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The Story of Isaiah - The Prophet Who Gave Hope to Israel _ Biblical Stories · truthunedited

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Speaker 1: Amid the pages of biblical history, few prophets had a
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Speaker 1: ministry as extraordinary and enduring as Isaiah's. His story begins
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Speaker 1: at a crucial moment for God's people, when the kingdom
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Speaker 1: was divided and the shadows of apostasy loomed over the land.
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Speaker 1: In the first chapter of his book, verses one to four,
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Speaker 1: we find that Isaiah, son of a Mos, began his
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Speaker 1: ministry in the days of Usaiah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah,
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Speaker 1: kings of Judah. This introduction places us in a specific
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Speaker 1: historical period, approximately between seven forty and six hundred eighty
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Speaker 1: one BCE, when the known world was undergoing profound transformations.
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Speaker 1: Born in Jerusalem, Isaiah came from a noble family, possibly
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Speaker 1: connected to the royal lineage of Judah. In Isaiah twenty
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Speaker 1: two fifteen twenty five, we see his familiarity with court
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Speaker 1: officials and his understanding of pallace intrigues demons, strating his
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Speaker 1: privileged access to the highest circles of power. His refined
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Speaker 1: education in the royal court is evidenced by the language
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Speaker 1: he employs in his prophecies. A scene in Isaiah thirteen
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Speaker 1: two to three where he uses military and diplomatic terms
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Speaker 1: with precision. Lift up a banner on the bear mountain,
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Speaker 1: raise your voice to them, wave your hand, that they
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Speaker 1: may enter the gates of the nobles. The period in
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Speaker 1: which Isaiah grew up was marked by a complex web
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Speaker 1: of political and social events, as recorded in Isaiah seven
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Speaker 1: one to two. In the days of Ahaz son of Jotham,
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Speaker 1: son of Ziah, King of Judah, Resin the king of Syria,
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Speaker 1: and Paker, the son of Rimalia, King of Israel, came
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Speaker 1: up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could
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Speaker 1: not prevail against it. This passage reveals the political tensions
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Speaker 1: of the time and the constant threats that Judah faced.
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Speaker 1: The situation in the divided kingdom was critical. In Isaiah
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Speaker 1: nine twenty one, the prophet describes the grim reality Manassa
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Speaker 1: devours Ephrem and Ephraim manasse together they are against Judah.
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Speaker 1: To the north, the Kingdom of Israel was sinking deeper
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Speaker 1: into idolatry and social injustice, while to the south, Judah
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Speaker 1: struggled to maintain its spiritual identity under constant pressure from
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Speaker 1: neighboring nations. In Isaiah five twenty six thirty we find
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Speaker 1: a vivid description of the Assyrian threat, he will lift
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Speaker 1: up a banner to the nations from Afar and whistle
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Speaker 1: for them from the ends of the earth, and behold,
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Speaker 1: they will come with speed swiftly. The Assyrian Empire, under
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Speaker 1: ambitious and cruel rulers, was rapidly expanding, casting its threatening
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Speaker 1: shadow over the entire region. The society that Isaiah observed
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Speaker 1: was deeply divided. In Isiah three fourteen fifteen, he denounces
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Speaker 1: the Lord enters into judgment against the elders of his
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Speaker 1: people and his princes, and says, it is you who
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Speaker 1: have consumed my vineyard. The plunder of the poor is
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Speaker 1: in your houses. This situation is further detailed in Isaiah
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Speaker 1: five eight ton ten, where the prophet warns, woe to
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Speaker 1: those who join house to house, who add field to field,
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Speaker 1: until there is no more room, and you are made
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Speaker 1: to dwell alone in the midst of the land. The
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Speaker 1: excessive luxury of the elites is harshly criticized in Isaiah
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Speaker 1: three sixteen twenty four, where the prophet describes in detail
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Speaker 1: the pride and ostentation of the women of Jerusalem, for
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Speaker 1: the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched
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Speaker 1: necks and wanton eyes, walking delicately making tinkling with their feet.
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Speaker 1: The religious environment was equally corrupted. In Isaiah two pun
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Speaker 1: sixty eight, the prophet laments, for you have forsaken your
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Speaker 1: people the house of Jacob, because they are filled with
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Speaker 1: Eastern ways and soothsayers like the Philistines, and they strike
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Speaker 1: hands with the children of foreigners. Religious syncretism had deeply
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Speaker 1: infiltrated Judah, as evidenced in Isiah sixty five three to four.
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Speaker 1: A people who continually provoke me to my face, sacrificing
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Speaker 1: in gardens and burning incense on bricks, who sit among
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Speaker 1: the graves and spend the night in the tombs. During
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Speaker 1: the reign of Usiah, as recorded in Second Chronicles twenty
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Speaker 1: six six to fifteen and reflected in Isiah two seven,
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Speaker 1: the kingdom of Judah experienced an unprecedented period of prosperity.
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Speaker 1: Their land is full of silver and gold, and there
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Speaker 1: is no end to their treasures. Their land is also
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Speaker 1: full of horses, and their chariots have no end. However,
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Speaker 1: this material prosperity masked a deep spiritual deterior as denounced
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Speaker 1: in Isaiah one twenty one twenty three. How the faithful
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Speaker 1: city has become a harlot. It was full of justice,
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Speaker 1: righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers, your silver has
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Speaker 1: become dross, your wine mixed with water. Political alliances were
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Speaker 1: becoming increasingly dangerous. In Isaiah thirty one two, we find
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Speaker 1: a strong warning. Woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord,
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Speaker 1: who take counsel but not of me, and who devise
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Speaker 1: plans but not of My spirit, that they may add
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Speaker 1: sin to sin, who walk to go down to Egypt
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Speaker 1: and have not asked my advice to strengthen themselves in
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Speaker 1: the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow
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Speaker 1: of Egypt. In Isiah thirty one one, the prophet continues
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Speaker 1: his denunciation, woe to those who go down to Egypt
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Speaker 1: for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots
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Speaker 1: because they are many, and in horsemen because they are
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Speaker 1: very strong, but who do not look to the Holy
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Speaker 1: One of Israel nor seek the Lord. These alliances demonstrated
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Speaker 1: the people's lack of trust in the Lord and their
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Speaker 1: dependence on foreign powers. This was the environment in which
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Speaker 1: Isaiah was shaped and prepared by God for his extraordinary
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Speaker 1: prophetic mission. His knowledge of the court. His privileged education,
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Speaker 1: and above all, his spiritual sensitivity would make him a
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Speaker 1: unique instrument in the hands of the Lord amid a
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Speaker 1: people who were increasingly distancing themselves from their commitments to
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Speaker 1: the divine Covenant. He would be the voice calling for
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Speaker 1: justice and repentance, announcing both judgment and hope for future generations.
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Speaker 1: In the year of King Ziah's death, a crucial moment
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Speaker 1: unfolded in the Temple of Jerusalem. In Isiah six one four,
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Speaker 1: the prophet recounts one of the most extraordinary visions ever
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Speaker 1: recorded in scripture. I saw the Lord sitting on a
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Speaker 1: high and exalted throne, and the hem of his robe
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Speaker 1: filled the temple. Seraphim were above him. Each had six wings.
