Book of Isaiah Bible Study - Part 1

So greetings again, everybody, and welcome to our study of Isaiah.

One of the main things that I want to accomplish tonight in the background, as some of it will be review, is for us to understand the great unity of the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. And the ultimate goal of God and Jesus Christ is what? What is the ultimate goal of God and Christ?

I want you to turn to Galatians 6 and verse 15. Our key scripture will be Galatians 6, 16. The ultimate goal of God and Christ is to bring all nations into a relationship with God and Christ. All nations, regardless of what their ethnic origin is, their nationality, the color of their skin, is to bring them into a relationship with God and Christ. In Galatians 6 and verse 15, for in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision. Of course, the Jews were circumcised for the most part under the terms of the Old Covenant. The Gentiles were not circumcised, but Paul is saying what really counts is becoming a new creation, a new creation in Jesus Christ. Then our key scripture, and as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them and mercy upon the Israel of God. So God's ultimate goal is to bring all peoples into the Israel of God, into the kingdom of God, into the family of God. The name Isaiah means salvation of Yahweh. Just as the Bible moves forward from Genesis to Revelation, it moves forward with the ultimate goal of bringing everybody into a relationship with God and Christ. And so Isaiah is somewhat structured along the same lines of bringing peoples into relationship with God and Christ. This class will show you the unity of the Bible, how the Bible is a beautiful tapestry woven together around a central theme. And what is that theme? Well, another way of expressing bringing everyone into the Israel of God is to bring everyone into the glory of God, into the family of God, into the kingdom of God, and as we've already noted, into the Israel of God. Over and over you will see the principle of progressive revelation. Here a little, there a little. Topics are introduced in the Old Testament that are further clarified and fulfilled in the New Testament. You will see how the Bible interprets the Bible. You'll come to understand more clearly what prophecy is all about. And you will see that the principle focus of prophecy is what? The principle focus of prophecy is the establishment of the kingdom of God and bringing sons and daughters to glory. We should be reminded of 1 Corinthians 13, where it says, though I have the gift of prophecy, I understand all mysteries, and I have faith that I could remove mountains. If I have not charity, God is love. He is agape personified, and He commands us to become perfect even as He is perfect. He is perfect in love. So the goal of God in Christ is for us to become members of the family of God and in members of the Israel of God and to become perfect in love. The Bible is an account of achieving this purpose. It began with creating the earth to be inhabited and placing them, that is, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Humanity, Adam and Eve sinned and were cast out of the Garden of Eden, and they were cut off from the Tree of Life. From that point forward, the Bible centers on God's ultimate goal of providing all of humanity with an opportunity to become members of the Israel of God. You remember that in Genesis 3.15, before Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden, they were given a promise of a Messiah. It is said there in Genesis 3.15 that the seed of Satan will bruise the heel of Jesus Christ, but Jesus Christ will bruise the head of Satan. And we know from Genesis 20 verses 1 through 4 that God and Christ are going to put Satan away during the millennium for a thousand years. The Bible consists of at least seven dispensations.

Seven ways or seven administrations that God has dealt with humankind.

We should know these dispensations, and I sent you a handout with the dispensations, and I'm going to ask Brett now to do screen sharing and put the seven dispensations up on the screen. The seven periods of administration, and this comes from Ephesians 3.2. First of all, I want us to look at, if you would turn to Ephesians 3.2, we're going to read Ephesians 3.1 and 3.2. Ephesians shows us things that other books do not show. That is how Jew and Gentile are joined together as one, and we are currently in this dispensation. We're jumping ahead of ourselves. We're in this dispensation of what is known as the dispensation of grace or the church aid, or the dispensation of the church age in which God is dealing with us through the administration of the church under the terms of the New Covenant. In Ephesians 2 and verse 1, no, I mean 3 and verse 1.

For this cause I fall, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, for you Gentiles, if you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which has given me to youward. This word dispensation is the Greek word oikonomia, which you have there in your handout, and you can see clearly the ultimate goal is given in Ephesians 1.10, which we have already mentioned, and that is to bring everything into a relationship with God and Christ under God in the dispensation that is called the fullness of times. So look across the page there to Ephesians 1 and verse 10, that in the dispensation, the oikonomia of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things, all things that are in heaven and all things that are on earth, even in him. Now let's briefly look at the dispensations. The first was innocence, where man was created in a state of innocence placed in a perfect environment. They were given the opportunity to choose, to obey God, or to choose for themselves what is good and evil. We know the story well that they chose to choose for themselves what is good and what is evil, and so they were cut off from the tree of life, and God placed care of them there, keeping the way of the tree of life. And as we've already mentioned, God promised them a Redeemer, a Messiah, who would bring them back and allow them to once again have access to the tree of life. We might note, if you look at Genesis 3 and Genesis 2 and verse 15, let's look at Genesis 2 and verse 15 as quickly as we can. I'll turn with you to these scriptures, Genesis 2.15. And the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to dress it and keep it. And the Lord commanded the man, saying, Of every tree in the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it. In the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die. God also placed in the midst of the garden the tree of life. In Genesis chapter 3 and verse 2, the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.

