Isaiah 1 - Introduction

EXAMINATION, Chapter S ONE THROUGH SIX

ASSOCIATION

(Associate the persons or events of column one with the correct person or event of column two. Some of column two are incorrect.)

1

2

Amoz

brother

Zion

Lebanon

plowshares
pruning hooks
daughters of Zion

eyes
coal
Hezekiah

ox

mountain of the Lord

ass

unclean

hands

owner

cedars

Sheol

Song
Uzziah

died
haughty

altar

father

lips

spears
full of blood

crib

vineyard
Holy One of Israel
swords

MEMORIZATION

Come now, and let us ______ together, saith Jehovah: though your _____ be as ______, they shall be as ______ as ______, though they be red like ______, they shall be as ______ If ye be ______ and _____, ye shall eat the good of the land; but if ye refuse and ________, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of ______ hath spoken it. Isaiah 1:18-20. Then flew one of the ______ unto me, having a live ______ in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the ______: and he touched my _____ with it, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy ______; and thine _____ is taken away, and thy sin forgiven. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, _____ shall I _____, and who will ______ for us? Then I said, _________________; ________. Isaiah 6:6-8

EXPLANATION

1.

Explain the meaning of God asking man to reason together with Him. Isaiah 1:18-20

2.

Explain how the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains. Isaiah 2:1-4

3.

Explain how Israel was like a vineyard planted on a hill. Isaiah 5:1-7

APPLICATION

(In its context every scripture has one meaningthe author's intended meaning. How may the following be applied in the believer's life?)

1.

How may God's refusal to accept Israel's sacrifices and refusal to hear their prayers be applied to God's people today? Isaiah 1:10-17

2.

How may the idea of beating swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks be applied in the New Testament church? Isaiah 2:1-4

3.

How may the Christian apply Isaiah's vision of the Lord in the temple? Isaiah 6:1-13

SPECIAL STUDY

THE PROPHETMAN, MESSAGE, MEDIUM
by
John D. Pommert
THE MAN

I.

Names and designations for the prophet.

The O. T. Prophets are called by many names and referred to in several ways each indicating something of the character of the man or the nature of his message.

1.

Man of God Deuteronomy 33:1; 1 Samuel 9:6; 1 Kings 12:22; 1 Kings 13:5; 2 Kings 5:14; Jeremiah 35:4; 2 Chronicles 8:14; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 3:17. This name indicates the moral character of the prophet and the ethical quality of his message. (Cf. the N. T. designation holy prophetsLuke 1:70; Acts 3:21; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Peter 1:21).

2.

Servants of God 1 Chronicles 6:49; 1 Kings 14:18; 1 Kings 18:36; 2 Kings 9:7; 2 Kings 14:25; Titus 1:1. Similar to the above but indicating a serving status.

3.

Messenger of Jehovah Isaiah 42:19; Isaiah 44:26; Isaiah 6:9; Jeremiah 26:12-15; Ezekiel 21:1-10; Jeremiah 20:7. An emphasis upon the teaching or preaching function.

4.

Interpreter Isaiah 43:27; Cf. 2 Peter 1:20-21. These men explained as well as announced the message.

5.

Man of Spirit Hosea 9:7 Cf. 1 Corinthians 1:21; 1 Corinthians 4:10; Acts 26:24; Micah 3:8 (also translated fool, mad, or wind indicating the people's opinion of this speaker of strange words).

6.

Watchman Ezekiel 3:17. He is to the people spiritually what the watchman on the tower is to the city physically. Both have important functions; both are responsible for the message; both are to be believed by the people.

7.

Seer 1 Chronicles 29:29; 1 Samuel 9:9. He was a man of insight moved by the Spirit of God to see what others could not.

8.

Prophet Exodus 7:1-2 etc. The most common term used indicating one who speaks for anotherin this case, one who speaks forth for God. Again, a special relationship to God is indicated by this term.

9.

Sons of the Prophets 1 Kings 20:35; 2 Kings 2:3-15; 2 Kings 4:1; 2 Kings 4:38; 2 Kings 5:22; 2 Kings 6:1-7; 1 Samuel 10:5; 1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Samuel 19:20. Indicating that the prophets were not holy ascetics but men who trained others to carry on their work.1

II.

Personality of the prophets.