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Speaker 1: With two they covered their faces, with two they covered
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Speaker 1: their feet, and with two they flew. This vision occurred
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Speaker 1: in the very temple built by Solomon, the same place
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Speaker 1: where God's glory had been manifested centuries earlier, as recorded
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Speaker 1: in First Kings eight ten eleven. The magnitude of this
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Speaker 1: experience is even more significant when we consider the context
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Speaker 1: of the temple at that time, as described in Second
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Speaker 1: Chronicles twenty six sixteen to twenty one, King Oziah had
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Speaker 1: profaned this very temple by attempting to burn incense on
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Speaker 1: the altar, a role exclusively reserved for the priests. Now
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Speaker 1: in this same location, God chose to reveal his glory
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Speaker 1: to Isaiah in an unprecedented manner. The divine glory manifested
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Speaker 1: in that moment was so intense that, as described in
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Speaker 1: Isaiah six y four, the thresholds of the doors shook
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Speaker 1: at the voice of him who called, and the house
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Speaker 1: was filled with smoke. The Seraphim, celestial beings of extraordinary majesty,
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Speaker 1: proclaimed in unison, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts.
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Speaker 1: The whole earth is full of His glory. This tripartide
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Speaker 1: declaration of holiness, unique in all of Scripture, emphasized God's
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Speaker 1: absolute perfection and separateness. The presence of the Seraphim, mentioned
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Speaker 1: only in this passage throughout the Bible, is particularly significant.
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Speaker 1: In Isaiah six two to three, their six wings demonstrate
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Speaker 1: reverence covering their faces, humility covering their feet, and service flying.
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Speaker 1: The name Seraphim in Hebrew is related to fire, connecting
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Speaker 1: these celestial beings with divine purity and judgment, themes that
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Speaker 1: would be central to Isaiah's ministry. Confronted with this supernatural manifestation,
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Speaker 1: Isaiah was deeply impacted. In Isaiah six five, he exclaimed,
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Speaker 1: in fear woe to me, for I am lost, for
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Speaker 1: I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell
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Speaker 1: in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For
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Speaker 1: my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
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Speaker 1: This confession echoed the experiences of other servants of God,
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Speaker 1: such as Moses before the burning bush Exodus three six,
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Speaker 1: and Gideon when he saw the Angel of the Lord
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Speaker 1: Judges six twenty two. God's response to this confession was
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Speaker 1: immediate and extraordinary. In Isaiah six six seven, one of
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Speaker 1: the seraphim flew to him, bringing in his hand a
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Speaker 1: burning coal that he had taken from the altar with
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Speaker 1: tongs with it. He touched my mouth and said, behold,
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Speaker 1: this has touched your lips. Your iniquity is taken away,
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Speaker 1: and your sin is purged. The altar mentioned here was
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Speaker 1: likely the altar of incense, which stood before the Holy
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Speaker 1: of Holies, symbolizing the intercession and purification necessary for divine service.
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Speaker 1: This act of purification held profound significance in the context
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Speaker 1: of temple service in Leviticus sixteen twelve, the high priest
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Speaker 1: was to take colds from the altar for the ritual
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Speaker 1: of the Day of Atonement. Now in a supernatural way,
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Speaker 1: Isaiah experienced a personal purification that would empower him for
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Speaker 1: his prophetic ministry. Immediately after his purification, Isaiah heard the
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Speaker 1: voice of the Lord, as recorded in Isaiah six eight,
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Speaker 1: Whom shall I send and who will go for us?
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Speaker 1: The use of the plural us here suggests a deliberation
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Speaker 1: within the divine council similar to Genesis one twenty six.
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Speaker 1: Without hesitation, Isaiah responded, here, am I send me? This
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Speaker 1: immediate response contrasted with the initial reluctance of other prophets
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Speaker 1: such as Moses Exodus four ten and Jeremiah Jeremiah one six.
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Speaker 1: The Lord then revealed to Isaiah the difficult nature of
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Speaker 1: his calling. In Isaiah six nine O ten, he received
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Speaker 1: an apparently paradoxical mission, go and tell this people here indeed,
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Speaker 1: but do not understand, and see, indeed, but do not perceive.
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Speaker 1: Make the heart of this people dull and their ears heavy,
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Speaker 1: and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes
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Speaker 1: and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart,
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Speaker 1: And return and be healed. This message would echo through
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Speaker 1: the centuries, later cited at crucial moments in the Ministry
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Speaker 1: of Jesus Matthew thirteen fourteen to fifteen and the Apostle
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Speaker 1: Paul Acts twenty eight, twenty six to twenty seven. It
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Speaker 1: was an announcement of the judicial hardening that would come
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Speaker 1: upon those who persistently rejected the divine message. Perplexed by
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Speaker 1: this message, Isaiah asked in Isaiah six eleven, how long,
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Speaker 1: Oh Lord. The divine response, recorded in verses eleven to thirteen,
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Speaker 1: revealed a bleak future for the nation, until the cities
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Speaker 1: are laid waste and without inhabitant, the houses are without
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Speaker 1: a man, and the land is utterly desolate. Yet even
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Speaker 1: in this severe judgment, there was a promise of hope.
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Speaker 1: Just as a stump remains after a tree has been
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Speaker 1: cut down, a holy remnant would be preserved. The shaking
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Speaker 1: of the temple's pillars mentioned in Isaiah sixty four recalled
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Speaker 1: other moments of theophony in scripture, such as the shaking
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Speaker 1: of Mount Sinai Exodus nineteen eighteen and God's manifestation to
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Speaker 1: Elijah First Kings nineteen eleven twelve. The smoke that filled
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Speaker 1: the temple not only reminded of the cloud of glory
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Speaker 1: that guided Israel in the wilderness Exodus forty thirty four
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Speaker 1: to thirty five, but also foreshadowed visions of the heavenly
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Speaker 1: Temple in Revelation. Revelation fifteen eight, Isaiah's experience in the
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Speaker 1: temple established patterns that would be seen in other prophetic calls.
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Speaker 1: In Ezekiel one ta Thi, for example, we find similar
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Speaker 1: elements a vision of divine glory, a symbolic act involving
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Speaker 1: the prophet's mouth, and a difficult mission for a rebellious people.
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Speaker 1: In Jeremiah one, we also see the divine touch on
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Speaker 1: the prophet's lips and the announcement of a message of judgment.
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Speaker 1: The symbolism of the purifying fire in his vocation was
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Speaker 1: especially significant in the context of the temple. In Leviticus
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Speaker 1: six thirteen, the fire on the altar was to burn continually,
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Speaker 1: never going out. Now. A coal from this divine altar
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Speaker 1: purified Isaiah's lips, symbolizing that his words, like those in
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Speaker 1: Jeremiah twenty three twenty nine, would be like fire and
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Speaker 1: like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces. This
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Speaker 1: transformative experience in the Temple not only mark the formal
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Speaker 1: beginning of Isaiah's prophetic ministry, but also established the fundamental
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Speaker 1: themes that would characterize his entire message. The absolute holiness
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Speaker 1: of God, the necessity of sin purification, the importance of
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Speaker 1: a willing response to the divine call, and the certainty
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Speaker 1: that despite inevitable judgment, God would always preserve a faithful remnant.
