Isaiah 1

Isaiah 1:1

Isaiah 1:1 — Title – Isaiah 1:1 serves as the title of the book of Isaiah, introducing the author and the time period in which his collection of prophecies were uttered. Isaiah 1:1 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. Isaiah 1:1 — “The vision of Isaiah” – Word Study on “vision” – Gesenius says the Hebrew word “vision” (ηָ ?ζεֹ ?ο) (H2377) means, “a divine vision, a divine revelation, an oracle.” Strong says it means, “a sight, a dream, a revelation, an oracle,” and comes from the primitive root (ηָ ?ζָ ?δ) (H2372), which means, “to gaze at, to perceive, to contemplate (with pleasure), to have a vision of.” Word Study on “Isaiah” – Gesenius says the Hebrew name (ιְ ?ωַׁ ?ςְ ?ιָ ?δεּ) (H3470) means “the salvation of Jehovah.” Strong says it means, “Jah has saved,” and is derived from the primitive root “Yasha” (ιָ ?ωַׁ ?ς) (H3467), which means, “to be safe, to free, succor,” and he Hebrew word “Yahh” (ιָ ?δּ) (H3050), which is a contraction of the name “YHWH” (ιδεδ) (H3068). Comments - As his name implies, Isaiah’s prophecies foretell of Christ’s coming in several passages of this book, especially of His birth and Crucifixion: Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 9:6, “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, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 52:12 thru Isaiah 53:12 deals with Christ’s crucifixion. Isaiah 1:1 — “the son of Amoz” – Word Study on “Amoz” - The father of Isaiah was called “Amoz” (ΰָ ?ξֹ ?ευ) (H531) and not “Amos” (ςָ ?ξֹ ?ερ) (H5986). Strong says this name means, “strong,” and comes from the primitive root (ΰָ ?ξֵ ?υ) (H553), which means, “to alert.” The Enhanced Strong says this name occurs 13 times in the Old Testament and refers to only one individual. Comments - This name is only found in the phrase “Isaiah the son of Amoz.” Thus, nothing is positively known about his life. However, ancient Jewish tradition says that he was the brother of Amaziah, the tenth king of Judah (837-809 B.C.).[13] [13] R. F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, R. K. Harrison, and Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, rev. ed. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), “Amoz.” Isaiah 1:1 — “which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah” – Isaiah’s ministry extends through the reigns of four kings of Judah:

1. Uzziah - Eleventh king of Judah 809-8 to 757-6 B.C., reigned 52 years.2. Jotham - Twelfth king of Judah, 758 - 741 B.C., reigned 16 years.
2. Ahaz - Thirteenth king of Judah, 741-726 B.C., reigned about 16 years.
3. Hezekiah - Fourteenth king of Judah, 726 - 701 B.C., reigned 25 years. Dates and times have been measured differently throughout the course of history. Today’s western civilization uses the Roman calendar and its citizens wear watches to know the time of day; thus, this culture is “time conscience.” Other, more primitive cultures tend to be more “event conscience.” This simply means that westerners organize their day around a clock, while primitive cultures mark time by significant events in their lives. After reading Isaiah 1:1, the first thing our mind does as a Bible student is to try and put dates with the period that is described in this passage, but not so in ancient cultures. Even today, in African societies, people do not always know their birthday by the day in the year they were born, but by an event, usually centered around the event of their local king. This is because these people are more conscience of particular events than they are of time. Many of these Old Testament prophets were dated around the events of the kings of Israel and Judah, rather than by a date.

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the president of Uganda, 1986 to present, does not know his birthday. Rather, he just knows that he was born in the year that King Kahaya II, the king of the Anchole tribe, died, which was now known to date 1944.[14] [14] Yoweri K. Museveni, Sowing the Mustard Seed (London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 1997), 1.Isaiah 1:1 — Comments – The Title of the Book - Isaiah 1:1 does not simply introduction Isaiah’s first prophecy (Isaiah 1:2-31); but rather, it serves as a summary of the entire collection of prophecies found in the book of Isaiah. The Old Testament prophet ministered to Israel and Jerusalem for approximately sixty years during the reign of four kings of Judah. Thus, this opening verse serves as a title for the book. Comments – The Manner in which Divine Oracles were Delivered unto the Prophets - God spoke through the Old Testament prophets in various ways, as the author of the epistle of Hebrews says, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets…” (Hebrews 1:1). The Lord spoke divine oracles (ξַ ?ωָּׂ ?ΰ) through the Old Testament prophets in three general ways, as recorded in the book of Hosea, “I have also spoken by the prophets, and have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets.” (Hosea 12:10) (NKJV) In other words, the prophets spoke to Israel through the words they received, they described divine visions to the people, and they acted out as divine drama an oracle from the Lord. (1) The Word of the Lord Came to the Prophets - God gave the prophets divine pronouncements to deliver to the people, as with Hosea 1:1. The opening verses of a number of prophetic books say, “the word of the Lord came to the prophet…” Thus, these prophets received a divine utterance from the Lord. (2) The Prophets Received Divine Visions - God gave the prophets divine visions (ηָ ?ζεֹ ?ο), so they prophesied what they saw (ηζδ) (to see). Thus, these two Hebrew words are found in Isaiah 1:1, Obadiah 1:1, Nahum 1:1, and Habakkuk 1:1. Ezekiel saw visions (ξַ ?ψְ ?ΰָ ?δ) of God. (3) God Told the Prophets to Deliver Visual Aids as Symbols of Divine Oracles - God asked the prophets to demonstrate divine oracles to the people through symbolic language. For example, Isaiah walked naked for three years as a symbol of Assyria’s dominion over Egypt and Ethiopia (Isaiah 20:1-6). Ezekiel demonstrated the siege of Jerusalem using clay tiles (Ezekiel 4:1-3), then he laid on his left side for many days, then on his right side, to demonstrate that God will require Israel to bear its iniquities.

