Isaiah Introduction/Chapter 1/Commentary

Isaiah Introduction/Chapter 1 Introduction: The Hebrew name “Isaiah” means “Jehovah is salvation”, and Isaiah himself lived in Jerusalem with his wife and at least two sons (Isaiah 7:3; 8:3). He spoke during the reigns of four kings of Judah, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, for a period of some forty to sixty years, in the later half of the 8 th century B.C. (c.

739-683 B.C.). The years surrounding his ministry were years filled with both political and religious upheaval. The Northern kingdom of Israel, which had been going deeper and deeper into idolatry, would fall to the Assyrian Empire in 722 B.C.. Assyria was the pagan nation being used as an instrument of God’s wrath to punish His people for their unfaithfulness (Isaiah 10:5ff; 2 Kings 17). During the reign of Hezekiah (716-687 B.C.), Judah joined a coalition against Assyria led

by Tyre and Egypt. As a result in 701 B.C. , Sennacherib invaded Palestine, the account of his campaign against Judah is recorded in 2 Kings 18:3-19:37 and in Isaiah chapters 36-37. During this time 46 Judean cities were sacked and thousands of prisoners were taken, Jerusalem was also threatened, but through the prayers of Hezekiah and Isaiah, the city was saved and the Assyrians were destroyed.

There will be four Assyrian invasions into Israel during the lifetime of Isaiah: The Syro-Ephraimite War 734 B.C.: Isaiah 7 (Tiglath-Pilser) Fall of Samaria 722 B.C.: 2 Kings 17 (Shalmaneser) Ashdod Rebellion 711 B.C.: Isaiah 20 (Sargon) Siege of Jerusalem, 701 B.C.: Isaiah 38-39 (Sennacherib) “As Assyria loomed on the eastern horizon, so Egypt was a mighty force to the south. Judah was thus sandwiched between two powerful pagan forces.

Languishing in the shadows of these ever-threatening empires, Judah was inclined to form alliances for her protection (Isaiah 30:1ff; 31:1ff; 36:6). The Lord’s people desperately needed to learn, therefore, that ‘Jehovah is salvation’—protection derives from Him, not from military alliances. This point is forcefully stressed in this great book” (Isaiah, Jackson, p. 2).

From the very first chapter we will get an ear-full of the corrupt moral conditions during Isaiah’s lifetime. “Corrupt government, land-grabbing, extortion were the 1

order of the day. Luxury and laziness settled like a warm blanket over many.

Drunkenness and sexual immorality were common. Too, pure religion was fading rapidly. Rather than influencing their neighbors with the lofty concept of the one, true, and holy God, the Hebrews were playing the harlot with the idolaters of that region. Even the leaders of the people were given to lust, greed, and drunken feasts. When the Creator needed a man for this hour, the prophet was there with the noble response, ‘Here am I; send me’” (6:8)” (Jackson p. 3).

Isaiah and Unbelieving Scholars Due to the fact that many theologians do not believe that the Scriptures are the inspired word of God (2 Timothy 3:16), and thus there is no such thing as predictive prophecy, it has been argued that Isaiah did not really write most of the book that bears his name. “When a book of the Bible contains a specific prediction, the most common explanation given by people of this type (rationalistic, unbelieving, denying the supernatural), is that it is not really a prediction, but must have been written at a later time than commonly supposed, in the period of the predicted event or afterward. Isaiah contains some very specific predictive prophecies. One of the noteworthy ones is the mention of the name of Cyrus, the Persian king, in chapters 44 and 45. A rationalistic critic would not admit that Isaiah could have named Cyrus two centuries before Cyrus lived” (Martin p. 14). Thus, such critics deny that God either exists or that He speaks. Modern critics have generally supposed that the book falls into three parts. Chapters 1-39 which contains the core of Isaiah’s ethical teaching.

Chapters 40-54, they argue, was written by some unknown scribe in Babylon about 549-538 B.C.. And an anonymous writer likewise wrote chapters 55-66 in the fifth century B.C. Of course, all of this is without any proof, and is contrary to the facts: 

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (1947), which contains Isaiah, argues against the above theory. For example, chapter 40 (allegedly written by a different author), begins on the very last line of a column that contains chapter 38, verse 9, through chapter 39, verse 8. Obviously, the scribe who copied this manuscript of Isaiah did not believe that Isaiah chapter 40 was the beginning of a completely different work, by a different author.

