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

Transcript

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

0:00
Speaker 1: Amid the pages of biblical history, few prophets had a
0:04
Speaker 1: ministry as extraordinary and enduring as Isaiah's. His story begins
0:09
Speaker 1: at a crucial moment for God's people, when the kingdom
0:12
Speaker 1: was divided and the shadows of apostasy loomed over the land.
0:17
Speaker 1: In the first chapter of his book, verses one to four,
0:21
Speaker 1: we find that Isaiah, son of a Mos, began his
0:24
Speaker 1: ministry in the days of Usiah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah,
0:29
Speaker 1: kings of Judah. This introduction places us in a specific
0:33
Speaker 1: historical period, approximately between seven forty and six hundred eighty
0:38
Speaker 1: one BCEE, when the known world was undergoing profound transformations.
0:44
Speaker 1: Born in Jerusalem, Isaiah came from a noble family, possibly
0:48
Speaker 1: connected to the royal lineage of Judah. In Isaiah twenty
0:52
Speaker 1: two fifteen twenty five, we see his familiarity with court
0:55
Speaker 1: officials and his understanding of pallace intrigues, demonstrating his privileged
1:01
Speaker 1: access to the highest circles of power. His refined education
1:05
Speaker 1: in the royal court is evidenced by the language he
1:08
Speaker 1: employs in his prophecies. A scene in Isaiah thirteen two
1:13
Speaker 1: to three where he uses military and diplomatic terms with precision.
1:18
Speaker 1: Lift up a banner on the bear mountain, raise your
1:21
Speaker 1: voice to them, wave your hand, that they may enter
1:24
Speaker 1: the gates of the nobles. The period in which Isaiah
1:27
Speaker 1: grew up was marked by a complex web of political
1:31
Speaker 1: and social events, as recorded in Isaiah seven one to two.
1:36
Speaker 1: In the days of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Usiah,
1:40
Speaker 1: King of Judah, Resin the king of Syria, and Paeker,
1:43
Speaker 1: the son of Rimalia, King of Israel, came up to
1:47
Speaker 1: Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not prevail
1:51
Speaker 1: against it. This passage reveals the political tensions of the
1:54
Speaker 1: time and the constant threats that Judah faced. The situation
1:59
Speaker 1: in the divided kingdom was critical. In Isaiah nine twenty one,
2:03
Speaker 1: the prophet describes the grim reality Manassa devours Ephrem and
2:09
Speaker 1: Ephraim manasse together they are against Judah. To the north,
2:15
Speaker 1: the Kingdom of Israel was sinking deeper into idolatry and
2:19
Speaker 1: social injustice, while to the south, Judah struggled to maintain
2:23
Speaker 1: its spiritual identity under constant pressure from neighboring nations. In
2:27
Speaker 1: Isaiah five twenty six thirty we find a vivid description
2:31
Speaker 1: of the Assyrian threat, he will lift up a banner
2:35
Speaker 1: to the nations from Afar and whistle for them from
2:37
Speaker 1: the ends of the earth, and behold, they will come
2:40
Speaker 1: with speed swiftly. The Assyrian Empire, under ambitious and cruel rulers,
2:46
Speaker 1: was rapidly expanding, casting its threatening shadow over the entire region.
2:52
Speaker 1: The society that Isaiah observed was deeply divided. In Isiah
2:57
Speaker 1: three fourteen fifteen, he denounces the Lord enters into judgment
3:02
Speaker 1: against the elders of his people and his princes, and says,
3:06
Speaker 1: it is you who have consumed my vineyard. The plunder
3:10
Speaker 1: of the poor is in your houses. This situation is
3:13
Speaker 1: further detailed in Isaiah five eight to ten, where the
3:17
Speaker 1: prophet warns, woe to those who join house to house,
3:20
Speaker 1: who add field to field, until there is no more room,
3:24
Speaker 1: and you are made to dwell alone in the midst
3:26
Speaker 1: of the land. The excessive luxury of the elites is
3:30
Speaker 1: harshly criticized in Isaiah three sixteen twenty four, where the
3:34
Speaker 1: prophet describes in detail the pride and ostentation of the
3:38
Speaker 1: women of Jerusalem, for the daughters of Zion are haughty
3:44
Speaker 1: and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking delicately
3:49
Speaker 1: making tinkling with their feet. The religious environment was equally corrupted.
3:54
Speaker 1: In Isaiah two pun sixty eight, the prophet laments, for
3:58
Speaker 1: you have forsaken your people the house of Jacob, because
4:02
Speaker 1: they are filled with Eastern ways and soothsayers like the Philistines,
4:08
Speaker 1: and they strike hands with the children of foreigners. Religious
4:12
Speaker 1: syncretism had deeply infiltrated Judah, as evidenced in Isiah sixty
4:17
Speaker 1: five three to four. A people who continually provoke me
4:22
Speaker 1: to my face, sacrificing in gardens and burning incense on bricks,
4:26
Speaker 1: who sit among the graves and spend the night in
4:29
Speaker 1: the tombs. During the reign of Usiah, as recorded in
4:33
Speaker 1: Second Chronicles twenty six six to fifteen and reflected in
4:38
Speaker 1: Isiah two seven, the kingdom of Judah experienced an unprecedented
4:43
Speaker 1: period of prosperity. Their land is full of silver and gold,
4:48
Speaker 1: and there is no end to their treasures. Their land
4:51
Speaker 1: is also full of horses, and their chariots have no end. However,
4:56
Speaker 1: this material prosperity masked a deep spiritual deterior as denounced
5:01
Speaker 1: in Isaiah one twenty one twenty three. How the faithful
5:05
Speaker 1: city has become a harlot. It was full of justice,
5:08
Speaker 1: righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers, your silver has
5:12
Speaker 1: become dross, your wine mixed with water. Political alliances were
5:17
Speaker 1: becoming increasingly dangerous. In Isaiah thirty one two, we find
5:22
Speaker 1: a strong warning. Woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord,
5:26
Speaker 1: who take counsel but not of me, and who devise
5:30
Speaker 1: plans but not of My spirit, that they may add
5:33
Speaker 1: sin to sin, who walk to go down to Egypt
5:36
Speaker 1: and have not asked my advice to strengthen themselves in
5:40
Speaker 1: the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow
5:42
Speaker 1: of Egypt. In Isiah thirty one one, the prophet continues
5:47
Speaker 1: his denunciation, woe to those who go down to Egypt
5:51
Speaker 1: for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots
5:55
Speaker 1: because they are many, and in horsemen because they are
5:58
Speaker 1: very strong, but who do not look to the Holy
6:00
Speaker 1: One of Israel nor seek the Lord. These alliances demonstrated
6:05
Speaker 1: the people's lack of trust in the Lord and their
6:08
Speaker 1: dependence on foreign powers. This was the environment in which
6:13
Speaker 1: Isaiah was shaped and prepared by God for his extraordinary
6:17
Speaker 1: prophetic mission. His knowledge of the court. His privileged education,
6:22
Speaker 1: and above all, his spiritual sensitivity would make him a
6:26
Speaker 1: unique instrument in the hands of the Lord amid a
6:30
Speaker 1: people who were increasingly distancing themselves from their commitments to
6:33
Speaker 1: the divine Covenant. He would be the voice calling for
6:37
Speaker 1: justice and repentance, announcing both judgment and hope for future generations.
