Isaiah
The book of Isaiah has been called by some "The Fifth Gospel" because it has so much to say about the Messiah. The New Testament identifies Jesus as the Messiah that Isaiah foretold.
The book, written most likely by one author, seems to divide into two parts: chapters 1-39 (the failure of humankind) and chapters 40-66 (the hope of the Messiah). Of all the books of the Old Testament, Isaiah is the most quoted in the New Testament.
In the eighth century B.C. Elijah and Elisha were the most prominent non-writing prophets. Isaiah, a writing prophet, began the eight century B.C. followed by many others. There are five Major Prophets (those who wrote longer books) and 12 Minor Prophets (those who wrote shorter books). All the prophets are important regardless of the length of their books. They wrote mainly to the divided kingdom, Israel in the north and Judah in the south, prior to their going into captivity (Israel to Assyria in 722 B.C and Judah to Babylon in 586 B.C.) Some of the later prophets wrote to the Jews returning to Jerusalem after the captivity.
The lessons below cover a portion of Isaiah's message.
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| Isaiah 1Is our faith a religious form or does it have real spiritual substance?
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| Isaiah 6When we have a vision of God, there is a heart cry for inner cleansing. God is holy and he desires to make us holy.
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| Isaiah 7, 9, 42, 53The Messiah, Jesus Christ, is God's supreme gift of love and grace to humankind. The Messiah ("Christ" in the New Testament) desires to save us from sin for God.
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| Isaiah 7-12These six chapters tell us what a gracious God has done to lift our burdens and give us the peace of God.
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| Isaiah 7-12, 55, 60The good news of the Messiah points to real hope in this world and in the world to come.
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| Isaiah 26Isaiah, the prophet of Judah, sees a picture of the ideal nation. The reality of things forms a bit of a shadow in this chapter. Nevertheless, in the end the prophet has reason to justify hope.
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| Isaiah 35This chapter reflects back on the greatest miracle of the Old Testament - the Exodus. It likewise anticipates the greatest miracle of the New Testament - the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. |
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| Isaiah 36-37In an amazing story, see how God cared for the needs of his people. That included Jerusalem then, and even us today, who trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord.
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| Isaiah 40Some of the blessings of knowing God are a personal relationship to him, getting to know him better in all of his power and the possibility of participating in his Divine strength.
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| Isaiah 48It is possible to drift away from God. The good news is, this doesn't need to happen. We can go deeper in our relationship to God so that we need never fall. |
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| Isaiah 53This chapter tells of the crucifixion of the Servant, Jesus Christ, hundreds of years before it happened. Hear of the Servant despised by men, stricken by God and given a portion among the great. All of this happened for our salvation. |
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| Isaiah 58Religious ceremony without holy living displeases God. Worship accompanied by consistent Christian living brings God’s blessings.
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| Isaiah 61When Jesus began his public ministry he entered the synagogue in Nazareth and read from Isaiah 61:1-2. He thereby told why he came to earth. |
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| Isaiah 65This chapter is about a new world, both in the near future and the distant future - plans for the earthly Jerusalem and the spiritual Jerusalem. |
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