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Speaker 1: After his extraordinary experience in the Temple, Isiah began his
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Speaker 1: prophetic ministry with a series of powerful messages to the
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Speaker 1: kingdom of Judah. In Isiah one two to four, his
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Speaker 1: first recorded prophecy sets the tone for his warnings. Here,
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Speaker 1: o heavens, and give ear o Earth, for the Lord
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Speaker 1: has spoken. I have nourished and brought up children, and
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Speaker 1: they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner,
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Speaker 1: and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know.
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Speaker 1: My people do not understand. One of the prophet's first
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Speaker 1: and most urgent messages was a denunciation of idolatry and Judah.
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Speaker 1: In Isiah two eight to nine, he declares, their land
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Speaker 1: is filled with idols. They bow down to the work
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Speaker 1: of their own hands, to what their own fingers have
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Speaker 1: made so man is humbled, and each one is brought low.
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Speaker 1: Do not forgive them. This worship of false gods was
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Speaker 1: particularly offensive because it occurred in the shadow of the
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Speaker 1: Lord's own temple. In Isiah three one fifteen, the prophet
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Speaker 1: presents a detailed denunciation of the social injustices that permeated society.
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Speaker 1: The Lord stands up to contend and stands to judge
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Speaker 1: the peoples. The Lord enters into judgment against the elders
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Speaker 1: of his people and their rulers. The oppression of the
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Speaker 1: poor by the wealthy and powerful was especially condemned, as
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Speaker 1: seen in Isaiah three fourteen fifteen. You have devastated the vineyard.
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Speaker 1: The boil of the poor is in your houses. What
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Speaker 1: do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the
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Speaker 1: faces of the poor. The issue of dangerous political alliances
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Speaker 1: became a central theme in his early messages. In Isaiah
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Speaker 1: seven one nine, we find the prophet directly confronting King
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Speaker 1: Ahaz about his intention to seek help from Assyria. Thus
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Speaker 1: says the Lord God, it shall not stand, nor shall
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Speaker 1: it come to pass. This warning was particularly significant because
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Speaker 1: Ahaz was considering an alliance that would compromise Judah's spiritual independence.
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Speaker 1: It was in this context that one of the most
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Speaker 1: important Messianic prophecies emerged. In Isaiah seven fourteen, the prophet
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Speaker 1: pronounces the famous sign of Immanuel. Therefore, the Lord himself
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Speaker 1: will give you a sign. Behold, the Virgin shall conceive
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Speaker 1: and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
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Speaker 1: This sign was given to King Ahaz as a guarantee
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Speaker 1: of divine faithfulness, even in the face of the king's disbelief.
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Speaker 1: Prophecies against foreign nations began to emerge in an impressive sequence.
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Speaker 1: In Isiah thirteen to twenty three, we find oracles directed
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Speaker 1: at various peoples, starting with Babylon. In Isaiah thirteen one,
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Speaker 1: the Burden against Babylon, which Isaiah, the son of a
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Speaker 1: Mas saw, the prophet pronounces judgments against the major powers
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Speaker 1: of the time. The prophecy regarding Assyria in Isaiah tenh
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Speaker 1: five to nineteen is particularly notable. Woe to Assyria, the
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Speaker 1: rod of my anger and the staff in whose hand
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Speaker 1: is my indignation. This oracle reveals how God would use
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Speaker 1: this nation as an instrument of judgment, but would also
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Speaker 1: punish it for its excessive pride. The judgment of Moab,
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Speaker 1: recorded in Isaiah fifteen to sixteen, demonstrates an unusual compassion
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Speaker 1: even amid warner. Therefore, I will weep with the weeping
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Speaker 1: of Jaesa for the vine of Sibma. I will drench
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Speaker 1: you with my tears o Heshbon and Eleayale. This empathy
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Speaker 1: for the suffering of an enemy nation reveals the pastoral
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Speaker 1: heart of the prophet. Regarding Damascus Isaiah seventeen one three prophecies, Behold,
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Speaker 1: Damascus will cease to be a city, and it will
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Speaker 1: be a ruinous heap. This prophecy about the Syrian capital
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Speaker 1: was directly related to the political alliances threatening Judah. The
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Speaker 1: fate of Tire and Sidon is addressed in Isaiah twenty three,
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Speaker 1: where the prophet announces the burden against Tire wail o
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Speaker 1: ships of Tarshish, for your strength is laid waste, so
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Speaker 1: that there is no house or harbor left. This prophecy
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Speaker 1: against the great commercial centers of the time demonstrated that
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Speaker 1: even economic power could not withstand divine judgment. The message
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Speaker 1: to Ethiopia in Isaiah eighteen reveals the global reach of
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Speaker 1: Isaiah's prophecies. Woe to the land shadowing with buzzing wings,
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Speaker 1: which is beyond the rivers of Cush. This oracle showed
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Speaker 1: that even the most distant nations were under God's sovereign rule.
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Speaker 1: Amid these warnings, Isaiah also spoke words of hope. In
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Speaker 1: Isaiah nineteen twenty three twenty five, he foresees a future
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Speaker 1: of peace and blessing even for former enemy nations. In
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Speaker 1: that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria,
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Speaker 1: and the Assyrians will come to Egypt, and the Egyptians
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Speaker 1: will serve with the Assyrians to the Lord. His prophecies
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Speaker 1: also addressed specific moral issues. In Isaiah five eight twenty three,
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Speaker 1: we find a series of woes against various social sins
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Speaker 1: Woe to those who join house to house, who add
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Speaker 1: field to field, Woe to those who rise early in
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Speaker 1: the morning to chase after strong drink. Woe to those
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Speaker 1: who call evil good and good evil. The corruption of
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Speaker 1: leaders received special attention. In Isaiah one twenty three, the
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Speaker 1: prophet denounces, your princes are rebels and companions of thieves.
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Speaker 1: Everyone loves bribes and runs after gifts. They do not
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Speaker 1: defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow
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Speaker 1: come before them. The excessive luxury of the elite was
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Speaker 1: also condemned. In Isiah three sixteen to twenty six, there
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Speaker 1: is a detailed description of the ostentation of Jerusalem's women,
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Speaker 1: culminating in the announcement of judgment. And it shall be
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Speaker 1: that instead of sweet perfume, there will be a stench,
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Speaker 1: instead of a belt, a rope, instead of well set hair, baldness.
