The Book of Isaiah is one of the great treasures of the Old Testament. It is sometimes called the “Fifth Gospel” because it contains some of the most profound theology in the OT, and because of the great insight it gives to the person and ministry of Jesus Christ, who would come more than seven hundred years in the future.
It gives a magnificent portrayal of the wonder, grandeur, power and majesty of God. Isaiah’s vision was of God high and lifted up, and the whole earth full of his glory. For Isaiah, God is the all-powerful Creator of the universe and sovereign Lord over all nations, who rules over all of history. Compared with him, any idols are nothing. From his vision, Isaiah also experienced God as the “Holy One of Israel”, who desired to forgive and restore his people.
Isaiah also brings a relevant challenge, both to his original hearers, and to people today, to trust God alone for salvation, and to resist the temptation to put trust in other things.
Sometimes the sheer length of the book can be off-putting. We can be familiar with the well-known Messianic passages and some favourite encouraging memory verses, but the other parts of the book can remain a bit of a mystery. Because the New Testament quotes and applies more passages from the Book of Isaiah than from any other Old Testament prophet, it is an important book for us to know and understand well.
The purpose of this book is to give an introduction and explanation of the Book of Isaiah, setting it into its original historical context, as well as explaining the overall message of the book. Without going into too much detail, it will also give an explanation of each section of the text of the book, showing its original meaning, and drawing out an application where appropriate.
The book concludes with two special studies. The first investigates whether it is legitimate to use Is 14:12-15 to teach that Satan is a fallen angel. The second looks at each of the 43 passages in Isaiah that are quoted in the NT, noting their original context and the lessons drawn out by the NT writers.