Isaiah

MEMORY VERSE: “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.” —Isaiah 1:2

ISAIAH 1:11,12,14-17; 31:13

THE name “Isaiah” means “salvation of Yahweh,” or Jehovah. Isaiah was the son of Amoz, and was the first of the major prophets. As was true of the other holy prophets of the Lord, a large portion of his writings was directed against the nation of Israel because of the sins of this idolatrous and rebellious people. However, all the prophets were used of the Lord to forecast events far in the future from their day, and Isaiah, perhaps more than the others, presents many encouraging prophecies concerning the blessings of Messiah’s kingdom.

The locale of Isaiah’s ministry seems to have been mostly in Judah, rather than in Israel. In Judah the people were not so continuously worshippers of heathen gods, as were the people of the northern kingdom of Israel. Some of Judah’s kings were ardent servants of Jehovah, and from time to time these brought about reforms within the kingdom of Judah. This, of course, was pleasing to the Lord.

But in Judah, as among all professed people of God, there was much of the outward forms of worship; forms and ceremonies which did not reflect their true condition of heart. In connection with the Law given to the nation by Moses there was considerable in the way of ritual. For various reasons the people were to offer animals in sacrifice to the Lord, and burn incense before him. These were proper enough in themselves, and they pointed forward typically to better things to come.

But the difficulty was that too often the people looked upon these offerings as a substitute for their own heart dedication to the Lord and to his principles of righteousness. This had happened in the days of Isaiah, and as the Lord’s prophet he spoke out against such sham worship in no uncertain tones. The people could not continue in their unrighteous ways and expect that the Lord would be pleased with their outward forms of worship. Through the prophet the Lord said to the people, “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve [margin, or, righten] the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.”—vss. 16,17

Verse 18 reads, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith 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.” Then the Lord presents the people with a basis for their reasoning. He said, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”—vss. 19,20

Except for brief periods the people of Judah were not “willing and obedient,” with the result that they were ultimately destroyed as a kingdom and taken captive to Babylon. This was in 606 B.C. Since then they continued to be a nation without a government of their own until the new State of Israel was formed in 1948.

But the Lord’s invitation to reason together with him has a larger fulfillment. Isaiah, in the 53rd chapter of his prophecy, forecast the coming of the Redeemer as God’s Lamb which would take away the sin of the world. (vss. 7,10-12; John 1:29,36) Symbolically speaking, it was through his blood that our sins are made white, and we become acceptable to the Lord. (I John 1:7) But now again, this is only if we are “willing and obedient.” The salvation of God, through Jesus, is not forced upon anyone. All must reason upon the issues involved, and reach the conclusion and determination to accept God’s grace, and obediently to do his will.

In our memory verse the Lord addresses himself to the “heavens” and the “earth.” This is a symbolic use of these words, and in keeping with a similar use throughout the prophecies, refers to the two phases of Judah’s government, the religious and the civil. Through these the Lord addressed the people, who were led by the prophets and priests, and ruled by Judah’s kings.

Isaiah was eloquent in proclaiming the salvation of the Lord which would reach all nations during the time of Messiah’s kingdom. In another symbolic use of “heavens” and “earth” we are promised that the Lord will create “new heavens and a new earth.” (Isa. 65:17; II Pet. 3:13) This will be the spiritual and the earthly phase of Christ’s kingdom. See chapter 65, verses 17-25, for an outline of the blessings which will then reach the people.

QUESTIONS

Who was Isaiah, and what is the meaning of his name?

What was the main burden of Isaiah’s message to Judah?

How do we reason with the Lord in keeping with chapter 1, verses 18-20?

What is meant by the “heavens” and “earth” in our memory text?

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