Isaiah tells of the Lord's indictment of Israel and Judah, then foretells their deliverance.

ISAIAH 1-2

Isaiah describes the Lord's complaint against Judah, the future glory of Zion, and the coming day of the Lord.

GOD'S DEALINGS WITH ONE NATION (1:1-31):

Israel

The iniquities (1:1-19, 21-25, 28-31)

Judah's actions (1:1-8, 16-24)

They have rebelled (1:2).

They have spurned and abandoned God and his laws (1:1, 3-4, 21-24).

They have rejected God's correction (1:5-8):

Their country lies in ruins, and their cities are barren.

God's response (1:9-15, 25, 28-31):

Israel was once faithful to God, but she turned from him, so he will pour out his fury on her.

He will reject her sacrifices and refuse her prayers (1:9-15).

He will pour out his anger upon her (1:25, 28-31):

All the sinners will be completely destroyed.

The invitation (1:16-19, 26-27):

God urges his people to repent and to return to him, promising to cleanse and restore them.

GOD'S DEALINGS WITH ALL NATIONS (2:1-22)

Promised horror (2:6-22):

Isaiah foretells what will happen to those who have rebelled.

They will cower in fear (2:6-10, 19-22).

They will be cast down (2:11-13):

The proud will be humbled.

They will be crushed (2:14-18).

Promised hope (2:1-5):

Isaiah describes what the Lord will do in the future.

We will learn God's ways (2:1-3):

All nations will come to the Temple in Jerusalem for worship and instruction in the Scriptures.

We will live God's ways (2:4-5):

The Lord himself will settle disputes and bring peace. Nations will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.

ISAIAH 3-4

Isaiah describes God's judgment upon the rulers and daughters of Zion and Zion's future cleansing and glory.

THE CONDEMNATION (3:1-4:1)

God's judgment on the leaders (3:1-15)

He will cut off their food and water supplies (3:1).

Their armies will be destroyed (3:2-3).

Anarchy will prevail (3:4-12).

God himself will serve as the great prosecuting attorney (3:13-15):

The leaders and princes are the first to feel his wrath.

God's judgment on the women (3:16-4:1)

Their perversions (3:16, 18-23)

They are haughty and self-centered (3:16):

They walk around with their noses in the air, flirting with the men.

They attire themselves in an extravagant way (3:18-23):

They wear ornaments, headbands, and gaudy clothes and accessories.

Their punishment (3:17-18, 24-26; 4:1)

God will make their scalps bald from sores and scabs (3:17).

He will strip them of their finery and their beauty (3:18, 24-26).

Seven women will be forced to fight over one man (4:1).

THE CONVERSION (4:2-6)

God the Son will minister to the people (4:2-3):

The title "the branch of the LORD" refers to the Messiah.

God the Spirit will minister to the people (4:4-6):

Israel will be washed and cleansed of all its moral filth and will be protected by God's glory cloud!

ISAIAH 5

This chapter describes God's judgment upon his vineyard.

THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD (5:1-7)

The identity of this vineyard-Israel (5:1-2):

God himself laid out this vineyard on a very fertile hill, planting in it the choicest vines.

The indictment of this vineyard (5:3-7):

At harvest time, instead of the expected sweet grapes, it produced only bad fruit.

THE PAGANISM OF ISRAEL (5:8-24):

Six judgments are pronounced against Israel for her sins.

First judgment (5:8-10):

The rich have bought up all the desirable property, leaving the rest of the people with nowhere to live.

Second judgment (5:11-17):

They have become a nation of God-rejecting drunks, living only for carnal pleasure.

Third judgment (5:18-19):

They are filled with deceit and have mocked God, daring him to punish them.

Fourth judgment (5:20):

They twist the truth, saying that right is wrong and wrong is right.

Fifth judgment (5:21):

They are wise and shrewd in their own eyes.

Sixth judgment (5:22-24):

They release the guilty for a bribe but deny justice to the innocent.

THE PUNISHMENT OF ISRAEL (5:25-30):

The Lord's people will suffer punishment for their sinful ways.

Their dead bodies will rot in the streets (5:25).

The Lord will bring foreign nations into Jerusalem, resulting in the captivity of the people (5:26-30).

ISAIAH 6-8

Isaiah records his vision and new commission, his ministry of comfort to King Ahaz, and his message of destruction to the northern kingdom.

THE CALL OF THE PROPHET (6:1-13)

Isaiah and the heaven of God (6:1-7)

Isaiah's vision (6:1-4)

What he sees (6:1):

The Lord seated upon his exalted throne in glory

What he hears (6:2-4):

The mighty seraphim (angelic beings) praising God for his holiness

Isaiah's vexation (6:5):

This awesome sight causes Isaiah to cry out, acknowledging his own sin and that of his people.

Isaiah's visitation (6:6-7):

One of the angelic seraphim touches Isaiah's tongue with a burning coal from heaven's altar, purifying the prophet.

Isaiah and the God of heaven (6:8-13)

Isaiah hears God's voice (6:8a):

God wants to know whom he should send as his messenger to his people.

Isaiah heeds God's voice (6:8b-13):

Isaiah volunteers.

