BACKGROUND--What was happening?
Israel, God’s chosen nation, was split into two nations while Isaiah was a prophet. The southern nation (called Judah), where Isaiah was a prophet, was threatened by both Assyria and Egypt, but was saved from them, mostly because of Isaiah. The northern kingdom of Israel was captured by Assyria.
Isaiah was a prophet to four different kings.
Uzziah (strength of Jehovah) -- He became a king at age 16. He was a good king, but disobeyed God later and got sick.
Jotham (Jehovah is upright) -- He ruled the while his father was ill, and became king at the age of 25. He was a good king who obeyed God.
Ahaz (possessor) -- He ruled about 16 years. He was very bad. He worshiped idols and disobeyed God. When he died, he had been so bad that they would not bury him where the other kings were all buried.
Hezekiah (whom God has strengthened) -- He was one of the three most perfect kings of Judah (2 Kings 18:5). He threw out all the idols and got back cities his father had lost. When he died, he was buried in the best place of the kings. (2 Chr 32:27-33).
Isaiah (Salvation of the Lord) -- The Man
No one knows much about Isaiah. Amoz was his father (Isa 1:1). He was married and had at least two sons. Some people believe that at the end of his life, he was placed in a tree trunk and sawed in half. Many prophets were treated this way.
Isaiah -- the Book
The book of Isaiah can be divided into 8 parts:
1. Scolding and promises (Chp 1:1-6:13)
2. Immanuel (Jesus) (7:1-12:6)
3. Trouble for the Nations (13:1-23:18)
4. General Scolding and Promises ~ part 1. (24:1-27:13)
5. Sadness for the Unbelievers of Israel (28:1-33:24)
6. General Scolding and Promises ~ part 2. (34:1-35:10)
7. The Section of Hezekiah (36:1-39:8)
8. The Section of Comfort (40:1-66:24)
Some people say that chapters 40-66
were not written by Isaiah. They think that since those chapters
tell about things which happened 100 years after Isaiah’s death, they must
have been written by someone else. We have to remember that Isaiah
was a prophet. That means God often told him what was going to happen
ahead of time. Also, there are many rare words which are found in
both parts. For example, calling God “the Holy One of Israel”
is found only five times in the rest of the Old Testament. It is
found 12 times in the first 39 chapters and 14 times in chapters 40-66.
More proof is in the New Testament.
John quotes Isaiah 53:1, then he quotes Isaiah 6:9, and says that the prophet
Isaiah said both of those things. Either the same man wrote both
parts, or John, was wrong. Since God told John what to say, John
was not wrong.
You will see many opposites in Isaiah.
He knew so much about God. He knew God had both kindness and judgment,
pardon and punishment, fairness and forgiveness, banishment and salvation.
We have to remember how God talked
with the prophets. Numbers 12:6 says God spoke to them in dreams.
These dreams were usually to give an idea from God (see Genesis 37:5-11
& 28:10-19). You will find poetry filled with clear pictures
and some exaggeration. Isaiah is not lying, he is trying to make
a point.