INTRODUCTION
‘They have forsaken the Lord;
They have spurned the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him.’
(Isaiah 1:4b)
This verse from the first chapter sums up the problem that the book of Isaiah is all about. The people of both the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah) have rejected the Lord and chosen to follow other gods and to not put their trust in him. The question for Isaiah becomes, how can the Holy One of Israel dwell with a rebellious people?
As we read prophesy we should also be asking ourselves the question how does the Lord fulfill his promises in the short term, in the New Testament? And how will he fulfill them in the future?
These notes and prayer suggestions are designed to help you to read through the Bible in your own time. The studies are designed to take about 15mins to complete depending on the passage. It is best to read the passage first and then read the notes and questions. There are 43 readings in this series, depending on how many you do each week it should take you about 2 months to complete.
Context
As we read any book of the Bible it is important that we understand the context in which the book was written. This is particularly important as we read prophesy in the OT. This helps us to understand both what is being said in the book and to whom.
Isaiah was written during the reigns of the kings Uzziah (Azariah), Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, you can read about these kings in 2 Kings 15-20 and also 2 Chronicles 26-32. The book of Isaiah covers a period of about 40 years from late in Uzziah’s reign to late in Hezekiah’s reign (about 740-700BC).
During this time, Judah had been prosperous under King Uzziah and had for some time enjoyed some level of peace in the region. But Assyria to the north began to reassert its control over the region. The Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah) tried to shake off the control of the Assyrians along with other surrounding nations with the support of Egypt. Because of this, the Assyrians destroyed Israel and carried them off into exile scattering them among the other nations. This also led to the crisis during the reign of Hezekiah, when Sennacherib invaded Judah and laid siege to Jerusalem. It was into this difficult situation in which Judah found itself, and Isaiah spoke his words of prophesy.
Map of Assyria during the time of Sennacherib
Note: Notice how dominant the Assyrians were?
SECTION 1 THE LORD IS KING
Day 1
Isaiah’s Vision: Chapter 1
The opening chapter of Isaiah sets out a great vision in which all the Heavens and the Earth are to listen to what the Lord is saying (v2). This vision in the first chapter sets out what the rest of Isaiah is going to be about.
How are the people of the Lord described in this chapter? Who are they like? What things are they doing?
What is the offer that is made to the people of Israel by the Lord (v18-20)? How is it received? What will the Lord do?
The Lord (described as the Holy One of Israel v4) is one of the major themes of the book of Isaiah. The Lord is contrasted with his people, which leaves us with the question that occupies the rest of Isaiah, how can a Holy God dwell with a sinful people?
Today’s Prayer Suggestions
1. Pray that Ann Street Presbyterian will be a church that united in Christ, that we will be like minded having the same love, being one in spirit and in purpose and in humility, considering others better than ourselves.
2. Pray for wisdom as Linda McKerrell plans the mission exposure trip with OMF and Ann Street.
3. Good News Week with Glen Scrivener is not far away (August 10-17). Think of 3 people in your life who don't know Jesus and pray for courage to invite them to one of our GNW events with Glen.