Isaiah – By Johnny Ramsey

Outline

I. Introduction
__A. Background for Study
____1. Dead Sea Scrolls
____2. Isaiah’s message pertinent today
____3. Lectureship theme ably illustrated by Isaiah
__B. Key verses to show relationship
____1. Luke 4:17–21; Isaiah 61
____2. Isaiah 28; 40; 53; and 62

II. Discussion
__A. The establishment of the Church
____1. Isaiah 2
____2. Acts 2
__B. Isaiah’s message for Judah and Jerusalem
____1. Retribution for sin
____2. Salvation from sin
__C. Prophesied under four kings
____1. Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah
____2. Idolatry; weakness of the nation; strength of enemies
____3. Show the connection with 2 Kings 19
__D. Jehovah-based deity upon the accuracy of prophecies
____1. Three-fold purpose of the book:
______a. Warned of impending doom
______b. Glorious hope of the coming Messiah
______c. Prophetical gems
____2. Cyrus — Isaiah 44:28
____3. Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6 in fruition in Matthew 1:189-23
__E. Jesus and David and Premillenialism
__F. Misused Passages

III. Conclusion
___A. The Deliverer Out of Zion
___B. Isaiah 59 and Romans 11
___C. The Unfathomable Love of God!

Introduction

We are thankful that the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the Spring of 1947. This tremendous archaeological find has caused the book of Isaiah to be read and more carefully considered. For this the world has been blessed. Bible students have focused their attention upon the great Messianic prophet. From the 66 chapters of this eloquent treatise precious and practical lessons come forth for men today. Isaiah’s message for Judah and Jerusalem is, in many ways, just as real and moving and needful for today as it was in the seventh century before Christ.

The theme of this series of lectures is: “The glory of God and the salvation of man through Jesus Christ.” Perhaps better than any other Old Testament book, Isaiah emphasizes this thesis. Let us notice a passage in Luke 4:17–21 to illustrate the point. Here we find Jesus in the synagogue of Nazareth on the Sabbath day immediately following the temptation by Satan:

“And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had open the book, he found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’ And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all of them that were in the synagogue were fastened upon him. And he began to say to them, ‘This day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears’”.

This quotation, from Isaiah chapter 61, was used later by Jesus to prove to the friends of John the Immerser that He was the Messiah (Matthew 11:1–6). Thus we see that the book of Isaiah ably emphasizes our theme–the glory of God and the salvation of man through Jesus Christ. The great prophet Isaiah stressed the world’s need for a Savior. In the New Testament there are 43 times that we find quotations from Isaiah. Four of the most important links between the Messianic prophet and the unveiling of the scheme of redemption are found in Isaiah 28, 40, 53, and 62. These passages deal with the Savior as the rejected cornerstone of the great salvation; the work of John as the Lord’s preparer; the One bruised for our iniquities; and the giving of the divine name once the Gentiles were ushered into God’s grace. You will find these fulfillments in 1 Peter 2, Mark 1, Acts 8, and Acts 11. Let us notice them at this time. In Isaiah 28:16 we find these words: “Therefore thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, I tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: he that believes shall not make haste.” In 1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 6, the inspired writer uses this striking statement and refers to Christ Jesus the Lord. By comparing Ephesians 2:20; Matthew 16:18; Psalm 118:22, and Acts 4:10-12, we glean the sweet truth that even though Jesus was rejected by the people of His day, He nonetheless was the chief cornerstone in God’s eternal purpose! He was indeed a sure, a tried, a precious foundation.

In Isaiah 40 we read a one who would cry in the wilderness: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” As a result of his work, every obstacle would be removed so that the Messiah’s glory might be revealed. The prophet tersely reminded his audience that such would surely be “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.” In the first division of Mark’s account of the gospel, we rejoice to read: “As it is written in the prophets, ‘Behold I send my messenger before your face, which shall prepare your way before you.’ The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare you the way of the Lord, make his path straight.’ John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sin.” This link between Isaiah and the Messiah is often minimized. However, John the Baptizer was truly one of the greatest servants Jehovah used in the unfolding of his process for salvation. But now we come to the jewel of them all. Gospel preachers, devoted students of the scripture, every lover of Jesus is familiar with Isaiah 53:3–7. Clearly one of the most poignant passages, looking forward to the Anointed One of God, is recorded therein. To the most hardened skeptic the unerring fulfillment of these words in the trial, crucifixion, and burial of the Lamb of God causes the world to exclaim, “Isaiah 53 is simply history written before it happened!” We would be unwise, however, should we limit the power of Christ’s death to mere historical events. Philip, an evangelist of the Lord in the first century, used Isaiah 53 as his text in a soul–saving sermon. Isaiah had first been inspired to pen these words as a hope–bringing message to a degenerate, worldly segment of Judaism.

