Isaiah 48-51

The Lord continues in telling Judah what lies ahead, and how He tells them the future so that they cannot deny Who He is when everything happens just as He foretold. Israel and Judah are kept in the Lord’s hands for His own Name’s sake, and not for their sake, as He will not go back on the things He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

In the first 7 verses of chapter 49 we have another promise of the coming of Jesus Christ, Who it is said will bring the Lord’s salvation to the ends of the earth. He goes on to say that Jacob will not be utterly forsaken, just like a mother cannot normally forget her nursing child, and He will restore them from among all the nations of the world in the latter days.

Chapter 50 is an incredible description of the humiliation that Jesus will endure, and the faithfulness of the Lord in guiding and helping Him. In chapter 51 the Lord declares His faithful protection over the children of Israel, even though they have not been faithful to Him.

Isaiah 44-47

God challenges all false gods to step up and declare themselves before Him, but there are none. The Lord describes the foolishness of the man who cuts down a tree and burns one part to stay warm, another part to cook his meal, and then forms another part into an image that he will worship. The hearts of such people are blinded to how ridiculous this is.

About 150 years before Cyrus is king in Persia, the Lord calls him by name, and declares that he will be anointed, and he will serve the Lord’s purpose in releasing the Babylonian exiles, and also funding the rebuilding of Jerusalem. All of this happened following the Persian invasion of Babylon, which is described in Daniel 5. Babylon was considered to be unconquerable, and Belshazzar partied in the face of the Medes and Persian armies outside the gates of the city. The Persian general in charge of the siege managed to divert the Euphrates River, and their army walked into Babylon under the walls of the city, and overthrew them without a fight, just as Daniel predicted.

Tradition has it that Daniel met with Cyrus after this, and showed him the prophecy of Isaiah from 150 years earlier, and he was so amazed that he set about the process of releasing the Israelites in exile, and he provided all of the money necessary for the people to return to Jerusalem, and to start rebuilding. In Isaiah 46 we get a brief contrast between the One True God and false gods, who can actually do nothing.

In chapter 47 the Lord foretells of the judgement He will bring upon Babylon for the way they treated His people in exile. This was written about 100 years before the Babylonian captivity first started, and long before Babylon was a major world power.

Isaiah 41-43

In Isaiah 41 the Lord foretells of things to come in Judah, and speaks of a king that He has called, but who He does not name. Many Christian scholars believe that God is referring to Cyrus, whom He will name in Isaiah 44 and 45, who will rule among the Medes and Persians after the Babylonians are conquered. In 42 the Lord is talking about another King to Come, Who will be Jesus Christ, with several things written here that were prophetic of, and fulfilled in Him.

In chapter 43 the Lord predicts the future time when He will bring together His people from out of all the nations of the world, which was at least partially fulfilled following WWII, when Israel became a recognized nation in May of 1948. God will never go back on His promises to Abraham, and will always maintain a remnant in Israel, even though satan will not stop in trying to wipe them out.

2 Kings 21:1-18 | 2 Chronicles 33:1-20 | Isaiah 40

Manasseh proves the expanse of his wickedness, and he leads Judah in more idolatry and evil than even the nations around them, and he fills Jerusalem with the blood of God’s people. He sets up false idols for people to worship, and even sets up an alter in the Lord’s temple.

Yet, interestingly, near the end of his life the Lord allows the Assyrians to take him captive, and he humbles himself before God and repents, so that he is restored to his place in Jerusalem, and he directs the people to serve Yahweh. Manasseh led a wicked and sinful life, and caused much grief in Judah, yet in a sense he finished far better than he started.

Isaiah 40 recounts the greatness of the Lord, and how even the most powerful of nations are as nothing to Him. He describes the foolishness of people who make false gods by their own hand, and who bow down to idols that cannot hear or answer. Yet all that the Lord has made endures without fail, and His righteousness lasts forever!

2 Kings 20 | 2 Chronicles 32:24-33 | Isaiah 38-39

Following this rescue from the Assyrians, Hezekiah become ill in the 14 th year of his reign, when he was around 39 years old. God first tells him to get his house in order, and prepare to die, however after Hezekiah prays to the Lord for mercy, Isaiah tells him that he will be given another 15 years. Unfortunately, like some good kings in the past, we’re told that pride wells up in the heart of Hezekiah, and he does not properly appreciate what God did for him. Following his being healed, the king of Babylon sends envoys to visit Hezekiah, and he proudly shows them all the wealth and treasures of his kingdom. Isaiah later confronts him about this lack of discretion, and tells the king that in the future Babylon will come back to take all of what he showed them, as well as his own sons to be servants in that country. Hezekiah is relieved that such a thing will not happen in his lifetime.

