Will you please turn to the book of Isaiah? This morning we will be in Isaiah, beginning with Isaiah Chapter 1.
We will read the first verse and part of the second verse: Isaiah Chapter 1, verses 1 and 2.
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord hath spoken.
Chapter 6. We will read from verse 1 through part of verse 9.
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and His train filled the temple.
Above Him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
And he touched my mouth with it, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is forgiven.
And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Then I said, Here am I; send me.
And He said, Go.
Finally, Isaiah Chapter 40. We will read the first eleven verses.
Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord; make level in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain:
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
The voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath of the Lord bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever.
O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into a high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God!
Behold, the Lord God will come as a mighty one, and His arm will rule for Him: behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.
He will feed His flock like a shepherd, He will gather the lambs in His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and will gently lead those that have their young.
Shall we pray?
Dear Heavenly Father, our hearts do bow before Thee because Thou art our God and our Redeemer. We do praise and thank Thee for Thy precious Word. We ask that Thy Holy Spirit will quicken Thy Word to our hearts, that through Thy Word we may get a vision of Thyself and the greatness of Thy salvation. We ask in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
In the past, we have shared very briefly on the Pentateuchal writings, the five books of Moses; on the historical writings; on the poetical writings; and on the wisdom writings of the Old Testament. Now we will begin on the prophetical writings of the Old Testament. So probably I should give a very brief introduction to these prophetical writings and to the meaning of the prophets first.
The whole Old Testament is prophetic. Bishop Westcott said, “The Old Testament is one whole prophecy.” Prophetic utterances are linked together with historical facts, and history compels us to look beyond.
Prophets are forth-tellers, delivering God’s message to His own people and telling them of God’s thoughts concerning them. Prophets are also foretellers, for the time in which they live is but a moment in the progress of a divine plan.
Prophets have both insight and foresight, and their foresight is because of their insight. They are people raised up by God in times of crisis. They are the champions of righteousness in their time.
They serve many functions. They are preachers, teachers, statesmen, reformers, and heralds. They are the moral conscience of that age. They are holy men of God who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. We find that in 2 Peter 1:21.
They are very conscious that they are inspired by God. Therefore, you find they often said, “Thus saith the Lord.” But at the same time, they are also very conscious that they do not fully understand what they have uttered.
As a matter of fact, we find that there were prophets even before the time of Samuel. The patriarchs were prophets. Moses was a prophet. Usually, the prophets would deliver their messages orally first, and then commit these messages to writing.
Now, in the Hebrew Bible, the prophets are divided into two groups: the former prophets and the latter prophets.
The former prophets include the historical writings, such as Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and 2 Kings. The latter prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets.
Daniel is not classified among the prophets. His writings are partly historical and partly prophetic, and he is placed among the latter writings together with Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles.
Isaiah is considered one of the greatest prophets. His name means “the salvation of the Lord,” or “the Lord is salvation.”
We do not know much of his background. We only know that he was the son of Amoz. But evidently, he came from a noble family. We find that he had ready access to the king, and he was quite familiar with the priests. Tradition says—and we do not know how true it is—that he was a cousin of King Uzziah.
He lived in Jerusalem, and his prophecies were directed to Judah and Jerusalem. But, of course, we know that he prophesied concerning all the nations around. He had two sons, or at least two sons.
Isaiah is considered the evangelical prophet. Some people think that he is the Paul of the Old Testament. The reason is that you find the theme of his writings is salvation, even salvation by faith.
Hosea and Micah were his contemporaries. His writing is considered to reach the climax of Hebrew literary art.
He is quoted much in the New Testament. His name is mentioned twenty-one times in the New Testament, and McCullough said there are over two hundred and fifty occasions on which Isaiah is either quoted or alluded to. So here you find the value of the book of Isaiah.
Now, in order to understand Isaiah, there is one thing I think we need to have some idea of, and that is the time in which he lived. Isaiah prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. His prophecies can be divided into three periods.
The first period was in the reigns of Uzziah and Jotham. It was a long period. By the way, Isaiah prophesied probably around eight hundred years before Christ.
During the reigns of Uzziah and Jotham, the nation of Judah was prosperous. They were good kings, and because they set their hearts towards the Lord, the nation was greatly blessed. But prosperity degenerated into luxury, and pure worship of God gradually fell into idolatry.