And the serpent said, You shall not surely die. The great lie of the immortality of the soul is told right here, and this great myth of the immortality of the soul is held humankind in a state of servitude from that point on where virtually every religion on the face of the earth preaches the existence of an immortal soul. Now we go to Genesis 3 and verse 24. So he drove out man, and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden, caribim, and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life.

So what the Bible is about, to a large degree, is bringing us back to the tree of life and to salvation. And remember, Isaiah's name means salvation of Yahweh.

So even though humans were created in the image of God, they were created from the dust of the ground. They were subject to sin and death. Whereas God is spirit, God is eternal.

But we are created subject to sin and death. So there was a missing dimension in humankind, and in order for that missing dimension to be fulfilled, we have to partake of the tree of life which symbolizes God's Holy Spirit.

God had said that in the day that you disobey in either that tree, you'll begin to die. Why? Why would they begin to die? Because of Romans 6.23. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

So Adam and Eve, as we have read from Genesis 3.24, were cut off from the tree of life and cast out of the Garden of Eden, and having not access any longer to the requirement for eternal life, and that is the Holy Spirit. From that point forward, the Bible deals with God fulfilling this great goal of his, of redemption and bringing humans into his divine family, the Israel of God. Now, in the sense of humankind, humankind is still choosing for themselves what is right and what is wrong. And that brings about the second administration, that of conscience. By disobedience, man came to a personal and experimental knowledge of good and evil, good of obedience and evil as known as disobedience, and through that knowledge, conscience awoke. So really, what man's conscience is, consists of today, until they come into the knowledge of the glorious Gospel, is that they have a knowing within themselves based on their environment, their rearing, how they were reared, and how they have developed their worldview and their sense of right and wrong. So conscience, for most people, that conscience coming from choosing for themselves what is right and what is wrong still continues from this day. So God allowed them to go the way of human conscience for a while, but that ended in the Flood. Now we come to the next administration.

The third administration is human government, and after the Flood, God vested in human beings the right to take human life. It's the old eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, and that was invested in man, and the opportunity and also the sad saga of man governing man. And that, of course, continues in the human realm until today. Now let's go to the fourth administration, which begins really the story of salvation more than those first three. The fourth administration was the promise to Abraham. The first covenant that Abraham was given by God was the great Abrahamic covenant that his seed would possess much land, but the main promise that God had given the scroll on down to... Let's turn to Genesis 12 and verse 1. The main promise consisted of the seed that would come from Christ.

That seed that would come from Christ.

We'll start in Genesis 12 and verse 1. Now the Lord said unto Abram, Get you out of your country from your kindred, from your father's house unto a land that I will show you, and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing.

We have talked about historically in the church the blessing of race and grace, that Israel was given the birthright promises through Ephraim and Manasseh. And, of course, we are well versed in those birthright promises of Ephraim and Manasseh. But the way that all nations can be blessed is not through physical lineage. Physical lineage is not the way to inherit the blessings that God has promised Abraham. And sadly, we have probably emphasized the physical too much at the expense of the spiritual. So now let's read verse 3, and I will bless them that bless you and curse them that curses you in that, and you shall all families of the earth be blessed. Of course, the the nations that came from Jacob, the 12 tribes, established a governmental system that has been superior to the governmental systems of but most of the rest of the world, and we still see that today. However, the way that all nations are blessed is through Jesus Christ.

Galatians chapter 3 and verse 15, if you'll turn there, will make this very clear.

