Isaiah Reflection

Isaiah 58:6-14 is a very powerful passage. The first bible version that I read it in was the King James Version. That version didn't really make very much sense to me because of all the "thou's" and "thee's" and "thines". So then I looked it up again in the New Revised Standard Version. It was a lot clearer when I looked it up in that bible. There are a few similarities and differences from the different versions that I read. The two that stood out the most to me was the King James Version, and the New Revised Standard Version. The differences were like night and day. Probably because they were the first two that I read, and maybe because the King James Version, like I said earlier, has a lot of the "1800's language," like "thou"

The prophet Isaiah played an important role in the development and expression of Judaism as a dynamic, living religion through the impact of his works. The impact of Isaiah is evident in both the development and expression of Judaism both in his time and in modern society, as his teachings, for the Jewish people, prove to be relevant to the times. Considered among Jews as one of the greatest prophets, Isaiah has contributed to and affected the life of adherents in the Jewish faith through his political and religious influence, his prophetic messages concerning

From a historical and geographical perspective, the book of Isaiah is an accurate representation. A lot of what has been found through archeology supports the events in the book. The book of Isaiah focuses on the south kingdom of Judah. During the book, the North Kingdom is in the process of its down fall. The book of Isaiah gives us insight into the minds of the southern kings at the time. Thus, we are able to see the historical context of how the south eventually fell.

Introduction: We see a book that was often quoted by Jesus and the apostles. A book that was written nearly 700 years before Christ was born. In the Six Chapter of the book of Isaiah, Isaiah gives us a record of his sacred call to the office of Prophet. His calling comes in a time of crisis in the nation. He begins by telling us that it was the year when King Uzziah had died. A king that had reign for over 50 years. Is in that time when God appear to Isaiah, he says (Verse 1) He has a vision. I saw (didn’t hear or read) The Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up and His robe filled the temple. The image and the symbolic significance of what Isaiah sees upon here, is the outfit of The King like no other (status symbols).

Indeed, He had called them out as His Chosen People. All of this was part of the Israelites cherished history. But you can’t live in the past. History has its place, but it must be kept in its place. The Israelites were challenged not to think that their greatest victories with the Lord were behind them. Isaiah’s prophecy charged them to forget the past…its comfortable familiarities, and even its shortcomings and disappointments. It was true that the Lord had brought them through the Red Sea, but He was also prepared to take them through the wilderness. Isaiah commanded the Israelites to look ahead, and he prophesied that God was going to do a new thing!

In Isaiah’s Immanuel, Dr. Edward Hindson truly dives into the book of Isaiah. Hindson helps us to grasp the importance and statute of Isaiah. He was not simply a prophet among prophets. He stands out as a citizen of Israel and a servant of God. Hindson does not hold back on his praises of Isaiah and agrees with W.R.Smith, that he is the second most important person throughout the whole story of Israel (2). Isaiah’s writings style still puts modern day scholars in awe. However, Isaiah’s Godly leadership is a principle throughout the book that far exceeds his other attributes. His wisdom, words, and visions from God guided the nation of Israel throughout the reign of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Hindon discusses the history of not only Isaiah

The book of Isaiah has a lot of unique historical, social, and political factors to it. The prophet Isaiah prophesied during the reign of King Ahaz and Hezekiah (740-681 BC). Isaiah mainly worked during the reign of Hezekiah, However; his first narrative was under King Ahaz in 734-733 BC. In which, King Ahaz was dealing with crisis regarding foreign powers and was struggling on how to protect his people. One of main themes in the book of Isaiah is that not to trust in human power but instead one should trust in God. Isaiah prophesied under a very complicated social setting, Isaiah lived during a time of rapid corruption in the government of Israel. He preached that the government was not following God's covenant. He also preached to the people of Israel who rebelled against God’s covenant. The prophet Isaiah also guided the leaders of Israel during very tough political times.