6:43
Speaker 1: In the year of King Osiah's death, a crucial moment
6:46
Speaker 1: unfolded in the Temple of Jerusalem. In Isiah six one four,
6:52
Speaker 1: the prophet recounts one of the most extraordinary visions ever
6:55
Speaker 1: recorded in scripture. I saw the Lord sitting on a
6:58
Speaker 1: high and exalted thing throne, and the hem of his
7:01
Speaker 1: robe filled the temple. Seraphim were above him. Each had
7:05
Speaker 1: six wings. With two they covered their faces, with two
7:09
Speaker 1: they covered their feet, and with two they flew. This
7:13
Speaker 1: vision occurred in the very temple built by Solomon, the
7:17
Speaker 1: same place where God's glory had been manifested centuries earlier,
7:21
Speaker 1: as recorded in First Kings eight ten eleven. The magnitude
7:26
Speaker 1: of this experience is even more significant when we consider
7:29
Speaker 1: the context of the temple at that time, as described
7:32
Speaker 1: in Second Chronicles twenty six sixteen to twenty one King
7:36
Speaker 1: Oziah had profaned this very temple by attempting to burn
7:40
Speaker 1: incense on the altar, a role exclusively reserved for the priests.
7:45
Speaker 1: Now in this same location, God chose to reveal his
7:49
Speaker 1: glory to Isaiah in an unprecedented manner. The divine glory
7:54
Speaker 1: manifested in that moment was so intense that, as described
7:58
Speaker 1: in Isaiah sixty four, the thresholds of the doors shook
8:02
Speaker 1: at the voice of him who called, and the house
8:04
Speaker 1: was filled with smoke. The Seraphim celestial beings of extraordinary
8:09
Speaker 1: majesty proclaimed in unison, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord
8:13
Speaker 1: of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory.
8:16
Speaker 1: This tripartide declaration of holiness, unique in all of Scripture,
8:21
Speaker 1: emphasized God's absolute perfection and separateness. The presence of the Seraphim,
8:27
Speaker 1: mentioned only in this passage throughout the Bible, is particularly significant.
8:32
Speaker 1: In Isaiah six two to three, their six wings demonstrate
8:36
Speaker 1: reverence covering their faces, humility covering their feet, and service flying.
8:43
Speaker 1: The name Seraphim in Hebrew is related to fire, connecting
8:48
Speaker 1: these celestial beings with divine purity and judgment, themes that
8:52
Speaker 1: would be central to Isaiah's ministry. Confronted with this supernatural manifestation,
8:58
Speaker 1: Isaiah was deeply impacted. In Isaiah sixty five, he exclaimed,
9:03
Speaker 1: in fear, woe to me, for I am lost, for
9:06
Speaker 1: I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell
9:09
Speaker 1: in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For
9:12
Speaker 1: my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
9:15
Speaker 1: This confession echoed the experiences of other servants of God,
9:19
Speaker 1: such as Moses before the burning bush Exodus three six,
9:24
Speaker 1: and Gideon when he saw the Angel of the Lord
9:27
Speaker 1: Judges six twenty two. God's response to this confession was
9:31
Speaker 1: immediate and extraordinary. In Isaiah six six seven, one of
9:37
Speaker 1: the seraphim flew to him, bringing in his hand a
9:40
Speaker 1: burning coal that he had taken from the altar with
9:42
Speaker 1: tongs with it. He touched my mouth and said, behold,
9:46
Speaker 1: this has touched your lips. Your iniquity is taken away,
9:50
Speaker 1: and your sin is purged. The altar mentioned here was
9:54
Speaker 1: likely the altar of incense, which stood before the Holy
9:57
Speaker 1: of Holies, symbolizing the intercession and purification necessary for divine service.
10:03
Speaker 1: This act of purification held profound significance in the context
10:08
Speaker 1: of temple service. In Leviticus sixteen twelve, the high priest
10:12
Speaker 1: was to take colds from the altar for the ritual
10:15
Speaker 1: of the Day of Atonement. Now in a supernatural way,
10:19
Speaker 1: Isaiah experienced a personal purification that would empower him for
10:24
Speaker 1: his prophetic ministry. Immediately after his purification, Isaiah heard the
10:30
Speaker 1: voice of the Lord, as recorded in Isaiah six eight,
10:34
Speaker 1: Whom shall I send and who will go for us?
10:38
Speaker 1: The use of the plural us here suggests a deliberation
10:41
Speaker 1: within the divine council similar to Genesis one twenty six.
10:46
Speaker 1: Without hesitation, Isaiah responded, here, am I send me? This
10:51
Speaker 1: immediate response contrasted with the initial reluctance of other prophets
10:55
Speaker 1: such as Moses Exodus four ten and Jeremiah Jeremiaiah one six.
11:01
Speaker 1: The Lord then revealed to Isaiah the difficult nature of
11:05
Speaker 1: his calling. In Isaiah six nine ten, he received an
11:08
Speaker 1: apparently paradoxical mission, go and tell this people here indeed,
11:14
Speaker 1: but do not understand, and see, indeed, but do not perceive.
