the major prophetic points of history (chart).

Remember that Jehovah's promises to the nation of Israel regarding the promised land remain valid, and it is vital (for accurate interpretation) to not replace Israel with the NT church (See Paul's declaration that the Gentiles were to be fellow members of the body, the church, had heretofore been a mystery, not revealed in the OT! Ep 3:3-note, Ep 3:4, 5-note, Ep 3:6-note -  It is a serious interpretative error to substitute the church for Israel when reading the OT! See study Israel of God). A large percentage of commentaries on Isaiah (old and recent) have abrogated this vital, irrefutable covenant principle (cp Ge 12:1, 2, 3). The church is not mentioned in the Old Testament but was a mystery revealed only in the New Testament. This is not to say that Isaiah is not applicable to NT believers, because to the contrary, Isaiah's message to Israel is imminently applicable and is urgently needed that it might be heeded by the New Testament church.

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF
ISRAEL'S HISTORY

The history of Israel begins with Jehovah's call to and covenant with Abraham (Acts 7:2, 3, 4, Ge 12:1, 2, 3, 17:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), with these covenant promises passing down through Isaac to Jacob (Ge 32:28, 35:10, 11, 12) from whom came the 12 tribes of Israel. The 12 tribes under the leadership of Moses were delivered by Jehovah (Acts 7:30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36) from the death angel by the blood of the Passover lamb (Ex 12:11, 21, 27, 50, 51) and from Egyptian bondage and Pharaoh's pursuit - Ex 14:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31). Jehovah then entered into a conditional covenant with Israel at Mt Sinai (Ex 19:5, 24:3, 7, 8). After 40 years of wilderness wandering (Acts 7:36), the first generation of Israelites (those who had been freed from Egypt) died off (Nu 14:32, 33, 34, 35) with the exception of Joshua and Caleb (Nu 14:36, 37, 38).

The second generation of Israelites crossed the Jordan into the promised land to capture and occupy their specific tribal territory under the leadership of Joshua (Josh 21:43, 44, 45, Ne 9:23, 24). After Joshua's death, the dark days of the period of the judges followed, lasting some 300 plus years, during which every man did what was right in his own eyes because there was no king in Israel (Jdg 21:25-notes, Neh 9:26, 27, 28, 29). During this dark time Ruth the Moabitess married Boaz, the kinsmen-redeemer (Ru 3:9, 12, 13, 4:4, 5, 6 - see verse by verse commentary on Ruth), and gave birth to Obed the father of Jesse, the father of David (Ruth 4:21, 22).

Toward the end of the period of Judges (see commentary on Judges - Verse by Verse) the prophet Samuel was raised up (1Sa 1:20, 21, 22, 28; 3:8, 9, 10, 19, 20, 21) to call Israel back to her King (cp 1Sa 7:3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13). However, when the prophet (EBD article) Samuel had grown old, his sons did not walk in his ways (1Sa 8:2, 3) with the result that Israel began to cry out for a king like the other nations (1Sa 8:4, 5, 6, 19, 20). And so God gave them a king and allowed the 12 tribes (the United Kingdom) to be ruled for 40 years by King Saul, 40 years by King David and 40 years by King Solomon.

In 931BC, God declared to King Solomon that He would tear the kingdom from him because of his idolatry, but would leave the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin under his son Rehoboam's rule (1Ki 11:10, 11, 12, 13). And just as Jehovah had prophesied, the 12 tribes were divided at the end of Solomon's reign, Jeroboam I (followed by 18 evil kings) being the first king of the north ruling over 10 tribes in the capital city of Samaria (1Ki 11:26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40). Rehoboam (followed by 11 evil and 8 godly kings) (1Ki 11:42, 43) became the first king of the south and he ruled in the capital city of Jerusalem over two  tribes, Judah and Benjamin.

The Northern Kingdom stood for 209 years until it was captured by Assyria and taken into exile in 722 BC (2Ki 17:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Why? 2Ki 17:7,8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19).

The Southern Kingdom failed to learn from Israel's punishment by Jehovah after 345 years was taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC (Zedekiah the last king - 2Chr 36:11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, Why 70 years of exile in Babylon? 2Chr 36:21, Lv 25:4, 26:33, 34, 35). Note that there were 3 sieges of Jerusalem by Babylon - 605BC (Daniel and his friends taken, Jehoiakim king of Judah), 597BC (Ezekiel and 10,000 taken captive, Jehoiachin king of Judah) and 586BC (Jerusalem and the Holy Temple destroyed, Zedekiah king of Judah).