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“The New Testament quotes more from the book of Isaiah than all other prophecies combined. There are 308 quotations from, or references to Isaiah, and these involve forty-seven of the sixty-six chapters. The prophet is cited by name twenty-one times and all three of the so-called divisions are credited to him. For example, in John 12:37-41, the apostle quotes from Isaiah chapter 53, and also from chapter 6, in the same breath, citing Isaiah as the author of both passages” (Jackson p. 5).

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Therefore, such critics are not merely arranging themselves against the Old Testament, Isaiah, or the New Testament, the fundamental issue is that such a doubter is arranging himself against Jesus Christ. Jesus said Isaiah spoke from God. That settles the issue.

Outline of the Book: The book does easily fall into three divisions: Chapters 1-39 deal with the coming judgments from God; punishment upon Judah and Jerusalem for their sins, and also upon Israel, Moab, Edom, Damascus, Babylon, Assyria, Tyre, Ethiopia, and Egypt, indicating that all people are accountable to God and His moral standards.

Chapters 36-39 contain a historical interlude in which the invasion of Judah by the Assyrian commander Sennacherib is detailed, as well as the account of Hezekiah’s illness, recovery, the visit of the Babylonian king, and Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming of Babylonian captivity.

Chapters 40-66 focus upon the theme of comfort from God. Here are predictions of the return from captivity, and the coming of the Messiah. In addition, in this section, God challenges all false gods to do something and prove their existence.

Isaiah and Tradition: “Ancient tradition maintains that Isaiah was put to death by Hezekiah’s son and successor, the wicked Manasseh, even telling us that he was killed by being ‘sawn asunder’. Some that thought that the allusion to this dreadful form of martyrdom in Hebrews 13:17 is a reference to Isaiah, but of course we have no way of knowing” (Isaiah, Alfred Martin, p. 11).

Isaiah and the Messiah: We will find many details about the Messiah and His kingdom in his book (chapters 2,7,9,11,53). Here God leaves the unbelieving critics in the dust. Such critics often try to argue that the Old Testament predictions were written either shortly before an event that anyone would see coming, or after it, yet the book of Isaiah was in existence centuries before Jesus was born and Isaiah gave us many specific details about His life, death, burial, and resurrection (read chapter 53). It was translated into Greek around 280 B.C., and copies of Isaiah in the Dead Sea Scrolls date one to two hundred years before Christ.

Chapter One: 1:1 “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem which he saw”:

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“The opening verse is really the divinely inspired title of the book. It is called the ‘vision’ which Isaiah ‘saw’. This indicates supernatural revelation. We do not know precisely how God gave the message to Isaiah, but the wording makes it plain that Isaiah did not originate that which follows; he ‘saw’ it, that is, he received it by supernatural prophetic perception (2 Peter 1:21). The message concerns the Southern Kingdom primarily, and the capital city, Jerusalem, is singled out as being representative of the kingdom as a whole. When we realize that the kingdom of Judah was ruled by descendents of David and that the temple worship was located there, we can realize more clearly the awfulness of the apostasy and the force of the indictment which God brings against the nation” (Martin p. 25).

1:2 “Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth”: The call to the heavens and earth reminds us of Deuteronomy 32. The entire creation is called upon to bear witness of the truthfulness and accuracy of God’s complaint against His people.

“Sons I have reared and brought up, but they have revolted against Me”: “In spite of all God’s blessings upon His people, in spite of the special privileges which He has given them, these children have rebelled against Him” (Martin p.

25).

1:3 “The ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master’s manger”: “They are worse, far worse, than the ox and the donkey, two domesticated animals that are noted for their stupidity and stubbornness” (Martin pp. 25-26). Even such brute beasts recognize “home” and the source of their blessings, but the Israelites are not even this perceptive. Compare with Hosea 11:1-7.

1:4 “Their sin is not a passing thing, it was a habitual state” (Martin p. 26). For the first time in the book, God is called “The Holy One” of Israel. “As the Holy One He could not but be provoked by the exceeding sinfulness of the people” (p.

26). Notice the descriptive terms in this verse: The nation is “weighed down” with sin, that is, sin does take a toll on the mind, heart, motivation, and will. It is a heavy burden. The nation has become so corrupt that one wicked generation is proceeding another, and they are only breeding evil. They have completely abandoned God and treated Him with contempt.