After the predicted time of 15 years has passed, Hezekiah dies, and his 12 years old son Manasseh reigns in his place. Manasseh will reign for 55 years, and prove to be one of the most wicked kings in the history of Judah. Manasseh would have never been born if Hezekiah had accepted the word of the Lord regarding his death. Hezekiah was a great and godly king in the beginning, but he did not finish well!

2 Kings 19 | 2 Chronicles 32:20-23 | Isaiah 37

King Hezekiah is faithful in seeking the Lord’s deliverance from the menace of the Assyrians, and Isaiah the prophet tells him what the Lord is going to do. The Rabshakeh was distracted and went away, but sent a letter warning Hezekiah to expect their return. However, as the Lord promised through Isaiah, He sent an angel among the Assyrian army and killed 185,000, so that the king returned to Nineveh in shame, and was then murdered in his own city.

2 Kings 17, 18:9-37 | 2 Chronicles 32:1-19 | Isaiah 36

In the 6 th year of Hezekiah’s reign in Judah the Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom of Israel, and took most of the people away as captives to be resettled in foreign lands. This occurred a little more than 700 years before Jesus was born, and a little more than 100 years before the Babylonians took Judah into captivity.

About 8 years later the Assyrians come back to the land to attack Judah and Jerusalem, and the king of Assyria’s general stood outside the walls of the city profaning Hezekiah and the Lord. The Rabshakeh even spoke to the people in Hebrew, and tried to convince them to forsake Hezekiah and the Lord, since he had already proven victorious in every nation he had previously attacked.

2 Kings 18:1-8 | 2 Chronicles 29-31

When the wicked king Ahaz died, his son Hezekiah reigned as king in Judah in his place. Hezekiah was a godly king, and he reversed most of the damage that his father had done in Judah, and to the temple. The temple was cleaned out, the furnishings and utensils restored, and it was re-dedicated to the service of the Lord. There was a revival in the land, and Hezekiah sent messengers north to the remnant in Israel who had not been taken captive by the Assyrians, and invited them to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Lord’s Passover. Some responded to that invitation, while others laughed at Hezekiah’s messengers. The people not only celebrated the Passover as required in the law for 7 days, but they decided to continue that celebration an additional week before everyone went home.

Isaiah 31-35

31 - The Lord warns Israel against seeking an alliance with Egypt, as the Assyrians were preparing to attack Jerusalem. God promises to fight for Judah, which we will see in 2 Kings 19 and when we get to Isaiah 37.

32 - The scene in this chapter jumps forward to the last days, when Jesus will reign with righteousness in the land.

33 - The Assyrians are warned against seeking to destroy Jerusalem, and in the future they will see the Great King, and there will be peace and prosperity in the city of God that satan sought to humble.

34 - The Day of the Lord’s wrath is described, when He will rain down judgement upon the nations who hate Him.

35 - Following the Lord’s judgement everything will be changed. The land will blossom and bring forth fruit, the lame and the blind will be healed, and the ransomed of the Lord will return to Zion with singing and joy.

Isaiah 28-30

The focus of Isaiah is returned to the present time, and he takes up a lament against both Israel and Judah, Samaria and Jerusalem, whose people had forsaken the Lord. God will bring their enemies upon each of them in due time, and they will experience the Lord’s discipline for a time. However, in the end, the Lord will keep and save a remnant, and all His people will have a song of rejoicing when He judges His enemies in the earth.

Isaiah 23-27

Isaiah takes up a lament against the city of Tyre, which was a very wealthy Phoenician coastal city north of Israel. The city was divided between an island about 1/2 mile off the coast, and also on the coast. Ezekiel 26 gives an even more detailed prophecy about the destruction of Tyre. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed much of the coastal portion of Tyre around 580 BC, but most of the inhabitants moved to the island, which was considered impregnable. Alexander the Great fulfilled the prophetic details in Ezekiel 26:12, using the stones of the old coastal city to build a causeway out to the island, and eventually destroy it completely.

