The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 1: Introduction

Isaiah: Lesson 1

Introduction to Isaiah*

• Isaiah the Man
• Isaiah’s Times
• Authorship and Date of the Book
• Date of Isaiah’s Ministry
• Isaiah’s Message

Isaiah the Man

• His Name
  
  • “Yahweh Saves”
• His Family
  
  • Son of Amoz
  • Royal lineage
• His Death
  
  • Martyr’s death

Isaiah’s Times

¹The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. (Isaiah 1:1)

• Uzziah
  
  • 2 Kings 15:1-7; 2 Chronicles 26:1-23
  • 792-740 B.C.
  • Also known as Azariah
  • Characterized as a good king
  • King at age 16 and reigned 52 yrs.
  • Pride – died a leper
• Jotham
  
  • 2 Kings 15:32–38; 2 Chron. 27:1–9
  • 750–732 B.C.
  • Good king
  • Co-reigned with father for 11 yrs.
  • Pressure from Israel/Syria alliance
• Ahaz
  
  • 2 Kings 16:1–20; 2 Chron. 28:1–27
  • 732–715 B.C.
  • Evil and idolatrous king
  • Forced to choose between Israel/Syria and trusting God.
  • He chose to ally with Assyria and faced the consequences.
• Hezekiah
  
  • 2 Kings 18:1–20:21; 2 Chron. 29:1–32:33
  • 729–686 B.C.
  • Good king; cleansed the temple
  • N. Kingdom fell to Assyria in 722
  • Lord delivered him from his foolish choice to rebel against Assyria.
• Manasseh
  
  • 2 Kings 21:1–18; 2 Chron. 33:1–20
  • 696–642 B.C.
  • Evil and idolatrous
  • Tradition has him putting the prophet Isaiah to death.
  • Spiritual damage was irreversible after Manasseh’s reign.

Author and Date

• Traditional View
  
  • Isaiah – one author
  • 8th century B.C.
• Critical View
  
  • Multiple authors
  • Others finished the book after Isaiah died.

Dates of Isaiah’s Ministry

• Most scholars believe Isaiah 6:1-8 describes his divine call to become a prophet of God.

Isaiah 6:1–8 (NIV)

6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;

the whole earth is full of his glory.”

⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

⁵ “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 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

⁸ 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!”

• Began ministry around 740 B.C., the year of King Uzziah’s death.
• Possibly put to death during early part of Manasseh’s reign.
• Possible dates of 740-690 B.C. for Isaiah’s ministry.

Isaiah’s Message

• Forthtelling
• Foretelling
• Focus on Judah
• Global in Scope

 

*Two primary sources were used for this lesson: Bryan E. Beyer, Encountering the Book of Isaiah, and Richard J. Schultz, “How Many Isaiahs Were There and What Does It Matter?”