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Speaker 1: These early prophecies established Isaiah as a unique voice in
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Speaker 1: his time. His message combined sharp social criticism with deep
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Speaker 1: spiritual insights and a global vision of God's purposes. Each
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Speaker 1: word spoken paved the way for even more significant revelations
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Speaker 1: that would come in his later ministry. The impact of
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Speaker 1: his initial messages was profound and lasting. In Isaiah eight sixteen,
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Speaker 1: he receives the command bind up the testimony, seal the
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Speaker 1: law among my disciples. This instruction indicates that from the
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Speaker 1: very beginning, his prophecies were carefully preserved for future generations,
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Speaker 1: establishing a standard of prophetic fidelity that would influence all
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Speaker 1: subsequent prophets. The greatest evidence of the prophetic ministry of
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Speaker 1: Isaiah came during the Assyrian Crisis. In Isaiah thirty six one,
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Speaker 1: we find a precise record of the moment. In the
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Speaker 1: fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Senacarib, king of Assyria, came
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Speaker 1: up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
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Speaker 1: This event would mark not only the history of Judah,
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Speaker 1: but would all so extraordinarily confirm Isiah's prophetic authority. The
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Speaker 1: siege of Jerusalem began with a psychological intimidation tactic. In
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Speaker 1: Isaiah thirty six, four to ten, the rabshake, a high
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Speaker 1: Assyrian official, presented himself before the walls of Jerusalem with
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Speaker 1: a calculated speech. Thus says the great king, the King
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Speaker 1: of Assyria, What confidence is this in which you trust?
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Speaker 1: You say they are but empty words. There is counsel
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Speaker 1: and strength for war in whom do you now trust
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Speaker 1: that you rebel against me? The Assyrian strategy was clear,
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Speaker 1: as we see in Isaiah thirty six thirteen twenty the
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Speaker 1: Rabshaikis spoke in Hebrew, so that all the people on
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Speaker 1: the walls could understand. Do not let Hezekiah deceive you,
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Speaker 1: for he will not be able to deliver you, nor
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Speaker 1: let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, the
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Speaker 1: Lord will surely deliver us. This city will not be
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Speaker 1: given into the hand of the king of Assyria. The
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Speaker 1: situation was critical. In Isaiah thirty seven one we see
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Speaker 1: King Hezekiah's reaction. When King Hezekiah heard it, he tore
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Speaker 1: his clothes, covered himself with sacloth, and went into the
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Speaker 1: house of the Lord. He then sent messengers to Isaiah,
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Speaker 1: as recorded in Isaiah thirty seven two four. So Hezekiah
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Speaker 1: sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe,
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Speaker 1: and the elders of the priests covered with sacloth, to
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Speaker 1: Isaiah the prophet, the son of a mos. Isaiah's response
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Speaker 1: was immediate and filled with confidence. In Isaiah thirty seven
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Speaker 1: six to seven, he declares, thus you shall say to
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Speaker 1: your master, thus says the Lord, do not be afraid
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Speaker 1: of the words which you have heard, with which the
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Speaker 1: servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Surely
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Speaker 1: I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall
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Speaker 1: hear a rumor and return to his own land, and
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Speaker 1: I will cause him to fall by the sword in
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Speaker 1: his own land. The situation escalated when Sinakarb sent a
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Speaker 1: blasphemous letter to Isekiah. In Isaiah thirty seven fourteen fifteen,
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Speaker 1: we see the king's response. And Hezekiah received the letter
24:15
Speaker 1: from the hand of the messengers and read it. And
24:18
Speaker 1: Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and
24:21
Speaker 1: spread it before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord.
24:26
Speaker 1: This prayer, recorded in Isaiah thirty seven sixteen twenty is
24:31
Speaker 1: one of the most powerful moments of intercession in scripture.
24:35
Speaker 1: The divine response came through Isaiah in a lengthy prophecy
24:39
Speaker 1: recorded in Isaiah thirty seven twenty one thirty five. The
24:42
Speaker 1: Lord declared, for out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant,
24:46
Speaker 1: and those who escape from Mount Zion, the zeal of
24:50
Speaker 1: the Lord of Hosts will do this. This promise would
24:53
Speaker 1: be fulfilled in a spectacular way. The miraculous deliverance is
24:57
Speaker 1: described in Isaiah thirty seven thirds six. Then the Angel
25:02
Speaker 1: of the Lord went out and killed in the camp
25:04
Speaker 1: of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty five thousand, and
25:08
Speaker 1: when people arose early in the morning, there were the
25:11
Speaker 1: corpses all dead. This extraordinary event completely changed the course
25:16
Speaker 1: of history. In Isaiah thirty seven thirty seven thirty eight
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Speaker 1: we see the fulfillment of Isaiah's initial prophecy. So Senacarib,
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Speaker 1: king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home and
25:30
Speaker 1: remained at Nineveh. Now it came to pass, as he
25:34
Speaker 1: was worshiping in the temple of Nisrokis God, that his
25:37
Speaker 1: sons Adramleek and Shariza struck him down with the sword.
25:42
Speaker 1: The proud Assyrian king met his end exactly as the
25:46
Speaker 1: prophet had announced. This miraculous victory paved the way for
25:50
Speaker 1: deep religious reforms under the leadership of Hezekiah. In Second
25:54
Speaker 1: Chronicles twenty nine thirty one we find a detailed account
25:58
Speaker 1: of these reforms, which were supported and guided by Isaiah's
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Speaker 1: prophetic council. In Isaiah thirty eight one eight, we see
26:06
Speaker 1: how the prophet continued to advise the king, even on
26:10
Speaker 1: personal matters, such as when he announced his miraculous healing.
26:14
Speaker 1: The purification of the temple was one of the most
26:17
Speaker 1: significant aspects of these reforms. As recorded in Second Chronicles
26:21
Speaker 1: twenty nine to five, Hezekiah ordered the Levites, sanctify yourselves
26:26
Speaker 1: now and sanctify the house of the Lord God of
26:29
Speaker 1: your father's and carry out the rubbish from the holy place.
26:33
Speaker 1: This process of religious restoration had a deep connection to
26:37
Speaker 1: the messages that Isaiah had been proclaiming for years. During
26:41
Speaker 1: this period, Isaiah also prophesied about the restoration of true sacrifices.
26:47
Speaker 1: In Isaiah fifty six seven, he declares the divine promise,
26:51
Speaker 1: I will bring them to my holy mountain and make
26:54
Speaker 1: them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings
26:58
Speaker 1: and their sacrifices will be accept did on my altar.
27:01
Speaker 1: For my house shall be called a house of prayer
27:03
Speaker 1: for all nations. The reorganization of the priesthood was another
27:08
Speaker 1: area where Isaiah's influence was felt. In san Chronicles thirty
27:12
Speaker 1: one two we read that Hezekiah appointed the divisions of
27:16
Speaker 1: the priests and levites according to their divisions, each one
27:20
Speaker 1: according to his ministry. This restoration of the levitical order
27:26
Speaker 1: was aligned with the visions of purity and holiness that
27:29
Speaker 1: Isaiah had received in his initial calling. The reinstatement of
27:34
Speaker 1: the festivals, particularly Passover, was a crucial moment in this
27:38
Speaker 1: period of reform. In sand Chronicles thirty one we see
27:43
Speaker 1: that Hezekiah sent messengers throughout all Israel and Judah, and
27:47
Speaker 1: wrote letters also to Ephraim and manasse that they should
27:50
Speaker 1: come to the House of the Lord at Jerusalem to
27:53
Speaker 1: celebrate the passover to the Lord God of Israel. The
27:57
Speaker 1: validation of Isaiah's prophetic miniae mistry through these events was complete.
