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Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................... 2

Isaiah – Historical Background ........................................................................... 3

Historical Setting ............................................................................................ 3

Chapters 1-39 ............................................................................................. 3

Chapters 40-55 ........................................................................................... 4

Chapters 56-66 ........................................................................................... 4

Key Nations in Isaiah ..................................................................................... 5

Related Bible Passages ................................................................................... 6

A word to watch: Israel .................................................................................. 6

Isaiah – Theological Context .............................................................................. 7

God’s character .............................................................................................. 7

God’s purifying judgement ............................................................................ 7

God’s rescue ................................................................................................... 7

General Areas of Application ............................................................................. 8

Outline of Chapters 1-40 .................................................................................... 9

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Introduction

Welcome to Christ Church Endcliffe, and welcome to Isaiah!

Throughout the autumn term, we’ll be studying the first major section of Isaiah. This booklet will give us some background information, and hopefully will help us to keep the big picture in mind as we dive into the details of individual passages.

Why study Isaiah? In part for the same reasons that we study any part of the Bible: it is God’s word to us his people about the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ!

More specifically, what we’ll find is the people of Judah in Isaiah’s day beset by two main issues:

First, their sinfulness. The nation has turned from God to idols, and have turned against each other.

Second, the threat of neighbouring nations. First as Israel and Syria form an alliance against them, and then later as the Assyrian Empire sweeps toward Jerusalem.

So what God’s people need is spiritual and moral renewal, and victory over their enemies. So too for us, as we realise our own sinfulness and need of forgiveness and transformation, and also as we realise the spiritual battle with which we are faced as we contend with sin, the world and the devil.

We need to hear, as did the people of Judah, the encouragement and warning that God gave them through Isaiah:

If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. (7v9)

Only God could save Judah from themselves and from their enemies. And he promised to do so through the coming ‘Immanuel’ – a great King who would lead his people in moral renewal, and in defeating the nations.

It’s a promise that in part points to Hezekiah, who trusts God and sees the Assyrians defeated. However, it points much more to Jesus himself, our great rescuer King.

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Isaiah – Historical Background

Historical Setting Isaiah has three major sections, each of which has a different historical setting. For Isaiah, two of these were in the future. For us they are all in the past (though there are still quite a few passages which will have their ultimate fulfilment in the new creation, and so which speak of the future even for us).

Chapters 1-39

1:1 tells us that Isaiah’s ministry was during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah (which covers the latter half of the eighth century BC), and that his principle ministry was to Judah and its capital Jerusalem (the southern kingdom following the split of Israel).

Geopolitically, it was a time when Judah was a minor player on the world stage. Assyria was the region’s superpower (later superseded by the Babylonians who were in turn superseded by the Persians). But Judah was also vulnerable to neighbouring medium-sized nations like Israel, Syria and Egypt.

It is this vulnerability that forms the backdrop to Isaiah, especially the first 39 chapters.

In Ahaz’s reign (Chs 7-11), Israel and Syria combine forces and try to invade Judah and depose Ahaz. Ahaz then faces a choice: will he trust God who has promised that he will defeat his enemies, or will he instead run to Assyria to ask for protection? Ahaz fails and turns to Assyria.

Later, Hezekiah faces a similar challenge (Chs 36-39). This time it is Assyria who have invaded Judah, and now besiege Jerusalem. Will Hezekiah trust God for rescue, or will he seek to make an alliance with Egypt? Hezekiah is faithful, trusting God alone, and the Assyrian army is defeated by the LORD.

However, at the end of Hezekiah’s reign, we see him invite envoys from Babylon to Jerusalem, and he unwisely shows off his nation’s wealth to them. He is then told by Isaiah that Judah will be exiled to Babylon in the future.

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Chapters 40-55

In the next section, Isaiah looks ahead to Judah’s time of captivity in exile in Babylon. He brings a message of future comfort, as the Lord promises to rescue his people.

However, Judah’s exile is deserved. It is a result of their sin. And so in promising rescue, comfort and return, Isaiah introduces the character of the Servant. One whom God would send, and who will suffer for the sake of Judah, being punished in their place (a theme which culminates in the well known servant songs, especially chapter 53).

Chapters 56-66

Here the scene shifts further into the future, to the time of the return from exile (which happened under Cyrus, King of Persia). It is a return that will be bittersweet for God’s people. Yes they will be restored to Jerusalem, but only by the permission of a foreign kingdom.