11:18
Speaker 1: Make the heart of this people dull and their ears heavy,
11:22
Speaker 1: and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes
11:25
Speaker 1: and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart
11:29
Speaker 1: and return and be healed. This message would echo through
11:33
Speaker 1: the centuries, later cited at crucial moments in the Ministry
11:37
Speaker 1: of Jesus Matthew thirteen fourteen to fifteen and the Apostle
11:42
Speaker 1: Paul Acts twenty eight, twenty six to twenty seven. It
11:48
Speaker 1: was an announcement of the judicial hardening that would come
11:51
Speaker 1: upon those who persistently rejected the divine message. Perplexed by
11:56
Speaker 1: this message, Isaiah asked in Isaiah six eleven, how long
12:00
Speaker 1: O Lord? The divine response, recorded in verses eleven to thirteen,
12:05
Speaker 1: revealed a bleak future for the nation, until the cities
12:09
Speaker 1: are laid waste and without inhabitant, the houses are without
12:13
Speaker 1: a man, and the land is utterly desolate. Yet even
12:16
Speaker 1: in this severe judgment, there was a promise of hope.
12:20
Speaker 1: Just as a stump remains after a tree has been
12:22
Speaker 1: cut down, a holy remnant would be preserved. The shaking
12:26
Speaker 1: of the temple's pillars mentioned in Isaiah sixty four recalled
12:31
Speaker 1: other moments of theophony in scripture, such as the shaking
12:34
Speaker 1: of Mount Sinai Exodus nineteen eighteen and God's manifestation to
12:39
Speaker 1: Elijah First Kings nineteen eleven. Twelve. The smoke that filled
12:44
Speaker 1: the temple not only reminded of the cloud of glory
12:48
Speaker 1: that guided Israel in the wilderness Exodus forty thirty four
12:52
Speaker 1: to thirty five, but also foreshadowed visions of the heavenly
12:56
Speaker 1: temple in Revelation. Revelation fifteen eight, Isaiah's experience in the
13:02
Speaker 1: temple established patterns that would be seen in other prophetic calls.
13:07
Speaker 1: In Ezekiel one ta THII, for example, we find similar
13:11
Speaker 1: elements a vision of divine glory, a symbolic act involving
13:15
Speaker 1: the prophet's mouth, and a difficult mission for a rebellious people.
13:19
Speaker 1: In Jeremiah one, we also see the divine touch on
13:23
Speaker 1: the prophet's lips and the announcement of a message of judgment.
13:27
Speaker 1: The symbolism of the purifying fire in his vocation was
13:32
Speaker 1: especially significant in the context of the temple. In Leviticus
13:36
Speaker 1: six thirteen, the fire on the altar was to burn continually,
13:40
Speaker 1: never going out. Now. A coal from this divine altar
13:44
Speaker 1: purified Isaiah's lips, symbolizing that his words, like those in
13:49
Speaker 1: Jeremiah twenty three twenty nine, would be like fire and
13:53
Speaker 1: like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces. This
13:56
Speaker 1: transformative experience in the temple not only mark the formal
14:00
Speaker 1: beginning of Isaiah's prophetic ministry, but also established the fundamental
14:05
Speaker 1: themes that would characterize his entire message, the absolute holiness
14:10
Speaker 1: of God, the necessity of sin purification, the importance of
14:15
Speaker 1: a willing response to the divine call, and the certainty
14:19
Speaker 1: that despite inevitable judgment, God would always preserve a faithful remnant.
14:25
Speaker 1: After his extraordinary experience in the Temple, Isiah began his
14:29
Speaker 1: prophetic ministry with a series of powerful messages to the
14:33
Speaker 1: kingdom of Judah. In Isiah one two to four, his
14:37
Speaker 1: first recorded prophecy sets the tone for his warnings. Here,
14:43
Speaker 1: o heavens, and give ear o Earth, for the Lord
14:47
Speaker 1: has spoken. I have nourished and brought up children, and
14:50
Speaker 1: they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner,
14:53
Speaker 1: and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know.
14:57
Speaker 1: My people do not understand. One of the prophet's first
15:01
Speaker 1: and most urgent messages was a denunciation of idolatry and Judah.
15:07
Speaker 1: In Isiah two eight to nine, he declares, their land
15:12
Speaker 1: is filled with idols. They bow down to the work
15:15
Speaker 1: of their own hands to what their own fingers have made.
15:19
Speaker 1: So man is humbled, and each one is brought low.
15:23
Speaker 1: Do not forgive them. This worship of false gods was
15:25
Speaker 1: particularly offensive because it occurred in the shadow of the
15:28
Speaker 1: Lord's own temple. In Isiah three one fifteen, the prophet
15:33
Speaker 1: presents a detailed denunciation of the social injustices that permeated society.
15:39
Speaker 1: The Lord stands up to contend and stands to judge
15:42
Speaker 1: the peoples. The Lord enters into judgment against the elders
15:47
Speaker 1: of his people and their rulers. The oppression of the
15:50
Speaker 1: poor by the wealthy and powerful was especially condemned, as
15:54
Speaker 1: seen in Isaiah three fourteen fifteen. You have devastated the vineyard.
15:59
Speaker 1: The oil of the poor is in your houses. What
16:02
Speaker 1: do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the
16:05
Speaker 1: faces of the poor. The issue of dangerous political alliances
16:09
Speaker 1: became a central theme in his early messages. In Isaiah
16:14
Speaker 1: seven one nine, we find the prophet directly confronting King
16:18
Speaker 1: Ahaz about his intention to seek help from Assyria. Thus
16:22
Speaker 1: says the Lord God, it shall not stand, nor shall
16:25
Speaker 1: it come to pass. This warning was particularly significant because
16:30
Speaker 1: Ahaz was considering an alliance that would compromise Judah's spiritual independence.
16:36
Speaker 1: It was in this context that one of the most
16:38
Speaker 1: important Messianic prophecies emerged. In Isaiah seven fourteen, the prophet
16:44
Speaker 1: pronounces the famous sign of Immanuel. Therefore, the Lord himself
16:49
Speaker 1: will give you a sign. Behold, the Virgin shall conceive
16:54
Speaker 1: and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
16:57
Speaker 1: This sign was given to King Ahaz as a guarantee
17:00
Speaker 1: of divine faithfulness, even in the face of the king's disbelief.
17:06
Speaker 1: Prophecies against foreign nations began to emerge in an impressive sequence.