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Speaker 1: In Isaiah thirty eight seven to eight, we even find
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Speaker 1: an astronomical sign confirming his words. And this shall be
28:11
Speaker 1: a sign to you from the Lord that the Lord
28:13
Speaker 1: will do this thing which he has spoken. Behold, I
28:17
Speaker 1: will bring the shadow on the sun dial which has
28:20
Speaker 1: gone down, with the sun on the sun dial of
28:22
Speaker 1: Ahaz ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees
28:27
Speaker 1: on the dial by which it had gone down. This
28:31
Speaker 1: period of crisis and subsequent reform established Isaiah as the
28:36
Speaker 1: principal spiritual counselor of the kingdom. His prophecies not only
28:40
Speaker 1: came to pass in extraordinary ways, but his guidance helped
28:44
Speaker 1: shape one of the greatest religious reforms in the history
28:48
Speaker 1: of Judah. The impact of his ministry during this critical
28:53
Speaker 1: time would be remembered for generations and serve as a
28:57
Speaker 1: lasting testimony to God's faithfulness to his people. Among all
29:03
Speaker 1: the revelations received by Isaiah, his messianic prophecies stand out
29:08
Speaker 1: for their depth and precision. In Isaiah fifty three we
29:12
Speaker 1: find the most detailed description of the suffering servant in
29:15
Speaker 1: all of scripture. The chapter begins with a penetrating question
29:20
Speaker 1: in Isaiah fifty three one, who has believed our message?
29:25
Speaker 1: And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
29:29
Speaker 1: The portrait of the servant begins in Isaiah fifty three
29:33
Speaker 1: two three. For he grew up before him like a
29:36
Speaker 1: young plant, and like a root out of dry ground.
29:40
Speaker 1: He had no form or majesty that we should look
29:42
Speaker 1: at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
29:46
Speaker 1: He was despised and rejected by men. A man of
29:49
Speaker 1: sorrows and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom
29:53
Speaker 1: men hide their faces. He was despised, and we esteemed
29:57
Speaker 1: him not the sacrificial aspect of his lia. His mission
30:00
Speaker 1: is revealed in Isaiah fifty three four six. Surely he
30:04
Speaker 1: has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we
30:07
Speaker 1: esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he
30:12
Speaker 1: was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities.
30:17
Speaker 1: Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. And
30:21
Speaker 1: with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep
30:25
Speaker 1: have gone astray. We have turned every one to his
30:28
Speaker 1: own way, and the Lord has laid on him the
30:31
Speaker 1: iniquity of us. All the silence in the face of
30:34
Speaker 1: oppression is prophesied in Isaiah fifty three seven. He was oppressed,
30:39
Speaker 1: and he was afflicted. Yet he opened not his mouth,
30:44
Speaker 1: like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and
30:46
Speaker 1: like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so
30:50
Speaker 1: he opened not his mouth. This quietness in the face
30:53
Speaker 1: of suffering would be one of the most distinctive marks
30:56
Speaker 1: of the servant. The injustice of his judgment is described
31:01
Speaker 1: in Isaiah fifty three eight. By oppression and judgment, he
31:05
Speaker 1: was taken away. And as for his generation, who considered
31:09
Speaker 1: that he was cut off out of the land of
31:11
Speaker 1: the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. However,
31:16
Speaker 1: in Isaiah fifty three ten twelve we see the servant's
31:20
Speaker 1: ultimate victory. Yet it was the will of the Lord
31:23
Speaker 1: to crush him. He has put him to grief. When
31:26
Speaker 1: his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see
31:29
Speaker 1: his offspring, he shall prolong his days. The will of
31:33
Speaker 1: the Lord shall prosper in his hand. In Isaiah nine
31:36
Speaker 1: to six seven we find another fundamental Messianic prophecy. For
31:41
Speaker 1: to us a child is born, to us, a son
31:44
Speaker 1: is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
31:48
Speaker 1: and his name shall be called Wonderful counselor Mighty God,
31:51
Speaker 1: everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his
31:55
Speaker 1: government and of peace. There will be no end on
31:58
Speaker 1: the throne of David and over his kingdom. To establish
32:02
Speaker 1: it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness.
32:05
Speaker 1: From this time forth and forevermore, the zeal of the
32:09
Speaker 1: Lord of Hosts will do this. The nature of the
32:12
Speaker 1: coming kingdom is described in Isaiah eleven one to nine.
32:17
Speaker 1: There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
32:20
Speaker 1: and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit, And
32:24
Speaker 1: the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the
32:27
Speaker 1: spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might,
32:31
Speaker 1: the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
32:35
Speaker 1: The transformation of nature under his governance is prophesied in
32:39
Speaker 1: Isiah eleven six to nine. The wolf shall dwell with
32:43
Speaker 1: the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the
32:45
Speaker 1: young goat, and the calf, and the lion and the
32:48
Speaker 1: fattened calf together, and a little child shall lead them.
32:53
Speaker 1: They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain.
32:57
Speaker 1: For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of
32:59
Speaker 1: the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. The virgin
33:03
Speaker 1: birth is announced in Isaiah seven fourteen. Therefore the Lord
33:07
Speaker 1: himself will give you a sign. Behold, the Virgin shall
33:11
Speaker 1: conceive and bear a sun, and shall call his name Immanuel.
33:17
Speaker 1: This sign would be one of the clearest indications of
33:19
Speaker 1: the Messiah's identity. His ministry in Galilee is foretold in
33:23
Speaker 1: Isaiah nine one two. But there will be no gloom
33:27
Speaker 1: for her who was in anguish. In the former time
33:30
Speaker 1: he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the
33:33
Speaker 1: land of Naftali. But in the latter time he has
33:36
Speaker 1: made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond
33:39
Speaker 1: the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked
33:43
Speaker 1: in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt
33:47
Speaker 1: in a land of deep darkness on them has light shone.
33:51
Speaker 1: This prophecy precisely indicates where the Messianic ministry would begin.
33:56
Speaker 1: The miracles that would characterize his ministry are described in
34:00
Speaker 1: Isaiah thirty five five ten six. Then the eyes of
34:05
Speaker 1: the blind shall be opened and the ears of the
34:08
Speaker 1: death unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
34:12
Speaker 1: and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. These
34:15
Speaker 1: would be the credentials confirming his identity. In Isiah forty
34:20
Speaker 1: two one four we find a description of the Messiah's character. Behold,
34:25
Speaker 1: my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my
34:28
Speaker 1: soul delights, I have put my spirit upon him. He
34:32
Speaker 1: will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not
34:35
Speaker 1: cry aloud, or lift up his voice or make it
34:38
Speaker 1: heard in the street. A bruised reed he will not break,
34:42
Speaker 1: and a faintly burning wick he will not quench. He
34:45
Speaker 1: will faithfully bring forth justice. Justice for the poor is
34:50
Speaker 1: a recurring theme in Messianic prophecies. In Isiah sixty one
34:55
Speaker 1: one to three, we read the spirit of the Lord
34:58
Speaker 1: God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me
35:02
Speaker 1: to bring good news to the poor. He has sent
35:05
Speaker 1: me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty
35:09
Speaker 1: to the captives, and the opening of the prison to
35:11
Speaker 1: those who are bound. The universal aspect of his kingdom
35:16
Speaker 1: is prophesied in Isaiah forty nine six. It is too
35:20
Speaker 1: light a thing that you should be my servant to
35:23
Speaker 1: raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to bring back
35:26
Speaker 1: the preserved of Israel. I will make you as a
35:29
Speaker 1: light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to
35:33
Speaker 1: the end of the earth. In Isaiah fifty two thirteen
35:36
Speaker 1: to fifteen we find an introduction to the suffering servant
35:40
Speaker 1: that links his humiliation to his exaltation. Behold, my servant
35:46
Speaker 1: shall act wisely. He shall be high and lifted up,
35:50
Speaker 1: and shall be exalted, as many were astonished at you.