1:5 Yet God had not abandoned them, He pleads with them to see their true condition, and asks why they would continue on a path that only results in punishment. “The conditions described in these verses are a beginning of the fulfillment of the curses pronounced upon Israel for disobedience, as recorded in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 and 29” (Martin p. 26). Notice how such sin and rebellion have corrupted the mind and heart of the nation. True wisdom and critical thinking are under siege as well as true love, the right use of emotions, compassion, courage, conviction, and will.

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1:6 The entire nation is likened to a body full of sores from head to foot. Here is God’s view of what a nation becomes when it abandons Him. It is not progressive, intelligent, compassionate, healthy, or enlightened. It is putrid, diseased, loathsome, and sick.

1:7 Here Isaiah might be speaking in the prophetic perfect tense, that is announcing the Assyrian invasion of Judah as it if had already happened. Here is the end result of such moral corruption if there is no repentance. In addition, some of this plundering may have already happened.

1:8 “Instead of being the stronghold of God in the midst of a land flowing with milk and honey, the people of Zion stood desolate as a frail booth in the midst of a vineyard, weak and shaken by the wind, or as a temporary hut in a cucumber garden” (Isaiah, Hailey pp. 38-39). Compare with Micah 6:13-16.

1:9 Yet God will not bring utter destruction as He did on Sodom and Gomorrah, although their sins are enough to warrant it. Isaiah knew that God’s destruction upon Sodom and Gomorrah had been a historical event, and Paul will quote this verse in Romans 9:29. Although the nation deserved complete and total destruction for its sins, God will bring judgment, but not utter desolation, because of the few survivors or remnant. A remnant is needed to carry on and rebuild the nation after captivity, and be there when the Messiah comes. In like manner, though most of the Jews had rejected Christ in the first century, even so, a remnant would be saved through their obedience to the gospel (Romans 9:27; 11:5). “Even in the midst of spiritual desolation like unto Sodom and Gomorrah, the mercy of God had spared a remnant. Although Judah would go into captivity, a remnant would return (10:20-21); likewise under the Messiah a remnant would be saved (Romans 9:29). Jehovah will bring about the salvation of the redeemed and rescued of every age. Note, however, that they always compromise only a remnant—a small portion—never the whole” (Hailey p. 39).

1:10 “No doubt many in Judah protested that they did not deserve to be compared with those wicked cities of the plain (Genesis 19)” (Martin p. 26).

1:11-13 “While the nation might plead that they are the people of God and that sacrifices and worship are in abundance at the temple, such factors are nothing to God if they are hypocritical” (Hailey p. 39). Here we learn that God is offended when hypocrites offer Him worship, and that multiplied sacrifices cannot make up for sin that is not forsaken. Sacrifices alone, that is sacrifices without purity or obedience were vain (Psalm 51:16-17; 1 Samuel 15:22).

1:14 God had commanded such things as the appointed feasts, but because unrepentant sinners were observing such things, they were now an abomination to Him. Please note that bible study, prayer, attendance, and observing the Lord’s Supper cannot make up for refusing to repent. God is weary, of even bearing with such hypocrisy.

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1:15 God will not listen to their prayers, even when they pray without ceasing, because their hands were stained with blood; that is, the blood of other men; they were oppressors and murderers. 1:16 Even at this late stage, God is still merciful and is willing to give them one more chance to repent. Repentance here demands the cessation of evil, one must actually put away their evil doings. 1:17 In addition, repentance also has a positive side, “Learn to do good”, and “Seek justice”. Such would be the fruits of genuine conversion (Acts 26:20). Notice that “good” is something that can be learned even by hardened sinners. “Doing well is: being just and seeing that justice is given. Repentance is surrender; a change of thinking, willing, acting; a life directed toward the will of God as revealed in His Word” (Isaiah, Butler, p. 77).

