Weekly Sermons

Isaiah is the 23^rd book of the Old Testament and the Bible. It is the first of the section we call the prophets.

The prophets all ministered in the time of the Divided Kingdom before, during, and after the time of the exile.

In the books before Isaiah and the Prophets what Messiah will be like comes more and more into focus! But in the 17 books we call the Prophetic books, what the Messiah will be like becomes crystal clear!

Isaiah is the most quoted Old Testament prophet in the New, and contains the most prophecies surrounding the coming Messiah.

So sometimes Isaiah is called “the Bible in miniature.”

Isaiah is referenced 419 times in 23 New Testament books; Psalms 414 in 23.

Isaiah ministered in the last half of the 8^th century B.C., or 700 B.C. (determined by the kings mentioned).

The historical background of Isaiah can be found in 2 Kings 14-20.

Isaiah’s name means “the Lord Saves.”

Isaiah’s book lays out like the Bible.

The Bible has 66 books; how many chapters does Isaiah have?   66

There are 39 Old Testament books, and 27 New Testament books.

The first 39 chapters of Isaiah could be summarized as “The Judgment of God.” The last 27 chapters of Isaiah could be summarized as “The Salvation of God.”

The two section are different enough that some scholars assert that there must be two authors. They are wrong! The difference is the content of Isaiah’s sermons along those two themes.

And just as we see in the entire Bible, there are many verses of hope in the first section and verses about judgment in the second section!

In 1947 a complete copy of Isaiah was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls! It had been copied between 125 and 100 B.C., and was a thousand years older than any previously known copy of Isaiah, but nearly identical!   

The theme of Isaiah is Israel and the world’s judgment and salvation.

The basis for judgment is idolatry and failure to do what the Law says. They didn’t love God or their neighbor, and didn’t practice the Golden Rule.

Even though the nation(s) would be judged because of sin, God would still work through a repentant remnant to fulfill His promises made to Abraham and David, benefitting the entire world.

The word salvation occurs 26 times in Isaiah. 

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The Blue Ridge Mountain View of Prophecy

Multiple PEAKS, with Cross clearly in view!

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Chapters 1 to 12 pronounced judgment on Israel and Judah but also gave future hope of deliverance through the coming Messiah.

Read 1:1-4             Indictment pronounced

Read 1:15-20

Read 2:2-4             “In the last days”  

Read 4:2-6             “on that day.”

Read 5:20-21         WOE TO THOSE

The word “woe” occurs 6 times in the 22 books before Isaiah; then it occurs 60 times in the 17 prophetic books, 20 times in Isaiah alone.

Read 6:1-8            Isaiah’s Call!        Holy, Holy, Holy

V. 7   Sin atoned for!       V. 8   God is called ‘US,’ like back in Genesis!

7:14   The Virgin Birth prophesied!

Read 9:1-7

9:1-2 Honor will come to Galilee!              

Verses 6-7   WONDERFUL COUNSELOR!

Read 11:1-13

11:1-9         Shoot from the Stump of Jesse

V. 2             7 attributes of the Holy Spirit

11:10-12     Root of Jesse will be a banner for the peoples!

11:13           Ephraim and Judah will be together again!

Chapters 13 to 27 pronounce judgment on sinful neighboring countries and the world.    

Picture a Grand Jury bringing indictments, and you understand these chapters!

Babylon; Assyria; Philistia; Moab; Damascus (Syria); Cush (Ethiopia); Egypt; Dumah (Central Arabia); Arabia; Tyre (Phoenicia); Leviathan (Satan)                  

A key word in those chapters is the word oracle. It is a rich word that we could take to mean “prophetic announcement” of what will come to pass. 

The word is used 29 times in the Old Testament; 11 times in Isaiah (most of any book). 10 of those 11 are in chapters 13 to 27.

Another key phrase in Isaiah and all of the prophets is “The Day of the Lord,” or “on that Day.”  The Day of the Lord is always presented as bad news for the enemies of God!