35:55
Speaker 1: His appearance was so marred beyond human semblance, and his
35:59
Speaker 1: form on that of the children of mankind. The redemptive
36:03
Speaker 1: purpose of his suffering is explained in Isaiah fifty three
36:07
Speaker 1: eleven to twelve. Out of the anguish of his soul,
36:10
Speaker 1: he shall see and be satisfied by his knowledge. Shall
36:14
Speaker 1: the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous,
36:18
Speaker 1: and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide
36:22
Speaker 1: him a portion with the many, and he shall divide
36:24
Speaker 1: the spoil with the strong. Because he poured out his
36:27
Speaker 1: soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors, Yet
36:31
Speaker 1: he bore the sin of many and makes intercession for
36:34
Speaker 1: the transgressors. These Messianic prophecies from Isaiah form the most
36:39
Speaker 1: complete portrait of the Messiah in all of the Old Testament,
36:43
Speaker 1: revealing both his suffering and his glory, his humiliation and
36:48
Speaker 1: his exaltation, his role as the suffering servant and as
36:52
Speaker 1: the victorious king. Every detail of these prophecies contributes to
36:57
Speaker 1: an extraordinarily precise picture that would be fulfilled centuries later.
37:02
Speaker 1: Amid warnings and prophecies of judgment, Isaiah also received some
37:07
Speaker 1: of the most beautiful messages of hope and restoration in scripture.
37:12
Speaker 1: In Isaiah forty one to two we find the beginning
37:16
Speaker 1: of this new phase of his prophecies. Comfort Comfort, my people,
37:21
Speaker 1: says your God, speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to
37:25
Speaker 1: her that her hard service has been completed, that her
37:28
Speaker 1: sin has been paid for, that she has received from
37:31
Speaker 1: the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The promise
37:34
Speaker 1: of a new exodus is presented in Isaiah forty three
37:38
Speaker 1: sixteen nineteen. This is what the Lord says, He who
37:42
Speaker 1: made a way through the sea, a path through the
37:45
Speaker 1: mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the
37:48
Speaker 1: army and reinforcements together forget the former things. Do not
37:53
Speaker 1: dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing.
37:57
Speaker 1: Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it. The
38:00
Speaker 1: announcement of liberation from captivity is described gloriously in Isaiah
38:05
Speaker 1: fifty two eleven to twelve. Depart, depart, go out from there,
38:11
Speaker 1: touch no unclean thing. Come out from it, and be pure,
38:15
Speaker 1: you who carry the articles of the Lord's house. But
38:17
Speaker 1: you will not leave in haste or go in flight,
38:20
Speaker 1: for the Lord will go before you. The God of
38:22
Speaker 1: Israel will be your rear guard. The return to the
38:26
Speaker 1: promised land is depicted in Isaiah forty nine eight thirteen.
38:30
Speaker 1: This is what the Lord says. In the time of
38:33
Speaker 1: my favor, I will answer you, And in the day
38:36
Speaker 1: of salvation, I will help you to say. To the captives,
38:41
Speaker 1: come out, and to those in darkness be free. They
38:46
Speaker 1: will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every
38:49
Speaker 1: barren hill. Divine provision during this journey is guaranteed in
38:54
Speaker 1: Isaiah forty one seventeen to twenty. The poor and needy
38:58
Speaker 1: search for water, but there is none. Their tongues are
39:01
Speaker 1: parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them. I,
39:05
Speaker 1: the God of Israel, will not forsake them. The transformation
39:09
Speaker 1: of nature is prophesied in Isaiah thirty five one tu
39:12
Speaker 1: a two. The desert and the parched land will be glad.
39:17
Speaker 1: The wilderness will rejoice and blossom like the crocus. It
39:20
Speaker 1: will burst into bloom. It will rejoice greatly and shout
39:24
Speaker 1: for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
39:28
Speaker 1: the splendor of Carmel and Charon. They will see the
39:31
Speaker 1: glory of the Lord. The splendor of our God promises
39:35
Speaker 1: of comfort multiply in passages like Isaiah fifty one eleven
39:39
Speaker 1: to twelve, those the Lord has rescued will return. They
39:43
Speaker 1: will enter Zion with singing. Everlasting joy will crown their heads.
39:48
Speaker 1: Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing
39:51
Speaker 1: will flee away. I even I am he who comforts you.
39:56
Speaker 1: Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings,
39:59
Speaker 1: who are but grass. The new Covenant is announced in
40:04
Speaker 1: Isaiah fifty five three. Give ear and come to me listen,
40:09
Speaker 1: that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant
40:12
Speaker 1: with you, my faithful love, promised to David. This covenant
40:17
Speaker 1: is characterized by an unprecedented intimacy with God, as seen
40:21
Speaker 1: in Isiah fifty four thirteen. All your children will be
40:25
Speaker 1: taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.
40:29
Speaker 1: The restoration of Jerusalem is described in glorious terms in
40:33
Speaker 1: Isaiah sixty one to three. Arise, shine, for your light
40:38
Speaker 1: has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
40:42
Speaker 1: See darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over
40:47
Speaker 1: the peoples. But the Lord rises upon you, and his
40:50
Speaker 1: glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light,
40:54
Speaker 1: and kings to the brightness of your dawn. The healing
40:57
Speaker 1: of the people's wounds is promised in Isaiah fifty seven
41:01
Speaker 1: eighteen nineteen. I have seen their ways, but I will
41:05
Speaker 1: heal them. I will guide them and restore comfort to
41:08
Speaker 1: Israel's mourners. Peace peace to those far and near, says
41:12
Speaker 1: the Lord, and I will heal them. Divine vengeance against
41:16
Speaker 1: oppressors is announced in Isaiah fifty nine seventeen to eighteen.
41:21
Speaker 1: He put on righteousness as his breastplate and the helmet
41:24
Speaker 1: of salvation on his head. He put on the garments
41:28
Speaker 1: of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
41:32
Speaker 1: According to what they have done, so will he repay.
41:37
Speaker 1: Eternal joy is promised in Isaiah sixty one seven. Instead
41:41
Speaker 1: of your shame, you will receive a double portion, And
41:45
Speaker 1: instead of disgrace, you will rejoice in your inheritance. And
41:49
Speaker 1: so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
41:53
Speaker 1: and everlasting joy will be yours. This joy is rooted
41:58
Speaker 1: in the divine presence a scene in Isaiah twelve three.
