Isaiah (-750 to -695)

The prophet Isaiah was called to be a prophet in 740 BC at the age of approximately 25 years. He worked for 40 years among the Israelites.

In 745 BC, Assyria became a great nation. This nation attacked Palestine and subdued it. All cities in Palestine were occupied in 701 BC except Jerusalem. The city was saved by a miracle when 185,000 Assyrian soldiers died of a strange disease. Several Assyrian kings played a major role in the history of Judah in Isaiah's day.

Social conditions were terrible during Isaiah's ministry. There are groups of rich people and groups of poor people, with poor tolerance between them. The wicked deceived the poor and took their homes and land. The governance of the cities was terrible in Jerusalem. Lots of heady beers and wines.

Many people worship idols. The Israelites had failed to share the truth from God with the Gentile nations. They even share in worshiping false gods. Real spiritual life was very much lacking in that area at that time. Many prophets were also drunkards. They are not interested in the spiritual welfare of the people.

In his ministry, Isaiah always emphasized trust in God even in the most difficult circumstances, besides that, he was also active in the political field. Isaiah encourages leaders to live according to God's teachings and be fair. He warned that God's people will be doomed and perish if they don't listen to God.

During his ministry, Isaiah delivered many prophecies. Isaiah the son of Amos was a prophet who served and prophesied against the Kingdom of Judah / Southern Israel during the reign of King Uzziah (Azarya; 783-742 BC), Jotham (742-735 BC), Ahaz (735-715 BC), and Hezekiah (715- 687 BC). 

It can be seen in the section of the Book of Isaiah chapters 1-39 that it comes from the time when Judah, the southern kingdom, Isaiah's ministry as a prophet begins with the statement regarding the death of King Uzziah (742 BC) which is the end of the era of relative prosperity and peace in Judah with the emergence of new threats from the Assyrian Empire. Isaiah's prophetic ministry after being recorded in Isaiah 6 by means of a visual experience in the Temple in the city of Jerusalem, in which Isaiah "sees the Lord sitting on a throne high and towering" (v. 1) and he "sees the King" (v. 5). Isaiah realized that what really threatened Judah's life was not Assyria's strength, but the sins of the people of Judah itself because the people were disobedient and lacked faith in God. Both with words and deeds, the prophet Isaiah encouraged the people and their leaders to live according to God's will and be just. He reminded us that God's people will be doomed and perish if they don't listen to God. Isaiah also predicts world peace and the arrival of a descendant of David who will become the coveted king.

Then, chapters 40-55 refer to the people of Judah going to live in exile in Babylon. They were hopelessly crushed. Isaiah preaches that soon God will deliver His people and bring them back to Jerusalem, to start a new life. The important theme of this passage is that God is the Lord of history and that He plans to send His people to all nations that will be blessed through Israel. The verses on the "Servant of God" are one of the most famous passages of the Old Testament.

And finally, the chapters 56-66 section is mostly addressed to the people who have returned to Jerusalem. They needed reassurance that God would fulfill His promises to the people. Special attention is paid to a righteous way of life and justice; also to the way of observing the Sabbath, offering sacrifices and prayers. The important verses are 61: 1-2 which Jesus used to express His calling when He began His work on earth.

Scholars of biblical studies have given different names to each of the three sections of this book. Chapters 1-39 are named Proto-Isaiah, chapters 40-55 are named Deutero-Isaiah, and chapters 56-66 are named Trito-Isaiah. They also suspect that each section was written by a different author. However, this conjecture has now been disproved by the discovery of the "Great Isaiah Scroll" among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The scroll contains the entire Book of Isaiah in Hebrew in full and is thought to have been written in 125 BC. Since this is a complete copy and no partial copy has been found, scholars believe that the original book was written in full long before the exile, most likely by one man Isaiah, a prophet revered at the time of king Hezekiah, and copied throughout the exile until on his return to the land of Israel again.

Actually, there is no definite time when the Prophet Isaiah got married, but it is assumed that the time when Isaiah started the prophetic mission, he was already married. His wife is mentioned in Isaiah 8: 3 and is called a prophetess, perhaps she prophesied too. He has two children, and both are given symbolic names (Isaiah 8:18) - Shear-jashub, 'The remnant will return (7: 3) and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, 'Hurry up the plunder, hasten to rob' (8:1-4).

The prophet Isaiah is thought to have died in 698 BC or the 7th century BC. According to Jewish tradition, Isaiah was martyred by being sawn in half (compare Hebrews 11:37) by the evil King Manasseh who had succeeded his father, King Hezekiah. But some scholars say that Isaiah enjoyed his old age and died a natural death.