By Rabbi Ken Gibbs - Congregation Yeshuat Yisrael

The Book of IsaiahPart 1Introductionand theGreat IndictmentBy Rabbi Ken Gibbs

Audio Sermon is available atwww.YeshuatYisrael.libsyn.com

Yeshua readsfrom the Scrollof IsaiahLuke 4:1616So He came toNazareth, where Hehad been brought up.And as His customwas, He went into thesynagogue on theSabbath day, andstood up to read.17And He was handedthe book of theprophet Isaiah. Andwhen He had openedthe book, He foundthe place where itwas written:

Isaiah 61“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,Because the Lord has anointed MeTo preach good tidings to the poor;He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,To proclaim liberty to the captives,And the opening of the prison to those whoare bound;

Isaiah 7:1414Therefore the Lord Himselfwill give you a sign:Behold, the virgin shallconceive and bear a Son, andshall call His name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:66For unto us a Child is born,Unto us a Son is given;And the government will be upon Hisshoulder.And His name will be calledWonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.7Of the increase of His government andpeace,there will be no end,

Isaiah 40:33The voice of one crying in thewilderness:“Prepare the way of the Lord;Make straight in the desertA highway for our God.4Every valley shall be exaltedAnd every mountain and hill broughtlow;The crooked places shall be madestraightAnd the rough places smooth;

Isaiah 40:3131But those who wait on the LordShall renew their strength;They shall mount up with wingslike eagles,They shall run and not beweary,They shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 2“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,To the house of the God of Jacob;He will teach us His ways,And we shall walk in His paths.”For out of Zion shall go forth the law,And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.4He shall judge between the nations,And rebuke many people;They shall beat their swords into plowshares,And their spears into pruning hooks;Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,Neither shall they learn war anymore.

Isaiah 53Who has believed our report?And to whom has the arm of the Lordbeen revealed?For He shall grow up before Him as atender plant,And as a root out of dry ground.He has no form or comeliness;And when we see Him,There is no beauty that we shoulddesire Him.

I. The Retribution of God (chaps. 1-39)A. The Lord’s indictment of the nation (chaps. 1-6)1. The heading for the book (1:1)2. The Lord’s lawsuit against the nation (1:2-31)3. An affirmation of restored kingdom (2:1-5)4. The present condition and futureconsequences (2:6-4:1)5. The holy survivors (4:2-6)6. The worthless vineyard (5:1-7)7. An indictment on sin (5:8-30)8. Isaiah’s commission (chap. 6)

The name E†´‹¸”μ[¸‹ “Yeshayahu” means†´‡†¸‹ YHVH is salvationSimilar name to Yeshua, Joshua, and Hosea.Isaiah resided in Jerusalem and had access to theroyal court.

Isaiah was a prophet in Jerusalem

According to Jewish tradition he was acousin of King Uzziah but no firm evidenceexists to support this.He did have personal contact with at leasttwo of Judah’s kings who were David’sdescendants (Ahaz 7:3; Hezekiah38:1;39:3).Some conclude that Isaiah was a Levite (aPriest) because he was serving in theTemple (Isaiah 6)

Isaiah was married (8:3).“Then I went to the prophetess, andshe conceived and bore a son. “He had two sons, Shear-Jashub (7:3)- The Remnant Shall ReturnƒE[´‹ š´‚¸[Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (8:3).– The Spoil Speed, the Booty Hastens.ˆμA [´‰ LĹ´[ š·†μN

The year of Isaiah’s death is unknown but it wasprobably after Hezekiah’s death in 686 b.c.Isaiah wrote a biography of King Hezekiah(2 Chronicles 32:32).Isaiah ministered for at least 58 years.According to Jewish tradition dating from thesecond century a.d., Isaiah was martyred by KingManasseh.Justin Martyr (ca. a.d. 100-165) wrote that Isaiahwas placed in a hollow tree sawed asunder with asaw (cf. Heb. 11:37).

