Intro to Isaiah and chapters 1-6

The book of Isaiah was written by the prophet Isaiah. He ministered in Israel and Judah. After Israel was taken over by the Assyrians, he continued to minister only in Judah. He was the prophet during the reign of 4 different kings. 

The name Isaiah means Salvation of the Lord. It is a perfect name for him, because as you will see, He speaks a lot about Jesus, even though Jesus wouldn't even be born for another 700 years. 

The book of Isaiah and the book of Jeremiah are the two longest books in the bible. He has a lot to say about the poor and the people who are being controlled by evil judges and the government. He also talks a lot about the holiness of God. Do you know what the word holy means? It means set apart. So God is set apart from any other idol that the people worshipped. He is the only true God. When He asks us to be holy, just as He is holy, (1 Peter 1:16) He wants us to be set apart for Him. To obey Him and trust Him and not act like everyone else.

Isaiah was a faithful and bold prophet of God. He spoke very specifically about Jesus, the coming Messiah and about His justice, His promises to Israel, His life and death, and His majesty. Isaiah also told of God’s judgment on The Israelites as they continued to turn from Him. However, Isaiah understood not only God’s judgment but also His salvation, mercy, grace, and compassion. He told of these things and confirmed God’s promise that His people would not be completely destroyed.

In Chapter 2, Isaiah tells the Israelites how He chose them and had a perfect plan for them, but that they turned from Him and worshipped idols. God mentions how prideful the Israelites were 10 times in this chapter, so pride is one of their main sins. God says that he "Opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (1 Peter 5:5) He warned the people through Isaiah that judgement for their acts of prideful disobedience was coming. 

Chapter 3 is more about judgement, specifically Jerusalem. And how God himself will make sure that they have no food and water. This may seem a bit harsh, but when we turn from God, He will "take away" anything that will keep us from Him. The Israelites were so self reliant, that they thought they didn't need God anymore. We can get that way sometimes. When we get comfortable because we live in a house, we have clothes to wear and food everyday, we can think to ourselves. "I'm doing pretty good on my own." 

In Chapter 4 God, speaking through Isaiah, Gives hope to the Israelite survivors. He mentions the "Branch of the Lord", which means Jesus. Jesus is the Great Hope. He ends chapter four saying that He will be a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain. "He is our refuge and our shelter" (Psalm 92:1)

Chapter 5 begins with a story about a vineyard. The vineyard is Israel, and Isaiah tells how God cleared a way for the Israelites. Then they turned from Him. God is reminding the people that He chose them and He worked everything together for their sake. But now He tells of more judgement because they turned from Him. 

Chapter 6 takes a turn and Isaiah tells about a day when he saw the Lord sitting on a throne. H was surrounded by angels who kept praising God saying "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord of hosts. The earth is full of your glory!" The earth shook and Isaiah trembled. "I am not worthy to even be here here! I am a sinner! How can I, a man of unclean lips be here before the King of Kings?" Then one of the angels took a hot coal and touched it to Isaiah's lips and declared him cleansed of his sins. Then God asked Isaiah, "who shall I send to the kings with my message?" Isaiah responded. "Send me Lord!". God wants to use us.  Timothy 2:21 says if we are cleansed from our sins and keep ourselves pure, then we can be useful tools in His hands. Wouldn't that be amazing to be used by God! 

Next Time, Isaiah goes before the kings.