14:1-2          Prophecy of Israel returning to their homeland, escorted by the nations

Happened under Cyrus; Happened again under Great Britain

19:22-25     Egypt and Assyria will know and worship the Lord!

24:21 ON THAT DAY the Lord will punish THE HOST OF HEAVEN ABOVE and KINGS OF THE EARTH BELOW

Seems to be a reference to the Second Coming of Christ! Revelation 19

24:23 The LORD of HOSTS will reign as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem and He will display His glory among the elders!

Seems to be a reference to the Millennium

25:8   The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove His people’s disgrace from the whole earth.

32:14-15      Until the Spirit from Heaven is poured out on us

33:17           Your eyes will see the king in His beauty!

Chapters 36-39      Parallel with Kings, Chronicles

Hezekiah and Isaiah: The politician and the prophet

Read 40:1-11   Isn’t that beautiful?   I can’t help but think of Handel’s Messiah!!!

Comfort My people says the Lord! Speak tenderly to Jerusalem!

Her time of servitude is OVER! Her iniquity has been pardoned!

I love speaking comforting words to those with a repentant heart!

41:4   Yahweh referred to as the first and the last! Later in Revelation that will be said of Jesus!                

41:8-10        Refers again to the Abrahamic Covenant: Israel as God’s chosen people!

Read 42:1-9

Clearly about the Messiah! We speak of the Abrahamic Covenant and the Davidic Covenant; This is speaking about the New Covenant, the Jesus Covenant

43:5-7          The re-gathering of Israel again predicted! Partially fulfilled in return from captivity; Partially fulfilled since 1948; Will be all the way fulfilled during the Tribulation!

44:1-7          Another reference to being the chosen people; A great reference to being shaped in the womb! (also in 44:24); A great reference to the new covenant that will involve an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and new salvations! Another reference to YHWH being the first and the last! Another reference to the miracle of predictive prophecy!

44:28-45:1   Truly Remarkable: Isaiah predicts a leader named Cyrus will be raised up to approve and assist captive Israel in rebuilding Jerusalem. This was fulfilled 150 years after Isaiah predicted it would happen!

49:3-6          Isaiah relates the suffering servant to Israel as a people (verse 3) and with the One who will restore Israel (v. 5) and be a light to the nations (v. 6)!

49:16 WOW! Look! I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands…

51:1-3         God will keep His promises to Abraham!

51:6             Dissolution of earth coming

51:11 Another promise of Israel’s return and “unending joy.” Still waiting for this to be fulfilled!

51:22 WOW! Christ will take the cup due their sins.

52:6-8          Here are those great verses: How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Chapter 53 is in the top 10 most significant chapters in the Bible!

That is saying something, since the Bible has 1189 chapters!

Let’s count up the references to Christ’s atoning sacrifice our sin:

He Himself bore our sicknesses                                                   v. 4

He carried our pains                                                                     v. 4

Stricken                                                                                       v. 4

Struck down by God                                                                    v. 4

Afflicted                                                                                      v. 4

Pierced because of our transgressions                                          v. 5

Crushed because of our iniquities                                                v. 5

Punishment for our peace on Him                                                v. 5

We are healed by His wounds                                                     v. 5

The Lord has punished Him for the iniquity of us all                   v. 6

Oppressed                                                                                    v. 7

Afflicted                                                                                      v. 7

A lamb led to the slaughter                                                          v. 7

A sheep before her shearers                                                         v. 7

Taken away because of oppression                                              v. 8

Taken away because of judgment                                                v. 8

Cut off from the land of the living                                               v. 8

Struck because of My people’s rebellion                                     v. 8

The Lord was pleased to crush Him                                             v. 10

He made Him sick                                                                       v. 10

His soul was made a restitution offering                                      v. 10

My righteous servant will justify many!                                      v. 11

He will carry their iniquities                                                        v. 11

He submitted Himself to death                                                    v. 12

Was counted among the rebels (deserving of death)          v. 12

Bore the sin of many                                                                   v. 12

Interceded for the rebels!                                                             v. 12

 

That last one refers to His High Priestly role!