Shall we read again this gem of prophetical pathos? “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep are gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted; yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.” It is significant that Acts 8:35 informs us that Philip began at the same scripture and preached unto the Ethiopian – Christ! The book of Isaiah certainly stresses the glory of God and the salvation of man through Jesus Christ. In the first two verses of Isaiah 62 we read the following: “For Zion sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof goes forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burns. And the Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory: and you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name him.” According to the tenth chapter of Acts, the Gentiles were recipients of the righteousness that had gone forth from Jerusalem through the gospel of Christ. Peter, the servant of Christ who served as the preacher at the dwelling place of Cornelius in Caesarea, had to defend the admission of the Gentiles into the grace of God. This defense is recorded and Acts 11. In verse 26 of Acts 11 we read “that the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” Here is the new name. It was divinely given. It was a new name “which the mouth of the Lord” named. Since we learn in 1 Peter 4:16 that we glorify God through the name Christian, we see in Isaiah 62 another link in the chain of prophecy and fulfillment. There is a thread that runs so true in the great book of Isaiah. That clearly woven pattern can be summed up in one word – Messiah.

Discussion

Another very familiar passage from Isaiah is found in the second chapter, the first four verses. There we read of the mountain of the Lord’s house to be established in Jerusalem in the last days. All nations would flow into it. The law of Jehovah would emanate from Jerusalem. As we read 1 Timothy 3:15, we learn that the house of the Lord is none other than the church of God. In Acts 2 we are informed as to the beginning date for God’s spiritual house or family (Hebrews 3:1-6; Ephesians 3:15). The minute details of Isaiah 2 are all accounted for – Jerusalem, the last day, the law of the Lord, all nations represented. Once again we come face-to-face with our theme: “The glory of God and the salvation of man through Jesus Christ.”

It is a real temptation to consume all of our time on this line of presentation. And we well may. But to do so would be to overlook the message Isaiah had for the people of his day. We must give some energy to the contents of the book itself. If we remember that Jehovah’s true voice to His people was the prophet, we can best appreciate the burden of Isaiah. His job was that of speaking to Judah for God. His message, authority, and purpose were all wrapped up in the one cardinal precept – doing the will of Heaven. To read the book of Isaiah is to realize that this great spokesman was intensely devoted to his task. When the Lord wished to convey the idea of captivity to His people “Isaiah walked naked and barefoot for three years for a sign and a wonder” (Isaiah 20:3). When someone was needed to serve the Lord, the prophet, in a deep, moving, worshipful refrain exclaimed: “Here am I, send me” (Isaiah 6:8). When the exceeding great sinfulness of sin needed to be emphasized, the prophet stated that the sins and iniquities of the Israelites had caused alienation between themselves and God (Isaiah 59:1–2). On the same subject in a most graphic setting we hear Isaiah speak: “The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest. Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, says my God to the wicked” (Isaiah 57:20–21). And yet, with familiar clarity, in addition to the passages directly dealing with the Deliverer who would one day come out of Zion, we read in Isaiah 1:18 these stirring promises: “Come now and let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” This passage always reminds me of Revelation 1:5 which tells us of the love of Jesus and the precious truth that men are washed from their sins in His own blood!

Isaiah prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. His work was on behalf of Judah and its capital city Jerusalem. He came up on the scene just as Assyria was at its peak of power. The overthrow of Israel and Samaria, its capital, took place in 722 B.C. One of Isaiah’s major points was to keep Judah away from an Assyrian and Egyptian dominance. In the wicked reign of Ahaz, idolatry and compromise were so prevalent that Isaiah truly had a gigantic struggle. In Hezekiah he found a cohort who helped stem the tide of idolatry at least. However, even Hezekiah augmented the rise of Babylon, which finally was consummated in Judah’s captivity under Nebuchadnezzar.

