Who was Isaiah? Good question. The answer to this question is not really all that simple. He was one of the latter prophets and it has been said that he was one of the greatest.
His name, Isaiah, actually means "the Lord saves." He made the words "the Holy One of Israel" an undeniable part of our religious history by using this phrase twelve times in his writings.
All of the Gospels except Mark refer to Isaiah's writing. His writings are also mentioned in Paul's letter to the Romans.
Much unrest in Israel took place in Isaiah's times. God spoke through Isaiah's writings to a rowdy and rebellious people who had often forgotten the rules God gave them. His
writings are pretty much summed up in two parts:
1) In the Book of Judgement, the Lord God speaks in reproach of the people's disobedience to God's law and the ramifications for disobedience.
2) In the Book of Comfort (or Consolation) the Lord God tells the people their reward if they do obey His Law
Although the Book of Judgments is full of angry proclamations revealing Gods displeasure with the people of Israel, God's anger is tempered with prophecies of a coming Messiah.
In fact, both the Book of Judgments and the Book of Comfort are peppered with prophecies of the coming Christ to save his people.
Isaiah lived long before Jesus was born. He started his ministry as a Prophet around 740 BC (Before Christ.) The God of Jacob and Isaac was preparing his announcement of
his Son, Jesus our Lord, who Isaiah refers to as "the Holy One of Israel" in a way recognizable to us today.
The very first prophecy of Christ is in Isaiah 7:14 of the NIV Bible. God tells Isaiah that he will grant a "sign" to the people of Israel. This sign prefigures
the birth of Christ through the "Virgin" Mary.
In Isaiah 11:1-10 of the NIV Bible, there are further clues to our Lord Jesus's heritage and lineage. Through the line of Jesse and the House of King David who was Jesse's
son.
In Isaiah 11:1-9 of the NIV Bible, the coming Messiah is described as "the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon Him." (Isaiah 11:2) The Spirits of Wisdom, Understanding,
Counsel, Power, Knowledge and fear of the Lord. "He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, or decide what He hears with His ears but with righteousness He will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions
for the poor of the earth." (Isaiah 11: 3-4)
In Isaiah 11:6-9 of the NIV Bible, It states that there will be change to the old order of things. The natural enemies; the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the goat, the
calf and the lion, the cow and the bear; will live together in peace.
In Isaiah 42:1-9 (of the NIV Bible) in the Book of Consolation, we read the description of "the Holy One of Israel to come." He references the sign mentioned in
Isaiah 7:14 with the phrase "Here is my servant whom I uphold. My chosen One in whom I delight." referring again to our Lord, Jesus. In Mathew 3:17 of the NIV Bible, The Holy Spirit of God the Father makes this statement
(almost verbatim) during the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan River, "This is my Son whom I love. With Him I am well pleased."
In Isaiah 52:13-14 of the NIV Bible, there is a description of the Christ: "See, my Servant will act wisely. He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just
as there were many who were appalled at Him, His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and His form marred beyond human likeness." This quote hints at the crucifixion and torment of our Lord Jesus during
the passion.
In Isaiah 53: 2-5 of the NIV Bible, "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him. Nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected
by men, a Man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, Yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him and afflicted, But He was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities, The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds, we are healed."
In Isaiah 53: 12 of the NIV Bible we read, "For He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors."
The book of Isaiah gives us a true picture of Christ some seven hundred years before His coming. It is a prophecy of a loving issue of a benevolent God even in light of a
rebellious stiff necked people.
