Why the Old Testament Matters: Lessons from Isaiah

Why the Old Testament Matters: Lessons from Isaiah

Sometimes described as “the Bible in miniature,” the book of Isaiah mixes great hope and overwhelming beauty with the reality of rebellion, judgment, and the need for repentance. It contains familiar, encouraging passages like this one: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness” (Isaiah 9:2). But it also contains blunt, convicting words like these: “The faithful town—what an adulteress she has become! She was once full of justice. Righteousness once dwelt in her, but now, murderers!” (Isaiah 1:21). Through prophecies, parables, judgment speeches, historical narratives, and hymns, the book of Isaiah confronts questions that we all face about our faith: When we encounter problems or oppression, can God rescue us? Will He free us from sin and its consequences? Does God keep His promises after all? The short answer to these questions is yes, and a longer answer is that God will not abandon His people but often uses hardships to refine them. If we read the entire book of Isaiah, we will see these questions and answers play out bit by bit, coming together to point to God’s plan for redemption through Jesus.

To fully understand what is going on in the book of Isaiah, it helps to know a little biblical history. As we discussed earlier in this series, history is the stage on which the rest of the Old Testament takes place. Without background knowledge of the setting and context for Isaiah, we will miss out on a lot of its meaning and message, so today we will spend a fair amount of time delving into that information. Most scholars divide the book of Isaiah into three distinct sections: one written for Isaiah’s fellow citizens of Judah, one addressing future exiles in Babylon, and one intended for returning exiles and later generations.

The first section (chapters 1 through 39) takes place during Isaiah’s lifetime, when the Kingdom of Judah was being threatened by Assyria in the 8th Century B.C. This section starts just after a new king, Ahaz, had come to power. The people of Judah did not trust him like they had trusted his predecessor, Uzziah. Uzziah had a reputation as a good and effective king with a strong army, but Ahaz made poor military decisions. About six years into his reign, King Ahaz was faced with a decision. Assyria was on the move, trying to expand its empire from modern-day northern Iraq to Egypt, and Israel and Judah stood in the way. Israel wanted to team up with Judah to fight against Assyria, but King Ahaz refused. Instead, he tried to make a deal with Assyria, which ended up leading to heavy taxation and further attack. His failure to trust God led to disaster, and Isaiah references that disaster to demonstrate that God is the only truly trustworthy one. Forty years later, Assyria attacked Judah again, but their new king, Hezekiah, chose to trust God, and He rescued them. Yet this victory was short-lived. By the end of this section, the people will once again be unfaithful to God, and He will allow them to be overtaken by Babylon.

These three sections come together to give us a picture of God as holy and transcendent, yet someone who wants to be close to His people.

The second section (chapters 40 through 55) focuses on the Jewish exile in Babylon, after Isaiah’s lifetime, during the 6th Century B.C. It addresses questions that would come up during that time, like Does our exile mean that God has been defeated? or How is God going to accomplish His will now? In this section, Isaiah reminds his audience that God is far better than any other gods and that He will eventually demonstrate His power by rescuing His people. Isaiah also addresses Judah’s sin, then foretells that God will preserve a remnant of His people (remember that concept from our article on Numbers?) and eventually rescue them through the death of His suffering servant.

The third section (chapters 56 through 66) addresses the remnant that returned to Judah and also speaks to later generations. While it was good for the people to return after 70 years in exile, they would also face temptation from the pagan religions that had popped up in the area during their time away. In the face of this struggle, Isaiah reminds them that God requires their obedience and wants them to live in a righteous, holy, and faithful way.

These three sections come together to give us a picture of God as holy and transcendent, yet someone who wants to be close to His people. While the first two sections forth-told a message from God, the third section foretold what was to come and how those events fit into God’s overarching plan of redemption for the world. Throughout the entire book, Isaiah uses a unique name to refer to God: “the holy one of Israel.” This name appears 25 times, but it is not the only name of God that we see in the book. We also first see the name Immanuel, which means “God with us” and is later used to refer to Jesus. 

In fact, passages from the book of Isaiah are often quoted later in the Bible, directly and indirectly, nearly 60 times in the New Testament alone. And that makes sense, since one of the key purposes of Isaiah is to point to the coming Messiah. In one familiar passage, Isaiah says, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says…‘Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52:7). This passage prophesies not only about Jesus but also about His followers who spread the gospel to all nations. While much of the book of Isaiah was written for people in another time and culture, words like these speak more directly to us, Jesus’ followers today. As we face our own uncertainty, problems, and sin, we can cling to the truth of Isaiah’s words and know that God will keep His promises, rescue His people, and lead them to walk in the light.

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