THE OLD TESTAMENT
PROPHETS

The chart below summarizes the the periods of ministry of all 17 Old Testament prophets, often divided (primarily on the basis of their length) into major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel) and minor prophets (see names in chart below). The chart depicts the time of the prophet's ministry - Exilic, Pre- or Post-exilic - and the primary recipient of their prophetic message (eg, Amos and Hosea to the 10 Northern tribes referred to as Israel - whenever you observe the term "Israel" in Scripture check the context because in other uses it can refer to the 12 tribes representing undivided Israel). As described above, the Northern 10 Tribes were taken into exile by Assyria in 722 BC. Isaiah began his prophetic ministry which was directed primarily to the Southern Kingdom of Judah about 739BC or approximately 17 years prior to the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Isaiah's ministry to Judah ceased about 681BC, almost 100 years prior to the Babylonian exile in 586BC.  Note also that  Amos, Hosea and Micah were contemporary prophets of Isaiah.

As you study Isaiah (and any prophecy for that matter) keep in mind that the prophets words speak to one or more of the major prophetic points in history: The prophet's own day, Judah's 70 years captivity (exile) in Babylon, Judah's post-exilic return to Jerusalem (and "the land" - see following note), Messiah's first coming, Messiah's second coming to reign one thousand years (The Millennium), and the inception of the New Heaven and New Earth.

Keep in mind that many times in the OT, the seemingly general phrase "the land" is a specific designation of the promised land (determined by the context), the land of "milk and honey" which Jehovah unconditionally promised to Abraham and his offspring forever (eg, observe the phrase "the land" in Ge 12:1, 7, 13:15, 15:18, 17:7, 8, 24:7, 28:4, 13, 14, 15, 35:9, 10, 11, 12, 48:4,  Ex 20:12, 33:1, Dt 34:4, 2Chr 20:7, Neh 9:7, 8)

Related Resources:

Prophecy Primer

Prophetic Points in Book of Daniel

Isaiah has been referred to as the Bible in miniature, having 66 chapters even as the Bible has 66 books. And just as the Bible is divided into two parts of 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books, Isaiah is divided into two parts, the first 39 chapters (Isa 1-39)  having to do largely with Israel's past and the promise of Messiah's coming, and the last 27 chapters (Isa 40-66) dealing especially with Israel's future and her deliverance. Obviously, the "division" of Isaiah into 39 and 27 chapters is coincidental because the original manuscript of Isaiah had no chapter divisions but the chapters were established by human editors, not the Holy Spirit. J Vernon McGee illustrates the comparison of Isaiah and the Bible in the following table...

Isaiah has been called the "fifth evangelist" because of his portrayal f the nature of God and His purpose in salvation. Others have referred to the book of Isaiah as "the fifth Gospel," because the prophet so clearly predicts the Lord Jesus Christ's Christ’s virgin birth, character, life, death, resurrection, and second coming.

The importance of Isaiah to the argument of the NT cannot be underestimated for the NT writers have some 66 direct quotations. In addition if one also includes NT passages that have "allusions" to Isaiah the number of references is approximately 85. Twenty of the twenty-seven New Testament books refer in some way to Isaiah with 12 of those books utilizing direct quotations.

Unger in his Bible handbook writes that

Isaiah...is the great messianic prophet and prince of OT seers. For splendor of diction, brilliance of imagery, versatility and beauty of style, profundity and breadth of prophetic vision, he is without peer.

Henry Morris writes that Isaiah...

is considered the greatest of Old Testament prophets. His book contains the most significant and greatest number of Messianic prophecies. It falls naturally into two divisions, chapters 1-39 and chapters 40-66. Liberals have long argued that the two divisions were written by two different authors (Ed note: This refers to the rise of so called "higher criticism" [see note on the approach one takes to interpretation] in the late 1800's spurred the debate about who wrote Isaiah.). The only real evidence for this idea is the fact that certain explicit prophecies in the second division (Isaiah 45:1, 2, 3, 4), were fulfilled long after the "first" Isaiah died. Liberals do not believe in predictive prophecy. The New Testament, however, including Christ Himself, quotes from both divisions, attributing all such quotes to "Isaiah the prophet" (Mt 3:3; 12:17,18; Luke 3:4; Jn 12:38, 39, 40, 41; Acts 8:28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34; Ro 10:16,20). Jesus says that Isaiah wrote the prophecy in both Isaiah 6:9,10 (quoted in Mt 13:14,15) and Isaiah 53:4 (quoted in Mt 8:17), as well as other quotes from both divisions...

