ISAIAH 1:1-16: “Introduction/Isaiah Prophesies Against
Complacent Religion”
By
1.
INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK
1.1.
Importance Of The Book
1.1.1.
The book of Isaiah has been compared to the
book of Romans in the New Testament in it’s breadth of scope and
importance. As Romans is a treatise
concerning all of the doctrines of the Christian religion, Isaiah covers
prophetically all of God’s mind and purposes for mankind.
1.1.2.
The scope of the Isaiah’s prophesy reaches
from where he stood in time all of the way to eternity in the new heavens and
new earth which will occur after the Millenial Reign of the Messiah.
1.1.3.
Next to the Psalms the book of Isaiah is the
Old Testament book that is most quoted in the New Testament.
1.1.4.
Numerous of the key Messianic prophesies of
the Old Testament are contained in Isaiah.
1.1.5.
One of the things that lends great
credibility to the book of Isaiah is the fact that when the Dead Sea Scrolls
were found mid last century where the Essenes had hidden them in caves a few
hundred years before the advent of Christ, a full copy of the book of Isaiah was
found. A close comparison of this scroll
with what previously were our oldest and most trusted manuscripts reveals that the book has been
kept in tact over the centuries, and therefore has not been tampered with by
scribes. Discrepancies are very minor
and insignificant between these manuscripts.
1.2.
Authorship
1.2.1.
At the beginning of the 1900’s some
theologians were the first to come up with the idea of more than one Isaiah as
authoring the book of Isaiah. This idea
sort of caught on as the higher criticism theologians sought ways in which to
discredit the scriptures and make them out to be the works that came about not
through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but of man.
1.2.1.1.At
first it was thought by these theologians that there were two divisions to the book
and that the Isaiah who wrote the first part could not have been the same
Isaiah who wrote the second part. Then,
someone came up with the notion of three Isaiah’s as having written the book. Finally, I believe that some even suggested
as many as 14 Isaiah’s as being responsible for the book.
1.2.1.2.The
liberal theologians suggested that the different themes of the sections of the
book could be accounted for only by there having been more than one
author. In other words the only reason
for their conclusion of multi-authorship is differing themes dealt with in the
book. However, to think that any
Biblical writer could only write about one major theme is ridiculous. The apostle Paul wrote numerous epistles in
the New Testament and each one is radically different than the others
thematically. Solomon wrote Proverbs and
the Son of Solomon. John wrote his
gospel, three epistles, and the book of Revelation, each of which differ dramatically. Each of Peter’s epistles has a very different
theme, one dealing with the hope that we have in Christ and the other dealing
with how to recognize and deal with false prophets and heresy.
1.2.1.3.One
of the best arguments against there being more than one Isaiah who wrote the
book is the fact that those who have claimed multiple authorship based upon
theme have all agreed that every section of the book was written with a very
similar writing style and constructs.
1.2.1.4.The
fact that Jesus and the rest of the apostles and writers of the New Testament
did not in any way hint that there might be multiple Isaiah’s responsible for
this very prominent work is a very weighty argument in favor or single
authorship.
1.2.1.5.Josephus
the Jewish historian who lived during Christ’s time and who very carefully
investigated all historical matters credited the latter part of the book of
Isaiah to Isaiah of
1.2.2.
I conclude that the author of the book is
Isaiah of Jerusalem, the son of Amoz (as he tells us repeatedly in the
book). Isaiah’s wife he simply calls,
“The prophetess.” Isaiah also tells us
that he had two sons, “Shear-jashub” and “Maher-shalal-hash-baz.”
1.2.3.
Jewish tradition has said that Isaiah was the
brother of King Amaziah, however this is not believed by many today because
that would have made Isaiah too old. It
is very possible that Isaiah may have come from a well known family since he
seems to have always had ready access to the kings of
1.2.4.
Isaiah also was evidently a historiographer
at the Hebrew court during his prophetic office, for there are a few chapters
of 2 Chronicles which are nearly identical to chapters in his book. In fact, as a piece of trivia, chapter 37 of
Isaiah is word for word identical to 2 Kings chapter 19. So, it is most natural for us to assume that
for a period of time Isaiah not only filled the prophetic office and journaled
God’s dealings with him in that capacity, he also compiled the histories of the
kings during this time.
