Delve Into The ProphetsSample

DAY 8 – ISAIAH

The prophet Isaiah spoke to the kingdom of Judah for forty years, beginning “in the year that King Uzziah died” (around 740 BC) and continuing at least until the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC. Isaiah emphasized many of the same themes that Amos, Hosea, and Micah had. God didn’t want people just to go through the formalities of worship, and prosperity wasn’t a sure sign of his favor. Rather, God wanted justice to be upheld throughout the land. But unlike these other prophets, Isaiah had personal access to the kings of his day. He was therefore able to bring counsel from God to kings Ahaz and Hezekiah during particular crises in the life of the nation. 

Ahaz was on the throne in 734 BC when Israel and Syria rebelled against the Assyrian Empire and invaded Judah to try to force it to join their revolt. Isaiah assured Ahaz that he could trust God for deliverance from this invasion, but the king appealed to Assyria for help instead. The prophet warned him that while Assyria would indeed reconquer Israel and Syria, God would then use this empire’s advance to punish Judah. Ahaz rejected Isaiah’s counsel, and Isaiah withdrew from public life. He wrote down his oracles and left them with his disciples for safekeeping. 

Isaiah’s predictions came true. By the time Hezekiah succeeded Ahaz five years later, the Assyrians had destroyed Syria and overrun most of Israel. When Israel nevertheless revolted again after a few years, the Assyrians returned, and in 722 BC they destroyed its capital city, Samaria, and deported much of its population. This left no buffer states between Judah and the Assyrian Empire. Hezekiah appeased the Assyrians for years by paying heavy tribute, but because he was faithful to God, at the same time he eliminated the idol worship his father had promoted. Eventually Hezekiah joined an Egyptian-led coalition and refused to pay tribute. This put him on a collision course with the Assyrians. In 701 BC their emperor Sennacherib led a huge army westward to suppress this rebellion, and he quickly subjugated almost the entire coalition. Hezekiah reversed course and sent him a huge tribute, but this failed to appease him. The Assyrians overran most of Judah, and they besieged Jerusalem and demanded its surrender. 

Hezekiah sent messengers to Isaiah, who seems to have returned to public life and royal favor under this godly king, and asked how he should respond. Isaiah assured him that God would honor his faithfulness and that the Assyrians would never take the city. Once again, his predictions came true. Sennacherib’s field commander withdrew his army from Jerusalem in order to assist with the siege of Libnah, and before he could return, a large number of his soldiers died at the hand of “the angel of the Lord.” The city was delivered, and Hezekiah’s faith was vindicated. 

PRAYER: Help me, Lord, to hear and obey You.