42:03
Speaker 1: With joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
42:07
Speaker 1: The vision of the new Jerusalem reaches its peak in
42:10
Speaker 1: Isaiah sixty five seventeen to nineteen. For I will create
42:15
Speaker 1: new heavens and a new earth. The former things will
42:19
Speaker 1: not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But
42:22
Speaker 1: be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create.
42:26
Speaker 1: For I will create Jerusalem to be a delight, and
42:29
Speaker 1: its people a joy. The renewed priesthood is prophesied in
42:33
Speaker 1: Isaiah sixty six twenty one. And I will select some
42:37
Speaker 1: of them also to be priests and levites, says the Lord.
42:42
Speaker 1: This renewal of the priesthood would be part of a
42:44
Speaker 1: broader transformation of worship, as seen in Isaiah fifty six seven.
42:50
Speaker 1: These I will bring to my holy mountain and give
42:53
Speaker 1: them joy in my house of prayer. The perpetual feasts
42:58
Speaker 1: are described in Isaiah sixty six twenty three. And from
43:02
Speaker 1: one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another,
43:06
Speaker 1: all mankind will come and bow down before me, says
43:09
Speaker 1: the Lord. This continuous worship would be a characteristic of
43:14
Speaker 1: the new order established by God. The promise of eternal
43:17
Speaker 1: peace is reiterated in various passages, such as Isaiah fifty
43:22
Speaker 1: four ten. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills
43:26
Speaker 1: be removed, Yet my unfailing love for you will not
43:30
Speaker 1: be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed, says
43:33
Speaker 1: the Lord, who has compassion on you. These messages of
43:37
Speaker 1: hope and restoration constitute some of the most beautiful passages
43:41
Speaker 1: in all of scripture, revealing God's heart for his people
43:45
Speaker 1: and his ultimate plan for redemption and renewal of all things.
43:49
Speaker 1: During his ministry in Jerusalem, Isiah faced an intense spiritual
43:54
Speaker 1: battle against false prophets and advisers who led the people
43:57
Speaker 1: away from the true path. In Isaiah twenty eight seven
44:01
Speaker 1: he exposes the condition of these corrupt religious leaders. But
44:06
Speaker 1: these also er through wine and through strong drink, are
44:09
Speaker 1: out of the way the priest and the prophet er.
44:12
Speaker 1: Through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine. They
44:15
Speaker 1: are out of the way. Through strong drink. They err
44:18
Speaker 1: in vision, they stumble in judgment. Isaiah's denunciation of false
44:23
Speaker 1: counselors is particularly striking in Isaiah twenty nine to fifteen
44:28
Speaker 1: to sixteen. Woe to those who seek deep to hide
44:32
Speaker 1: their counsel from the Lord, and whose works are in
44:35
Speaker 1: the dark. And they say, who sees us and who
44:38
Speaker 1: knows us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall
44:43
Speaker 1: be esteemed as the potters clay. For shall the work
44:46
Speaker 1: say of him that made it, he made me not?
44:49
Speaker 1: Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed
44:51
Speaker 1: it he had no understanding. The conflict with diviners and
44:55
Speaker 1: mediums is addressed in Isaiah eight nineteen twenty. And when
45:00
Speaker 1: they shall say, unto you, seek unto them that have
45:04
Speaker 1: familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and that mutter,
45:09
Speaker 1: should not a people seek unto their God for the living,
45:13
Speaker 1: to the dead, to the law, and to the testimony.
45:16
Speaker 1: If they speak not according to this word, it is
45:19
Speaker 1: because there is no light in them. The exposure of
45:22
Speaker 1: the lies of these false prophets is detailed in Isaiah
45:26
Speaker 1: thirty nine eleven. For this is a rebellious people, lying children,
45:31
Speaker 1: children that will not hear the law of the Lord,
45:34
Speaker 1: which say to the seers see not. And to the prophets,
45:38
Speaker 1: prophesy not unto us. Right things speak unto us, Smooth things,
45:43
Speaker 1: prophesy deceits. Get you out of the way, turn aside
45:47
Speaker 1: out of the path, Cause the Holy One of Israel
45:50
Speaker 1: to cease from before us. The contradictory prophecies are addressed
45:53
Speaker 1: in Isaiah forty four, twenty four, and twenty five. Thus
45:57
Speaker 1: says the Lord, your redeemer, and he that formed you
46:01
Speaker 1: from the womb. I am the Lord that makes all things,
46:05
Speaker 1: that stretches forth the heavens alone, that spreads abroad the
46:08
Speaker 1: earth by myself, that frustrates the tokens of the liars
46:12
Speaker 1: and makes diviners mad, that turns wise men backward and
46:16
Speaker 1: makes their knowledge foolish. The signs of the false prophets
46:20
Speaker 1: are exposed in Isiah forty seven thirteen to fourteen. You
46:24
Speaker 1: are wearied in the multitude of your counsels. Let now
46:28
Speaker 1: the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators stand up and
46:33
Speaker 1: save you from these things that shall come upon you. Behold,
46:37
Speaker 1: they shall be as stubble, the fire shall burn them.
46:41
Speaker 1: They shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame.
46:45
Speaker 1: In response to these false manifestations, Isaiah presents messages about
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Speaker 1: true repentance. In Isiah fifty eight three seven, he confronts
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Speaker 1: religious formalism. Why have we fasted and you see not?
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Speaker 1: Why have we afflicted our soul? And you take no knowledge? Behold,
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Speaker 1: in the day of your fast you find pleasure and
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Speaker 1: exact all your labors. Is not this the fast that
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Speaker 1: I have chosen to loose the bands of wickedness, to
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Speaker 1: undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free,
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Speaker 1: and that you break every yoke? The nature of true
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Speaker 1: fasting is explained in detail in Isaiah fifty eight six
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Speaker 1: to seven. Is not this the fast that I have
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Speaker 1: chosen to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the
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Speaker 1: heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and
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Speaker 1: that you break every yoke? Is it not to deal
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Speaker 1: your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the
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Speaker 1: poor that are cast out to your house? When you
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Speaker 1: see the naked, that you cover him, and that you
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Speaker 1: hide not yourself from your own flesh. Acceptable worship is
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Speaker 1: defined in Isaiah sixty six two. For all those things
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Speaker 1: has my hand made, and all those things have been,
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Speaker 1: says the Lord. But to this man will I look,
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Speaker 1: even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit,
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Speaker 1: and trembles at my word. This trembling before the divine
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Speaker 1: word stands in stark contrast to the arrogance of the
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Speaker 1: false prophets. The necessary heart change is described in Isiah
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Speaker 1: fifty seven fifteen. For thus says the high and lofty
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Speaker 1: one that inhabits eternity, whose name is holy, I dwell
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Speaker 1: in the high and holy place with him, also that
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Speaker 1: is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the
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Speaker 1: spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of
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Speaker 1: the contrite ones. The warnings against syncretism are especially strong
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Speaker 1: in Isaiah sixty five three to five. A people that
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Speaker 1: provokes me to anger continually to my face, that sacrifices
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Speaker 1: in gardens and burns incense upon altars of brick, which
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Speaker 1: remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which
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Speaker 1: eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in
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Speaker 1: their vessels. The denunciation of Idolatry is made with sharp
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Speaker 1: irony in Isaiah forty four nine to twenty, where the
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Speaker 1: prophet describes the foolishness of making an idol. They that
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Speaker 1: make a graven image are all of them vanity, and
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Speaker 1: their delectable things shall not profit. And they are their
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Speaker 1: own witnesses. They see not nor know that they may
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Speaker 1: be ashamed. One part of it he burns in the fire.