1.3.
Isaiah records his calling
to the prophetic office in Isaiah 6:1-5
1.3.1.
“God’s
call of Isaiah to the prophetic office in Isaiah 6:1-5 reads
as follows, “1 In the year of King
Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the
train of His robe filling the temple.2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having
six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and
with two he flew.3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy,
is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds
trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with
smoke.5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I
live among a people of unclean lips; For
my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”””
1.3.1.1.Notice
that the fact that the Lord is ‘holy’ is emphasized three times by the angels
before His throne. This is to emphasize
this characteristic of the Lord.
1.3.1.2.The
angel grabs a coal from the fire of the altar of the Lord and touches the lips
of Isaiah because now Isaiah shall be a spokesman for the Lord Himself.
1.4.
Time Of The Writing
1.4.1.
Isaiah tells us of his calling as a prophet
in chapter 6 of the book. In Isaiah 6:1
Isaiah explains how his calling came about in the reign of King Uzziah, or
Azariah, in the year that Uzziah died.
This probably occurred then within a year or two of the end of Uzziah’s
reign. So, Isaiah fulfilled the
prophetic office in some capacity with the rulers of Uzziah, Jotham, Uzziah’s
son who took over for his father, Ahaz the wicked king who succeeded Jotham,
and Hezekiah the righteous son of Ahaz who took over after his father’s
reign. Some have suggested that Isaiah
fulfilled that office during the reign of wicked Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah
who took over for his father, however I do not think that he was a prophet too
long under Manasseh (some have suggested nine years under Manasseh). So, this all means that Isaiah fulfilled the
prophetic office from perhaps 741BC to 690BC, over 50 years.
1.4.1.1.In
Isaiah 1:1 we read of the kings that Isaiah was a prophet under.
1.4.2.
The calling mentioned by Isaiah in chapter 6
of the book may have been a subsequent calling from the Lord, and in that case
the first five chapters of the book reveal the things that the Lord did through
him after his initial calling (which is unrecorded).
1.5.
Isaiah’s Death
1.5.1.
Jewish tradition has held that Isaiah was
martyred under wicked king Manasseh, and that he was sawn in two, as this quote
from the Pulpit Commentary reveals, “Isaiah, having resisted
some of Manasseh’s idolatrous acts and ordinances, was seized by his orders,
and, having been fastened between two planks was killed by being “sawn asunder””.
1.5.2.
Likewise, it has been the predominate belief
of the church for all of these centuries that Isaiah’s death of martyrdom is
mentioned in Heb. 11:37, where it is said that some were ‘sawn in two’, and
that this occurred at the hands of Manasseh.
1.6.
Themes Of The Book
1.6.1.
In the book of Isaiah several themes are
pursued, too many to deal with in depth for the purposes of this study. However, it has been pointed out that the
over-arching theme of the book is the holiness of God. In Isaiah 6:1-5 we read of Isaiah’s call to
his prophetic ministry, and there we read that Isaiah has a vision of the Lord
in which he sees the Lord high and lifted up, and subsequently he realizes his
own sinfulness and that he lives among a sinful people. All through the rest of the book you get the
feeling that Isaiah never forgot that vision of the Lord and of his own
sinfulness.
1.6.1.1.Isaiah’s
favorite title for the Lord is “The Holy One” or the “Holy One Of Israel.”
1.6.2.
Isaiah also emphasizes the Lord’s Messiah and
His coming kingdom.
1.6.3.
Isaiah deals with the kingliness of the Lord
but also that the Messiah would be the Servant of Jehovah, even the suffering
servant of Isaiah 50, 52, and 53.
1.6.4.
Isaiah emphasizes the future with the
Millennial Reign of Christ, as well as the new heavens and earth.
1.6.5.
Isaiah emphasizes that the Lord is creator
and ruler of His creation.
1.6.6.
Isaiah also emphasizes
1.6.7.
Isaiah emphasizes the importance of inner
righteousness and devotion to God from the heart, as we see that in the book he
writes that temples are worthless (65:1), sacrifices are worthless (1:11-13),
the observance of days is worthless (1:14), attendance at assemblies is
worthless (1:13), all that matters is purity of life and heart and obedience
(1:19), and righteousness and a poor and contrite spirit (66:2).
1.6.8.
