Hi James and Ellen,
Isaiah is the anthology work of a prominent Old Testament prophet evangelist whose name is Isaiah. Isaiah’s name means ‘salvation of Jehovah’. Isaiah’s name is akin to the meaning of Jesus’ name. The meaning of Jesus’ name is ‘Jehovah is Salvation’. Isaiah married a prophetess. Isaiah and his wife had two kids. They named their first kid Shear-Jashub. Shear-Jashub’s name means ‘a remnant will or shall return’. The context here for Isaiah naming his first kid Shear-Jashub may have been that when Shear-Jashub was born, Israel’s northern kingdom of Israelite people group guys and gals was facing being overrun by the country of Assyria’s army. Syria – which would have been known as the country of Aram when Isaiah was alive, had – in 736 B.C., joined forces with Israel’s northern kingdom’s army – which was sometimes called the country of Ephraim when Isaiah was alive, in an attempt to stop the advancing country of Assyria’s army. Historians call the next four years the Syro-Ephraimite war. After being able to finally plunder Israel’s northern kingdom in 732 B.C., The country of Assyria’s army –returned in 722 B.C. to Israel’s northern kingdom to take away God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids who lived in Israel’s northern kingdom to be slaves in places that they had conquered in northern Mesopotamia. Because of Isaiah’s hardwired prophetic understanding, Isaiah knew that because of the disobedient, depraved lifestyles that were being embraced by God’s specially chosen guys and gals who lived in Israel’s northern kingdom and because of the emergence of the country of Assyria as planet Earth’s power player, that the time had to be very close to when God would punish His specially chosen guys and gals just as He said that he would if . . . Isaiah and his wife named their second kid Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz’ name means ‘quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil’ or it could mean ‘the spoil speeds, the prey hastens’. Isaiah – when he named his second kid Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, was telling the guys and gals who lived in Israel’s northern kingdom that their enemies – who would take them away as plunder or spoil, would suffer sooner than later the very same fate they were going to experience.
Isaiah’s primary focused outreach was to God’s specially chosen guys and gals who lived in Israel’s southern kingdom – which was known as Judah. Your grandpaa thinks that Isaiah – during the 59 years that he was one of God’s planet Earth’s assigned voices, took on – sometimes more than at other times, being the spiritual advisor and life confidant to the kings who ruled over the guys and gals who lived in the country of Judah. The same year that Uzziah died – which was in 740 A.D., Isaiah proactively began answering his God-ordained call to serve Him as a prophet. Jotham, Ahaz – who ruled as king over the guys and gals who lived in the land of Judah at the time of the Syro-Ephraimite war, Hezekiah – who counted on Isaiah to help him, and Manasseh were also kings who ruled over the guys and gals who lived in the land of Judah, who succeeded each other during the period when Isaiah compiled his utterances, oracles, visions, etc. in the 66 chapters in what became recognized as the Isaiah Book. There are guys today who believe that the Isaiah Book has two or three contributors versus Isaiah alone being the author and editor of the Isaiah Book. Your grandpaa believes that Isaiah is the sole author of the missive that bears his name. The reason that your grandpaa believes that the Isaiah Book is a compilation done by just one guy is because of the tenor of the entire Isaiah Book – which constantly offers redeeming hope in spite of the impending doom that was facing God’s specially chosen guys and gals – wherever they lived, because of their faithless, frivolous, fruitless lifestyles.
Isaiah began his writings with an urgent, threatening call to repent or . . . coupled with an undeserved promise of God forgiving them if . . . Isaiah then inserted his ‘Holy One of Israel’ vision into his manuscript. Isaiah not only references the brewing Syro-Ephraimite war in his Isaiah Book’s initial chapters; Isaiah also introduces Immanuel in these chapters. Immanuel means ‘God is with us’. Isaiah amplified his first reference of Immanuel by saying that Immanuel – even though He would be born as a baby, will be remembered as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace – all which depict who Jesus would be. The Isaiah Book’s next section is composed of a series of oracles. These oracles or prophecies were breathed on Isaiah by God – as God the Spirit, to forewarn Israel’s present and future enemies – such as the countries of Assyria, Philistia, Arabia, Egypt, Babylonia, Moab, Dumah – which was Edom, and the cities of Tyre and Damascus. Isaiah Book’s next section is an apocalyptic picture of how God will unfold six frightful woes and curses as a world judgment and how God will demonstrate His divine blessings. The Isaiah Book’s next section has Isaiah documenting the vile threats that were made by Sennacherib – who was the country of Assyria’s king, against the city of Jerusalem. After being ridiculed by Isaiah, Sennacherib fled and died. The Isaiah Book’s last section – which some refer to as being the Book of Consolation, has three parts. The refrain repeated in this section is that there is and there will be no peace for the wicked. Your grandpaa believes that Christ-follower guys, gals and kids must heed Isaiah’s words through always acknowledging God’s unbounded greatness and majesty and accepting as absolute truths God’s holiness and His abhorrence of sin.
Isaiah