17:10
Speaker 1: In Isiah thirteen to twenty three, we find oracles directed
17:14
Speaker 1: at various peoples, starting with Babylon. In Isaiah thirteen one,
17:19
Speaker 1: the Burden against Babylon, which Isaiah, the son of a
17:23
Speaker 1: Mas saw, the prophet pronounces judgments against the major powers
17:27
Speaker 1: of the time. The prophecy regarding Assyria in Isaiah tenh
17:32
Speaker 1: five to nineteen is particularly notable. Woe to Assyria, the
17:37
Speaker 1: rod of my anger and the staff in whose hand
17:40
Speaker 1: is my indignation. This oracle reveals how God would use
17:45
Speaker 1: this nation as an instrument of judgment, but would also
17:49
Speaker 1: punish it for its excessive pride. The judgment of Moab,
17:53
Speaker 1: recorded in Isaiah fifteen to sixteen, demonstrates an unusual compassion,
17:59
Speaker 1: even amid warning. Therefore, I will weep with the weeping
18:03
Speaker 1: of Jaesa for the vine of Sibma. I will drench
18:06
Speaker 1: you with my tears o Heshbon and Eleayale. This empathy
18:11
Speaker 1: for the suffering of an enemy nation reveals the pastoral
18:14
Speaker 1: heart of the prophet. Regarding Damascus, Isiah seventeen one three prophecies, Behold,
18:22
Speaker 1: Damascus will cease to be a city, and it will
18:25
Speaker 1: be a ruinous heap. This prophecy about the Syrian capital
18:30
Speaker 1: was directly related to the political alliances threatening Judah. The
18:34
Speaker 1: fate of Tire and Sidon is addressed in Isaiah twenty three,
18:38
Speaker 1: where the prophet announces the burden against Tire wail o
18:44
Speaker 1: ships of Tarshish, for your strength is laid waste, so
18:48
Speaker 1: that there is no house or harbor left. This prophecy
18:51
Speaker 1: against the great commercial centers of the time demonstrated that
18:55
Speaker 1: even economic power could not withstand divine judgment. The message
19:00
Speaker 1: to Ethiopia in Isaiah eighteen reveals the global reach of
19:05
Speaker 1: Isaiah's prophecies. Woe to the land shadowing with buzzing wings,
19:10
Speaker 1: which is beyond the rivers of cush. This oracle showed
19:15
Speaker 1: that even the most distant nations were under God's sovereign rule.
19:19
Speaker 1: Amid these warnings, Isaiah also spoke words of hope. In
19:23
Speaker 1: Isaiah nineteen twenty three twenty five, he foresees a future
19:27
Speaker 1: of peace and blessing even for former enemy nations. In
19:32
Speaker 1: that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria,
19:35
Speaker 1: and the Assyrians will come to Egypt, and the Egyptians
19:39
Speaker 1: will serve with the Assyrians to the Lord. His prophecies
19:43
Speaker 1: also addressed specific moral issues. In Isaiah five eight twenty three,
19:48
Speaker 1: we find a series of woes against various social sins
19:53
Speaker 1: Woe to those who join house to house, who add
19:56
Speaker 1: field to field, Woe to those who rise early in
19:59
Speaker 1: them morning to chase after strong drink. Woe to those
20:03
Speaker 1: who call evil good and good evil. The corruption of
20:07
Speaker 1: leaders received special attention. In Isaiah one twenty three, the
20:12
Speaker 1: prophet denounces, your princes are rebels and companions of thieves.
20:17
Speaker 1: Everyone loves bribes and runs after gifts. They do not
20:21
Speaker 1: defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow
20:24
Speaker 1: come before them. The excessive luxury of the elite was
20:28
Speaker 1: also condemned. In Isaiah three sixteen to twenty six, there
20:33
Speaker 1: is a detailed description of the ostentation of Jerusalem's women,
20:37
Speaker 1: culminating in the announcement of judgment. And it shall be
20:41
Speaker 1: that instead of sweet perfume, there will be a stench,
20:44
Speaker 1: instead of a belt, a rope, instead of well set hair, baldness.
20:50
Speaker 1: These early prophecies established Isaiah as a unique voice in
20:54
Speaker 1: his time. His message combined sharp social criticism with deep
20:59
Speaker 1: spiritual insights and a global vision of God's purposes. Each
21:04
Speaker 1: word spoken paved the way for even more significant revelations
21:09
Speaker 1: that would come in his later ministry. The impact of
21:12
Speaker 1: his initial messages was profound and lasting. In Isaiah eight sixteen,
21:17
Speaker 1: he receives the command bind up the testimony, seal the
21:21
Speaker 1: law among my disciples. This instruction indicates that from the
21:25
Speaker 1: very beginning, his prophecies were carefully preserved for future generations,
21:30
Speaker 1: establishing a standard of prophetic fidelity that would influence all
21:34
Speaker 1: subsequent prophets. The greatest evidence of the prophetic ministry of
21:39
Speaker 1: Isaiah came during the Assyrian Crisis. In Isaiah thirty six one,
21:45
Speaker 1: we find a precise record of the moment. In the
21:48
Speaker 1: fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Senacarib, king of Assyria, came
21:53
Speaker 1: up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
21:56
Speaker 1: This event would mark not only the history of Judah,
21:59
Speaker 1: but would all so extraordinarily confirm Isiah's prophetic authority. The
22:04
Speaker 1: siege of Jerusalem began with a psychological intimidation tactic. In
22:09
Speaker 1: Isaiah thirty six, four to ten, the rabshake, a high
22:12
Speaker 1: Assyrian official, presented himself before the walls of Jerusalem with
22:17
Speaker 1: a calculated speech. Thus says the great king, the King
22:22
Speaker 1: of Assyria, What confidence is this in which you trust?
22:27
Speaker 1: You say they are but empty words. There is counsel
22:30
Speaker 1: and strength for war in whom do you now trust
22:33
Speaker 1: that you rebel against me? The Assyrian strategy was clear,
22:38
Speaker 1: as we see in Isaiah thirty six thirteen twenty the
22:41
Speaker 1: Rabshaikis spoke in Hebrew, so that all the people on
22:45
Speaker 1: the walls could understand. Do not let Hezekiah deceive you,
22:49
Speaker 1: for he will not be able to deliver you, nor
22:52
Speaker 1: let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, the
22:55
Speaker 1: Lord will surely deliver us. This city will not be
22:59
Speaker 1: given in into the hand of the king of Assyria.
