John N. Oswalt, Isaiah: The New Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), 19.
The book of Isaiah is the third longest in the Bible, after Jeremiah and Psalms. It is also the most frequently cited Old Testament book in the New Testament, with 194 passages that quote or allude to it. These references cover 54 of Isaiah’s 66 chapters. Due to its deep insights into the person of Christ, some scholars have called Isaiah the “fifth gospel.”
Isaiah may have been an aristocrat, because it was easy for him to access the kings of Israel (Isa. 7:3; 37:21-22). At the same time that Isaiah was serving as a prophet, Amos and Hosea prophesied in the North, and Micah prophesied in Judah. Isaiah prophesied almost exclusively in Jerusalem—over at least a 34-year span.
He served from 740 BC to 687 BC, through the reigns of King Uzziah (~740 BC) to King Hezekiah (~716-687 BC). Uzziah’s reign was peaceful, because the Assyrians were dormant at this time. Later, however, three kings were more ambitious in attacking Judah (e.g. Shalmaneser, Sargon II, and Sennacherib). The Jewish kings had to deal with these military forces, and Isaiah served as a spiritual counselor to multiple kings throughout this turbulent period in Israel’s history. Because of Isaiah’s influence, the southern kingdom (Judah) lasted a full 100 years longer than the northern kingdom (Israel).
Authorship of Isaiah. While the book of Isaiah claims to be written in the 8th century B.C. (739-681 B.C.) by “Isaiah son of Amoz” (Isa. 1:1; 2:1; c.f. Is. 7:3), higher critics of the OT claim that it was written in multiple parts by multiple people (“Second Isaiah” and “Third Isaiah”). We reject this spurious view.
Isaiah’s audience was primarily Judah and Jerusalem (Isa. 1:1). However, he also addressed the surrounding Pagan nations (see chapters 13-23, 46-48). During the time that Isaiah wrote this book, Assyria was in power, reigning from 900 to 609 BC.
It’s easy for the reader to trust in God when reading the book, but picture yourself there at the time. John Oswalt writes, “The nation of Assyria was the single most prominent force, both politically and militarily, in the ancient Near East.” Imagine trying to trust God’s word and his prophet when the Nazi’s were looming on the horizon—ready to invade. It would have been frightening to trust God in this era of history, as the fiercest army known to man was ready to invade borders of Israel.
Israel is not God’s Servant (Isaiah 1-5). Isaiah opens his book demonstrating that the nation of Israel is not God’s Servant (see “The Servant Songs”). The nation is filled with sinful unbelief. Isaiah uses the language of a court of law to describe God’s indictment of the nation—what has been called a pretrial “arraignment” where the prosecution reads the charges and the defendant gives his plea. This introduction explains why God would judge the nation.
God calls Isaiah as a prophet (Isaiah 6). Before Isaiah explained his calling, he wanted to show the depravity of Israel and the dire circumstances that led him to come to God. Without this historical backdrop, Isaiah’s calling wouldn’t have made as much sense. When we understand the sinfulness of Israel and the sinfulness of Isaiah himself (Isa. 6:5), it makes God’s calling all the more gracious.
How will God respond to the wicked nation? He describes the coming of the future Messiah, who will one day bring justice to the nation and the world (Isaiah 7-12). Earlier, Isaiah illustrated the nation’s corruption (chs. 1-5), and he also acknowledged his own shortcomings (ch. 6). The question then arises: who can rescue the nation? Chapters 7 through 12 form a cohesive literary unit that answers this question.
A clue is offered at the close of Isaiah 6: “The holy seed will be the stump in the land” (Isa. 6:13). In this section, Isaiah begins to unfold more details about the coming “seed”—the King Messiah—who will bring restoration.
Isaiah starts by describing the miraculous birth of this figure, leading the people to call him “God is with us” (Isa. 7:14). He then identifies this figure as “Mighty God” (Isa. 9:6-7), and ultimately, he foretells that this figure will establish God’s kingdom on Earth (Isa. 11). Throughout these chapters, the portrait of the Messiah emerges step-by-step, offering the solution to the nation’s woes presented in chapters 1-6.
After describing his glorious messianic kingdom, God describes how all other kingdoms will fall under his judgment (Isaiah 13-23). In Isaiah’s day, the Assyrian King Sennacherib cast his frightening shadow over the city of Jerusalem. Sennacherib had already conquered the northern nation of Israel. With Assyria banging on the gates of Jerusalem, it would be tempting to turn to the surrounding military powers for help in fighting Assyria.
Wrong move. Isaiah argues that it is foolish and futile to look to these nations for help, when God is going to judge them as well. This military and political background becomes clear in the narratives of Ahaz’s failure (Isa. 7) and Hezekiah’s success (Isa. 36-39). Ahaz refuses to trust in God’s help, while Hezekiah is a king who trusts God. Through these narratives, we learn that lesson that God is the only true source of protection.