So how will God’s people continue, given their weakness and inadequacy? How will they lead righteous and godly lives when they are still the same sinful people they were at the start of the book?

God’s answer is to promise an Anointed Conqueror, one who will empower his people, and lead them on in the restoration of the nation so that they are part of the New Jerusalem.

1-39 Section 40-55 56-66

700sBC Historical setting Late 500sBC Early 500sBC

Judah morally bankrupt and under attack from other nations. Will their king trust God for rescue or run to make an alliance?

Main issue God’s people are in exile because of their sins. Are comfort, rescue and return possible for fallen people?

God’s people are back in Jerusalem, but how are they to go on in the face of inner sin and a hostile world?

God’s promise He will send a godly KING to lead his people.

He will send a SERVANT who will bear the sins of his people.

He will send a CONQUEROR who will lead and renew his people.

JESUS is the ultimate King, Servant and Conqueror!

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Key Nations in Isaiah

Egypt: symbol of human self-reliance, and the place from which God had rescued his people in the Exodus.

Judah: God’s people. Would they trust him, or turn to other nations when faced with the Assyrian threat?

Tyre: symbol of human wealth and trade

Israel: symbol of idolatry, as the nation had gone away from the LORD and would soon be destroyed

Philistia: long-term enemy of Judah, but small compared with the other nations

Syria: local rival, who make and alliance with Israel against Judah

Assyria: the superpower of the day, also a symbol of human self-reliance

ISRAEL

JUDAH

TYRE SYRIA

ASSYRIAN

EMPIRE

To Babylon

To Egypt

PHILISTIA

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Related Bible Passages The historical period which is the focus of Isaiah 1-49 is also covered in other books of the Bible.

2 Kings 15-20 cover the reign of the kings of Isaiah’s time, with a particular emphasis on Ahaz and Hezekiah, and their different responses to the respective threats form Israel/Syria and Assyria.

2 Chronicles 26-32 covers the same period, with an even greater emphasis on Hezekiah.

Reading one or both of these sections would provide a useful background to our study of Isaiah.

A word to watch: Israel One word of caution: when we come across the word ‘Israel’ in Isaiah, it can refer to a number of different things:

Sometimes (as in Chapter 1) it refers to the people of Judah (who in a way are the ‘true Israel’ given that the northern kingdom has turned from the Lord.

Sometimes (as in Chapters 7-9) it refers to the northern kingdom Israel, which attacks Judah and Jerusalem (Jerusalem was just inside the border of Judah).

Sometimes (as in Chapter 10) it refers to the future, restored people of God. A combination of faithful people from both Judah and Israel, and indeed from the nations.

To further complicate things, other words can be used in place of Israel:

Sometimes the capital is used to refer to the whole country. Thus in addressing ‘Jerusalem’ Isaiah is referring to Israel as a whole. Even then, Jerusalem itself has (mainly!) two names. Jerusalem and Zion. Normally, though not exclusively, Jerusalem is used to refer to present-day Israel, whilst Zion is used to refer to the future restored Israel that the Lord will bring about.

Sometimes Jacob is also used interchangeably with Israel.

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Isaiah – Theological Context

In chapter 6, where Isaiah receives his commissioning as a prophet, we see a summary of many of the theological concerns of the whole book.

God’s character "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." 6:3

Above all, Isaiah sees a vision of God’s character. He is holy beyond comparison, and almighty above all. Elsewhere, Isaiah’s favourite name for God is the Holy one of Israel. Yes he is holy, but he has also set his gracious love on his people.

Because of this...

God alone is to be worshipped (not idols)

God alone is to be feared (not rival nations)

God alone is to be trusted (not human efforts or alliances)

God’s purifying judgement "Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged,

12 until the LORD has

sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. 13

And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land." 6:11-13

God will renew his people through judgement. As his people are punished for their sin, a remnant will remain faithful to God, and will be the basis for the restored nation.

God’s rescue "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." 6:7

God provides the way for his people’s sin to be atoned. From the place of sacrifice comes something (or someone) which can take away our guilt.

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General Areas of Application

Given all that we’ve seen from the general message of Isaiah, what are some of the main areas of application for us today that we can expect to see as we go through the chapters? Here are a few for starters...

Repentance – as we see the nature of our sin in contrast to the love and

holiness of the Lord. Trust – responding to difficulties by trusting God’s promises rather

than ourselves or others.

Confidence – in the face of a hostile world which does not honour God, and which is antagonistic to Christians.