I moved on to Joseph Blenkinsopp, who as usual, did not disappoint. Here I found the historical context of this section of Isaiah. Blenkinsopp referred back to Isaiah 58 to shed light on why the vision of theophany in Isaiah 60 had not been realized. Cyrus had release the Jews from Babylonian captivity, and those who wished to had returned to Jerusalem. But the “dominant frame of mind of the people being address (in Isaiah 58) is one of disorientation and disillusionment.” There is corruption in the government and judicial system, and among the religious leaders. The poor are neglected. Jerusalem suffers under “external pressures and internal dissention.” In chapter 60 the vision is unfulfilled; in chapter 58, God tells the

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the main themes of Isaiah and Jeremiah. The main themes of Isaiah are: (1) Son’s Names as Signs. (2) Servant. (3) Holy One of Israel. (4) Redeemer. (5) Eschatology. The main themes of Jeremiah are: (1) God’s Policy with Nations. (2) New Covenant. (3) False Prophets.

We must first realize that the Book of Isaiah can be divided into three blocks (1-39, 40-55 and 56-66), and each are starkly different in tone, theme, and delivery (Chilton, 189). Chapter 58 belongs to the third block, and thus, does not dabble in the same “interplay between doubt and reassurance, and confident, hymnic affirmation in response to the uncertainty of people” (Chilton, 198). We can see this new tone clearly in the 4 opening lines. “Shout out, do not hold back! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah, 58). When compared against the more emotionally vacillatory first and even the second block of Isaiah, the third block is conveying a

The book of Isaiah provides a message to the nation of Israel and is one of the most powerful books of prophecy in the Bible. The prophet spoke of events to come that many have attempted to discern. Scholars, Rabbis and Christian Clergy differ in their interpretations of these passages in Isaiah 52 and 53.

Isaiah came during a pivotal time in history. The world was changing rapidly and life was on the edge of prosperity and ruin, as it is today. In this uncertain time Isaiah was called by God to deliver a message of warning, comfort, and deliverance. Christians view the prophecies of Isaiah as a projection of the coming of Jesus Christ. Isaiah spoke of divine judgment and the promises of God through the Prince of Peace. Isaiah’s message of the future King was very meticulous. He describes how Christ will come, Christ’s character and Christ’s purpose. In this paper I will dissect Isaiah’s prophecies in the Old Testament and reference them to the events of Christ in the New Testament.

Second Isaiah is enclosed within the Book of Isaiah as one of the compositions during the exile. Consequently, it is comprehended as one the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and the first of the Major Prophets in the Christian Old Testament. Furthermore, the writings predominantly consist of an anonymous prophet who more than likely lived with the Hebrew exiles during the period of Babylonian captivity. In order to obtain a permissible amount of understanding of the superscription Second Isaiah, it is imperative to understand the historical background and context.. Ergo, with this knowledge we can best fathom and appreciate the meaning, emotions, and perspective of the target audience and the major themes of this collection of writings. The second Book of Isaiah has major themes of restoration & prophecies of a return, social justice. and the advent of the concept of monotheism. Additionally, it encompases and functions as guidance for the exiles as they face harsh living conditions and a lack of hope. Lastly, it is also significant to discuss the correspondence of Second Isaiah with Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament.

There are several challenges with the historical background and political setting of Isaiah 40-66 concerning author, date, time and situation of life for the Jews. LaSor notes that traditional views that Isaiah authored the entire book are held by very few scholars. More and more critics are accepting a two book theory with chapters 1-39 as book one and chapters 40-66 as book two. Moreover, there are further refinements resulting in three books, dividing chapters 40-66 into 40-55 (Deutero-Isaiah) and 56-66 (Trito-Isaiah). (LaSor, William 1996., 281)

Throughout the bible, and reading it once more by Marcus Borg, a common idea as it relates to a religious experience, is that the Bible is a human product. Throughout chapter two, Borg continuously describes the Bible as being a product of humans. He explains on page 22 that he sees scripture through the lens of the Bible being a human product, meaning that it is the “product of two ancient communities” (22). He believed that what the Bible explains things to be are words from the communities of ancient Israel and the early Christian movement. “We cannot talk about God (or anything else) except with the words, symbols, stories, concepts, and categories known to us, for they are the only language we have”, made me think about the idea that