23:02
Speaker 1: The situation was critical. In Isiah thirty seven one we
23:06
Speaker 1: see King Hezekiah's reaction. When King Hezekiah heard it, he
23:11
Speaker 1: tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into
23:15
Speaker 1: the house of the Lord. He then sent messengers to Isaiah,
23:18
Speaker 1: as recorded in Isaiah thirty seven two four. So Hezekiah
23:23
Speaker 1: sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe,
23:28
Speaker 1: and the elders of the priests covered with sacloth to
23:31
Speaker 1: Isaiah the prophet, the son of a Mos. Isaiah's response
23:36
Speaker 1: was immediate and filled with confidence. In Isiah thirty seven
23:40
Speaker 1: six to seven, he declares, thus, you shall say to
23:44
Speaker 1: your master, thus says the Lord, do not be afraid
23:47
Speaker 1: of the words which you have heard, with which the
23:49
Speaker 1: servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Surely
23:53
Speaker 1: I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall
23:56
Speaker 1: hear a rumor and return to his own land, and
23:59
Speaker 1: I will cause him to fall by the sword in
24:01
Speaker 1: his own land. The situation escalated when Sinakarb sent a
24:06
Speaker 1: blasphemous letter to Isekiah. In Isaiah thirty seven fourteen fifteen,
24:11
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
25:20
Speaker 1: we see the fulfillment of Isaiah's initial prophecy. So Senacarib,
25:25
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 Adramalech 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
26:02
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 Isiah 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 minuaer mystry through these events was complete.
28:02
Speaker 1: In Isaiah thirty eight seven to eight, we even find
28:06
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
29:07
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
29:19
Speaker 1: in Isaiah fifty three, to 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 life. 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 that,
31:09
Speaker 1: he was cut off out of the land of the living,
31:12
Speaker 1: stricken for the transgression of my people. However, in Isaiah
31:16
Speaker 1: fifty three ten twelve we see the servant's ultimate victory.
31:22
Speaker 1: Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him.
31:24
Speaker 1: He has put him to grief. When his soul makes
31:27
Speaker 1: an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring. He
31:30
Speaker 1: shall prolong his days. The will of the Lord shall
31:33
Speaker 1: prosper in his hand. In Isaiah nine six seven we
31:38
Speaker 1: find another fundamental Messianic prophecy. For to us a child
31:42
Speaker 1: is born, to us, a son is given, and the
31:46
Speaker 1: government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall
31:48
Speaker 1: be called Wonderful counselor Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
31:54
Speaker 1: Of the increase of his government and of peace. There
31:57
Speaker 1: will be no end on the throne of David and
32:00
Speaker 1: over his kingdom. To establish it and to uphold it
32:03
Speaker 1: with justice and with righteousness. From this time forth and forevermore,
32:08
Speaker 1: the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will do this.
32:11
Speaker 1: The nature of the coming kingdom is described in Isaiah
32:15
Speaker 1: eleven one to nine. There shall come forth a shoot
32:19
Speaker 1: from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his
32:22
Speaker 1: roots shall bear fruit, And the spirit of the Lord
32:25
Speaker 1: shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
32:29
Speaker 1: the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge
32:33
Speaker 1: and the fear of the Lord. The transformation of nature
32:36
Speaker 1: under his governance is prophesied in Isaiah eleven six to nine.
32:41
Speaker 1: The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard
32:44
Speaker 1: shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf,
32:47
Speaker 1: and the lion and the fattened calf together, and a
32:50
Speaker 1: little child shall lead them. They shall not hurt or
32:54
Speaker 1: destroy in all my holy mountain. For the earth shall
32:58
Speaker 1: be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the
33:00
Speaker 1: waters cover the sea. The virgin birth is announced in
33:05
Speaker 1: Isaiah seven fourteen. Therefore the Lord himself will give you
33:08
Speaker 1: a sign. Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and bear a sun,
33:13
Speaker 1: and shall call his name Immanuel. This sign would be
33:18
Speaker 1: one of the clearest indications of the Messiah's identity. His
33:21
Speaker 1: ministry in Galilee is foretold in Isaiah nine one two.
33:25
Speaker 1: But there will be no gloom for her who was
33:28
Speaker 1: in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt
33:32
Speaker 1: the land of Zebulun and the land of Naftali. But
33:35
Speaker 1: in the latter time he has made glorious the way
33:38
Speaker 1: of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of
33:41
Speaker 1: the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen
33:44
Speaker 1: a great light. Those who dwelt in a land of
33:47
Speaker 1: deep darkness on them has light shone. This prophecy precisely
33:52
Speaker 1: indicates where the Messianic ministry would begin. The miracles that
33:57
Speaker 1: would characterize his ministry are described in Isaiah thirty five
34:02
Speaker 1: five ten six. Then the eyes of the blind shall
34:06
Speaker 1: be opened and the ears of the death unstopped. Then
34:09
Speaker 1: shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the
34:12
Speaker 1: tongue of the mute sing for joy. These would be
34:16
Speaker 1: the credentials confirming his identity. In Isiah forty two one
34:20
Speaker 1: 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
35:08
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: fifteen we find an introduction to the suffering servant that
35:41
Speaker 1: links his humiliation to his exaltation. Behold, my servant shall
35:47
Speaker 1: act wisely. He shall be high and lifted up, and
35:50
Speaker 1: shall be exalted, as many were astonished at you. His
35:55
Speaker 1: appearance was so marred beyond human semblance, and his form
35:59
Speaker 1: be 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 re enforcements together forget the former things. Do
37:52
Speaker 1: not dwell on the past. See I am doing a
37:56
Speaker 1: new thing. Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it.
38:00
Speaker 1: The announcement of liberation from captivity is described gloriously in
38:04
Speaker 1: Isaiah fifty two eleven to twelve. Depart, depart, go out
38:10
Speaker 1: from there, touch no unclean thing. Come out from it,
38:13
Speaker 1: and be pure, you who carry the articles of the
38:16
Speaker 1: Lord's house. But you will not leave in haste or
38:19
Speaker 1: go in flight, for the Lord will go before you.
38:22
Speaker 1: The God of Israel will be your rear guard. The
38:25
Speaker 1: return to the promised land is depicted in Isaiah forty
38:29
Speaker 1: nine eight thirteen. This is what the Lord says. In
38:33
Speaker 1: the time of my favor, I will answer you, And
38:36
Speaker 1: in the day of salvation, I will help you to say.
