Isaiah: 1-39


And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive…” 
Isaiah 6:9 


Have you ever started reading a book only to realize 15 minutes have passed, you are 10 pages further than you can recall, and you have no recollection of what you have read? Sometimes, you will find yourself in a completely new scene, with a completely different cast of characters, and very, very confused. If not careful, the same thing may happen to you while reading through the first section of the book of Isaiah. In it you will come across numerous judgments on the nations, and if you were to “doze” off for a moment, you may repeat that experience. The context, genre, and subject changes quite frequently, so it is important that as you read, you are paying attention. But doing so will not guarantee you too have a full understanding of the text. For example, if we diligently read through Isaiah 7, thinking that Ahaz has made a great statement of faith in God, we will be very confused in chapter 8 when we read in verse 7 how “the Lord will certainly bring against them the mighty rushing waters of the Euphrates”. Also, when reading some of the really strange events, like Isaiah walking around naked for 3 whole years, we might scratch our heads a bit.

To try and unify this diverse section of Scripture and aid in our comprehension of this first section I want you to remember that Isaiah is giving prophecies to two different audiences. One is the nation of Judah, which sometimes includes the northern kingdom of Israel, and the other group are all the other nations in the world. The context is that they are all idolatrous, lacking faith in God, and displaying extreme wickedness. Yet, we find hope as a remnant of Judah is spared by God. This is a good thing too for the nations, as the remnant is the means by which the nations will join and become the collective people of God. While this section seems to be ominous and bleak, it actually foreshadows that God’s plan has always been to build a kingdom which consists of more than just the Hebrews.

Another point to keep in mind is that it, although the kings have great wealth and power they are not sovereign; only God is. He is the One who sets all things in order and the One who rules the world. That knowledge, when rightly understood and applied, brings many of the nations to realize their dependence on Him. Where they had trusted in man before (2:22), they would be humbled by the Lord and bring praise to him (12:1-6).

The unfortunate truth is that all of the people ignored the warnings of Isaiah and the praises do not come until after the prophecies had all been fulfilled. They had heard, but did not heed; they had listened, but did not learn the meaning of the prophecies. Which is fairly ironic considering that Isaiah means “the Lord saves”. This first section sets up the mood for the rest of the book and the tension is something we can relate to. Before God, we stand condemned. And the wickedness and idolatry of the nations is not foreign to us. However, the hope that we find is that God will bring together His people and, because He is sovereign, not even the gates of hell will prevail.

Grace and Peace,
Alex Galvez

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