What’s your mental image of a prophet? For many of us, it’s a caricature of a weather-worn man with long hair and a beard, wearing sandals and a robe, and carrying a placard that reads something like this: “Repent and be saved! Judgment is coming!”
Well, there is some validity to that stereotype. The most familiar prophets are those introduced into our language from the biblical narrative—serious men of the wilderness who probably did wear a robe and sandals.
But what about their message? Warning definitely was the key word. Like many of the other prophets of the Bible, Isaiah preached a message of repentance, judgment, and reconciliation. The reason that virtually all true prophets preached a similar message is that they were sent by God to warn about danger on the horizon.
Compassion and indictment don’t sound like compatible terms. But consider their more simple expression: love and justice. Understood in those terms, they begin to come into balance. Isaiah indicated their balance and their significance when he wrote, “In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it—One from the house of David—One who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness” (Isa. 16:5).
This verse gives us a handle on the book of Isaiah. It shows us that this is a prophecy from a God who cares enough for His people to be their judge and—unbelievable as it may seem—even provide for them a Savior. This Savior from “the house of David” would eventually bear the entire judgment for their rebellion. God didn’t turn His back and walk away from a rebellious humanity. “In love” He judges and “speeds the cause of righteousness.” How the world needs to know that God loves enough to warn about real danger!
As you consider what Isaiah said about our compassionate God, keep in mind that love and justice are at the heart of all the promises God asked Isaiah to lay before His people. The promises of due punishment for rebellion and disobedience and the promises of eternal peace for repentance both proceed from the same loving heart of God.
Throughout the book of Isaiah there are two ways set before mankind: the way of truth, life, and light; and the way of deception, death, and darkness. Our loving Creator, however, pleads with us to choose the way of life. And His message, carried by His prophets, has always been the same: Repent, turn to God, and be saved. This message is even evident in Isaiah’s name, which in Hebrew means “the Lord saves.” That is also the meaning of the name “Jesus” in Greek. So it’s no surprise to find that Isaiah’s book is filled with prophecy about Jesus.
Isaiah is one of the most important voices of the Old Testament. This is a book about a God who promises not to turn His back on His people if they will not turn their backs on Him.
Isaiah expressed the promises and warnings of God to the people of Judah for close to 50 years—from about 740 BC to nearly 690 BC. A king by the name of Uzziah was in power when Isaiah began his ministry, and under this good king the nation enjoyed generally peaceful and prosperous times. But the spiritual decline that began during the closing years of his rule accelerated under his successors. God responded with humiliating military defeats and economic distress.
A history of the times does not make pleasant reading. The society of Judah was marked by terrible injustices as the rich and powerful exploited the poor. Immorality was rampant as the people—in spite of Isaiah’s impassioned messages and the evidences of God’s displeasure—increasingly adopted the corrupt practices of pagan idolatry. Meanwhile, the unbelievably cruel Assyrians and Babylonians brought suffering, death, and devastation as they invaded the land. In both Judah and her enemy nations, the dark side of the human race was on full display.
We may think that our advances in scientific knowledge and technology have made us morally superior to the people of Isaiah’s day. Some of us view ourselves as above pagan beliefs and practices. But isn’t it possible that people today are just as proud, selfish, and cruel as the ancients? We may be shocked at what the Assyrians and Babylonians did to their enemies. But we must remind ourselves of the evils of our own times. The Nazis slaughtered more than six million Jews, and millions more from other ethnic groups. Regimes in China and Russia have brought about the death of more than one hundred million people. Today, Christians in Indonesia, Ethiopia, and other countries are being tortured and killed by the thousands. “Official” and unofficial ethnic cleansing continues unabated all over the world.
Many of us who live in prospering countries are wasting our non-renewable resources, fouling our air and water, and ignoring the fact that one-third of us are overfed while two-thirds live in hunger and squalor. It’s not uncommon for us to be more concerned with improving our own living conditions than in making sacrifices to improve the lives of the poor and oppressed.
Human nature hasn’t really changed since the time of Isaiah. And neither has God. He is still the God we meet in this prophetic book written some 2,700 years ago. He is still the One who cares for those who have not yet discovered that real satisfaction and peace of mind are not found by living for ourselves. Real satisfaction is found by learning from our God how to live for the needs and for the good of others.
Isaiah painted a portrait of the unchanging God by using four descriptive titles. These will serve as the outline for this booklet:
- The Holy One Of Israel
- The Maker-Creator
- The Lord Almighty
- The Savior-Redeemer
We’ll find that these descriptive names have as much significance for us today as they did when the inspired prophet used them.