38:40
Speaker 1: To the captives, come out, and to those in darkness
38:44
Speaker 1: be free. They will feed beside the roads and find
38:48
Speaker 1: pasture on every barren hill. Divine provision during this journey
38:53
Speaker 1: is guaranteed in Isaiah forty one seventeen to twenty. The
38:57
Speaker 1: poor and needy search for water, but there is none.
39:00
Speaker 1: Their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord
39:03
Speaker 1: will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not
39:06
Speaker 1: forsake them. The transformation of nature is prophesied in Isaiah
39:11
Speaker 1: thirty five one tu a two. The desert and the
39:15
Speaker 1: parched land will be glad. The wilderness will rejoice and
39:18
Speaker 1: blossom like the crocus. It will burst into bloom. It
39:22
Speaker 1: will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of
39:26
Speaker 1: Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel
39:29
Speaker 1: and Charon. They will see the glory of the Lord.
39:32
Speaker 1: The splendor of our God promises of comfort multiply in
39:36
Speaker 1: passages like Isaiah fifty one eleven to twelve, those the
39:41
Speaker 1: Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing.
39:45
Speaker 1: Everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will
39:49
Speaker 1: overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. I
39:53
Speaker 1: even I am he who comforts you. Who are you
39:56
Speaker 1: that you fear mere mortals, human beings, who are but grass.
40:02
Speaker 1: The new Covenant is announced in Isaiah fifty five three.
40:06
Speaker 1: Give ear and come to me listen, that you may live.
40:10
Speaker 1: I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love,
40:14
Speaker 1: promised to David. This covenant is characterized by an unprecedented
40:19
Speaker 1: intimacy with God, as seen in Isaiah fifty four thirteen.
40:23
Speaker 1: All your children will be taught by the Lord, and
40:27
Speaker 1: great will be their peace. The restoration of Jerusalem is
40:31
Speaker 1: described in glorious terms in Isaiah sixty one to three. Arise, shine,
40:37
Speaker 1: for your light has come, and the glory of the
40:40
Speaker 1: Lord rises upon you. See darkness covers the earth, and
40:45
Speaker 1: thick darkness is over the peoples. But the Lord rises
40:49
Speaker 1: upon you, and his glory appears over you. Nations will
40:53
Speaker 1: come to your light, and kings to the brightness of
40:56
Speaker 1: your dawn. The healing of the people's wounds is promised
41:00
Speaker 1: in Isaiah fifty seven eighteen nineteen. I have seen their ways,
41:04
Speaker 1: but I will heal them. I will guide them and
41:07
Speaker 1: restore comfort to Israel's mourners. Peace peace to those far
41:11
Speaker 1: and near, says the Lord, and I will heal them.
41:15
Speaker 1: Divine vengeance against oppressors is announced in Isaiah fifty nine
41:19
Speaker 1: seventeen to eighteen. He put on righteousness as his breastplate
41:24
Speaker 1: and the helmet of salvation on his head. He put
41:27
Speaker 1: on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal
41:31
Speaker 1: as in a cloak. According to what they have done,
41:34
Speaker 1: so will he repay. Eternal joy is promised in Isaiah
41:39
Speaker 1: sixty one seven. Instead of your shame, you will receive
41:43
Speaker 1: a double portion, And instead of disgrace, you will rejoice
41:48
Speaker 1: in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double
41:51
Speaker 1: portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.
41:56
Speaker 1: This joy is rooted in the divine presence seen in
42:00
Speaker 1: Isaiah twelve three. With joy, you will draw water from
42:05
Speaker 1: the wells of salvation. The vision of the new Jerusalem
42:08
Speaker 1: reaches its peak in Isaiah sixty five seventeen to nineteen.
42:14
Speaker 1: For I will create new heavens and a new earth.
42:17
Speaker 1: The former things will not be remembered, nor will they
42:20
Speaker 1: come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in
42:24
Speaker 1: what I will create. For I will create Jerusalem to
42:28
Speaker 1: be a delight, and its people a joy. The renewed
42:32
Speaker 1: priesthood is prophesied in Isaiah sixty six twenty one. And
42:36
Speaker 1: I will select some of them also to be priests
42:38
Speaker 1: and levites, says the Lord. This renewal of the priesthood
42:43
Speaker 1: would be part of a broader transformation of worship, as
42:47
Speaker 1: seen in Isaiah fifty six seven. These I will bring
42:51
Speaker 1: to my holy mountain and give them joy in my
42:54
Speaker 1: house of prayer. The perpetual feasts are described in Isaiah
42:59
Speaker 1: six six twenty three. And from one new moon to another,
43:03
Speaker 1: and from one sabbath to another, all mankind will come
43:07
Speaker 1: and bow down before me, says the Lord. This continuous
43:12
Speaker 1: worship would be a characteristic of the new order established
43:15
Speaker 1: by God. The promise of eternal peace is reiterated in
43:19
Speaker 1: various passages, such as Isaiah fifty four ten. Though the
43:24
Speaker 1: mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, Yet my
43:28
Speaker 1: unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor my
43:31
Speaker 1: covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has
43:35
Speaker 1: compassion on you. These messages of hope and restoration constitute
43:39
Speaker 1: some of the most beautiful passages in all of scripture,
43:42
Speaker 1: revealing God's heart for his people and his ultimate plan
43:46
Speaker 1: for redemption and renewal of all things. During his ministry
43:50
Speaker 1: in Jerusalem, Isiah faced an intense spiritual battle against false
43:55
Speaker 1: prophets and advisers who led the people away from the
43:58
Speaker 1: true path. In Isaiah twenty eight seven he exposes the
44:02
Speaker 1: condition of these corrupt religious leaders. But these also er
44:07
Speaker 1: through wine and through strong drink, are out of the way.
44:10
Speaker 1: The priest and the prophet er. Through strong drink, they
44:13
Speaker 1: are swallowed up of wine. They are out of the way.
44:16
Speaker 1: Through strong drink, they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
44:21
Speaker 1: Isaiah's denunciation of false counselors is particularly striking in Isaiah
44:26
Speaker 1: twenty nine to fifteen to sixteen. Woe to those who
44:30
Speaker 1: seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and
44:34
Speaker 1: whose works are in the dark. And they say, who
44:37
Speaker 1: sees us and who knows us? Surely your turning of
44:41
Speaker 1: things upside down shall be esteemed as the potters clay.