Isaiah was raised up during that period as the voice of God, calling God’s people to repent. Because they did not repent, Isaiah pronounced God’s judgment, condemnation, and banishment upon that nation.
Now, the second period was during the reign of King Ahaz. Ahaz was a wicked king, and during his reign three things happened:
That very action brought God’s chosen nation into contact with world power. At that time, Isaiah saw the situation with a telescopic grasp.
Then the third period was during the reign of King Hezekiah. King Hezekiah was one of the best kings of Judah. He restored the worship of the Lord, but unfortunately, the people still did corruptly.
So there you find Isaiah prophesying of the captivity into Babylon. But at the same time, he was prophesying the return from captivity, and even beyond that, to the final gathering of the twelve tribes of Israel and the ushering in of the millennial kingdom. That is the prophecy of Isaiah.
Isaiah is not only a prophet; he is also a sign. In Isaiah 8:18, it says:
Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel.
So Isaiah is more than a prophet, a spokesman of God. He is also a sign to the nation of Israel. In other words, you find that his life and his word speak to the nation. His person and his message are all one. In a very real sense, that is what a prophet should be.
You know, it is very interesting. Isaiah had two sons. If you read Isaiah 8:1, one of his sons is called Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which means, “Swift is the spoil, hasty is the prey.” That actually covers Isaiah Chapters 1 through 39.
It is swift for spoil and hasty for prey. Then he had another son in Isaiah 7:3, Shear-jashub, which means, “A remnant shall return.” That fits in with Isaiah Chapters 40 through 66. Isaiah means, “The Lord saves,” and he covers the whole book.
Now, the book of Isaiah is divided into three parts:
The first part, Isaiah Chapters 1 through 35, is prophetic. This is the most difficult part in the book of Isaiah. The reason is that the prophecies in that part are not arranged according to chronology. Probably they are arranged according to subject matter.
But anyway, probably Isaiah Chapters 1 through 5 serve as the introduction to the whole book of Isaiah. In Isaiah Chapter 6, you find Isaiah saw a vision.
Now, some people think that this was the time when Isaiah was called to be a prophet. But other people think probably it was a renewal of his call, because Isaiah prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Yet the vision he saw was at the time King Uzziah died.
Probably Isaiah and King Uzziah were very close. So, when King Uzziah died, he went to the temple to pray. As he came to the temple, he was given a vision.
The veil in the temple was removed from his spiritual eyes. He saw the Lord sitting on the throne. Usually, we would say that in the temple, behind the veil, in the holiest of all, God sits upon the mercy seat. But here you find that the veil was removed from his spiritual eyes. He saw the Lord sitting on a throne, and His train filled the temple.
There were seraphim. Seraphim are an order of the angelic host. Seraphim means burning ones—on fire, burning ones. Isaiah saw these angelic beings there, and the seraphim had six wings: two wings to cover their faces, two wings to cover their feet, and two wings to fly.
These burning ones are so close to the throne of God that they have to cover their whole being. That shows the holiness of God. God is so holy, so uncommon, so unique, so unequal, so alone, so majestic, so glorious—glorious—that even the angels, the seraphim, have to cover their whole being before God. They dare not look at God.
They have two wings to fly. In other words, they are ready to do God’s errand. Seraphim represent the holiness of God: the holiness of God in judgment and the holiness of God in mercy. One cried to another, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts,” and His glory fills the whole earth.
I wonder, when Isaiah entered into the temple to pray, what was in his mind? At that critical changing moment of the nation, probably he was wondering what would happen after Uzziah died.
There in the vision, he saw that God was on the throne. King Uzziah died, but the King of kings lives forever. He is still on the throne, and He rules over the whole. No matter what happens, no matter what may appear to be, the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth.
As the seraphim were crying, “Holy, holy, holy,” Isaiah saw that vision. Brothers and sisters, to be a prophet, you need to see the vision of the Lord. You need to see the holiness of God.
Seeing that vision, immediately you find something happened in the life of Isaiah. He cried out, “Woe is me, for I am undone. I am a man of unclean lips, dwelling among a people of unclean lips.”
Brothers and sisters, no one can see a vision of the glory of the Lord without being smitten to the ground, without being reduced to dust and ashes, without having your beauty turned into corruption.