In chapters 24-27 Isaiah prophesies about the world in great tribulation, and of the Lord coming to judge satan (Leviathan, that great serpent) and all of his followers who hate God. Death will be abolished, and all nations will come to worship the Lord in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 17-22

17-20 - The Lord speaks woe and judgement upon Israel, and upon surrounding nations that Israel has attempted to align themselves with in the face of threats from Assyria. Damascus (Syria), Ethiopia and beyond, and Egypt. Yet, in the last days the Lord will save Egypt and Assyria and Israel, who will join together in serving God - which seems impossible today, given the deep hatred that exists between these nations.

21 - A prophecy against Babylon and Persia, and against the descendants of Ishmael, who make up many of the Arab nations today.

22 - A prophecy against Jerusalem, who will be (unsuccessfully) attacked by the Assyrians. Two of king Hezekiah’s officers are spoken of in this prophecy - Eliakim and Shebna. Eliakim is God’s choice, and Shebna is rejected, however this prophecy quickly transitions into a future vision of Jesus and the anti-christ, typified by these two men. In the Lord’s letter to the Philippian church in Revelation 3:7, Jesus refers to Himself as having the key of David, Who opens and no one shuts, and Who shuts, and no one opens, quoting from Isaiah 22:22.

Isaiah 13-16

In Isaiah 13-14 the Lord predicts the judgement and destruction of Babylon, which is also seen in Jeremiah 50-51, and Revelation 17-18. Throughout human history Babylon has been conquered many times, but never completely destroyed, as described here in Isaiah. It’s hard to distinguish between spiritual and physical Babylon, but it will clearly be a factor in the final judgement of God gainst satan and his anti-christ.

In Isaiah 14:12-17 satan is called the king of Babylon, and we get a glimpse of his fall in heaven, when pride rose up in his heart, and he declared that he would be like The Most High God. A parallel view of this brief picture of Lucifer can also be seen in Ezekiel 28:12-18.

God declares His judgement upon Moab in chapters 15-16, who were historic enemies of Israel, who occupied a large portion of the desert regions to the east of the Dead Sea, and who were descended from the eldest son of Lot, by his eldest daughter (Genesis 19).

Isaiah 9-12

9 - In the first part of this chapter God promises to bring the nations who walk in darkness into the light, and then tells of the child that will be born, Whose government will be without end, and Who will establish His throne on David’s throne in Jerusalem, and bring peace forever. The remainder of this chapter predicts the judgements that God will bring against Israel.

10 - God declares judgement upon the Assyrian, who greatly exceeded the Lord’s intended discipline on Israel. A remnant of Israel will survive the Assyrian, and return to the land, and God will destroy those who abused Israel. This is a dual prophecy concerning Israel - both following the days of Isaiah, as well as in the last days, when one who is called “the Assyrian” will seek to destroy the Jews entirely.

11-12 - At the end of the age the Lord will gather His people together in the land of Israel, and everything will be changed. Even the wolf and the lamb will be at peace together, and children will safely play with serpents who were formerly deadly. All the nations will look to Jesus as king in Jerusalem.

2 Kings 16 | 2 Chronicles 28 | Isaiah 7-8

Ahaz, the son of king Jotham, became king in Judah and reigned for 16 years. He was exceedingly evil, and did many things to anger the Lord. He sacrificed his own children to false gods, he plundered and shut up the temple in Jerusalem, he built an alternate place of sacrifice and worship to idols in Jerusalem, and he aligned himself with the king of Assyria.

The Lord sends the prophet Isaiah to confront Ahaz, and tells him that He will protect Judah against the upcoming onslaught of Syria and Israel, although the king doesn’t want to hear what God is saying, and even refuses to ask for a sign from God to confirm His Word. In Isaiah 7:14 God gives Ahaz the sign, promising to bring forth a Son, born of a virgin, Who will be called Immanuel.

Micah

Micah was a prophet of God who came from a small town in Judah, who spoke the words of God to both kingdoms of Israel and Judah during the times of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

The Lord speaks against both Israel and Judah for their unfaithfulness to Him, and for the wicked prophets who speak to the people things that He has not said. Israel and Judah will both be overthrown by their enemies, and the peoples taken away as slaves. The fulfillment of these things will happen at different times, with Israel being conquered by the Assyrians (around 700 BC) about 100 years before Judah is likewise conquered by the Babylonians. In chapters 4-5 Micah prophesies about the last days, when Jerusalem will be the city of God, Jesus will reign as king, and the children of Israel in those days will be restored to the land. He also prophesies in chapter 5 the birth place of Jesus, in Bethlehem.