These years in Israel’s history were a time ofgreat struggle both politically and spiritually.The Northern Kingdom of Israelwas deteriorating politically, spiritually, andmilitarily and finally fell to the Assyrian Empire in722 b.c.The Southern Kingdom of Judahlooked as though it too would collapse and fall toAssyria, but it withstood the attack.

Divided Kingdom of IsraelDividedKingdomINDEX

In this political struggle andspiritual decline Isaiah rose to deliver a messageto the people in Judah.His message was that they should trust in theGod who had promised them a gloriouskingdom through the Covenants with Abraham,Isaac and Jacob. And the Torah of Moses andPromises of King David.Isaiah urged the nation not to rely on Egypt,Syria or any other foreign power to protect themfor the Lord was the only protection they wouldneed.

Divided Kingdom of IsraelMediterraneanMediterraneanPhilistia PhilistiaPhoeniciaPhoeniciaSamariaIsraelJerusalemJudahGalileeJordan RiverKing PekahDead SeaKingRezin ofSyriaAmmonMoabEdom© EBibleTeacher.comNASA PHOTOPolitical alliances ofthe Northern Kingdomof Israel and theNation of Syria toconquer the SouthernKingdom of Judah.Isaiah warns the Kingof Judah NOT to makean alliance withAssyria or Egypt.They are only to puttheir trust in Godalone. He will be theirvictory.

Divided Kingdom of IsraelMediterraneanMediterraneanPhoeniciaPhoeniciaSamariaGalileeJordan RiverIsraelKing PekahKingRezin ofSyriaAmmonAssyria

Assyrian EmpireAssyrian EmpireAssyrian EmpireJudah824 BCEgypt640 BC© EBibleTeacher.com

Hosea and Micah were Isaiah’s contemporaries.Hosea was speaking to the Northern Kingdom ofIsrael.Isaiah and Micah was speaking to the SouthernKingdom of Judah.Isaiah’s language and Hebrew is much morerefined and eloquent than Micah’s. Some ofthere written phrases were identical.Isaiah was a “city prophet” while Micah was a“country” prophet.

Judah Israel Edom AssyriaSouthern Kingdom Northern KingdomBefore the ExileJoel Obadiah JonahIsaiahHoseaMicahAmosJeremiahNahumHabakkukZephaniahDuring ExileEzekielDanielAfter the ExileHaggaiZechariahMalachi

Isaiah 1:1The vision of Isaiah the son ofAmoz, which he saw concerningJudah and Jerusalem in the days ofUzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah,kings of Judah.The reigns of these kings were:Uzziah (790-739),Jotham (750-732),Ahaz (735-715),and Hezekiah (715-686).

The Great Indictment against JerusalemIsaiah 1:2 – The Two Witness2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!For the Lord has spoken:“I have nourished and brought up children,And they have rebelled against Me;Deuteronomy 17:6“On the evidence of two witnesses orthree witnesses, he who is to die shall beput to death; he shall not be put to deathon the evidence of one witness.

Deuteronomy 30:1919I call heaven and earth aswitnesses today against you,that I have set before you lifeand death,blessing and cursing; thereforechoose life, that both you andyour descendants may live;

Deuteronomy 4:2525After you have had children and grandchildren andhave lived in the land a long time—if you then becomecorrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in theeyes of the LORD your God and provoking him toanger,26 I call heaven and earth as witnessesagainst you this day that you will quickly perishfrom the land that you are crossing the Jordan topossess. You will not live there long but will certainlybe destroyed.

Deuteronomy 4:2727The LORD will scatter you among the peoples,and only a few of you will survive among the nations towhich the LORD will drive you. 28 There you willworship man-made gods of wood and stone, whichcannot see or hear or eat or smell.29But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you willfind him if you look for him with all your heartand with all your soul. 30 When you are indistress and all these things have happened toyou, then in later days you will return to theLORD your God and obey him.31For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will notabandon or destroy you or forget the covenant withyour forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.