Galatians 3 and verse 15, and we will see that Genesis 12 and verse 3 is fulfilled by those who have faith in Jesus Christ. Galatians 3 and verse 15, brethren, I speak after the manner of men that would be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man does some novels or adds there too. Now to Abraham and his seed where the promise is made. He said, and not to seeds as many, not plural, but to one seed, but as a one, and to your seed, which is Christ. And so we look at now the last part of Galatians 3, and we see this very clear in Galatians chapter 3, but again in verse 26, for you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. You do not become a child of God because you sprang from one of the twelve tribes. You become a child of God through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ being baptized, receiving the laying on of hands and the Holy Spirit. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Of course, there's a baptism by water, and then there is the laying on of hands, and you receive the Holy Spirit. There's neither Jew nor Greek. There's neither bond nor free. There's neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be in Christ, then are you Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. And of course, that led Paul to write in Galatians, not in Galatians, but in Romans chapter 9. If you'll turn back to Romans chapter 9, Paul writes what seems to be a conundrum, a contradiction. In Romans chapter 9, he says, verse 7, Romans 9-7, neither because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all the children, but in Isaac shall your seed be called. Why in Isaac shall your seed be called? Your seed are called in Isaac because Isaac was born of faith. You remember that Ishmael was born of the flesh in which Abraham and Sarah tried to work it out on their own. But Isaac was born of faith when both Abraham and Sarah were past the age of begetting and bearing children.

So he continues verse 8, that is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God. And we've already read from Galatians that if you be in Christ, then are you Abraham's seed. But the children of the promise are accounted for the seed. For this is the word of promise at this time, will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. And of course it's in the name of Isaac. The seed is called because Isaac was born of faith. So now let's go to the next one. So the Abrahamic covenant, that fifth administration, was the administration of the patriarchs. The promises given to Abraham was passed on to Isaac and then to Jacob. You remember that Jacob's name was changed. Jacob means supplanter. Jacob had supplanted his brother Esau, but his name was changed after he wrestled with the angel described in the book of Genesis. And Jacob prevailed, and his name was changed from Jacob's supplanter to that of Israel, prince with God or ruling with God.

Jacob had 12 sons, which became the nation of Israel. And the nation of Israel entered into, after being in slavery in Egypt, they entered into the old covenant, which was the administration of law. The administration of law lasted quite a long time, from the circle of 1400s BC to the time of Christ and the new covenant, when on the day of Pentecost, 31 AD, when he sent back the Holy Spirit. So Israel was under the terms of the old covenant for some 1400 years. Now we are under the terms of the new covenant as described in Hebrews chapters 8, 9, and 10.

And now we come to the sixth administration, that of grace. And it begins with the death and resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Christ had told the apostles in John 8, if I go not away, the comforter will not come to you. So it was necessary that Christ go away and send the Holy Spirit from the Father on the day of Pentecost as described in Acts chapter 2.

Now we come to the seventh administration, and we read about that in Ephesians 1.10. The seventh and the last of the administrations, where all things are together together under Christ, all past times, and we see the points under that. So you should know that thread. I'm going to send out another handout before the next class meeting on the thread of the entire Bible. It has about 90 benchmarks to it. Back when I taught fundamentals of theology at ambassador, we would cover all of these benchmarks. It varied a little bit because it can be somewhat subjective. The principal benchmarks that move the redemption and salvation story to its great and grand climax with all things being gathered together under Christ.

So the Bible narrative moves inexorably toward the fulfillment of this goal of everyone coming to be a part of the Israel of God. Physical Israel was called to serve as a model nation in that they agreed to keep the terms of the Old Covenant when they entered into it. You can read about that in Exodus 24, when they said that they would keep the terms of the Old Covenant, but we know from Hebrews 10 that they did not keep the covenant. And I want to make a special point here with regard to what Israel's initial job was, their initial commission. We go to Exodus 19 now.

Remember what I'm saying. This may not sound important to you, but it's vitally important to understand the Bible, to understand prophecy and what it's all about. That prophecy moves inexorably toward the establishment of the kingdom of God, toward the family of God, the kingdom of God, because that is where God is going to bring peace to all nations, all peoples, anywhere and everywhere. In Exodus 19, when Israel came to Mount Sinai just before they entered into the terms of the Old Covenant, God spoke to them the Ten Commandments. Exodus 19 gives us the preparation for receiving the Ten Commandments. But what I want to note here is what the commission that Israel had. Exodus 19.5, therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant, which they entered into chapter 24, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people for all the earth is mine and you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.

These are the words which you shall speak unto the children of Israel. Now, you go to 2 Peter. This commission to bring everyone into the Israel of God has passed on to the church. The church has been commissioned. Let me quote to you the commission while you're turning to 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 9. What is the commission of the church? By Jesus Christ, go ye therefore to all the world, disciple all nations, teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you until the end of the age.

Now, look at this, and I hasten to say this before we read this verse.

