The advice that Isaiah gave to Ahaz was to trust in the Lord, and was very sound advice, although because Ahaz did not trust in the Lord he did not follow the advice (Tullock & McEntire, 2006). The king, Ahaz, depended on his own negotiating skills and ulterior motives by setting his own plan into action. Consequently, when the Lord offered Ahaz an opportunity to receive a sign of proof, Ahaz refused, which led Isaiah to give a sign anyway. The prophet proceeded to inform Ahaz of the “young woman who will have a child whose name would be Immanuel,” a sign that was similar to an earlier prophecy to trust in the Lord, not Assyria. The non-reaction of the king to accept what Isaiah prophesied led to the prophecy coming true and the judgment transpired. …show more content…
The non-believer, time and time again have been shown to reject God’s word, whether they come upon it directly or indirectly. The king, Ahaz, was taking matters into his own hands, attempting to control destiny, the point here was that Isaiah was sent to warn him. The story can be applied to us now, that when the message of doom is facing many of us, we often vainly try to “fix” things without God’s help by using control and manipulation.
Tullock, J. H., & McEntire, M. H. (2006). The Old Testament Story (9th ed.), Chapter 10, pages 216-217. Retrieved from https://www.betheluniversityonline.net/cps, September
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).
Let’s talk about the world about 2,000 years ago. It was a world where the mass of people were illiterate, taxes were extremely high, and the leaders would cheat and kill to feed their ever growing need for power. We all can relate to having a good storyteller in our lives, most were read to at night by their parents or are parents themselves that read to their children. What is the purpose of storytelling? It’s simple, comfort. A good story can ease your psychological unrest as well as offer a moral purpose. Sometimes you can even relate a story to your own life and offer an explanation to something you may be experiencing. This is exactly what the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were. They told their stories of Jesus to offer comfort to their people in a time when people could not pick up a story and read it themselves. It is part of human nature to have the desire for a good story. This paper will describe several events that were written by great storytellers in the bible.
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
Blomberg, Craig L., Jennifer Foutz Markley. A Handbook of New Testament Exegesis. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010.
The closest proclamation text is in Isaiah 65:13 which declares, “the LORD God” not just “LORD” as is stated in Isaiah 65:8. Is this significant?
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
Isaiah's commission begins with Isaiah protesting that he is not worthy to see the Lord. He recognizes that he has seen the Lord and worries about the consequences to him because of this sight. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips,and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty" (Isaiah 6:5). Likewise, Jeremiah protests that he is not worthy after the Lord appoints him as a prophet. Jeremiah says, "Alas, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am too young" (Jeremiah 1:6). These two quotes reveal that both Isaiah and Jeremiah did not believe that they were worthy of seeing the Lord and being His prophet.
Prophecy, poetry, songs, and genealogy lists are just a few of the many genres found in the Pentateuch. However, the two dominant genres include biblical law and biblical narrative. In fact, 40 percent of the Old Testament is narrative (“Lecture 1,” 2015). Key to interpreting different texts within the Bible, it is critical to understand the genres themselves. Each genre possesses unique features that, when understood, assist in the interpretation of the text. Understanding the key features of biblical law and biblical narrative genres will affect how an individual interprets Scripture in the Old Testament.
The Oracles Against the Nations are prophecies of which God had given the prophets to warn the nations (Tullock & McEntire, 2006). The prophet, Amos, wrote all of his prophecies with the same beginning of “Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of…” to emphasize as to where the aim was directed. The prophet, Amos, was not educated in religion, wealthy, or well known, for that matter, he was a sheep breeder, but nevertheless he was called to send a message. The description that Amos gave of himself was that of a “dresser of sycamore trees,” which meant he was very poor. The prophecies that he gave were set against each nation in turn, with his final warnings aimed at people of Judah and Israel. When Amos received his calling he
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!
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
The first half of the book discusses the message and warning from Isaiah that God will punish Israel, Judah, and the surrounding nations for their corrupt behavior, that includes idolatry and immorality (Holy Bible, NIV, 1996). "Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! This is what the Lord says: "The children I raised and cared for have turned against me. Even the animals-the donkey and the ox-know their owner and appreciate his care, but not my people Israel. No matter what I do for them, they still do not understand". "Oh What a sinful nation they are! They are loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil and corrupt children who have turned away from the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel, cutting themselves off from his help" (Isaiah 1: 2-4). The second part of the book discusses the message of forgiveness, reassurance, and hope. Hope comes in the form of the impending Messiah. Isaiah explains that the Messiah will be "both a suffering Servant and a sovereign Lord" and will "offer forgiveness to all who turn to him in faith" (Holy Bible, NIV, 1996). "Look, a righteous king is coming! And honest princes will rule under him. He will shelter Israel from the storm and wind. He will refresh her as a river in the desert and as the cool shadow of a large rock in a hot and weary land. Then everyone who can see will be looking for God, and those who can hear will listen to his voice. Even the hotheads among them will be full of sense and understanding. Those who stammer in uncertainty will speak out plainly" (Isaiah 32:
Thus, the historical and political setting for Isaiah 40-66 could be spread across the rule of three dominant nations, Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. Boadt notes that while the theme of Deutero-Isaiah was Consolation, the overall theme of the book centered on God as the Holy One of Israel; foreign rule was God’s disciplinary tool, and God’s makes Zion the Divine dwelling place. (Boadt 1984, 417)
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.
Looking back, we can see glimpses of the lives of those who lived in the Ancient Near East, known as the ANE, through their stories and myths that have survived over centuries of time. Many of these stories contain unique elements that make each one personal to the civilization that they belong to, but there are common themes and ideas that are virtually shared between the traditional stories stemming from this region of the world. In fact, these parallels even extend into Old Testament literature; laced within the stories that we’ve come to know and love. It is not surprising that the Old Testament contains similarities found within ANE tradition, seeing that