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| SONG: TWENTY-THIRD PSALM COMPOSED AND SEQUENCED AND PERMISSION GIVEN |
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| ISAIAH ~ THE MESSIANIC PROPHET ISAIAH WAS CALLED THE MESSIANIC PROPHET BECAUSE HE WAS SO THOROUGHLY CONVINCED WITH THE IDEA THAT HIS NATION WAS TO BE A MESSIANIC NATION TO THE WORLD; THAT IS, A NATION THROUGH WHOM ONE DAY A GREAT AND WONDERFUL BLESSING WOULD COME FROM GOD TO ALL NATIONS; AND HE WAS CONTINUALLY DREAMING OF THE DAY WHEN THAT GREAT AND WONDERFUL WORK WOULD BE DONE. THE NEW TESTAMENT SAYS THAT ISAIAH "SAW THE GLORY OF CHRIST, AND SPOKE OF HIM" (JOHN 12:41) HE WAS A PROPHET OF THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM, JUDAH, AT THE TIME THE NORTHERN KINGDOM, ISRAEL, WAS DESTROYED BY THE ASSYRIANS. ISAIAH LIVED IN THE REIGNS OF UZZIAH, JOTHAM, AHAZ AND HEZEKIAH. HIS CALL WAS IN THE YEAR OF UZZIAH'S DEATH, BUT SOME OF HIS VISIONS MAY HAVE BEEN EARLIER. HE WAS SLAIN, ACCORDING TO JEWISH TRADITIONS, BY MANASSEH. TENTATIVELY WE MAY PLACE HIS ACTIVE MINISTRY AT ABOUT 745 -695 B.C. RABBINIC TRADITION HAS IT THAT ISAIAH'S FATHER, AMOZ (NOT AMOS THE PROPHET), WAS A BROTHER OF KING AMAZIAH. THIS WOULD MAKE ISAIAH FIRST COUSIN TO KING UZZIAH, AND GRANDSON OF KING JOASH, AND THUS OF ROYAL BLOOD, A MAN OF THE PALACE. HE WROTE OTHER BOOKS, WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN PRESERVED TO US; A LIFE OF UZZIAH(II CHRONICLES 26:22); AND A BOOK OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH (II CHRONICLES 32:32) HE IS QUOTED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT MORE THAN ANY OTHER PROPHET. WHAT A MIND HE HAD! IN SOME OF HIS RHAPSODIES HE REACHES HEIGHTS UNEQUALED EVEN BY SHAKESPEARE, MILTON, OR HOMER. HIS MARTYRDOM .....A TRADITION, IN THE TALMUD, WHICH WAS ACCEPTED AS AUTHENTIC BY MANY EARLY CHURCH FATHERS, STATES THAT ISAIAH, RESISTED MANASSEH'S IDOLATROUS DECREES, AND WAS FASTENED BETWEEN TWO PLANKS AND "SAWN ASUNDER," THUS SUFFERING A MOST HORRIBLE DEATH. THIS IS THOUGHT TO BE REFFERED TO IN HEBREWS 11:37(THEY STONED, THEY WERE SAWN ASUNDER, WERE TEMPTED, WERE SLAIN WITH THE SWORD: THEY WANDERED ABOUT IN SHEEPSKINS AND GOATSKINS; BEING DESTITUTE, AFFLICTED, TORMENTED;) ISAIAH MEANS "THE SALVATION OF JEHOVAH" RECORDED AS ISAIAH'S MESSAGE, WHICH CONTAINS SOMETHING HISTORICAL, BUT IS CHIEFLY PROPHETICAL, IS THREEFOLD: ~ The indictment against Israel for her sinful condition and the need for repentance.. ~ Impending Babylonian captivity.... ~ God's redemption through the coming, suffering Messiah, and the glory to be revealed through Him in His future kingdom on earth. THIS BOOK HAS THE SAME NUMBER CHAPTERS AS THE BIBLE HAS BOOKS, 66. THE BIBLE HAS TWO MAIN DIVISIONS---ISAIAH HAS TWO MAIN DIVISIONS. THE FIRST DIVISION OF ISAIAH INCLUDED CHAPTERS 1 - 39; THE FIRST DIVISION OF THE BIBLE, THE OLD TESTAMENT, CONTAINS 39 BOOKS. THE SECOND DIVISION OF ISAIAH CONTAINS 27 CHAPTERS ( 40 - 66). THE SECOND DIVISION OF THE BIBLE, THE NEW TESTAMENTS, CONTAINS 27 BOOKS. THE BOOK OF ISAIAH IS GOD'S MESSAGE OF SALVATION FOR ISRAEL AND THE NATIONS THROUGH THE HOLY ONE OF ISREAL. God is highly exalted above all his creatures. His moral perfection stands in contrast to evil people and nations. God is perfect and sinless in all His motives and actions, so he is in perfect control of his power, judgement, love, and mercy. His holy nature is our yardstick for morality. Because God is holy, he requires his people to treat others justly. He promised to punish Israel, Judah, and other nations for faithless immorality and idolatry. True faith had degenerated into national pride and empty religious ritiuals. Because God's judgment is coming, we need a Savior. No man or nation can be saved without God's help. Christ's perfect sacrifice for our sins is foretold and portrayed in Isaiah. All who