Scripture: One Book at a Time
The whole of Sacred Scripture is a single narrative that promises and points to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of the World. It is an epic story, the greatest ever told, and told "one book at a time." Each book makes it contribution to the narrative as God reveals God's self to us and his desire that all be saved.
Lesson 25: Isaiah 1-39
The Prophet Isaiah (1-39)
The Book of Isaiah chronicles the ministry of one of the Lord’s greatest prophets who was called to his ministry in the midst of the crucible of the history of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and Judah (the Southern Kingdom). The halcyon days of King David and Solomon were 200 years in the past. Around them the great powers of Assyria and Egypt were ever enticing or threatening the kingdoms, luring the Kings into alliances and counter-alliances. Some kings “did what was right in the Lord’s eyes” setting examples of religious orthodoxy and practice while trusting in the Lord. Others did quite the opposite.
The Books of Kings and Chronicles can be thought of as documenting the story of Kings vs. God, with the voice and message of God coming via the Lord’s prophets. There is perhaps no better example of this conflict of kingdoms than the story of the Prophet Isaiah. He served the Lord during the reigns of kings from Uzziah to Hezekiah, covering some 40-50 years. While there were moments of success, the arc of the nation was ever away from Covenant faithfulness.
If the whole of the Book of Isaiah is well captured in the image below, the first part of Isaiah (chs 1-39) tells the story of Israel and why the Lord’s judgment will be upon them. It is for the remainder of Isaiah to offer the oracles of hope that are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Enjoy the video, but take a moment to read:
Introduction to Isaiah Chapters 1-39
For those who would like to explore details of this book, please consider videos from Fr. Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” program. You can find the entire playlist here.
In the Books of Kings and Chronicles, the story of King Hezekiah and the Prophet Isaiah is well told. Hezekiah was king after God’s heart and listened to Isaiah, but in the end was human. Hezekiah’s mistake lead to Isaiah’s oracle of the Babylonian Exile.