44:45
Speaker 1: For shall the work say of him that made it,
44:47
Speaker 1: he made me not? Or shall the thing framed say
44:50
Speaker 1: of him that framed it he had no understanding. The
44:53
Speaker 1: conflict with diviners and mediums is addressed in Isaiah eight
44:58
Speaker 1: nineteen twenty. And when they shall say, unto you, seek
45:02
Speaker 1: unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that
45:07
Speaker 1: peep and that mutter, should not a people seek unto
45:11
Speaker 1: their God for the living, to the dead, to the law,
45:15
Speaker 1: and to the testimony. If they speak not according to
45:18
Speaker 1: this word, it is because there is no light in them.
45:21
Speaker 1: The exposure of the lies of these false prophets is
45:24
Speaker 1: detailed in Isaiah thirty nine eleven. For this is a
45:28
Speaker 1: rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the
45:32
Speaker 1: law of the Lord, which say to the seers see not.
45:37
Speaker 1: And to the prophets, prophesy not unto us. Right things
45:41
Speaker 1: speak unto us, Smooth things, prophesy deceits. Get you out
45:46
Speaker 1: of the way, turn aside out of the path, Cause
45:48
Speaker 1: the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
45:51
Speaker 1: The contradictory prophecies are addressed in Isaiah forty four, twenty four,
45:55
Speaker 1: and twenty five. Thus says the Lord, your redeemer, and
46:00
Speaker 1: he that formed you from the womb. I am the
46:03
Speaker 1: Lord that makes all things, that stretches forth the heavens alone,
46:07
Speaker 1: that spreads abroad the earth by myself, that frustrates the
46:10
Speaker 1: tokens of the liars and makes diviners mad, that turns
46:15
Speaker 1: wise men backward and makes their knowledge foolish. The signs
46:19
Speaker 1: of the false prophets are exposed in Isaiah forty seven
46:22
Speaker 1: thirteen to fourteen. You are wearied in the multitude of
46:26
Speaker 1: your counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly
46:31
Speaker 1: prognosticators stand up and save you from these things that
46:35
Speaker 1: shall come upon you. Behold, they shall be as stubble,
46:39
Speaker 1: the fire shall burn them. They shall not deliver themselves
46:42
Speaker 1: from the power of the flame. In response to these
46:46
Speaker 1: false manifestations, Isaiah presents messages about true repentance. In Isiah
46:52
Speaker 1: fifty eight three seven, he confronts religious formalism. Why have
46:56
Speaker 1: we fasted and you see not? Why have we afflicted
46:59
Speaker 1: our soul? And you take no knowledge? Behold, in the
47:03
Speaker 1: day of your fast you find pleasure and exact all
47:07
Speaker 1: your labors. Is not this the fast that I have
47:10
Speaker 1: chosen to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the
47:14
Speaker 1: heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and
47:17
Speaker 1: that you break every yoke? The nature of true fasting
47:21
Speaker 1: is explained in detail in Isaiah fifty eight six to seven.
47:25
Speaker 1: Is not this the fast that I have chosen to
47:28
Speaker 1: loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens,
47:32
Speaker 1: and to let the oppressed go free, and that you
47:35
Speaker 1: break every yoke? Is it not to deal your bread
47:39
Speaker 1: to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that
47:41
Speaker 1: are cast out to your house? When you see the naked,
47:45
Speaker 1: that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself
47:48
Speaker 1: from your own flesh. Acceptable worship is defined in Isaiah
47:52
Speaker 1: sixty six two. For all those things has my hand made,
47:57
Speaker 1: and all those things have been, says the Lord. But
48:00
Speaker 1: to this man will I look, even to him that
48:03
Speaker 1: is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at
48:07
Speaker 1: my word. This trembling before the divine word stands in
48:12
Speaker 1: stark contrast to the arrogance of the false prophets. The
48:16
Speaker 1: necessary heart change is described in Isaiah fifty seven fifteen.
48:20
Speaker 1: For thus says the high and lofty one that inhabits eternity,
48:25
Speaker 1: whose name is holy, I dwell in the high and
48:28
Speaker 1: holy place with him, also that is of a contrite
48:31
Speaker 1: and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble
48:35
Speaker 1: and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. The
48:38
Speaker 1: warnings against syncretism are especially strong in Isaiah sixty five
48:43
Speaker 1: three to five. A people that provokes me to anger
48:46
Speaker 1: continually to my face, that sacrifices in gardens and burns
48:51
Speaker 1: incense upon altars of brick, which remain among the graves,
48:55
Speaker 1: and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and
48:58
Speaker 1: broth of abominable things is in their vessels. The denunciation
49:03
Speaker 1: of Idolatry is made with sharp irony in Isaiah forty
49:07
Speaker 1: four nine to twenty, where the prophet describes the foolishness
49:11
Speaker 1: of making an idol. They that make a graven image
49:15
Speaker 1: are all of them vanity, and their delectable things shall
49:19
Speaker 1: not profit. And they are their own witnesses. They see
49:23
Speaker 1: not nor know that they may be ashamed. One part
49:27
Speaker 1: of it he burns in the fire. With this part
49:30
Speaker 1: he eats flesh, He roasts roast, and is satisfied. Yea,
49:34
Speaker 1: he warms himself and says, aha, I am warm. I
49:38
Speaker 1: have seen the fire and the residue thereof He makes
49:42
Speaker 1: a god, even his graven image. He falls down unto
49:46
Speaker 1: it and worships it, and prays unto it, and says,
49:49
Speaker 1: deliver me, for you are my God. Common pagan practices
49:55
Speaker 1: are exposed in Isaiah fifty seven three to five. But
49:59
Speaker 1: draw me here, you sons of the sorceress, the seed
50:02
Speaker 1: of the adulterer, and the whore, against whom do you
50:05
Speaker 1: sport yourselves, against whom make you a wide mouth and
50:09
Speaker 1: draw out the tongue. Are you not children of transgression,
50:12
Speaker 1: a seed of falsehood? The call to holiness is proclaimed
50:15
Speaker 1: in Isaiah fifty two eleven. Depart you depart, you go,
50:19
Speaker 1: you out from their touch, no unclean thing, Go you
50:23
Speaker 1: out of the midst of her. Be you clean that
50:26
Speaker 1: bear the vessels of the Lord. This purification was necessary
50:31
Speaker 1: for both the leaders and the people. The infiltration of
50:34
Speaker 1: foreign customs is condemned in Isaiah two six. Therefore you
50:39
Speaker 1: have forsaken your people the house of Jacob, because they
50:43
Speaker 1: be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines,
50:47
Speaker 1: and they please themselves in the children of strangers. This
50:51
Speaker 1: cultural and religious mixing was seen as a threat to
50:55
Speaker 1: the purity of faith. Throughout these confrontations, Isaiah remained stead
51:00
Speaker 1: fast as a voice of truth amidst spiritual confusion. His
51:04
Speaker 1: clear and unequivocal message served as a beacon of light
51:08
Speaker 1: in times of spiritual darkness, calling the people back to
51:12
Speaker 1: the true worship of the God of Israel. During the
51:16
Speaker 1: reign of Manasseh, Isaiah's ministry entered its most challenging phase.
