Second Isaiah Research Paper

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).

Living in a time of corruption, social oppression and Assyrian devastation, the Jewish prophet Isiah wrote about concepts and ideologies that have heavily influenced the lives of individual adherents and Jewish communities throughout time. Isaiah’s influence on the adherents of Judaism is momentous as the book of Isaiah, which contains his writings, is found in the Nevi’im – the book of Prophets which Jewish adherents and communities read, study and look to for guidance. Isaiah’s vision for morality and denunciation of hypocrisy allowed for a more holistic approach to life, rejecting immorality and moving towards earthly peace under divine justice. (insert on screen 2:4).

In Isaiah chapter one verse two the Lord has spoken. Proclaiming the Lord as the ruler of the heavens and Earth.

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.

In the prophecy of Isaiah, the messiah is shown to be a servant who will suffer and die in obedience. Isaiah also says that the messiah will become a light to the gentiles. Jesus preached his word to both Jewish and Gentile people, fulfilling this prophecy. In the passages from Luke, we can see the establishment and fulfillment of the New Covenant. The New Covenant is the covenant Jesus makes to the all mankind using his body and blood.

Much of Isaiah’s messages to the Kings are in the form of political instruction. Isaiah first important message as a prophet comes during the time of King Ahaz. At this time Assyria has grown very strong. The North Kingdom is already vassal. Thus, the north and Aram are planning a rebellion. They threaten Ahaz by telling him to join the rebellion or they will invade the south kingdom. Isaiah’s message is to stay out of the conflict and trust God. Ahaz however, calls Assyria to aid him and uses treasures from the temple in order to bribe the Assyrians (Brubacher, Meta). In the end, Assyria crushes the rebellion saving the south but making them vassal in the process. The next king, Hezekiah inherits a vassal nation. He is most known for his rebellion against Assyria. Isaiah tells him to stay out of the revolt as the lord will take of the situation. Hezekiah believes he will have a chance since a new ruler recently took the throne and decides to join the rebellion. In theory, this mentally would have made sense. The time of a new king taking the throne is the best time to rebel. His disregard for the message

Q: Why do scholars see in Second Isaiah [1] the birth of radical monotheism and [2] the belief that YHWH is the God of universal history.

The people of Judah were faced with many difficult decisions as the Babylonians gathered outside the gates of Jerusalem. Their existence had been threatened before by the Assyrians and God had saved them before. But this time seemed different. The city of Jerusalem is corrupt and dirty and the people of Judah are unfaithful and misguided. The help of God which destroyed the much larger Assyrian army will not be so forthcoming this time. As the people search for a solution, they are presented with various opinions and predictions from different people. There are prophets, priests, and kings who all claim to know the truth and claim to be the help that the people of Judah so desire. The Judahites need to navigate all of these predictions and all of the forecasts. They can let history be their guide, they can participate in critical arguments, and they can consider each point carefully. But in the end each Judahite must decide where their allegiance will lie and if it will help keep them alive.

Though Isaiah’s life begins with what is depicted as unsurmountable odds, for instance he is born addicted to crack cocaine, his mother is an active drug abuser, their living conditions that are not conducive to raising and infant and neither are her parenting skills. Khaila is breastfeeding her child with breasts contaminated with the toxins of illegal narcotics. An infant’s nutritional needs are crucial to their development according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) because “the mother’s milk provides energy and fats with the child needs to promote healthy physical growth as well as lowers the chances of premature death as a result of sudden infant death syndrome” (as cited in Wong., Hall., & Hernandez, 2015, p. 72). Therefore,

The leaders of Israel were struggling to maintain power due to its neighbors. The prophet Isaiah guided Hezekiah by preaching that he should place his trust in God and not Assyrian alliance. However, King Hezekiah was not consistent with his trust in God, which later resulted in the fall of reign. The book of Isaiah can be broken down into three sections. Chapters 1 to 39 represent the call of judgement for the city of Jerusalem. Chapters 40 to 55 represent the prophet Isaiah in exile, and chapters 56 to 66 represent the return from exile to a new Jerusalem. Each section highlights a part of Isaiah’s

It begins in Isaiah 1:1 when the pronouncement is made regarding the Prophet’s vision and his identity. There is no disputing as to who is speaking and who God has chosen as the designated conduit of His (God) message. It was because he (Isaiah son of Amoz) was ready, willing, and able to be used by God. Moreover, it (book) begins with “this is the vision of Isaiah son of Amoz” as the book of Isaiah is introduced in Isaiah 1:1 to readers and the message is proclaimed to the hearers of the Message from God. Isaiah 2:1 speaks of the word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. These prophecies still insures that it is Isaiah the son of Amoz that is speaking and can only be one not three Isaiah as scholars would be inclined to lead others to believe. It is also documented through the discussion of Isaiah 1-39 and 40-66 that prophecies regarding upcoming events could not have been told by an eight century prophet with such detail (i.e. defeat of Babylon by Cyrus). The prediction of Cyrus as the conqueror is one in which many evangelicals have become critical in denouncing the traditional view of one Isaiah. However, this can be deduced to searching

now devastated and burned with fire. The prayer of the servants in 63:7-64:11 ends with the twofold rhetorical question in v. 11, anticipating God’s answer in the following chapter.37

The sections of Isaiah subtitled “Servant Songs” speak on a servant who would be instrumental in the fulfilment of God’s plan, while the title of servant is not used, many are lead to the conclusion that among others, the title could fall to someone within the Davidic bloodline, namely the Messiah.

This paper will address these biblical passages in Isaiah 52 and 53, which describes a “suffering servant” to the Lord God. There has been a debate as to whether these passages where describing the Messiah who would come to restore Israel as God’s chosen people or if the passage was describing the nation of Israel as the “suffering servant”. Christian scholars and clergy view these passages as describing Jesus who they affirm as the Messiah. The text is written in a poetic form and flows from one subject to another, however, many view these passages as being extremely detailed prophecy about the Messiah to come. I will point out key passages and explain how these passages provide clarity about whom the writer was speaking. This paper will point out why Jesus is the “suffering servant”, who is mentioned in Isaiah and explain why the “suffering servant” is not the nation of Israel as others propose.

The land of Palestine was and is an important place for both Jews and Christians. It is where Jesus ministered, died, and was resurrected. It is also the place where the church first began. The climate of Palestine was dry because it did not rain often. Still, the soil was fertile and produced plants. Phoenicia and Syria were called Upper and Lower Galilee and contained many nations within. Since Herod had begun to be in great favor with Tiberius; they built a city together and named it Tiberias in the best part of Galilee. The Lake of Gennesaret’s waters were sweet and cold making it suitable for drinking. It was divided by the Jordan River which separated many lakes and went through the desert. Gennesaret was a fruitful and plentiful land; full of beauty of nature. The land was prosperous during every season. This fertile area of Gennesaret provided fruits, figs, and grapes. Nearby lies Samaria between Judea and Galilee. It was similar to Judea because of its hills and valleys and also a very fruitful region. Both areas grow wilds and have sweet water from their rivers. Since the water is sweeter in their land, their cows produce more milk. Southern Judea is the area where the Jews lived. Jerusalem is in the very center of this area. Then incomes Jericho, the area that is most fruitful above all even Judea. Further ahead is Jerusalem, enclosed by three walls and surrounded by valleys. The city was built on two hills opposite of each other that were divided into two areas,