There is something that is called replacement theology. Replacement theology has been quite popular in some areas.

Replacement theology contends that the church has replaced Israel. The church has not replaced Israel, but the commission to take the gospel to the world and to bring all peoples into a relationship with God and Christ has moved on to the church. Now, the restoration of Israel. There is a a pre-millennial restoration of Israel that has been going on since the Balfour Declaration in 1917 when the Balfour Declaration was declared and Jews began to move back to Israel.

In 1948, the UN established Israel as a nation based on the decree, the UN resolution of November of 1947, in which Israel became a nation once again. And of course, that restoration is necessary for 2 Thessalonians to be fulfilled because it talks about a temple being built, one sitting in the temple, saying that he is God. And of course, through that, many will be deceived through the B system.

Now, let's read 2 Peter 2 and verse 9. Remember what we've read from Exodus 19.6, which says, you'll be a kingdom of priests. And there go what God intended for Israel to be was a model nation. We'll see from Isaiah 1 that God has not given up on that being that Israel will be the model nation in the millennium. In 1 Peter 2 verse 9, very similar to Exodus 19.6, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

So that has passed on to the church of bringing people into a relationship with God and Christ, the Israel of God. And regardless of national origin, ethnic origin, skin color, any of that, that is what we are to become. We're the children of Abraham through faith in Christ, which in times past were not a people, but now are the people of God, which had not obtained mercy. Now from Hosea 1, God gave up Israel and they became low rahama, not having obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

We can have mercy through repentance, faith, baptism, laying on our man and sacrifice of Christ. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lush which war against the soul, having your conduct honest among the nations, that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold glorify God in the day of visitation.

So that commission to bring all peoples into the Israel of God has now passed on to the church. Remember Isaiah's name? Salvation through Yahweh, or salvation of Yahweh. So once again, the Bible must be viewed as a beautiful tapestry that is woven together with all the strands of the salvation and redemption process in it. The book of Isaiah has been referred to as the fifth gospel because it moves forward with judgments, a call to repentance, redemption through the Messiah, through birth of the Holy Nation, and life in the new heavens and the new earth.

Now let's briefly talk about the structure of the Bible. Now I didn't give you a handout on this. How is the Bible structured? The Bible is given in seven main divisions of the Bible. If we turn now to Luke 24, 46, Jesus Christ Himself gives us three divisions of the Bible. In Luke 24, it's verse 44. I said 46. What we're talking about now is the structure of the Bible, how it is put together.

It begins with a law, with a Pentateuch, and the rest of the Bible magnifies the Pentateuch, the first five books. Now notice what Jesus said, and He said unto them, and the spokesman of Jesus, These are the words which I speak unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, their prophecies about Jesus Christ and about the end time in the first five books, in the prophets, especially in the prophets, and in the Psalms or the writings concerning Me.

So all three of those divisions. So if you were to get this like an inverted triangle, I can't get both my fingers in a picture, but if you have an inverted triangle, at the bottom of this triangle, like your anchor, would be the law, and then on top of that would be the prophets, and then the songs, then the Gospels and Acts, then the writings of Paul, 14 books, then the general epistles, five books, and the Revelation.

See, that's the structure of the Bible, and basically the six on top of the law magnify the law. Once again, the Bible moves inexorably forward to the fulfillment of the great goal of God, of bringing all peoples into a relationship with God. So once again, the Bible must be viewed as a whole, not fragments. So many people get lost on the twigs and the branches, and they do not keep the big picture burning brightly in their mind of what the Bible is about. The beautiful thread of bringing sons and daughters to glory runs throughout the scripture. The three principal views now of prophecy.

What is prophecy? When we're studying prophecy, of course, some of it is historical. Some of it has been fulfilled. For example, time after time, there are over 60 prophecies prophesying that a Messiah would come. That has been fulfilled. There are many prophecies of His Second Coming, which have not been fulfilled, and that is futuristic. So there's historical fulfillment. Prophecies have already been fulfilled. And then futuristic prophecies, the prophecies that are to be fulfilled. And then there is dualism and prophecy. By dualism, we mean that a type of it was fulfilled in the Old Testament, but a greater type of it will be fulfilled in the New Testament. For example, that any time that God directly intervenes in the course of human history, that is sometimes referred to as a day of the Lord. But the day of the Lord, the climax of all things, beginning with the day of the Lord, as described when the sixth seal is open in Revelation chapter six, that is the day of the Lord. So all three of these historical, futuristic, and dualistic are important when reading the Bible. And one of the main things that, and I've said this many times, that you have to be aware of when studying prophecy is what is physical and what is spiritual, differentiating between what is physical and what is spiritual.

