Judah On Trial

INTRO

As we begin to study the major prophets from the book of Isaiah, we’ll see prophecies that are relevant to Israel’s current situation at that time, the first coming of Christ, and the second coming of Christ. As we study Isaiah, we’ll need to consider which of these times he was talking about—or if he was talking about all three simultaneously. The name Isaiah means, “the Lord is salvation,”¹ so the meaning of his name drives everything that he says. In his writings, Isaiah constantly pointed to Jesus as Immanuel, which means “God with us.” In Isaiah 7:14, which is known as one of the Christmas prophecies, God promised that a virgin would conceive and bear a son, whom she would name Immanuel.

Isaiah was the son of Amoz (Isaiah 1:1) who saw visions about Judah and Jerusalem during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (all kings of Judah). Under Saul, David, and Solomon (kings of Israel), the whole country was united. After Solomon’s death, the kingdom split into the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom included ten tribes and the Southern Kingdom included the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The Messiah would come through the lineage of Judah. After the kingdoms split, prophets began speaking into the two kingdoms. Isaiah’s audience was the Southern Kingdom, consisting of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the city of Jerusalem. Isaiah told them their sinful behavior would lead to times and events which are described as pre-exile, exile, and post-exile. He prophesied about what the Southern Kingdom would experience in captivity. He spoke in oracles or burdens that were a form of prophetic words. He also spoke of judgments that would affect the Southern Kingdom and the surrounding nations.²

In this process, there were two captivities—the Assyrian captivity and the Babylonian captivity. Those taken in the Assyrian captivity never returned. Some taken in the Babylonian captivity would eventually return to Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah’s goal was to portray hope for Judah in the midst of all this. By the end of this book, we’ll be talking about the return of Christ and His royal reign.

Isaiah prophesied during the reign of four different kings. King Uzziah’s downfall resulted from his attempt to assume the privileges of a priest and burn incense on an altar. He attempted to take on two roles and was judged with leprosy but never actually received it. Uzziah was a confused guy who struggled to determine his identity. King Jotham was Uzziah’s son, who became king when he was 25. Assyria grew more powerful while he was king. King Ahaz ruled from the age of 25 until he was about 41 years old. During his reign, Israel and Syria formed an alliance to combat the Assyrians, but Ahaz refused to bring Judah into that alliance. He did set up a pagan altar inside Solomon’s temple. During his reign, the Assyrians captured Samaria and carried many of the Israelites away into captivity. King Hezekiah became king in his twenties, and reformation was a theme of his reign. He was considered a good king. Hezekiah didn’t back down when faced with the Assyrian threat to Judah, because he knew he could put his trust in God. He integrated the things of God into the nation while removing things that were not of God. He established truth in all of this. He even prayed God would extend his life, and God gave him 15 more years.³

There are 66 chapters in the book of Isaiah, and the first 39 chapters talk about judgment and the components of the Law. The Old Testament has 39 books which similarly portrays the same thing. The last 27 chapters of Isaiah talk about comfort and redemption, which is really what the New Testament brings through, “God with Us.” The New Testament has 27 books. The Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel), share the theme of pronouncing judgment as well as promising comfort and hope.

TEACHING

Isaiah 1:1-9: Isaiah didn’t just make up his message. The Spirit of God spoke to him, giving him the message to share with the people. God basically told Isaiah that he was going to portray a courtroom case. The Lord was the plaintiff, and Israel was the defendant.⁴ God’s people were thickheaded and didn’t even understand that God was in charge (v. 3). God described His own children as evildoers and depraved children who despised and had turned their backs on God (v. 4).

There was nothing healthy about them (vv. 5–6). God saw all their issues, and there was nothing good about them. Their land was “a desolation demolished by foreigners” (v. 7). “Daughter of Zion,” a reference to the city of Jerusalem, was abandoned “like a besieged city” (v. 8). Speaking through Isaiah, God was saying judgment was coming, captivity was coming. But in the captivity, God was going to spare them and leave them a remnant (v. 9). According to MacArthur, this “remnant will constitute the nucleus of returning Israelites in the nation’s regathering when the Messiah returns to earth.”⁵ This message gave them hope that not everyone would die.

Isaiah 1:10–15: Here’s what God was saying to His kids: You look good, you play the part, claiming to be God’s chosen children; but it’s all fake, it’s all hypocrisy. So in verse 11, God said enough was enough. God told them to “stop bringing useless offerings” to Him (v. 13). Their incense was detestable (v. 13), and God was tired of putting up with their prescribed festivals (v. 14). God had instituted those things for the Israelites, but they were using them to cloak the fact that their hearts were not right.

George Barna has done a survey that shows there is one church in the United States for every 550 adults. Over 90 percent of Americans say they have a Bible in their home, and two-thirds of Americans say they are religious. But two-thirds also say the Bible is not relevant to what they do—to their actions. The point is we have everything that makes us look like a Christian nation, so why don’t we see something different? When we look at the culture and at the news, it feels like we’re not having an impact.

Isaiah released a message to Judah: enough is enough. God still loved His people, the body of Christ; but they were playing a religious game, and God was no longer going to listen to their prayers (v. 15).

CLOSING

Here’s the picture: it’s a courtroom with God vs. His kids. And God says “guilty!” We have to understand that there has to be bad news so that Isaiah could release good news as well.