Isaiah 1:2-12

Prophecies Against Israel – Isaiah 1:2 to Isaiah 12:6 contains a collection of prophecies against the nation of Israel. The phrase, “for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still,” is repeated five times within this passage of Scripture (Isaiah 5:25; Isaiah 9:12; Isaiah 9:17; Isaiah 9:21; Isaiah 10:4). Also found within this first major section of Isaiah are three prophecies of the Messiah’s birth. These prophecies reflect three characteristics of the Messiah. He will be born of a virgin as the Son of God dwelling with mankind (Isaiah 7:14-15). He will rule over Israel in the Davidic lineage (Isaiah 9:6-7). He will come from the seed of David and be anointed as was David (Isaiah 11:1-5).

Isaiah 1:10-20

God’s Second Indictment Against Israel (Mental) – Isaiah 1:10-20 contains the second indictment that God declares against Israel. This indictment will reveals Israel’s vain efforts of Temple worship and contrast it to a brief description of God’s standard of right standing before Him. Outline – Here is a proposed outline:

1. Israel’s Vain Worship — Isaiah 1:10-152. A Description of True Worship — Isaiah 1:16-20a) Pureness of Heart — Isaiah 1:16-17b) God Reasons with Israel — Isaiah 1:18c) Physical Blessings Restored — Isaiah 1:19-20 Isaiah 1:10-15 — A Description of Israel’s Religious Vanity – In Isaiah 1:10-15 the prophet Isaiah describes Israel’s religion vanity, where they practiced religious traditions outwardly, but their hearts were far from the Lord. The backslidden nation of Israel tried to appease God thru rituals such as animal sacrifices and official holidays. They were overwhelmed with God’s chastisement and judgment through sickness and calamities. Thus, they were seeking favor from God in order to be delivered from their problems.

Yet, their lifestyle and their rituals imitated those of the heathen around them. Despite their efforts for deliverance, they would not cleanse their hearts. Therefore, in the following passage God calls them to repentance, which was the only way out of their problems (Isaiah 1:16-17). Since the book of Isaiah is prophetic of Christ’s First Coming, we can see in Isaiah 1:10-15 a description of the Palestinian Jews during the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Isaiah 1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. Isaiah 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. Isaiah 1:12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Isaiah 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Isaiah 1:13 — “the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting” – Comments - There are a number of variations to Isaiah 1:13 b in modern English translations: ESV, “New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.” NCV, “I can’t stand your New Moons, Sabbaths, and other feast days; I can’t stand the evil you do in your holy meetings.” NIV, “New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations–I cannot bear your evil assemblies.” NLT, “As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting— they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings.” RSV, “New moon and sabbath and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.” Isaiah 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. Isaiah 1:15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Isaiah 1:15 — “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you” – Comments - That is, when they lift up their hands in prayer unto the Lord, He will hide His eyes from them.Isaiah 1:16-20 — A Description of True Worship – In Isaiah 1:16-20 God reveals to Israel the true form of worship, which will establish a right standing before Him so that He can bless them again. Isaiah 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18 — Comments – Isaiah has just declared all of the sins of the nation of Israel. This declaration of judgment was made before heaven and earth (Isaiah 1:2). Now, the Lord wants them to accept His redemption, His way of cleansing. Isaiah 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: Isaiah 1:19 — “If ye be willing and obedient” – Comments - In the Parable of the Two Son (Matthew 21:28-31) one son was willing, but did not do what his father asked him to do. In contrast, one son was not willing, but he was later obedient. God wants both of these virtues in our service to Him. We show our fear and reverence for God when we are obedient, but we reveal our love for Him when we do it willingly. Thus, how much more is God moved when we serve Him out of love. Matthew 21:28-31, “But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.” Illustration - The Lord once said to me, “Obedience is the key that unlocks all doors, for in My will you will find My blessings.” (November 2002) Illustration - Kenneth Hagin tells the story of his struggle to be willing and obedient when the Lord told him to do something. He had pastored a church in Farmersville, Texas, left premature and had returned to finish what God had called him to do. Later in his ministry, there was a time when he struggled with the Lord’s leading to go back to this church a third time. He spend many nights in prayer struggling with this issue, saying, “No, God. I don’t want to go back there the third time, and that’s a cinch.” Finally, after a long struggle, he gave in and told the Lord that he was willing to go back. The Lord then spoke to him and said, “I don’t want you to go back to Farmersville.