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Speaker 1: With this part he eats flesh, He roasts roast, and
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Speaker 1: is satisfied. Yea, he warms himself and says, aha, I
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Speaker 1: am warm. I have seen the fire and the residue
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Speaker 1: thereof He makes a god, even his graven image. He
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Speaker 1: falls down unto it and worships it, and prays unto it,
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Speaker 1: and says, deliver me, for you are my God. Common
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Speaker 1: pagan practices are exposed in Isaiah fifty seven three to five.
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Speaker 1: But draw hear you, sons of the sorceress, the seed
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Speaker 1: of the adulterer, and the whore, against whom do you
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Speaker 1: sport yourselves? Against whom make you a wide mouth and
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Speaker 1: draw out the tongue. Are you not children of transgression?
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Speaker 1: A seed of falsehood? The call to holiness is proclaimed
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Speaker 1: in Isaiah fifty two eleven. Depart you depart, you go,
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Speaker 1: you out from their touch, no unclean thing, Go you
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Speaker 1: out of the midst of her. Be you clean that
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Speaker 1: bear the vessels of the Lord. This purification was necessary
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Speaker 1: for both the leaders and the people. The infiltration of
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Speaker 1: foreign customs is condemned in Isiah two six. Therefore you
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Speaker 1: have forsaken your people the house of Jacob, because they
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Speaker 1: be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines,
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Speaker 1: and they please themselves in the children of strangers. This
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Speaker 1: cultural and religious mixing was seen as a threat to
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Speaker 1: the purity of faith. Throughout these confrontations, Isaiah remained steady
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Speaker 1: fast as a voice of truth amidst spiritual confusion. His
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Speaker 1: clear and unequivocal message served as a beacon of light
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Speaker 1: in times of spiritual darkness, calling the people back to
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Speaker 1: the true worship of the God of Israel. During the
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Speaker 1: reign of Manasseh, Isiah's ministry entered its most challenging phase.
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Speaker 1: In Second Kings twenty one one two, we find a
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Speaker 1: record of the beginning of this dark period. Manasse was
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Speaker 1: twelve years old when he began to reign, and he
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Speaker 1: reigned fifty five years in Jerusalem, and he did what
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Speaker 1: was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to
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Speaker 1: the abominations of the Nations. The persecution of the prophet
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Speaker 1: intensified during this time. In Isaiah fifty six, we find
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Speaker 1: words that reflect his personal experience. I gave my back
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Speaker 1: to those who strike me, and my cheeks to those
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Speaker 1: who pull out the beard. I hid not my face
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Speaker 1: from s and spitting. His faithfulness in difficult times is
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Speaker 1: evident in Isaiah fifty seven. For the Lord God helps me.
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Speaker 1: Therefore I have not been disgraced. Therefore I have set
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Speaker 1: my face like a flint, and I know that I
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Speaker 1: shall not be put to shame. National apostasy reached unprecedented levels.
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Speaker 1: In Isaiah fifty nine fourteen fifteen, the Prophet laments justice
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Speaker 1: is turned back, and righteousness stands far away. For truth
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Speaker 1: has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter.
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Speaker 1: Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes
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Speaker 1: himself a prey. Amidst solitary resistance, Isaiah found refuge in
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Speaker 1: the certainty of divine promises. In Isaiah fifty one seven eight,
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Speaker 1: he encourages the faithful, listen to me, you who know righteousness,
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Speaker 1: the people in whose heart is my law, fear not
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Speaker 1: the reproach of man, nor be disay made at their revilings.
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Speaker 1: For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
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Speaker 1: and the worm will eat them like wool. But my
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Speaker 1: righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.
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Speaker 1: His final prophecies and visions focused on the distant future.
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Speaker 1: In Isaiah sixty five seventeen, he proclaims, for behold, I
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Speaker 1: create new heavens and a new earth, and the former
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Speaker 1: things shall not be remembered or come into mind. In
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Speaker 1: Isaiah sixty six twenty two to twenty three, he reaffirms,
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Speaker 1: For as the new heavens and the new earth that
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Speaker 1: I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so
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Speaker 1: shall your offspring and your name remain. The final judgment
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Speaker 1: is described in Isaiah sixty six fifteen to sixteen. For behold,
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Speaker 1: the Lord will come in fire and his chariots like
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Speaker 1: the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his
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Speaker 1: rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire will the
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Speaker 1: Lord enter into judgment, and by his sword with all flesh.
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Speaker 1: The preservation of the written prophecies became a priority in
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Speaker 1: Isaiah eight sixteen, we find divine instruction bind up the testimony,
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Speaker 1: seal the teaching among my disciples. This care for the
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Speaker 1: prophetic word would ensure that his messages would reach future generations.
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Speaker 1: The tradition of Isaiah's martyrdom, although not recorded in the
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Speaker 1: Bible echoes in Hebrews eleven thirty seven, which speaks of
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Speaker 1: those who were sorn in two for their faith. His
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Speaker 1: last recorded words in Isaiah sixty six twenty four are solemn.
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Speaker 1: And they shall go out and look on the dead
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Speaker 1: bodies of the men who have rebelled against me, for
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Speaker 1: their worm shall not die. Their fires shall not be quenched,
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Speaker 1: and they shall be in abhorrence to all flesh. Beloved viewers,
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Speaker 1: we have reached the end of this extraordinary journey through
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Speaker 1: the life and ministry of the prophet Isaiah. His story
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Speaker 1: shows us how God can use a life fully dedicated
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Speaker 1: to him to impact not just one generation, but all
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Speaker 1: of human history, from royal courts to the streets of Jerusalem,
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Speaker 1: from heavenly visions to messianic prophecies, Isaiah has left us
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Speaker 1: a legacy of faith, courage, and faithfulness that resonates to
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Speaker 1: this day. If you have been blessed by this story,
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Speaker 1: don't keep it to yourself. Share this video with your
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Speaker 1: friends and family. Each chapter of Isaiah's life teaches us
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Speaker 1: precious lessons about trusting in God even in difficult times,
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Speaker 1: staying true to the truth even when we are alone,
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Speaker 1: and hoping in divine promises even when all seems lost.
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Speaker 1: like this exploring the extraordinary lives of biblical characters and
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Speaker 1: alike and share your thoughts in the comments below. What
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Speaker 1: aspect of Isaiah's life impacted you the most. God bless
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Speaker 1: you and see you in the next video.