Isaiah was a prophet, and the strongest point of a prophet is his lips, because he speaks for God. But when he saw the glory of the Lord, that was the greatest weakness he saw in his life. He realized that he was a man of unclean lips. Who is clean enough to speak for God? He dwelt among a people of unclean lips. He felt as one who was completely undone, finished.
Brothers and sisters, that is what makes a prophet. A prophet is not only one who sees the Lord. A prophet is one who is undone by the glory of the Lord.
Then immediately afterwards, you find a seraphim took a burning coal from the altar and touched his lips and said, “You are purified.”
Until we realize our uncleanness, our unfitness—until we realize that we are completely undone—we will not be purified. Here you find he was completely cleansed by the Lord, prepared to receive the burden from God.
Then he heard the voice saying, “Whom shall I send? Who shall go for Us?” God had a need, and He made His need known at that moment.
Immediately, Isaiah said, “Here am I. Send me.” And God said, “Go.” In other words, a prophet is a person who has received the burden of the Lord. That burden from the Lord costs him everything.
From the very beginning, God told him that his mission would be an unsuccessful mission. He would not succeed in drawing the people back to God. Yet God’s heart towards His people is so long-suffering that, in spite of that, God still sends His prophet day and night to try to draw back His people.
Even though immediately and outwardly his mission was an impossible, unsuccessful mission, yet we know ultimately it was a great success.
Isaiah was sent to Judah, God’s chosen people. He prophesied mainly in Jerusalem, and he called God’s people to repent.
He told God’s people that God is not satisfied. God cannot be cheated merely by outward offerings and services while their hearts are far away from Him. So God called His people to return, to circumcise their hearts, that the blessing of the Lord might come upon them.
Yet because of their stubbornness, they refused to repent. So Isaiah had to pronounce God’s judgment and condemnation upon that nation. But even with the words of condemnation, you find they are interspersed with great promises of the Messiah and of His salvation.
So you find in the first part of Isaiah such verses as Isaiah 7:14:
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6-7 says:
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah Chapter 11 says:
And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him.
So you find that even though there are utterances of condemnation and judgment, yet there are great promises of salvation. That is our God.
Now, brothers and sisters, as we read these prophetic utterances, we do not read them merely as prophecies over Judah and Jerusalem. Immediately, it is true; but we, as the chosen people of God today, need to hear God’s voice.
As God’s people, He desires that we serve Him with all our hearts, with all our mind, with all our soul, and with all our strength. We cannot deceive Him with lip service. He is looking upon our hearts, and He wants us to give ourselves wholly to Him and to serve Him purely.
If we do not repent, He will discipline us. He is strict with those who are near to Him. But remember, His discipline may appear severe, and yet it is out of His love. With His discipline, He has not only promised us, but He has given us One who is able to save us to the uttermost.
The second part of Isaiah is historical. It is Isaiah Chapters 36 through 39. The first two chapters speak of the trouble and triumph of King Hezekiah. The next two chapters speak of his recovery from sickness and his folly.
This historical record is placed in the writings of Isaiah for a reason. This historical part connects the prophetic part and the Messianic part.
In the prophetic part, Israel is involved mostly with Assyria. That is the first two chapters in the second part. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, came to attack Jerusalem, and King Hezekiah prayed, and God delivered them.
But the second part deals with the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon came after Hezekiah had recovered from sickness, and in his folly, he showed the emissaries all his riches. Because of that, eventually the whole nation was taken captive into Babylon.
Actually, the Messianic part is dealing with God’s people and Babylon. So you find the historical part is the link linking the two parts together.
What we learn from this historical part is a very important lesson: if we humble ourselves before God, He will exalt us. But pride precedes a fall. That is the lesson you find in the historical part.
Of course, in Isaiah, the most important part is the third part, the Messianic part, from Isaiah Chapter 40 to Isaiah Chapter 66.
You know, if you stand on a very high place—say you stand on a mountaintop—and when you look out, you can see a great deal before you. Your horizon is broad.
Now, as God’s prophet, he stands in the presence of God. In other words, he is on high ground. Standing on higher ground, when he looks out, his horizon is almost unlimited.
That is Isaiah. He can see the present and, at the same time, the future. He can see the immediate and, at the same time, the remotest. So, in other words, to a prophet, time is no factor.
The reason why, when we study prophecy, we find it very difficult is because of this: with a prophet, there is no time limit. He may be talking about the present, and in the next verse he may jump into the future. Or he may be talking about the future, and suddenly he is back in the present.