God will judge the nations in the short term (Isaiah 13-23), and he will judge the world in the long term (Isaiah 24-27). This section has been called “Isaiah’s Apocalypse,” because Isaiah describes the end of the world. Indeed, the only mention of a local territory refers to Mount Zion and Jerusalem (Isa. 24:23). God will judge kings as well as angels and demons in this final judgment (Isa. 24:21).
Isaiah returns to the military crisis facing Judah. With the looming threat of Assyria at the gates of Jerusalem, will the people turn to Egypt or to God? (Isaiah 28-35) After giving a description of the end of the world and the ultimate destruction of the pagan nations, Isaiah writes a polemic against trusting in these nations. He continues to dismantle the desire to trust in these surrounding nations. These chapters “should be considered a subunit within the long literary unit that began in 13:1.”
The “key issue in chapters 28-35 is whether Judah, and in particular its leaders, will rely on Egypt or on the Lord in the face of the growing threat posed by the ever-increasing power of Assyria.” In the center of this section, Isaiah writes, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD” (Isa. 31:1).
Hezekiah’s battle of belief (Isaiah 36-39). Isaiah pauses his prophetic message to include several chapters of narrative, following a pattern he established earlier in chapters 6-7 and 20. This moment has been foreshadowed throughout the entire book.
In these chapters, Isaiah details the advance of Sennacherib—king of Assyria—as he moves to attack Judah. How will Hezekiah—the king of Judah—will respond to this real and present danger of Assyria? For those familiar with the unfolding story, the anticipated answer seems clear: “Trust in God!” Yet, the tension remains: Will Hezekiah waver in the face of this looming crisis (like Ahaz in chapter 7) or will he stand firm in faith?
Hezekiah almost listened to his court advisors instead of Isaiah. But, in the end, Isaiah’s counsel—much of which is in this section—talked some theological sense into the mind and soul of the great king. These chapters are almost identical to 2 Kings 18-20. It is unclear of who borrowed from whom—though Grogan (p.223) and Webb (p.156) hold that Isaiah wrote this first.
After the exile, the Jewish people needed encouragement from God (Isaiah 40-48). Chapter 39 ended on an ominous note: Isaiah predicted to Hezekiah that Babylon would plunder Judah and make Hezekiah’s heirs eunuchs. All of this happened during the Babylonian Exile.
Imagine being an ancient Jewish person living after the Babylonian Exile. In the ancient world, people believed that their gods would win wars for them. Because the Babylonians overtook Judah, the people must’ve thought that God had either abandoned them or that he wasn’t as powerful as the foreign deities. This explains why Isaiah goes to great lengths to explain how all idols are worthless, and God is the only true God (Isa. 45:5). This section has been called, “The Battle with the False Gods.”
God will heal the nation and the world through his Servant (Isaiah 49-55). In chapters 40-48, the people of Israel are called God’s “servant.” However, they don’t act like God’s servant to the nations. They still bring accusations against God and doubt his goodness. In this section, God reveals his true “Servant” who will bring the nations to faith in Yahweh.
God will rule the world (Isaiah 56-66). Isaiah predicted the rise of the Messiah in chapter 7-12, and he predicted the rise of the Servant in chapters 42-53. As it turns out, this is the same person: Jesus Christ. In this final section, he rules and reigns on Earth, inaugurating the Millennium and the New Heavens and Earth.
Isaiah uses the language of a court of law to describe God’s indictment of the nation—what has been called a pretrial “arraignment” where the prosecution reads the charges and the defendant gives his plea. This introduction explains to the reader why God would judge the nation.
Read “Introduction to Isaiah” and “Authorship of Isaiah”
Read “Understanding the Prophets” and “Understanding Hebrew Poetry.” Use this material to interpret Isaiah 1-2 (Israel is NOT God’s Servant)
Isaiah 6 (Isaiah’s Calling)
Isaiah 7-8 (Ahaz’s Failure)
Isaiah 9-11 (God’s Plan of Redemption)
Isaiah 13, 24-27 (Judgment and God’s Kingdom)
Isaiah 37-39 (Hezekiah’s Success: Make sure to compare Hezekiah with Ahaz)
Isaiah 40-48 (Pick important passages—The theme is “The Great Deliverance of Israel”—Emphasize how God is going to rescue his people through King Cyrus.)
“The Servant Songs” (Read these passages and ask: “What can we learn about the Servant from these passages?”) Read “The Servant Songs” for yourself if you want commentary on these passages for yourself as the teacher.
Isaiah 55-66 (“The Greater Deliverance.” This explains God’s complete spiritual deliverance through Christ, to all people in the future Millennium and New Heaven and New Earth)
John N. Oswalt, Isaiah: The New Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), 19.
This is similar to Hosea 4 and Micah 6. Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 1-39, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, The New American Commentary (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007), 93.
Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 1-39, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, The New American Commentary (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007), 468.
Barry Webb, The Message of Isaiah: On Eagles’ Wings, ed. J. A. Motyer and Derek Tidball, The Bible Speaks Today (England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996), 116.
This is similar to Hosea 4 and Micah 6. Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 1-39, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, The New American Commentary (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007), 93.
James is an elder at Dwell Community Church, where he teaches classes in theology, apologetics, and weekly Bible studies.
