Isaiah was an important person in Jerusalem who advised kings. Isaiah served as a prophet in Judah and Jerusalem during the reigns of King Uzziah, King Jotham, King Ahaz and King Hezekiah, who were kings of Judah. He encouraged these kings to keep their faith in God and not to be afraid. Isaiah warned them about things to come. He listened to God and he spoke about the problems they would face. He spoke of huge upheavals, the rise and fall of nations, the coming of the Messiah and the kingdom of God.
Around the time King Uzziah died Isaiah experienced a vision of God. It changed his life. He saw the Lord seated on a throne. The Lord was exalted, He was high, and the glory of His robe filled the temple, the holy house. Isaiah saw angels calling – ‘He is holy, he is holy, he is holy the Lord Almighty – the whole earth is full of his glory’. The sides of the doors and the thresholds shook and the holy house was filled with smoke. When he saw these things, Isaiah was afraid and said – ‘Woe to me! I am ruined! Because I have spoken dirty words, and the people who are around me also speak dirty words. My eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’
| Ask a question about the prophets? Click here |
God showed Isaiah that He was holy and that he hated dirty speech and inappropriate words. But God also showed him that forgiveness came from the altar, which was the place of sacrifice. God said to Isaiah that his sins had been forgiven and God declared that he was not guilty. God wanted someone to be a spokesman on His behalf, and Isaiah was willing to be that person.
At a time when King Hezekiah was in power in Jerusalem, the huge army of King Sennacherib of Assyria threatened the city. King Hezekiah prayed. Then God sent a message to Hezekiah, through Isaiah the prophet, about King Sennacherib of Assyria. The message concluded with these words for Sennacherib – ‘But I know where you live, and when you come and go, and how you are filled with rage against me. Because you have such rage against me and because this insolence has reached my ears…. I will make you return by the same way you came here.’ Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, ‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come against this city with shield or build a siege ramp against it. By the road that Sennacherib came, he will also return- he will not enter this city’ declares the Lord.
A very large number of Assyrian troops died suddenly during the night. The following morning, King Sennacherib took down the camp and returned to Nineveh. He never returned.
About that time King Hezekiah became ill and was about to die. Hezekiah was humble before God and he prayed. So Isaiah sent him this message- ‘I have heard your prayer, and I have seen your tears. I will give you fifteen years more of life, and I will save you and this city from the King of Assyria. I am defending this city.’
| Click here to find a discussion group near you |
The Prophet Isaiah prophesied that God would give his people a great King. This King would save them from evil and he would be the King for ever. This coming King was also known as the Messiah. He was chosen by God and anointed with God’s Holy Spirit, a special servant of God. Isaiah spoke freely about the Messiah who would be born at a later time. Here are some of the famous things Isaiah said about the Messiah.¹
Speaking of Messiah’s birth he writes – ‘Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and his name will be Immanuel’. Immanuel means ‘God with us’. Messiah’s birth would bring God to be with us. This would a time of special celebration – ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be given the name Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom….. ‘
Speaking of the life of the Messiah, he writes – ‘My chosen servant is here, who I support, and I am delighted in him. I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise his voice in the streets.’ The Messiah would not lead by confrontation which was violent.
Speaking about the miracles of the Messiah, he writes- ‘Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be opened. Then the lame will be jumping like a fawn, and those who couldn’t speak will shout for joy.’
| Ask a question about the Messiah? Click here |
Speaking of the Messiah’s death, he writes – ‘But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed because of our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray, each has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ The Messiah would make things right with God by bringing a sacrifice that would take away sins. He Himself became our sacrifice to remove sin and shame from our lives forever.
Speaking about the Messiah’s victory over death, he writes- ‘After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and he will be satisfied.’ The Messiah would rise from the dead.
Speaking of the purpose of the Messiah, he writes- ‘The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord put an anointing on me, in order to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to restore the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour…’
Isaiah was a great prophet who felt compelled to speak about the Messiah. The greatest of the prophets, the Messiah, was still to come.
Material sourced from Isaiah 1, 6, 7, 9, 35, 42, 53 and 61.
¹ The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in caves near the north west side of the Dead Sea after the Second World War. Among the scrolls was a complete manuscript of the Prophet Isaiah that dates back to 100 BC. This manuscript was over a thousand years older than the oldest manuscript known at that time, which dated back to 900 AD. This very old manuscript was almost identical to the newer manuscript. God has preserved his words for our benefit.
| The Prophet Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah. Who is this man? Click here to receive our study guide. |
Like us on Facebook at Stories of the Prophets: Extended
Photo of Jerusalem Um 1900 on Wikimedia Commons
Photo of Arrow by TheDigitalWay on Pixabay
Photo of Great Isaiah Scroll on Wikimedia Commons