I count 27 references to Christ’s atoning sacrifice for sinners in Isaiah 53!    

Verse 9 refers to his burial in a rich man’s tomb; Verse 10 refers to His resurrection and how He will see His seed; Verse 11 to those He has justified; Verse 12 to how God will give Him the many as a portion

55:3   I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the promises assured to David!

55:6-9          If you repent and return, the Lord will freely forgive!

55:11-12      Great verse to encourage evangelists: the Word won’t return void!

57:15           I live in a high and holy place…and with the lowly of spirit!

58:6-8          The Fast God chooses! God expects us to do the loving deeds He has called us to do! What a great phrase in verse 8 – the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard!

59:19-21      New day coming! The fear of the Lord will be known throughout the earth; The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those in Jacob who turn from transgression!

60:10 I struck you in My wrath, but I will show mercy to you with My favor

60:14-15 New day coming for Jerusalem! “AN OBJECT OF ETERNAL PRIDE”

60:18   Violence will never again be heard of in your land – definitely still future!

60:19-22 No more sun, but plenty of light, because the Lord will be your light!

Read 61:1-4 Key Messianic text! Jesus applies this to Himself in Luke 4! There are traces here of His second coming as well

62:4   Got to love thus stuff! God changing our names!

No longer Deserted and Desolate, but My Delight is in Her, and Married!

My Delight is in her is the Hebrew word, Hephzibah, and that’s why every once in a while you’ll see a church named Hephzibah Baptist Church.

Married one is the word Beulah, and that’s why every once in a while you see a church named Beulah Baptist church, and why some hymns sing about going to Beulah land!

62:6-7

Appointed watchman on the walls – see Ezekiel!

Here he speaks of those who intercede for God to establish Jerusalem in Messianic glory as the capitol of the earth!

64:1   If only You would tear the heavens open and come down… One day He will! Mountains will quake!

Read 65:17-25 New heaven and new earth!

Verse 20 – the youth will die at a 100 years, and the one who misses a 100 years will be cursed. The wolf and the lamb will lie together?

Not now, not quite new earth – sounds like Millennium of Revelation 20!

66:1 Heaven is my throne, earth my footstool! Oft quoted in New Testament!

66:2 God looks favorably on the person who is humble, submissive, and trembles at God’s Word.

66:8 Whoever heard of a nation being created in a day?

It will happen! 1948?!

66:14-16   The Lord’s power will be revealed to His servants, but He will show wrath to His enemies.

66:22-24   All mankind will come to worship Me, seeing the bodies of the men who rebelled against YHWH! Sounds like Revelation 19-20 to me!

If all you knew about the coming Messiah was from Isaiah, you would have a rich portrait indeed!

What must it have been like to be Isaiah the prophet?

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that would come to you searched and carefully investigated. They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when He testified in advance to the messianic sufferings and the glories that would follow.        -1 Peter 1:10-11

Isaiah looked into the future and saw John the Baptist coming before the Messiah;

Isaiah saw the virgin birth of Jesus Christ by a descendant of David;

Isaiah saw His sinless life; His ministry in Galilee; the Spirit being upon Him, His preaching of the good news that would be for both Jew and Gentile, His healing of the blind and other miraculous signs;

Isaiah saw that He would be the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace;

Isaiah saw that the Lord would lay the iniquities of sinful people on this Christ, and that He would die for those sins, yet rise from the dead and see those He had justified;

Isaiah saw Christ make possible the New Covenant (Ch. 49);

Isaiah saw that this Christ would go on to reign on the throne of David forever, both in a time of unprecedented peace and on the new earth;

Isaiah also saw this Christ as the judge of all the earth that all nations would stand before.

Isaiah saw these things over 700 years before Christ was born! That’s pretty wild!

And yet Isaiah also looked and saw the Jewish leaders reject their Messiah.