Now, more specifically about Isaiah. Isaiah was on the scene as a prophet for at least 60 years. And of course, depending on the source that you read, some of these years might vary a little bit. But roughly, he was on the scene from 739 to 681 during the reign of four kings, which are mentioned in Isaiah 1.1, which we will read when we get there. Isaiah was called to be a prophet and accepted the role of a prophet in Isaiah chapter six. So let's notice that in Isaiah chapter six, where Isaiah is called, this is a very striking section of Scripture, this vision that Isaiah receives when he was called to be a prophet. Isaiah was a married man, and we will look at that in just a moment, just very briefly. But let's notice Isaiah six. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. And above it stood the seraphim, each one had six wings with twain. He covered his face with twain, he covered his feet with twain and did fly. Then look at verse five. Then said I, I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips, for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. And then a seraphim flew and said I to him and laid touched his lips and says, verse seven, your iniquity has taken away your sins Your iniquity has taken away your sins purged. Verse eight, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I sin? Who will go for us? Then said I, here am I, send me.

And that is the proper response to God's call. And eventually, that's what Moses said, and many others have said through the years, and that's what we are saying today. Here am I, send me. And he said, Go and tell this people, hear you indeed, but understand not, and see you indeed, but perceive not. So the people, the prophecies of Isaiah, as we'll see in verse 10, were largely not understood by the people who received them. Make the heart of this people fat, make their ears heavy, shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and convert and be healed. You know, this is repeated in the Gospels, in which Jesus Christ came to reveal the Father and the ultimate plan of salvation. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered until the cities be waste without inhabitant, and the houses without man and the land be utterly desolate. So much like Jeremiah, Isaiah also prophesied of judgments against Babylon and other nations.

And the Lord have removed man far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. Of course, in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, it talks about a great falling away before Jesus Christ returns. But yet it shall it be a tent, one out of ten saved, and shall be eaten as a teal tree, and as an oak whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves. So the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. So that was his initial calling to go tell the people. And ironically, as it says there, they didn't really understand it. Of course, they didn't heed it, just as they did not heed Jeremiah, who came later. Now in chapter 40, now the higher critics tried to divide the book of Isaiah into two parts. I sent you a handout showing from quotes from the New Testament and other sources how that Jesus Christ and the writers of the New Testament quoted Isaiah many, many times. In Isaiah 40 verse 1, he begins with, comfort ye, my people, saith our God, speak comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she has received the Lord's hand, devil, for all her sins. And then the voice of him that cries in the wilderness, speaking of John the Baptist. So Isaiah prophesied that John the Baptist would come on the scene and prepare the way for the Messiah. Verse 5, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.

And this sea and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. Of course, they saw Jesus Christ in the flesh. It also says in Scripture, when Jesus Christ comes again, and the heavens are parted as a scroll, that every eye shall see him. Now we look at Mark chapter 1. Mark chapter 1. This is not the only place this is given, but this is the clearest and easiest place to turn to. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is Mark 1.1. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger. And that was prophesied in the first two verses of Malachi.

This messenger is John the Baptist, before your face, which shall prepare the way before you. So John prepared the way for Jesus, the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare you the way of the Lord and make his fast rate.

John did baptize in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then when John was put in prison, verse 14, the Messiah came on the scene and saying, verse 15, Mark 1.15, the time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent you and believe the gospel.