THE CHRIST OF THE PROPHET (7:1-25)

Isaiah's first prophecy (7:1-12):

God sends the prophet to reassure young Ahaz, the terrified king of Judah.

The need for this reassurance (7:1-2):

The southern tribe of Judah is threatened with invasion by the northern ten tribes and Aram.

The nature of this reassurance (7:3-9):

God instructs Isaiah to assure Ahaz that this simply will not happen, for the enemy armies will soon be crushed and broken.

The negative response to this reassurance (7:10-12)

The Lord's sign (7:10-11):

God invites Ahaz to ask for any sign he might desire to validate Isaiah's promise.

The king's scorn (7:12):

Wicked Ahaz refuses, not allowing God to show his mighty power.

Isaiah's second prophecy (7:13-16):

Many believe these verses predict the births of two babies, one to be born supernaturally in the distant future, the other to be born naturally in the immediate future.

The first baby (7:13-14):

This will be the Messiah, born centuries later to the Virgin Mary.

The second baby (7:15-16):

This will be Maher-shalalhash-baz, born less than a year later to Isaiah and his wife. Ahaz is told that even before this baby is weaned, the enemy kings of both the northern kingdom and Aram will be dead.

Isaiah's third prophecy (7:17-25):

He warns of a terrible Assyrian attack on Judah.

THE CHILDREN OF THE PROPHET (8:1-22):

In this chapter Isaiah's own name and the names of his two sons are given prophetic significance by God himself (see 8:18). Isaiah, meaning "The LORD will save," refers to Israel's eventual restoration. Shear jashub, meaning "A remnant will return," refers to Israel's return to the land after various deportations. Maher-shalal-hash-baz, meaning "Swift to the plunder," refers to the destruction of Judah's enemies.

Isaiah's first message from God (8:1-4):

"Father a second son through your wife."

Isaiah's second message from God (8:5-16):

"Tell Judah to neither fear nor compromise with her enemies."

Isaiah's third message from God (8:17-18):

"Judah's enemies will soon be destroyed."

Isaiah's fourth message from God (8:19-22):

"Tell Judah she will be punished if she turns to the occult instead of to me."

ISAIAH 9-10

Isaiah gives a message of hope concerning Israel's future and foretells the Assyrians' invasion of Immanuel's land.

GOD'S SON (9:1-7)

The twofold ministry of the Messiah (9:1-5, 7)

Christ's first coming (9:1-2):

He displays his glory to both Jews and Gentiles living in Israel at that time.

Christ's second coming (9:3-5, 7):

He ushers in universal peace and rules the world in righteousness.

The twofold nature of the Messiah (9:6):

"For a child is born to us, a son is given to us."

The Messiah will be born as a human baby (9:6a).

The Messiah will be sent as a gift from heaven (9:6b).

GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY (9:8-10:34)

Regarding his friends (9:8-10:11, 20-25)

The Lord will punish Israel (9:8-10:11).

At the hands of the Arameans and Philistines (9:8-21):

Even though Israel is destroyed, the people will not repent and turn to the Lord.

At the hands of the Assyrians (10:1-11):

Assyria will destroy Israel but will not realize that it is the Lord allowing it to happen.

The Lord will protect and purify Israel (10:20-25):

Someday God's chosen remnant will turn to him and be forever restored to their land.

Regarding his foes (10:12-19, 26-34)

He will destroy the Assyrians because of their pride (10:12-15).

The results of this destruction (10:16-19, 26-34)

An angel will send a terrible plague among the troops (10:16-18, 26-32):

They will be destroyed in a single night.

Only a handful of soldiers will survive (10:19):

A child will be able to count their number.

God will cut them down as a woodsman fells trees (10:33-34).

ISAIAH 11-12

Isaiah tells of the coming King and his Kingdom and recites Israel's salvation hymn.

THE PERSON OF THE MESSIAH (11:1-16)

His ancestry (11:1):

The Messiah will come from David's family.

His anointing (11:2):

God's Holy Spirit will rest on the Messiah, giving him unlimited power and wisdom.

His administration (11:3-5):

His reign will be just and righteous as he defends the helpless and defeats the wicked.

His accomplishments (11:6-16)

The Messiah will usher in universal peace among mankind and perfect harmony among the animals (11:6-9):

Everyone will live together in peace.

All nations will rally to him (11:10, 12a).

He will gather the outcasts of Israel from all over the world and will restore them to the land (11:11, 12b-14):

The jealousy between Israel and Judah will end, and they will join together to fight against their enemies.

He will build a highway of peace from the Red Sea to the Euphrates River (11:15-16).

THE PRAISE TO THE MESSIAH (12:1-6):

Isaiah recites a song of praise that will be sung by God's people when the Messiah accomplishes his mission.

Their thanksgiving to the Lord (12:1-3)

For forgiving them (12:1):

God was angry with them, but now he has forgiven them.

For strength and deliverance (12:2-3):

God is their salvation; they trust in him and are not afraid.

Their testimony to the world (12:4-6):

The people of Israel will praise God for what he has done and will become a testimony to the nations of God's presence among them.