The real reason...for the "two Isaiahs" ("Deutero-Isaiah") notion is that the second division contains many remarkable prophecies that were later fulfilled--for example, the naming of the Persian emperor Cyrus a century and a half in advance (Isaiah 45:1, 2, 3, 4). Skeptical theologians are unwilling to believe that God can supernaturally reveal the future to His divinely called and prepared prophets, and so most assume that the last part of Isaiah was written by an unknown writer living among the exiles in Babylon after Cyrus had conquered the city. (Morris, Henry: Defenders Study Bible. World Publishing)

Deuteronomy 18:18 gives us an excellent Biblical definition of a prophet...

'I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.

Easton's writes that the word prophet is the Hebrew word nabi which is

from a root meaning "to bubble forth, as from a fountain," hence "to utter", (cp. Ps 45:1). This Hebrew word is the first and the most generally used for a prophet. In the time of Samuel another word, ro'eh, "seer", began to be used (1Sa 9:9). It occurs seven times in reference to Samuel. Afterwards another word, hozeh, "seer" (2Sa 24:11), was employed. In 1Chr 29:29 all these three words are used: "Samuel the seer (ro'eh), Nathan the prophet (nabi'), Gad the seer" (hozeh). In Josh 13:22 Balaam is called (Heb.) a kosem "diviner," a word used only of a false prophet.

So important is prophecy in God's Word that it occupies about one third of the whole Bible. Prophecy is God's revelation of His Plans to His children.

Sir Winston Churchill was asked to give the qualifications a person needed to succeed in politics to which he replied

It is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.

God’s genuine prophets unlike politicians were always correct and did not have to explain away their mistakes.

Moses records that...

When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. (Dt 18:22)

Isaiah alludes to the test of authenticity writing...

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. (Is 8:20)

Wil Pounds in his summary The Prophets: Holy Men of God writes that...

A prophet is a man who speaks to men on behalf of God the message he has received from God. Prophecy is the declaration and illustration of the principles of the divine government, whether in the past, present, or the future. Prophets were God’s specially called and inspired messengers. They were "holy men of God who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2Peter 1:21-note). The prophets are called by various names including: "Man of God," "Servant of Jehovah (LORD)," "Messenger of Jehovah," "Interpreter," "Sentinel," "The Man of the Spirit."  The Holy Spirit breathing into the mind of the prophet so illumined his spirit and pervaded his thoughts, that while nothing as a person was taken away, yet everything that was necessary to enable him to declare divine truth in all its fullness was bestowed on him. Their inspiration consisted in the fullness of the influence of the Holy Spirit enabling them to accomplish their work.

His job was to call the people back to God and to the truth of God. It involved warning them of the consequences of their actions and a call to repentance. At times it was a message of God's plan for the future of His Kingdom. They were men through whom God spoke His message of love for sinners, and warned them of the consequences of their sins. The heart of their message was God's promise of eternal redemption through the coming of Jesus Christ the Messiah.

The test of the prophet was practical and simple. "When the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord has truly sent him" (Jeremiah 28:9). The term does not occur in the Old Testament. It is found on the lips of Jesus (Mt 7:15-23; Mk.13:21, 22, 23; Jer 14:13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18; 28; 1Ki 22:5-28). Things that are most highly valued are most subject to counterfeiting. True prophecy has in it no contradictions. It must always agree in genuine way with what is already known about Yahweh. Satan is the counterfeiter.

Characteristics of the Prophets

1. They were sent from God. These men claimed to be speaking from God and for God. "Thus says the Lord" was a clear emphasis of their preaching. The content of their message is proof that they were inspired of the Lord.

2. Their message was related to history. It grew out of some historic situation in which they lived. The prophets were messengers of their times. The message can only be understood by seeing it in its original setting. You have to become a student of history to understand Old Testament prophecy.

3. God's revelation is progressive. Each message builds upon other revealed truth from God.

4. Prophecy is not always predictive. It is a mistake to think that Old Testament prophecy was always predictive or foretelling of the future. There were times when the prophet spoke only to his own generation without any special reference to the future. He called his generation to repentance or to a social change within the nation or political changes. They warned the nation and its leaders of wrongs that needed to be corrected. They were primarily messengers of God, whether they spoke of the past, the present, or the future.

5. There were absolute predictions of the future. These predictions reveal God's purposes of grace to men. They are dependent upon the sovereign purpose of God, and they are certain of fulfillment. A good example is Genesis 3:15, which is not dependent upon, man, but solely upon God. Galatians 4:4, 5 shows its fulfillment.

6. There were conditional predictions, which directly bear upon men’s responsibility for a proper human response to secure fulfillment. A good example is Jonah's prediction that Nineveh would be destroyed in