Joy – as we realise all that God has done for us, and

the future that he has secured for us.

Obedience – to Jesus as we recognise him as the godly King who rescues us and

leads us into fullness of life

Humility – as we come before the Holy One of Israel, and realise our total

dependence on Jesus as our King, Suffering Servant and Anointed Conqueror

Mission – as, like Isaiah, we prepare to tell the world about God’s holiness, judgement and

his offer of rescue

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Outline of Chapters 1-40 In this series, we are going to cover chapters 1-40 (we’ll come back to 40-55 and 56-66 in the future).

In the table below, you can see how we’re dividing it up into sections each week (sometimes the sections are so long, that we will just take a representative passage from the section, rather than trying to tackle the whole thing; where this is the case, the smaller passage in given in brackets).

There is then a summary paragraph giving the thrust of the section.

Section Our passage Summary

1 (1:1-31) 05/09/10

1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

God’s people have rebelled against him. The once faithful city of Jerusalem is now a ‘harlot city’, as shown in their...

political life (where they should be a ‘light to the nations’, they are besieged by the nations)

religious life (having external religion, but with hearts far from God)

community life (marked by injustice and evil)

But God wants to restore Jerusalem to the Faithful City again – if they trust him, then he will redeem them.

2-5 (4:2-5:7) 12/09/10

2:17-18 The arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear.

Conformity to the world will bring God’s judgement. This section contrasts the present-day Judah (2:6-4:1; 5:1-30), with the future hope of a restored nation (2:1-5; 4:2-6).

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6 (6:1-13) 19/09/10

6:5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

A great vision of God the King. The combination of Israel’s sinfulness and God’s holiness means devastating judgement for Israel. But there is hope – Isaiah represents a group within Israel to whom God will reveal himself and who will realise their sin, seek forgiveness and grace, and respond in obedience.

7-11 (7:1-17) 26/09/10

9:6-7 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 called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever.

A particular historical situation in the reign of Ahaz. Judah is threatened by Israel (in the north) and Syria. When challenged to trust God, Ahaz fails, believing that an alliance with Assyria was more able to help him. In response, Isaiah prophesies judgement and salvation: God will bring Assyria to destroy Judah, but they will not be totally wiped out, and God will raise up a new king ‘Immanuel’ who would rule rightly.

(9:1-7) 03/10/10 All-Age Service

12 (12:1-6) 10/10/10

12:2 "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

A song of praise, looking ahead to the future glorified people of God.

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13-23 (14:1-23) 17/10/10

13:9 See, the day of the LORD is coming - a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger - to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.

A series of ten oracles against the nations. God’s people should not fear the nations. Nor should they trust alliances with the nations for their security. Because all the nations stand under God’s judgement and sovereign rule. Knowing this should not make God’s people complacent (there is an oracle against Jerusalem too!), but rather repentant as they fear and trust the LORD.

24-27 (25:1-12) 24/10/10

25:2 You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners' stronghold a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.

26:1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts.

Looking to the future, and contrasting God’s judgement and salvation of unnamed ‘cities’.

At one level, the contrast is being made between future judgement on the nations (c.f. 13-23) and future salvation of Jerusalem.

At another level, the contrast is between current Jerusalem (‘the harlot city’) and the future restored Jerusalem (‘the faithful city’).

(26:1-21) 31/10/10

(27:1-13) 07/11/10 Vision Sunday

28-35 (30:1-33) 14/11/10 Giving Sunday

31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD.

These chapters summarise the themes so far, with a greater emphasis on Hezekiah’s situation (should he trust God and stand up to Assyria, or seek an alliance with Egypt?) rather than Ahaz’s situation in Chs 7-11.

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36-39 (37:9-38) 21/11/10

37:20 "Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God."

Historical narrative recounting the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrian Sennacherib. Unlike Ahaz, Hezekiah trusts God, and the Assyrian army are destroyed by the Lord.

In the face of terminal illness, Hezekiah prays and receives healing and a reprieve from death (mirroring Judah’s reprieve from exile). However, his pride leads him to display his wealth to Babylon, leading Isaiah to prophesy Judah’s future exile to the Babylonians.

(38:1-39:8) 28/11/10

40 (40:1-11) 05/12/10

40:1-2 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.

Isaiah fast-forwards to the time of exile, and proclaims a message of comfort to God’s people. He has not abandoned them, but will restore them as he comes to his people as Sovereign and Shepherd, through the ministry of his Servant (Chs 42-55).