Isaiah and the Kings of Judah
The Book of Isaiah
Although this book has traditionally been thought to be the work of a single prophet, scholars now believe the Book of Isaiah is an anthology of prophetic literature. Many scholars divide the book into three different parts, each representing a different historical period and a different author.
1. Chapters 1-39 are called First Isaiah. This section contains oracles by Isaiah of Jerusalem, the prophet for whom the entire book is named. Isaiah was active between 742-701 B.C.E. During this time, Assyria destroyed Israel and much of Judah as well. Many of the oracles and prophesies in this section focus on doom and destruction.
2. Chapters 40-55 are called Second Isaiah. The prophet is never identified by name after Chapter 39. In this section, the time of judgment is past, and the prophet utters words of comfort and encouragement to a community exiled in Babylon and about to be released by Cyrus of Persia. The book's abrupt change from the Assyrian crisis to the Babylonian captivity and from oracles of doom to oracles of hope, as well as differences in literary style, vocabulary, and theology, indicate a change of author.
3. Chapters 56-66 are called Third Isaiah. This section includes various types of oracles. These oracles come from an anonymous prophet who lived in Judah after the exiles' return from Babylon.
First Isaiah
Scholars have related First Isaiah to three principal crises of Isaiah's lifetime:
1. the Syro-Ephraimite War; also known as the Syria-Israel Crisis (735-734 B.C.E.)
2. King Hezekiah's temptation to ally Judah with Egypt around 711 B.C.E.
3. The Assyrian invasion of Judah in 701 B.C.E.
Isaiah’s prophecy had four distinct ideas:
1. The holiness of God.
2. A quiet, confident faith.
3. A righteous remnant.
4. The Messiah.
Isaiah's basic message was:
If Judah's leaders persist in exploiting the poor and governing unjustly, they are doomed. However, if they obey Yahweh by placing human welfare above profit they will prosper. The quality of Judah's future depends upon the ruling classes' willingness to show compassion and practice social justice.
Isaiah's Call
In Chapter 6, Isaiah recounts a mystical experience in the Jerusalem Temple.
Isaiah experienced a vision of Yahweh surrounded by myriads of seraphim, each equipped with three sets of wings. Overwhelmed by the seraphim's praise of God's holiness and an awareness of his own imperfection, Isaiah feels his lips symbolically cleansed by a burning coal, and he volunteers to carry Yahweh's words to Judah. God says “Who shall I send and who will go for us?” Isaiah responds “Here I am Lord; send me.”
Judah's Destiny
According to Isaiah, Judah's destiny is not fixed because, if the people change their behavior, God is willing to forgive the wrong-doers. Even though their "sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow" (1:18).
The Syro-Ephraimite Crisis
This is also called the Syria-Israel Crisis. Syria and Israel formed a coalition to resist Assyrian expansion into the area. The kings of Syria and Israel tried to force King Ahaz of Judah to join their alliance. Isaiah counseled Ahaz to rely on God to deliver the holy city (Ch. 7). Ignoring Isaiah's advice, Ahaz negotiated with Assyria. This saved Judah from the Syria-Israel coalition. However, in the end, Judah was forced to pay a substantial tribute to the Assyrians, thus making Judah subservient to Assyria. Isaiah regarded Ahaz's compromise as a betrayal of Yahweh. Isaiah announces that Assyria will soon become the "rod" of God's anger to punish Judah for the king's lack of faith (7:18-25; 10:5-6, 28-32).
As a pledge that Yahweh would rescue his people from this crisis with Syria and Israel, Isaiah stated that a young woman, perhaps Ahaz's wife, would conceive and bear a son, whose name would be Emmanuel. This name signified that Yahweh was present to protect his people (7:13-15). Emmanuel means "God (El) is with us". The heir born to Ahaz and his queen was Hezekiah.
Hezekiah's Alliance with Egypt
In 711 B.C.E., the Assyrians attacked the city of Ashdod, which bordered on Judah's southwest frontier. This time Egypt attempted to form a defensive alliance of Canaanite states to protect its own boundaries. In order to dissuade King Hezekiah from involving Judah in this coalition, Isaiah paraded naked through the streets of Jerusalem for three years. He wanted to graphically illustrate the public humiliations of defeat and slavery that would result from relying on Egypt instead of Yahweh to save them from the Assyrians (Chapter 20).
Hezekiah took Isaiah's advice and did not commit himself to Egypt. Isaiah said depending on this unreliable nation was equivalent to leaning on a broken reed that pierces the hand of one who grasps it (36:6). A decade later Hezekiah did join Egypt in an anti-Assyrian treaty. This "unholy" alliance elicited some of Isaiah's harshest condemnations of Judah's king.