Sometimes he is prophesying of an immediate future, and when he is prophesying that, he jumps—he leaps—into the distant future. Why? Because he has the eyes of God.
So you find prophecy is oftentimes partially fulfilled in the immediate and fully fulfilled in the remotest future. That is the study of prophecy.
As a matter of fact, Isaiah prophesied until the reign of King Hezekiah. Most commentators feel that he prophesied to the fifteenth year of King Hezekiah, because after that there does not seem to be any record.
Whether he lived until the time of Manasseh, we do not know. Some people think that Isaiah lived until the time of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, a most wicked king. Actually, he was martyred. He was sawn asunder.
Tradition says that he fled from Manasseh and hid himself in a tree, and then Manasseh had him sawn asunder. You find that in Hebrews Chapter 11: some people were sawn asunder, and that was Isaiah. Whether Isaiah lived until that age or not, we do not know, but he prophesied a long time—at least forty-eight years, probably over sixty years.
Most likely, in the time of Hezekiah, he foresaw that the nation would be taken captive into Babylon. He also predicted that they would return from Babylon. So actually, the Messianic part, if you want to know the historical background, is prophesying the return of the Jewish remnant from Babylonian captivity.
But as he prophesied these things, he went way beyond into another dispersion: the dispersion of the Jews after Christ was crucified, in A.D. 70, and the regathering of the tribes at the coming of the Lord. That will bring in the millennium.
That is the Messianic part. Of course, we know that, being an evangelical prophet, his prophecy is not limited just to the Jewish people. His prophecy extends to the whole world, and especially to those who are redeemed by the Lord. So the Messianic part is very important to us.
This Messianic part is again divided into three parts, nine chapters each:
So you find that it is divided into these three parts: redemption, the Redeemer, and the redeemed.
The first eleven verses of Isaiah Chapter 40 are the prologue, the introduction to the rest of the chapters.
I will briefly go over it. Here you find, “Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God.”
The word comfort is more than just consolation. The word comfort actually means to cause to breathe again. You know, the people of God are under oppression. They could hardly breathe. Now God says, “Breathe again.” A reviving, a recovery, a return from captivity.
He speaks to the heart of His people. He says, “Her time of suffering is accomplished. She has suffered enough. Her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”
In other words, God looks upon His people and says, “You have suffered enough. Now I have pardoned your iniquity.” How? Because I have received from the One whom I will send as your Redeemer the full payment of your sins.
Then Isaiah 40:3-5 says:
The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord; make level in the desert a highway for our God.
Of course, today we know this was fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist. John the Baptist was sent as the forerunner of the Messiah. There he was, a voice crying in the wilderness, preparing a highway for God. What is the highway for Christ? Repentance.
Repentance is the way to salvation. Every valley shall be raised up: the lowly, the humiliated, will be encouraged. Every mountain and hill shall be brought low: the self-righteous, the presumptuous, shall be humiliated.
The crooked shall be made straight: the double-minded shall be made simple. The rough places shall be made plain: the proud shall be brought into submission. In other words, repentance. We need to repent of ourselves, repent of our ways, and return to God.
Then the glory of the Lord shall appear, and all flesh shall see it. The Lord has spoken. Now, brothers and sisters, we know very well that salvation comes from God. It is because of His love for us that He says, “It is enough,” and He has provided for us a Redeemer, that our sins may be pardoned and we may see the glory of the Lord. But we need to repent.
Then Isaiah 40:6-8 tells us that we are saved not because of what we are, not because we are worthy of salvation. We do not deserve anything. We are like grass, and our beauty is like a flower. The grass withers, and the flower fades because the breath of God blows upon it. In other words, we are convicted by the Holy Spirit that we are but sinners.
Yet the Word of God abides forever. In 1 Peter, we find that we are born again by the abiding Word of God.
Isaiah 40:9-11 is the glad tidings. In other words, let the glad tidings be spread. Do not be afraid. Behold your God. The King has come. He comes to deliver, and He is like a shepherd, tending us as His lambs.
So here you find it is like an introduction to the whole Messianic part of the book of Isaiah.
Now, in the first part, redemption, it tells us that our Redeemer is none other than our Creator. It is our Creator who redeems us.
So far as we are concerned, we have failed. But God has sent His Servant, and His Son is His Servant. Through His Son, we are saved.