I just want you to be willing to go. Son, if you are not willing to go back to that church, then I can’t use you in other areas when I want to use you.”[16] [16] Kenneth Hagin, Following God’s Plan For Your Life (Tulsa, Oklahoma: Faith Library Publications, c1993, 1994), 43.Illustration - Bob Nichols says that in his early years as a pastor, he was working hard to remodel his church. He worked long hours himself on the building and often by himself. One day he was working, but with a complaining attitude. The Lord quickened to him Isaiah 1:19, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.” This statement was followed by the words, “There is a reward for those who are willing and obedient.”[17] This is why Paul the apostle said, “For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.” (1 Corinthians 9:17) God rewards those who serve Him. [17] Robert B. Nichols, “Sermon,” Calvary Cathedral, International, Fort Worth, Texas.Isaiah 1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Isaiah 1:21-23

God’s Third Indictment Against Israel (Spiritual) – Isaiah 1:21-23 contains God’s third indictment against Israel. This indictment will focus upon their spiritual depravity, revealing how their problems have originated from a heart of idolatry and rebellion against Him. Isaiah 1:21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Isaiah 1:21 — Comments – Isaiah 1:21 reveals that a city and even a nation can progress through periods of righteousness and moral decay. History has shown that moral decline is the propensity for all nations. Isaiah 1:22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: Isaiah 1:22 — Comments - Isaiah 1:22 describes a condition of impurity using the examples of silver and wine. These two items were abundant during the time of Israel’s prosperity, but became less and less in proportion to Israel’s poverty. Israel’s poverty was directly in proportion to its sins. When silver looses it purity, it loses it beauty, but the dross that is skimmed off of purified silver is worthless, and fit to be thrown away. When wine is diluted with water, it loses its taste, and is thrown out. We find a similar event in Israel’s history when King Rehoboam made brass shields to replace the shields of gold (1 Kings 14:26-27). 1 Kings 14:26-27, “And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. And King Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields, and committed them unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king’s house.” Isaiah 1:23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. Isaiah 1:23 — Comments - We can measure a nation of righteousness by how the people treat one another. Such people respect one another and conduct their business with godly ethics, but the further a nation drifts from the Lord, the more corruption and thief and bribery become rooted in a society, until it becomes a place of where the weak and defenseless despair of life, a place where no one responds to a need without a bribe, where bands of thugs rob the innocent and no one is able to judge such sins. Isaiah 1:23 describes a people who have fallen to the lowest form of human depravity, where God’s only recourse is divine destruction.

Isaiah 1:24-31

God Decrees Judgment and Restoration – Isaiah 1:24-31 contains God’s decrees towards Israel after having brought them before His judgment seat, a seat that expands across heaven and earth (Isaiah 1:1). His decree is based upon his three-told indictment against them. In other words, God has found three testimonies (physical, mental, and spiritual) that declare Israel guilty of sin. The necessary response is divine judgment. However, God’s form of divine judgment accomplishes its intended purpose of divine restoration of the nation of Israel. Isaiah 1:24 Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies: Isaiah 1:25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: Isaiah 1:26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city. Isaiah 1:26 — Comments - Isaiah 1:26 is a prophecy of Jerusalem during the Millennial Reign of Christ at His Second Coming, when Jesus will rule and reign from this holy city. This verse also refers to the time when heavenly Jerusalem will descend out of Heaven and God will make a new heavens and a new earth where all things will be restored and righteousness dwells. Thus, we see the prophet looking down a long tunnel of time without making a clear distinction between several distinct events. This is often done in Old Testament prophecy. Isaiah 1:29 For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. Isaiah 1:29 — Comments - Isaiah 1:29 describes sites of pagan worship. These people worshiped idols in “sacred” groves and in gardens where idols were placed. Isaiah 1:31 And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them. Isaiah 1:31 — Word Study on “tow” – Webster defines a “tow” as, “A rope by which anything is towed; a towline, or towrope.”