The Lord makes clear what He expects from His people, which has nothing to do with sacrifice or religious duty…

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
- Micah 6:8 NKJV

In the end, the Lord will faithfully restore and bless a remnant of His people. He will forgive and restore the descendants of Abraham, and He will lead them.

2 Kings 15:19-38 | 2 Chronicles 27 | Isaiah 5-6

There is an ongoing sting of wicked kings in the northern kingdom of Israel. In Judah, king Uzziah dies after reigning for 52 years, and his son Jotham is a good king for 16 years, and then his son Ahaz becomes king.

Through Isaiah, God describes Judah and Jerusalem as His favored vineyard, which He cultivated and protected, yet year over year He failed to find good fruit from the vineyard. God calls out the leaders in Judah as unfaithful vinedressers, who He will bring judgement upon, and He will allow His vineyard to be overrun by foreigners. This allegory is repeated by Jesus in Matthew 21:33-41, where He speaks prophetically of the judgement that will come upon Jerusalem just 40 years hence.

In Isaiah 6, the prophet is given a vision of the Lord’s throne room following the death of king Uzziah, which is also seen in the vision of the apostle John in Revelation 4-5. The word of the Lord comes to Isaiah, predicting that His people in Israel will have ears to hear and eyes to see, but they will not listen and they will not perceive what they see and hear. This prophecy is quoted by Jesus in Matthew 13:13-15, and it is because of this deafness and blindness to God that Israel rejected Jesus, and God’s grace and salvation was made freely available to the rest of the world, as Paul explains in Romans 9-11. However, God tells Isaiah (6:11-13) that this deafness and blindness will come to an end in the last days, after much devastation has reduced Israel to only a remnant, and they will be restored. This speaks of the end of the great tribulation, when a remnant in Israel will finally turn to God in repentance, and call upon Jesus to save them.

Isaiah 1-4

Isaiah was a contemporary of Amos, and Jewish tradition has it that he prophesied in Judah for more than 80 years, through the reigns of 4 major kings. This book is the longest of the prophetic books, and is the most quoted OT book in the New Testament, except for the Psalms. God speaks through the prophet, saying that He is weary of sacrifices and religious festivals from people who persist in doing evil, and who refuse to pursue justice.

He then prophesies concerning the last days, when there will be great judgement and affliction upon those who remain in Israel, but the Lord will establish His King, and His Kingdom, where all will be restored.

Amos 5-9 | 2 Kings 15:8-18

God calls out to Israel - turn to Me, and do righteous deeds. Do not hurt My ears with your singing and partying, nor with sacrifices, when your hearts are not faithful towards Me. The Lord showed Amos multiple ways in which He might judge Israel, but Amos kept interceding for them. Ultimately, God declared that Israel would be taken into captivity by the Assyrians, and only a remnant would survive. Yet, the Lord also promised that in the last Days He would restore the fortunes of Israel, so that the remnant that survives to the end will enjoy great prosperity and peace in the land.

Amos prophesied destruction upon Jeroboam and his household, and this was fulfilled after the 39 th year of Uzziah’s reign, where there was a succession of wicked kings in Israel, and the throne was handed over to men who were not descendants of Jeroboam, yet were also wicked. In Judah, Jotham, the son of Uzziah became king, and he reigned for 16 years, and was a good and godly king.

2 Kings 15:1-7 | 2 Chronicles 26 | Amos 1-4

Uzziah became king in Judah at the age of 16, and reigned for 52 years, during which time there was great prosperity and honor in Judah among all the nations around them. Uzziah was largely a very good king, however, in his later years he allowed pride to creep into his heart as a consequence of all of his accomplishments and conquests. He took it upon himself to try and burn incense before God in the temple, and the Lord struck him with leprosy, so that he was forced to be quarantined for the remainder of his life, and his son acted in his place as judge in the land until he died.

Amos was a sheepherder and orchard laborer in Tekoa when God called him to prophesy in Israel and Judah. He spoke the word of the Lord during the days of Uzziah (in Judah) and Jeroboam II (in Israel). He declared the justice of God, Who had dealt faithfully in bringing judgement upon the surrounding nations of Syria, Gath (Philistines), Edom, and Ammon, and then upon Israel and Judah. God pointed out through Amos that if He dealt justice to the ungodly pagans around them, how much more would He punish His own people of Israel and Judah when they willfully transgressed His commands!