Isaiah, salvation of Yahweh. Yahweh was the one who sent Jesus Christ to be our Savior, time after time. Jesus Christ said, the Father sent me. So in the case of virtually every writer of prophecy, the name of the book is taken from the writer, which we've already said at least four times that Isaiah means salvation of Yahweh. Isaiah was married to a prophetess who bore him at least two sons. So let's see this, that Isaiah was married, that he had two sons. In Isaiah 7, verse 3, Isaiah 7, verse 3, where a son is named. I'm having a little bit of difficulty turning to this. I'll have to use both hands, I guess. In Isaiah 7, verse 3, he took his son with him at this particular juncture as commanded by God. Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth to meet Ahaz, you and shall hashbob your son at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the Fuller's field. So that's an account of one son. Now we look at 8.3, and I went unto the prophetess, and she conceived. I went unto or into the prophetess, and she conceived, and she bare a son. So he was married to a prophetess. They are at least a seed. That makes four prophetesses that are named. Three are named by name in the Old Testament. Miriam, the sister of Moses, Deborah, who was a judge of Israel, and Hulna, who was prophesied during the prophetess during the time of Josiah. And now this prophetess, to whom Isaiah was married to, and she bore him a son called Mary Shalal Hashba's. And you can look up what that name means, because virtually all of the sons, and especially those that are prominent in the Old Testament, had part of the name of God in their name. As we already mentioned, he prophesied under the reign of four Judean kings, Uzziah, Joth and Ahaz, and Hezekiah. So let's look at Isaiah 1-1 at these kings briefly. I would encourage you to read if you wanted the background of the kings, and I sent you a handout of the prophets and how they overlap with the kings of both Israel and Judah. In Isaiah 1-1, the vision of Isaiah, the son of Amos, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Joth and Ahaz, and Hezekiah kings of Judah. We've already said Isaiah was on the scene about 60 years. Uzziah was a very interesting person. If you turn back to 2 Chronicles 26, and verse 15, we want to read verse 1 and 2 of this.

Isaiah 26 and verse 1. Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was 16 years old, and made him king in the room of his father Hamaziah, and then there's a long list of all the various things that Uzziah did. He built cities. He built fortifications. He raised an army. He just went on and on. It goes on and on. You probably never heard much about Uzziah, but Uzziah was a mighty king until, and while he did this, the scripture doesn't say, verse 16, and when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction. He was a mighty king. He had done all these things, great exploits. Then he decided for some reason he would usurp the role of the priest, for he transgressed against the Lord his God and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

And as Uriah the priest went in after him and with him four score priests, 80, that were valiant men, and they withstood Uzziah the king and said unto him, it appertains not unto you Uzziah to burn incense under the Lord. This verse here, and what happened to Uzziah, similar to what happened to Hazzah when he touched the ark, the exactness of God in certain things, it should cause us to take note and fear in certain cases. We oftentimes take liberties that really we should not take, and this shows it very dramatically.

The priests or the sons of Aaron that are consecrated to burn incense go out of the sanctuary for you have trespassed, neither shall it be for your honor from the Lord God. Then Isaiah was mad, he was angry, had a center in his hand to burn incense, and while he was mad with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord from beside the incense altar. And as Uriah the chief priest and all the priests looked upon him and beheld, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from there. Yes, himself also hastened to go out, because the Lord had smitten him and Uzziah the king was a leper until the day he died. Very sad about Uzziah was all of the things that he had done, and then that happens to him.

According to legend, Uzziah was probably the one referred to in Hebrews chapter 11 that was sown in 2 during the days of Messiah Manasseh. Manasseh succeeded Hezekiah. After Hezekiah died, his son Manasseh reigned, and instead Manasseh was perhaps the most evil king that ever reigned over Judah or Israel. And according to the legend, Uzziah was trying to hide from Manasseh, and he hid in a mulberry tree, and Manasseh ordered that the tree be sown in 2. Uzziah was a scholarly person. He had the greatest vocabulary of any of any of the prophets.

I'm reading here it says his writing range. He used 2186 different words. 2186 different words compared to 1535 in Ezekiel, 1653 in Jeremiah, and 2170. That's the only book that comes close, which has all those chapters in it. Isaiah used more words than any other writer of the Bible, which indicates he was well educated. According to tradition and legend, he was also probably of royal blood. Maybe some commentaries say he perhaps was a cousin of Uzziah. We just read about it.

Isaiah's overall theme receives its clearest statement in, Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid. Let's look at Isaiah 12 in verse 1.

And in that day you shall say, O Lord, I will praise you.

Though you were angry with me, your angers turned away, and you comforted me. Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid. For the Lord God is my strength and my song. He also is become my salvation. And that's his name, Salvation of Yahweh.

So that is an introduction to the book of Isaiah.

Being on the scene for about 60 years, and maybe even into the reign of Manasseh, according to tradition, he was the one who killed Isaiah by sawing him in two in the mulberry tree.

God, through Isaiah, holds out hope for everyone, offering cleansing of sin, the blessing that comes with faith, and obedience in him. Salvation lies only in God and Christ.

The only question is whether or not humankind will accept it.

So that's the introduction. Of course, we will be saying things all along the way. Our first hour is up on the book of Isaiah. So now we will have time for questions and comments from you.

Obviously, next time we'll start verse by verse. After the introduction, I would encourage you to read Isaiah. Isaiah is not something you just sit down and read at one reading, and read it from different translations as well.