trust God can be freed from their sin and restored to Him. God will send the Messiah to save his people. He will set up his own Kingdom as the faithful Prince of Peace, who rules with righteousness. He will come as sovereign Lord, but he will do so as a servant who will die to take away sins. God promises comfort, deliverance, and restoration in his future Kingdom. The Messiah will rule over his faithful followers in the age to come. Hope is possible because Christ is coming. A BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE BOOK OF ISAIAH CHAPTERS 1: 10 ~APPALLING WICKEDNESS OF JUDAH A PRE-VISION OF THE CHRISTIAN AGE A SONG OF THE VINEYARD ISAIAH'S CALL THE CHILD IMMANUEL THE WONDERFUL CHILD AND THE ADVANCING ASSYRIANS CHAPTERS: 11 ~20 "THE BRANCH" AND HIS KINGDOM THE FALL OF BABYLON, PHILLISTIA MOAB DAMASCUS ETHIOPIA EGYPT CHAPTERS: 21 ~ 31 BABYLON, EDOM ARABIA JERUSALEM TYRE WORLD CONVULSIONS THE ABOLITION OF DEATH A SONG OF TRUST AND TRIUMPH REVIVAL OF GOD'S VINEYARD DENUNCIATION OF SAMARIA AND JERUSALEM THE IMMINENT SIEGE OF JERUSALEM JUDAH'S DEPENDENCE ON EGYPT GOD'S PROMISE OF DELIVERANCE CHAPTERS 32 ~ 40 MESSIAH'S REIGN JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE GOD'S WRATH ON THE NATIONS THE DAY OF THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT THE ASSYRIAN ARMY OVERTHROWN HEZEKIAH'S SICKNESS, BABYLON'S HERALDS CHAPTERS 40 ~60 MAGNIFICENT RAPSODIES OF THE FUTURE VOICES OF COMFORT THE RISE OF CYRUS THE SERVANT OF THE LORD GOD'S CARE OF ISRAEL CYRUS THE FALL OF BABYLON THE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH ZION'S REDEMPTION AND RESTORATION JEHOVAH'S SERVANT A MAN OF SORROWS ZION'S VAST EXPANSION SINS OF ISAIAH'S DAY CHAPTERS 61 ~66 ZION'S REDEEMER THE EXILES' PRAYER THE NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH THE RIGHTEOUS AND WICKED TO BE ETERNALLY SEPARATED THE PROPHET In the Bible, there were prophets of old, There is one who stands out bold Isaiah was his name, Predictions became his fame. He was the Lord God's chosen one To give the prophecy of things yet to come. Everything he prophesied came true This is the story of what will happen to you. A SONG OF PRAISE TO THE LORD (ISAIAH 42: 10 -17) Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing his praises from the ends of the earth! Sing, all you who sail the seas.., all you who live in distant coastlands. Join in the chorus, you desert towns; let the villages of Kedar rejoice! Let the people of Sela sing for joy; shout praises from the mountain tops! Let the coastlands glorify the Lord; let them sing his praise. The LORD will march forth like a mighty man; he will come out like a warrior, full of fury. He will shout his thundering battle cry, and he will crush all his enemies. He will say, "I have long been silent yes, I have restrained myself. But now I will give full vent to my fury; I will gasp and pant like a woman giving birth. I will level the mountains and hills and bring a blight on all their greenery. I will turn the rivers into dry land and will dry up all the pools. I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will make the darkness bright before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them. But those who trust in idols, calling them their gods......... they will be turned away in shame. *~*~*~* Salvation's story was revealed of old It's revelation began to be told, God gave the message for Isaiah to share, With all the nation of Israel there. Believe in God and your future holds, A gift that is more precious than gold. So lift up your voices in praise Adoration is given to God in Isaiah's day. *~*~*~*~* Compiled and written by Shirley Barr References used: WORLD'S BIBLE HANDBOOK written by Robert Boyd, copyright 1991 HALLEY'S BIBLE HANDBOOK, written by Henry H. Halley, copyright 1962 |
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