Isaiah emphasizes that even more than the
nation of Israel turning away in their hearts from the Lord, what made their
wickedness the worst was that their was no justice and that they oppressed the
poor and needy whom they should have been available to help and minister to.
1.6.9.
Isaiah proclaims judgment that will come upon
the people for their rebellion against the Lord, however he is then always
quick to mention that this will be followed by restoration by the Lord. In other words, Isaiah always emphasizes that
the Lord always judges His people only with a view for their being disciplined
and chastised to later be restored.
1.6.9.1.Through
Isaiah the Lord appeals to the people to repent and avoid His judgment.
1.6.10.Isaiah
emphasized having true righteousness and zeal for the Lord. King Uzziah had reigned in
1.6.10.1.During
Uzziah’s reign, the king and the people had gradually gotten away from trusting
completely in the Lord and looking to Him to guide them. Instead, they had begun to look to man and
basically run the nation themselves.
Their religion had become external only, not from the heart, and they
had come to place sacrifice above obedience.
In other words, they went through the religious rites as if by rote,
however when it came to obedience and zeal for the Lord their hearts were not
there. Isaiah begins his writing in
chapter 1 of the book with the Lord telling the people that He cannot stand
their “solemn worship” services.
1.6.10.1.1.King
Uzziah was seeking what he thought was the best nation or nations with which he
could join in an alliance, as he was placing his security not in the Lord but
in man.
1.6.10.1.2.Isaiah’s
counsel to those who would seek their strength in man is that they should look
to the Lord and Him alone to be their strength, and that they should make no
foreign alliances. God would discomfit
their enemies.
1.6.10.2.Isaiah’s
initial theme to address was complacent religion.
2.
VS 1:1 - “1 The vision of Isaiah the son
of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem which he saw during the reigns of
Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” - Isaiah tells us that this
book came about as a result of a vision from the Lord, and of the kings under
whom he served as prophet
2.1.
Isaiah tells us who is father is,
‘Amoz’. This tells us that this is
Isaiah of Jerusalem who is the author of this book.
2.2.
The vision which Isaiah had was not really
concerning the rest of the world, rather it was concerning
2.3.
Isaiah tells us of four kings under which he
served in the prophetic office, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
2.3.1.
In Isaiah 6:1 we read that it was in the year
that Uzziah died in which Isaiah received his call to the prophetic
office. This would have occurred around
741BC.
2.3.2.
Jotham, the son of Uzziah, reign for 16 years
however interestingly Isaiah does not record any prophetic work or message
which he was involved in during that time.
2.3.3.
Ahaz was a very wicked king.
2.3.4.
Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz, however he was
a righteous man who served and sought the Lord.
Hezekiah did however not always rely as fully upon the Lord as he should
have done.
2.3.5.
Manasseh (not mentioned here) was the son of
Hezekiah, and he was a very wicked man.
Tradition has said that he had Isaiah sawn in two during his reign,
perhaps as late as nine years into it.
3.
VS 1:2-3 - “2 Listen, O heavens, and hear, O
earth; For the Lord speaks, “Sons I have
reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. 3 “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s
manger, But
3.1.
Isaiah’s prophesy from the Lord is to be
proclaimed to the heavens and the earth, for this word has come from the Lord
of all creation.
3.2.
God still calls
3.3.
Isaiah tells us that God’s people are
ignorant of their heritage as God’s people.
3.3.1.
They do not know the Lord.
3.3.2.
They do not understand the Lord’s ways.
3.4.
What heart break this must bring for the Lord
to have brought up sons who have turned away from their loving Father and do
not care to have Him in their life or know anything about Him…
3.4.1.
Earthly parents are devasted when their
children abandon and disown them.
4.
VS 1:4 - “4 Alas, sinful nation, People
weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act
corruptly! They have abandoned the Lord,
They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.” - Isaiah tells the nation of
4.1.
It was not that the people did not go to the
temple to sacrifice, and it was not that they did not pay their tithes, for all
of these things went on like clock-work in
4.2.
We don’t normally think of religious people
as being exceedingly sinful, yet in fact this is exactly how the Lord perceived
them. They were:
4.2.1.
A sinful nation
4.2.2.
People weighed down with iniquity.
4.2.3.
Offspring of evildoers.