Even though most critics divide the book of Isaiah into two distinctive sections, there are actually three clearly defined portions of the book. The first 35 chapters set forth the moral decay of the Jews and the swift retribution to be visited upon them for their sins and the punishment by Jehovah of the nations who afflicted His people. Chapter 36 through 39 form the historical link with the book of 2 Kings where Isaiah the prophet is referred to. The most singular event in this section runs parallel to 2 Kings, chapter 19, where the Assyrian hosts under Sennacherib surrounded Jerusalem. Apparent devastation was at hand. Miraculously, the angel of Jehovah smote 185,000 Assyrians and saved the capital city of Judah. In chapters 40-66 we find utterances of consolation. The hope of restoration from Babylon burns brightly. The major inferences in these chapters is simply this: Jehovah bases His entire right to rule over His people upon the exact fulfillment of prophetic utterances. The most remarkable example is that of Cyrus. Just as Isaiah had warned of Babylonian captivity before Babylon was even a noted world power, he now skips Nebuchadnezzar, Nabonidus, and Belshazzar and points to a man yet unborn as the temporal deliverer of Judah from captivity–Cyrus of the Medo-Persian dynasty! Thus, Isaiah, God’s spokesman, made a fantastic prophecy which was projected 160 years into the future. Jehovah based His claim to rule over the Jews upon the complete fulfillment of such a prediction. In the year 536 B.C., down in Babylon, the Persian king, Cyrus, was so overwhelmed by such an exact description of him that he did let the children of God go! Read Isaiah 44:28; 45:1–14; 2 Chronicles 36:22. In Deuteronomy, chapter 18 we learned that the test of the true prophets is the coming to pass of what they wrote of future events.

The book of Isaiah has a threefold purpose. First of all, the prophet warned Judah of impending doom due to its own lack of fidelity toward the Lord. Secondly, prophecies were given to prove Jehovah’s deity. Thirdly, the glorious hope of the Messiah’s coming is beautifully portrayed. In conjunction with this last part, we must not overlook Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 11:1–9; and 22:20-22. The first two are the familiar ones which state: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” In Matthew 1:18–23 we see clearly these prophecies coming to fruition: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: when as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make for a public example, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, you son of David, fear not to take unto you Mary as your wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus: for he will save his people from their sins.’ Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ‘Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel: which being interpreted is God with us’”.

Forcefully illustrated once again is our theme: The glory of God in the salvation of man through Jesus Christ. The book of Isaiah bridges the gap between the old and the new covenants! The thoughts that demand attention in chapters 11 and 22 form strong argumentation against the heinous doctrine of premillennialism, especially as regards the notion that Jesus is not now on David’s throne. Apparently, the One who would come out of the stock of Jesse is the same One who came out of the loins of David. In Acts 2:30 we find that Christ fulfilled these statements (2 Samuel 7:12; Isaiah 11:1). In 1 Kings 2:12 and 1 Chronicles 29:23 we learn that David’s throne and Jehovah’s throne are the same. But in Acts 2:30, Ephesians 1:20–23, and especially Revelation 3:21, we learn that Jesus is now “in the father’s throne”. Therefore, Christ is now on David’s throne exercising his authority and using “the key of the house of David” (Isaiah 22:22). He shall continue to reign until the last enemy, death, is put under His feet. At the Lord’s coming the kingdom shall be delivered up to God (1 Corinthians 15: 23–25). Yes, when Christ the Lord passed through the heavens unto the Ancient of Days, He began to reign as priest and king on the throne of God (Daniel 7:14; Zechariah 6:13).