51:22
Speaker 1: In Second Kings twenty one one two, we find a
51:25
Speaker 1: record of the beginning of this dark period. Manasse was
51:29
Speaker 1: twelve years old when he began to reign, and he
51:32
Speaker 1: reigned fifty five years in Jerusalem, and he did what
51:36
Speaker 1: was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to
51:40
Speaker 1: the abominations of the Nations. The persecution of the prophet
51:44
Speaker 1: intensified during this time. In Isaiah fifty six, we find
51:49
Speaker 1: words that reflect his personal experience. I gave my back
51:53
Speaker 1: to those who strike me, and my cheeks to those
51:56
Speaker 1: who pull out the beard. I hid not my face
51:59
Speaker 1: from shit, aim and spitting. His faithfulness in difficult times
52:03
Speaker 1: is evident in Isaiah fifty seven. For the Lord God
52:07
Speaker 1: helps me. Therefore I have not been disgraced. Therefore I
52:11
Speaker 1: have set my face like a flint, and I know
52:14
Speaker 1: that I shall not be put to shame. National apostasy
52:18
Speaker 1: reached unprecedented levels. In Isaiah fifty nine fourteen fifteen, the
52:23
Speaker 1: Prophet laments justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away.
52:29
Speaker 1: For truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness
52:33
Speaker 1: cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and he who departs from
52:37
Speaker 1: evil makes himself a prey. Amidst solitary resistance, Isaiah found
52:44
Speaker 1: refuge in the certainty of divine promises. In Isaiah fifty
52:48
Speaker 1: one seven eight, he encourages the faithful listen to me
52:52
Speaker 1: you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is
52:56
Speaker 1: my law, fear not the reproach of man, nor be
52:59
Speaker 1: disa made at their revilings. For the moth will eat
53:03
Speaker 1: them up like a garment, and the worm will eat
53:05
Speaker 1: them like wool. But my righteousness will be forever, and
53:09
Speaker 1: my salvation to all generations. His final prophecies and visions
53:14
Speaker 1: focused on the distant future. In Isaiah sixty five seventeen,
53:18
Speaker 1: he proclaims, for behold, I create new heavens and a
53:22
Speaker 1: new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered
53:25
Speaker 1: or come into mind. In Isaiah sixty six twenty two
53:29
Speaker 1: to twenty three, he reaffirms, For as the new heavens
53:33
Speaker 1: and the new earth that I make shall remain before me,
53:36
Speaker 1: says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain.
53:41
Speaker 1: The final judgment is described in Isaiah sixty six fifteen
53:44
Speaker 1: to sixteen. For behold, the Lord will come in fire
53:48
Speaker 1: and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger
53:52
Speaker 1: in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For
53:55
Speaker 1: by fire will the Lord enter into judgment, and by
53:59
Speaker 1: his sword with all flesh. The preservation of the written
54:03
Speaker 1: prophecies became a priority. In Isaiah eight sixteen, we find
54:09
Speaker 1: divine instruction bind up the testimony, seal the teaching among
54:14
Speaker 1: my disciples. This care for the prophetic word would ensure
54:19
Speaker 1: that his messages would reach future generations. The tradition of
54:23
Speaker 1: Isaiah's martyrdom, although not recorded in the Bible echoes in
54:27
Speaker 1: Hebrews eleven thirty seven, which speaks of those who were
54:31
Speaker 1: sorn in two for their faith. His last recorded words
54:35
Speaker 1: in Isaiah sixty six twenty four are solemn. And they
54:38
Speaker 1: shall go out and look on the dead bodies of
54:41
Speaker 1: the men who have rebelled against me, for their worms
54:44
Speaker 1: shall not die, their fires shall not be quenched, and
54:48
Speaker 1: they shall be in abhorrence to all flesh. Beloved viewers,
54:52
Speaker 1: we have reached the end of this extraordinary journey through
54:55
Speaker 1: the life and ministry of the prophet Isaiah. His story
54:59
Speaker 1: shows us how God can use a life fully dedicated
55:03
Speaker 1: to him to impact not just one generation, but all
55:06
Speaker 1: of human history, from royal courts to the streets of Jerusalem,
55:11
Speaker 1: from heavenly visions to messianic prophecies, Isaiah has left us
55:15
Speaker 1: a legacy of faith, courage, and faithfulness that resonates to
55:19
Speaker 1: this day. If you have been blessed by this story,
55:23
Speaker 1: don't keep it to yourself. Share this video with your
55:26
Speaker 1: friends and family. Each chapter of Isaiah's life teaches us
55:30
Speaker 1: precious lessons about trusting in God even in difficult times,
55:35
Speaker 1: staying true to the truth even when we are alone,
55:38
Speaker 1: and hoping in divine promises even when all seems lost.
55:43
Speaker 1: Don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more content
55:46
Speaker 1: like this exploring the extraordinary lives of biblical characters and
55:51
Speaker 1: the eternal truths of God's word. Hit the bell icon
55:55
Speaker 1: to be notified whenever we post a new video. Leave
55:58
Speaker 1: alike and share your thoughts in the comments below. What
56:01
Speaker 1: aspect of Isaiah's life impacted you the most. God bless
56:05
Speaker 1: you and see you in the next video.