isaiah reading plan: start here
Before getting started with Isaiah, it’s important to know some background information. Isaiah lived in Judah (the southern Kingdom) during the days of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, placing this book somewhere around 740 to 700 BC. During these days the ancient empire Assyria was conquering the world. Both Israel and Judah were successfully standing on their own during this time and were even considered economically prosperous (see Amos for how they handle this). However, the prosperity did not last for as long as they would have hoped.
Isaiah had the opportunity to work closely with the kings of Judah during the rising threat of the Assyrian empire. Samaria, the capital of Israel, had been conquered by the Tiglath-Pileser III and the Assyrians in 722 BC, so it was only a matter of time before the Assyrians came (quite literally) knocking on Jerusalem’s door. Not to mention, Syria was an additional threat to Judah and actually did attack it. The captives from this attack were sent to Damascus in Israel and delivered into the hands of the king of Israel (this goes to show you how deeply divided Israel and Judah were). In response to this, King Ahaz–out of fear–chose to submit to Assyria before its leader could conquer Judah (2 Kings 16:7). Scripture reveals that instead of helping or strengthening King Ahaz and Judah, Tiglath-Pileser III afflicted him (2 Chronicles 28:20). As these events occurred, Ahaz grew further and further from the Lord. He did every sort of evil and darkness before the Lord and led Judah to follow in those ways. So, with that being established, now you know about the evil king who Isaiah got to work with at the start of his ministry. Any questions?
The world outside of Judah and Jerusalem was no different than the evil King Ahaz. The nations were heavily rooted in pagan ways. There was no knowledge of a holy God in the ancient world. Militaries were bloodthirsty, rulers were full of pride and lust, children were sacrificed, and false images were worshiped. It was an incredibly dark place full of fallen and broken people. Note, this hasn’t changed throughout history. The world is still dark and full of evil because of the Fall. There are lessons we can learn from the historical accounts in Scripture, even when we are so far removed. Isaiah has a great historical account right in the middle of the book that can teach readers an abundance about prayer, trust in the Lord, the fall of pride, and so on–but I won’t spoil that for you right now.
Isaiah is a book full of twists and turns, oracles and poetry, historical narrative, and even glimpses at future events, making it one of the largest books in Scripture. The book heavily highlights God as the Holy One of Israel (try to underline or highlight that every time you see it) and His faithfulness in keeping the covenant with Israel, despite their lack of keeping that covenant. The opening of the book reveals God’s plan of both judgment and hope for His people. He called Isaiah and purified him so Isaiah could deliver the Word of God to the people (Isaiah 6), which began with the coming Assyrian invasion then Babylonian exile. But even in the midst of judgment, God had a promise of hope: a holy seed preserved through the exiles. This may seem insignificant, but what it meant was God was protecting the line of Israel from total annihilation. His judgment would come to purify His people, like gold being refined, to prepare for the holy seed that would come (don’t worry, I’ll touch on this again when it comes up). While this book was obviously written to Israel during perilous times, a lot can be gathered from it as a 21st century Christian. No matter the circumstance that surrounds believers, there is great joy in faithful trust in the Lord and obeying His Word. In addition to that, the book of Isaiah reveals the glorious future for the saints. The New Heaven and New Earth are not part of a distant fairytale; they are real. Mankind has an opportunity to be a part of the Kingdom of God through the Suffering Servant–through Jesus.
I want to encourage you to let the book of Isaiah excite you about the glorious future to come and to motivate you to live with it at the forefront of your mind. Share this coming future with those who don’t know about it and live in certainty of God’s Kingdom being established. When you forget, read Isaiah again and again so your awe of the Lord and your perspective on His Kingdom will grow greatly.
The Lord used this book to transform me and I don’t mean that lightly. My fascination with this book isn’t just a fascination; it’s a lifeline. I have grown immensely throughout the truth in this book and my eyes have been opened more and more to the character of the One True God–and the more He shows me, the more I don’t know! I have read Isaiah quite a bit over the past few years and there is so much I don’t understand or know about it. I don’t claim to be an expert, or even a good writer. But my prayer is that through sharing what I’ve studied and learned about this book, your walk with the Lord will grow all the more, that a fire will be lit deep in your soul to think about eternity, that you will see the mercy and love in His discipline, and a harvest full of other bountiful truths that I’ve learned/continue to learn.
Map of Babylon’s empire. While Isaiah lived during the Assyrian empire, a lot of his message is about Babylon.