4.2.4.
Sons who act corruptly.
4.3.
Here we see for the first time Isaiah’s
favorite title for the Lord, He is, “The Holy One of Israel.”
4.4.
It was against a holy God that the people had
sinned, and from whom they had turned away.
4.4.1.
Have you ever stopped to think that when you
sin that it is against the Lord that you have sinned. You may be doing something that hurts another
person, however it is against a holy God that you have transgressed, for all
sin is sin against the Lord.
5.
VS 1:5-6 - “5 Where will you be stricken
again, As you continue in your rebellion?
The whole head is sick, And the whole heart is faint. 6 From the sole of the foot even to the head
There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts, and raw wounds, Not pressed
out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil.” - Isaiah tells us about the spiritual condition
of the nation of
5.1.
Spiritually the people of
5.1.1.
A sick head would seem to perhaps be a
reference to “mental illness”. The
people’s thoughts are disorganized and disjointed as they are roaming all over
the earth fulfilling their own lusts, while at the same time they are convicted
in their consciences of their constant falling short of God’s standard of
holiness.
5.1.2.
A ‘faint heart’ would perhaps refer to the
fact that they have almost no pulse spiritually speaking. They are alive for there is a faint pulse,
however when it comes to really looking to the Lord and seeking to obey and be
His covenant people they are content just to have a form of religion in their
life. Spiritually they are right at the
door of death and all of it’s finality.
5.1.3.
The ‘bruises, welts, and raw wounds’ probably
refers to the consequences of their sins which they had been experiencing. Not relying upon the Lord and going on in
their own way is a very tough path with many stones in it, and there are many
hard knocks in life that a person sometime has to go through before he begins
to realize the importance of following the Lord with all of his heart.
5.1.4.
The nations wounds were exposed, bleeding,
and untreated. They had no bandages on
them and no oil for ointment to soften and aid in the healing of those wounds
(as was the practice in those days).
6.
VS 1:7-8 - “7 Your land is desolate, Your
cities are burned with fire, Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your
presence; It is desolation, as
overthrown by strangers. 8 And the daughter
of
6.1.
Isaiah drops his previous tone of
spiritualization and begins to speak directly and candidly about the condition
of the nation.
6.2.
With the nation not relying upon the Lord for
their strength there had been raids and attacks upon the cities and the harvest fields from those
who wanted to dominate or conquer them.
6.2.1.
These things have come about as a judgment or
chastening of the Lord against the nation.
6.2.1.1.The
scripture teaches us (Heb. 12) that the Lord will chastise (or discipline) any
sons or daughters which He has because of His love for them, just as a loving
parent will discipline their children so that the kids will grow up to be
people who do what is right.
6.2.2.
We do not know who the nations are that have
done these things, though many have speculated that it could have been the
Edomites, Philistines, or even the northern nation of Israel (although the word
‘strangers’ would seem to negate this possibility).
7.
VS 1:9 - “9 Unless the Lord of hosts Had
left us a few survivors, We would be like
7.1.
It must have been a shock for the proud Jews
in Judea to hear or read this prophesy of Isaiah, for Isaiah equates the
judgment that the people of Judea deserve and have been going through to the
horrible judgment of the people of Sodom and Gamorrah who because of their
extreme wickedness were destroyed by the Lord with fire and brimstone.
7.2.
The proud Jewish leaders must have become very
angry at Isaiah when they read or heard this prophetic word, for they still
wanted to believe that the were on a mission from God and fulfilling His plans
when this was not at all the case.
8.
VS 1:10-15 - “10 Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers of
8.1.
In stunning rebuke, and because of the
wickedness of the people in
8.2.
The peoples’ sacrifices were ‘multiplied’,
which means that they were externally going to the temple and offering as many
sacrifices as ever. However, the Lord wanted
the people’s to be worshipping Him from their hearts, but they were content to
just go to the temple and feel like they had done their duty and the Lord ought
to appreciate them for after all they were the chosen people of God.
8.3.
Sacrifices of any kind, regardless of their
expense or quantity are not appreciated by the Lord if the person has not set
the Lord to be first in his life.
8.3.1.
If a person has not placed the Lord on the
throne of his life, then going to church, giving to the church, having bake sales,
even going on missions trips or serving as pastor is not going to make his life
right in God’s sight. Anything short of
Lordship makes our lives an abomination in God’s sight.