There you find He used Cyrus as a type of the Messiah. Cyrus was used by God to allow the children of Israel to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. He serves as a type of Christ, our Messiah, who delivers us out of the world that we may go back to Him and rebuild His house.
So that is redemption. Now, brothers and sisters, redemption is not only coming out of Babylon. Redemption is returning to Jerusalem. Redemption is not merely to be free from bondage, but to go back and build the house of God. That is the purpose of redemption.
Now, the second part is from Isaiah Chapters 49 through 57: the Redeemer. At the very start, you find that the Servant of the Lord—that is our Lord Jesus—came to this world, and the world received Him not.
You find that He labored hard, and yet He was rejected, as if His work came to failure. But He said, “My judgment is with the Lord, and My work is with Him.”
So we remember our Lord Jesus. In Matthew, we are told that when He labored much in Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, and the people rejected Him, He lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank Thee. So it is Thy good pleasure.”
In that section, I think the most familiar portion is Isaiah Chapter 53, because in Isaiah 53 you find the suffering of the Messiah and His triumph given in such fullness.
You remember Acts Chapter 8. The eunuch from Ethiopia was reading Isaiah, and he did not understand. Then Philip was sent to him and explained to him from Isaiah 53, Christ Jesus.
So Isaiah 53, I think we are all familiar with it. But actually, Isaiah 53 begins with Isaiah 52:13. Isaiah 52:13-15 is the summary and the introduction to Isaiah 53.
Behold, My Servant shall deal wisely, He shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.
Now, the word behold is used nearly seventy times. God wants us to pay attention to it. He says, “Behold, My Servant,” and that is our Lord Jesus, “shall deal wisely.” In other words, He will work intelligently and with understanding. In the original, that word means that He will bring everything into success. He will accomplish His mission. It is finished.
Then He shall be exalted, and lifted up, and be very high. Some people think it means He will be resurrected from the dead, He will ascend on high, and He will take His seat at the right hand of His Father.
Because of what He had done on earth, He will be exalted, and His name shall be above every name.
Yet the following verse, Isaiah 52:14, tells us of His suffering:
As many were astonished at Thee, His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.
In other words, our Lord Jesus was disfigured so completely that you could hardly recognize Him as a man. That describes the sufferings of the cross. Yet out of those sufferings came atonement.
So in verse 15:
So shall He sprinkle many nations.
The whole world will be astonished because they see something they have never seen before. They have heard something they have never heard before. It is the salvation of the Lord.
Then, of course, Isaiah Chapter 53 shows us the sufferings of Christ. He shall see of the travail of His soul. This is followed by a call that we can come and buy without money. In other words, salvation is free.
Now, the third part, the last part, is Isaiah Chapters 58 through 66: the redeemed. Now, who are the redeemed?
It begins with a cry, and the cry is to declare unto My people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins. In other words, you find that, so far as we are concerned, we are but sinners. We do not deserve anything.
But God’s arm is not short, and it is He who has provided salvation for us.
Then you find a division comes. Those who continue in rebellion and wickedness will be punished. But those who repent, who have a contrite and broken spirit, and tremble at God’s Word, shall be delivered. That is the remnant.
There you find Isaiah, in his prophetic view, sees to the very end. You see the millennial kingdom, when Christ shall return and judge the world, and He will bring in His kingdom, even the new heaven and the new earth.
But in that section, you find that God also sets up watchmen. God wants people to cry unto Him, that He will make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. In other words, God wants His people to cry out to Him that He will speed up that work of full restoration for the whole earth.
So, brothers and sisters, we find that the prophecies of Isaiah are almost boundless.
Shall we pray?
Dear Heavenly Father, we do praise and thank Thee that Thou art not only our Creator; Thou art also our Redeemer. We do praise and thank Thee that we who are no better than anybody else, we who deserve judgment, yet in Thy mercy Thou hast chosen us.
Lord, we do pray that we may be a people who have a contrite and broken spirit before Thee, a people who tremble at Thy words, a people who are given over to Thee, a people who will be watchmen set upon the walls, that we may speed up Thy work, bring back the King, and bring in the kingdom of God.
Lord, we do pray that Thou wilt touch our hearts very deeply as we think, oh, what a great salvation Thou hast provided for us. What a great Saviour Thou art, a great Redeemer. We worship Thee in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.