There are several contexts in Isaiah that often are misused. Let us notice four of them. Isaiah 35:8 reads: “And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring man, the fools, shall not err therein.” Rather than stressing the simplicity of God’s way and how that even simple-minded people can find salvation, this passage evidently teaches the truth that wayfaring men – ungodly, rebellious characters, shall not accidentally stumble into the high way of holiness. In chapter 14:12 we find another well-known, yet misused text in Isaiah: “How are you fallen from heaven, Lucifer, son of the morning! How are you cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations.” For years this has been used as a favorite text to prove that Satan is a fallen angel. Lucifer has even become a synonym for the devil. A careful reading of the text, however, will show this refers to Babylon in general and Nebuchadnezzar in particular! In Isaiah 55:8 we find one of the most quoted passage in the entire book: “‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ says the Lord.” We usually use this passage, along with 1 Corinthians 1:18–25, to emphasize the wisdom of God and the comparative foolishness of man. Even though this is a Bible truth, it seems that Isaiah is simply stating the fact that Judah had not retained God’s ways and thoughts in their hearts and minds. They were not seeking the Lord; the wicked were not forsaking their evil ways. The thoughts and ways of God were foreign to them through their own choice. Therefore, swift retribution would come upon them. In chapter 66 we read of “the new heavens and a new earth.” An honest handling of this passage will do away with the dreamer’s ideal of some earthly utopia. It will demolish “Jehovah’s witness” doctrine. It will help us to comprehend the same thought in 2 Peter, chapter 3. In Isaiah’s account it simply meant a new relationship, a new abiding place for the Jews. It meant the restoration to harmony with God. This is the blessing for us in 2 Peter 3. The new heavens and a new earth for the Jews was their return to the former blissful relationship with Jehovah. Peter’s usage of the same terms for faithful Christians takes place when we partake once more of the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God (Revelation 22:14).

Conclusion

A very fitting summation of Isaiah and its relationship to the scheme of redemption is recorded in Isaiah 59 and Romans 11. The prophet had mentioned the sinfulness of the people. In verse 20 of Isaiah 59 we read of a vibrant ray of hope: “’And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression and Jacob,’ says the Lord.” In the most difficult section of the epistle to the Romans, Paul mentions the plight of the Jewish religionists. He stated that through unbelief they had been rejected. Judah had rejected the goodness of God and thus felt the sting of His severity. The inspired apostle then referred to Isaiah 59:20 by informing the lost sheep of the house of Israel that one and all could be saved – even as he had been redeemed – “by the Deliverer who would come out of Zion.” This Redeemer would turn away ungodliness from Jacob when he took away their sins. It is true that the Son of God became “a stone of stumbling in the rock of offense” (Isaiah 8:14–15) to many. Those who thus rejected Him will one day know the fierceness of His wrath (Isaiah 49; Revelation 19:10–16).

Let us conclude our study of the grand book of Isaiah in its vital coalition with the salvation of man, the glory of God, and the work of Jesus Christ in the impressive language of Romans 11:33–36: “Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Or who has first given unto Him, and it shall be recompensed onto him again? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.”

Questions for Class Discussion

1. When were the Dead Sea Scrolls found?
2. How many chapters are in the book?
3. When did Isaiah write? Name the four kings of Judah at this time.
4. What passage in the book of Luke illustrates our theme? Where did it take place?
5. How many references to Isaiah do we find in the New Testament? Name four of the most familiar and be able to discuss them.
6. Does Isaiah refer to the work of John the Baptist? Where? What does he say about it? Where do we find a fulfillment in the New Testament?
7. What is the most famous messianic prophecy? In the New Testament era who used it for a sermon on Christ?
8. What was the new name the Lord gave to his people once the Gentiles were ushered into His righteousness? Cite passages in the Old and New Testament.
9. What one word best sums up the major thought in the book of Isaiah? Explain.
10. Is there any background in Isaiah for the establishment of the church on the day of Pentecost? If so, discuss this idea fully.
11. Is the prophet Isaiah mentioned in any other Old Testament book in connection with Hezekiah? If so, where and discuss the events mentioned therein.
12. Upon what basis did Jehovah, through Isaiah, utter prophecies? Discuss Deuteronomy 18:22 as it applies.
13. Identify: Sennacherib, Cyrus, Nebuchadnezzar, Lucifer.
14. Get passages to prove that David’s throne and Jehovah’s throne are the same and that Jesus is now reigning thereon. What is premillennialism? What is wrong with such a doctrine?
15. Correlate Isaiah 59 and Romans 11.