8.3.2.
In 1 Samuel chapter 15 we read about the Lord
telling Saul to go and to utterly destroy the Amelekites, including all of the
men, women, children, sheep, oxen, etc.
However, Saul went out and destroyed the Amelekites but kept some of the
sheep, oxen and spoil from the battle, plus Saul did not kill the king but
captured him as prisoner. Then, the Lord
sent Samuel to rebuke Saul, and he told Saul that the Lord had rejected Saul
from being king because of his obedience.
Saul thought that he could probably offer sacrifices from some of the
sheep and oxen, and surely it wouldn’t hurt to get a little remuneration for
the men for their working hard in battle.
However, Samuel was sent to rebuke Saul, and in 1 Sam. 15:22-23, Samuel rebukes Saul telling him that
obedience is better than sacrifice, “22 And Samuel said, “Has
the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the
voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is
better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 “For rebellion is as the sin of
divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the
Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.””
8.4.
Isaiah tells us here that the Lord even hates
a worship service when those who are worshipping the Lord do not have their
hearts surrendered to the Lord.
8.5.
Isaiah tells us here that the Lord even hates
prayer that is lifted up with our hands to the Lord if our hearts are not right
with the Lord.
8.6.
The Lord tells the people through Isaiah to
stop their sacrificing and worshipping of the Lord, for doing what they are
doing is not at all pleasing to Him.
9.
VS 1:16-17 - “16 “Wash yourselves, make
yourselves clean; Remove the evil of
your deeds from My sight. Cease to do
evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless; Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.”” - Isaiah tells the nation of
9.1.
Isaiah tells the people to ‘wash themselves’
and ‘make themselves clean’ not
because it is in their own power to cleanse themselves from their sins, but
because the must make a choice of their own free-will to repent. Cleansing will occur, through the Messiah who
would come some day and His work being applied retroactively into time, when
the people repent and turn to the Lord.
9.2.
When Isaiah tells the people to ‘cease evil,
learn to do good’, he is referring to both sins of omission and sins of
commission.
9.2.1.
Sins of commission are those things that we
do which are in direct violation of one of God’s laws.
9.2.2.
Sins of omission are those things that we
fail to do that are part of our commission by the Lord. For instance, we are called to preach the
gospel to the whole world, however if we will not speak up about our faith and
commitment to the Lord we have sinned.
9.2.2.1.We
should be people who are always trying to learn more about the Lord and his
ways.
9.3.
We see here that what is most grievous about
the sins of the people is how they affect those who are poor, weak, and
helpless: ‘Seek justice, reprove the
ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.’
10.
VS 1:18-20 - “18 “Come now, and let us reason
together,” Says the Lord, “Though your
sins are as scarlet, They will be as
white as snow; Though they are red like
crimson, They will be like wool. 19 “If
you consent and obey, You will eat the
best of the land; 20 “But if you refuse
and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.”
Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” - The Lord through Isaiah asks the people to
reason with Him, for if they repent He will forgive their sins, cleanse them
and restore their land
10.1.
Isaiah shows us that the Lord never judges
any people without first offering them an alternative. The Lord takes no pleasure in punishing the
wicked. He would much rather restore
them, forgive their sins, and call them sons and daughters.
10.2.
Using contrasts through word pictures, Isaiah
describes how the Lord can remove a person’s sins.
10.2.1.Our
sins stick out and are as obvious before the Lord as the color crimson stands
out. However, if we will let the Lord
cleanse us He will make our hearts to be as white as big white snow flakes
falling from the sky.
10.2.2.Our
sins are red as crimson, yet if we will let the Lord cleanse us from our sins
He shall cleanse us so that our hearts are as pure as soft wool from the lamb.
10.3.
Isaiah uses contrasts to reveal God will
either bless or curse the nation
10.3.1.If
the people will repent the Lord promises that He will see that they will eat
the best of the land, whereas now their enemies had burned their fields and
crops.
10.3.2.If
the people instead choose to rebel against the Lord, He will see that they will
be devoured by the sword. Enemies will
come and conquer their land.
10.3.2.1.We
know that many years later
10.4.
Isaiah tells us that the Lord had verified
that these are His words saying, “Truly!”