Isaiah 1:33The ox knows its ownerAnd the donkey its master’s crib*;But Israel does not know,My people do not consider.”Animals known for their stupidity.Dumb @$$ and Stupid Ox*Manger – feeding trough

Isaiah 1:44Alas, sinful nation Mμ” ‚·Š¾‰A people laden with iniquity,A brood of evildoers,Children who are corrupters!They have forsaken the Lord,They have provoked to angerThe Holy One of Israel,L·‚´š¸\¹‹ [Ÿ…¸They have turned away backward.See Matthew 3:7 – Brood of VipersThe Holy One of Israel are used by Isaiah 25 out of the 31 in the Bible.This title appropriately contrasts the people’s sin with God’s holiness.

Isaiah 1:55Why should you be stricken again?You will revolt more and more.The whole head is sick,And the whole heart faints.6From the sole of the foot even to thehead,There is no soundness in it,But wounds and bruises andputrefying sores;They have not been closed or boundup, or soothed with ointment.

Isaiah 1:77Your country is desolate,Your cities are burned with fire;Strangers devour your land in yourpresence;And it is desolate, as overthrown bystrangers.

Isaiah 1:8‘ŸI¹˜-œμƒ8So the daughter of Zion is left as abooth (Sukkah) †´Jº“ in a vineyard,As a hut in a garden of cucumbers,As a besieged city.

Isaiah 1:89Unless the Lord of hosts œŸ‚´ƒ¸˜ †´‡†¸‹Had left to us a very small remnant,(some survivors)We would have become like Sodom,We would have been made likeGomorrah.

Romans 9:27-2927 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:“Though the number of the children ofIsrael be as the sand of the sea,The remnant will be saved.28 For He will finish the work and cut it shortin righteousness,Because the Lord will make a short workupon the earth.”29 And as Isaiah said before:“Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us aseed,We would have become like Sodom,And we would have been made likeGomorrah.”

Isaiah 1:1010Hear the word of the Lord,You rulers of Sodom;Give ear to the law of our God,You people of Gomorrah:11“To what purpose is the multitude of yoursacrifices to Me?”Says the Lord.“I have had enough of burnt offerings of ramsAnd the fat of fed cattle.I do not delight in the blood of bulls,Or of lambs or goats.

Isaiah 1:1212“When you come to appear before Me,Who has required this from your hand,To trample My courts?13Bring no more futile sacrifices;Incense is an abomination to Me.The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling ofassemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.

Isaiah 1:1414Your New Moons and your appointed feastsMy soul hates;They are a trouble to Me,I am weary of bearing them.15When you spread out your hands,I will hide My eyes from you;Even though you make many prayers,I will not hear.Your hands are full of blood.

Isaiah 1:1616“Wash yourselves,make yourselves clean;Put away the evil of your doingsfrom before My eyes.Cease to do evil,17Learn to do good;Seek justice,Rebuke the oppressor;Defend the fatherless,Plead for the widow.

Psalm 51:15Clean Hands, Clean Heart15O Lord, open my lips,And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.16For You do not desire sacrifice,or else I would give it;You do not delight in burnt offering.17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.

Hebrews 10:19Hold Fast Your Confession19Therefore, brethren, having boldness toenter the Holiest by the blood of Yeshua, 20by a new and living way which Heconsecrated for us, through the veil, that is,His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest overthe house of God, 22 let us draw near with atrue heart in full assurance of faith, havingour hearts sprinkled from an evil conscienceand our bodies washed with pure water.

Romans 12:1Living Sacrifices to GodI beseech you therefore, brethren, by themercies of God, that you present yourbodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable toGod, which is your reasonable service.2And do not be conformed to this world, butbe transformed by the renewing of yourmind, that you may prove what is that goodand acceptable and perfect will of God.

Isaiah 1:1818“Come now, and let us reason together,”Says the Lord,“Though your sins are like scarlet,They shall be as white as snow;Though they are red like crimson,They shall be as wool.

Leviticus 16:1-34“And the goat shall bear on itself all the theiriniquities to a solitary land;and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

Isaiah 1:19The Judges Offer19If you are willing and obedient,You shall eat the good of the land;20But if you refuse and rebel,You shall be devoured by the sword”;For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Brought to you bywww.YeshuatYisrael.comRabbi Ken GibbsFranklin, Tennessee