„The spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has appointed me to bring good news to the poor, He has sent me to comfort the broken-hearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.“ (Isaiah 61:1)
This famous verse shows much of the message of Isaiah.
Isaiah surely is the most significant of the writing prophets. His Name can be translated into „Help is God“. He was born around 770 B.C. His long ministry lasted almost 60 years and covered the reigns of four kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. The prophecies of Isaiah were primarily given to the people of Judah, although his messages applied to the northern kingdom (Samaria) as well.
Isaiah lived through the dark days of the civil war between Israel and Judah (734-732 B.C.) and saw the destruction of Israel by Assyria in 722 B.C. Isaiah used the grim lessons of Israel’s fall to teach King Hezekia of Judah to trust in the Lord. Isaiah also spoke about events that took place after his own time, including the coming exile of Judah to Babylon and the deliverance that God would provide afterward.
Isaiah also warned the nations surrounding Israel and Judah that they, too, would be judged for their evil actions. In the end, however, Isaiah offered a message of hope and comfort for Judah, promising that God would restore them after their punishment was completed.
Isaiah’s messages, like those of most prophets, made him few friends during his lifetime. Nevertheless, he faithfully continued to bring God’s message to the world. And so after the purpose to call the nations of Judah back to God, another purpose of the Book Isaiah is to tell of God’s salvation through the Messiah. So Isaiah described, 700 years earlier, the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who gave his life for us.
There are many references also in the New Testament to Isaiah. He is often quoted, for instance in John 1:23: „John replied in the words of Isaiah: I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, Prepare a straight pathway for the Lord’s coming!“.
And in Acts 8 we can read about the treasurer of Ethiopia who was reading in the book of Isaiah before he met Philip and was baptized by him. In total there are at least ten references to Isaiah in the New testament which makes him one of the most important prophets also for our time.
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written by Ed Haase, christian author and teacher, Berlin/Germany.
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