1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together”: God urges the nation to act with reason, and notice that God knows that even sinners can make the decision to think correctly. “The Lord forces none to obey Him. His call is one that enjoins man to ‘reason’ or give consideration to the immutability of God’s word. All who reject Him suffer condemnation, but those who obey have the blessed assurance of forgiveness” (Harkrider p. 11). To repent and obey God is the “reasonable” thing to do! Compare with (1 Corinthians 15:34; Romans 1:21-22; 2 Peter 2:1013). “In the light of the historically established evidence and the pragmatic proof of the commandments and promises of God’s Word, unbelief is irrational, unreasonable, and immoral. Only God knows where man came from, what man’s purpose in existing is, and what man’s destiny is. All other thinking about these ultimates, unless conformed to God’s revealed thinking, is irrational and untrue” (Butler p. 79). Sin is irrational, because it is the violation of what is true (John 17:17).

1:18 Notice God’s gracious offer of salvation to people who had spurned Him. Their sins were many and dark, yet complete forgiveness is offered. “Israel could give no defense, but God extended grace to her” (Martin p. 27). “The two colors, scarlet and crimson, very nearly the same, refer to the deep-dyed or double-dyed condition wrought by sin. Here it describes the deep-seated nature of Judah’s sins” (Hailey p. 42). Their sins were not only many, but they had become deeply ingrained habits, yet even in such a desperate condition, the nation could change and be forgiven!

1:19 “If you consent and obey”: Even habitual sinners, sinners like those of Sodom and Gomorrah, can make the decision to change! Notice that God will not obey for them, and that God will not force or miraculously change them. “As at the beginning of the nation’s history (Deuteronomy 30:15,19), life and death are once more set before the people. 1:20 A refusal to repent would bring judgment, which would involve being overrun by the Babylonians, and being devoured by the sword. This promise or threat is absolutely sure, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it—and history confirms the fulfillment!

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Lament over Jerusalem 1:21 Jerusalem had once been a faithful city, but now in Isaiah’s time she had become a harlot (compare with Hosea 9:1; Deut. 31:16; James 4:4). “A profligate, sensual, mercenary city, worshipping idols. It was no longer wed to God, sharing His nature and His goals” (Butler p. 81). The city, once full of just and honorable people, was now filled with murderers. Notice how a city or culture can change (Jeremiah 18), and how morality and honesty can completely crumble within a generation (Judges 2:9). 1:22 “Israel’s silver, a symbol of purity, had become as the scum or slag thrown off from molten metal. Her wine that cheered the heart was diluted with water, and therefore greatly weakened” (Hailey p. 43). The idea is that the city had lost her strength, dignity, and value.

1:23 Here is a picture of a city or nation ripe for judgment. Corruption, dishonesty, and greed, permeate the culture from top to bottom. “The further a nation gets from God, the harder to find men with elements of greatness; faith, vision, initiative, moral integrity, humility, unselfishness. When a nation allows its young men to be taught unbelief and sin, its noble manhood is weakened to little men with enlarged egos—self-serving, greedy, drunk with the intoxication of their self-importance” (Butler p. 82).

1:24 As a result, God, the mighty and awesome God, will come in judgment.

Note that the unrepentant sinner is a burden to God. “He will ease Himself of His adversaries, that is, He will be comforted by relieving Himself of those who have distressed or troubled Him” (Hailey p. 43). God will “avenge Himself” in the sense that God will vindicate His own holiness and the righteousness of His rejected laws by coming in judgment. 1:25 The nation will not be completely destroyed, rather, the dross will be removed. “As one purifies metal in a fiery furnace, so in the furnace of judgment Jehovah will turn His hand upon the apostate people to thoroughly purge the dross, the scum, all the impurities that contaminate the true or pure metal” (Hailey p. 43). 1:26 This verse probably refers to the restoration of Jerusalem after the captivity, when such godly men like Ezra and Nehemiah returned.

1:27-31 Jerusalem will be restored, but unrepentant sinners, especially idolaters in the context will be punished. In addition, those who worshipped in sacred groves will be ashamed of their previous practices. The “oaks” or “groves” are references to pagan ceremonies (57:5; 65:3; 66:17). “There is more than a prophecy of the Babylonian captivity here; an eternal punishment for the wicked is previewed (Mark 9:47,48)” (Jackson p. 12). Notice that there will be everlasting shame upon those who choose to reject God in this life. Hell is not a place where people will be able to console themselves or others, rather, the embarrassment and absolute shame of living a sinful life will never end. Even the strongest and most self-assured sinner will be like dry tinder and will be consumed. Also note that God’s judgment will fall on places where people think they are “safe” from Divine wrath, i.e., the sacred groves.

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