What type of men were these holy prophets? Clovis Chappell summarizes them as follows: (1) humanthey had the same feelings and frailties of other menthey were not angels or superhuman creatures; (2) men of insightwho could see (by aid of the Holy Spirit) God's meanings in daily events; (3) individualistseach has his own peculiarities and personality which refused compromise; (4) fiery zealotsmen who did not preach a Believe-what-you-want message but with a Thus-saith-the-Lord authority and urgency; (5) unpopular menwho endured fire and sword and death because they refused to compromise their message (Hebrews 11).2 Too often we make these men something other than men whom God used. They were holy men, dynamic men, inspired men, courageous men, but MEN!

III.

MARKS of a Prophet

Kyle Yates shows us a different side of these men when he outlines the marks of a prophet.3 He sees the prophet to differ from other men in: (1) his uncompromising individuality; (2) his consciousness of his divine call to be a mouthpiece for God; (3) his awareness of his privileged access to the inner counsel of God; (4) his boldness expressed in action and not just theory-he always commands attention; (5) his awareness of God's authority and backing in every emergency even when he is a lone man against a mob; (6) his prayer life and communion with God which often results in a separation from men; (7) his cleanness of life and holy moral character (none of the genuine prophets receive even a breath of scandal concerning moral lapses); (8) his outspoken and fearless criticism of social evils; (9) his ability to foresee and reveal the future.

IV.

Social Position and Background of the Prophets

Brant Lee Doty has an interesting two paragraphs about the backgrounds of these men when he writes:

God used a most heterogeneous selection of men for this purpose. Some were of royal blood, while others knew poverty and the hard life of farm or field. Some began their labors while yet virtually children, whereas others did not step fully into the position until well advanced in years. A few probably knew personal wealth, but the great majority were of humble, lowly background. Regardless of these factors of age or wealth or station, the messages came from God and must be delivered fearlessly.

The prophets were not trained by some standardized procedure. Some were called instantly from their occupations, perhaps without prior hint of their selection. Some spent a part of their lives in schools introduced by the time of Samuel (1 Samuel 10:5; 1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Samuel 19:20). They learned from the compounded, wisdom of earlier men, with special attention to a full mastery of the laws of God, preparing their hearts in anticipation of the call from heaven, and springing to their tasks when this call clearly came.4

V.

Comparison to Modern Day Preachers

Some have compared the prophets to modern day preachers who also preach the Word of God. However, there are several differencesmainly that the prophet's message was directed by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21) whereas the present day preacher can claim no special guidance. The preacher has a regular congregation and receives a set salary while the prophet was not called by the people, did not preach regularly to the same group, and did not receive any pay. The preacher is under the authority of an eldership while the prophet was answerable only to God. The preacher plans his preaching and can even announce his text in advance; the prophet spoke at odd times and in odd places. The preacher spoke in a religious context to religious people; the prophet usually spoke outside to whatever people were present. Other differences could be noted all indicating the apparent similarity of preacher and prophet to be only in a few particulars.5

VI.

A Summing Up

To sum up the O. T. prophet, we should think of him as a ``holy man (i.e., one set apart with a special mission) speaking a message from God to an impenitent people. His message was often indicative (Webster's second definition of this wordpointing out, giving intimation or knowledge), sometimes predictive, but always productive (for God's Word does not return unto Him void.)

THE MESSAGE

I.

The Context of the Message

1.

The prophet always declared that his message was not his own but came from God. Young in My Servants the Prophets uses up four pages simply listing the declarations of Isaiah, Thus saith the Lord, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, etc. These men were convinced that the message they preached came from God. In fact, they were not always happy in their ministry nor with the responsibility to preach but were faithful to its delivery nonetheless (Cf. Jeremiah 15:16 ff; Jeremiah 20:7 ff; Ezekiel 3:3).

2.

This message frequently contained predictions concerning future events, but the main burden of the message dealt with present evils and a call for immediate repentance. Harper's Dictionary6 summed up the tension between today and tomorrow by noting, Though prophecy was primarily concerned with current situations, the prophets realized that tomorrow is inherent in today.

3.

This gave rise to double-prophecya message which had relevance for those of that day as well as also foreshadowing a far distant event such as the return of Christ from Egypt.

II.

The Content of the Message

What, then, did these men preach? In terms of today they presented doctrine and duty. The doctrine had to do first of all and most of all with God. On the basis of what they believed about God, the prophets also dealt largely and boldly with ethics.7 The prophets came with a message but it was not a new message primarily for as Martin Buber notes,

Generally speaking, it is not a new teaching they advance, but they fashion its form to fit the changing historical situations and have different demands, and they perfect a teaching they have received but where is the beginning of this teaching?8

They always point back to the Mosaic law or the Abrahamic covenant as a basis for their preaching. God's people have a special relationship to God and thus have certain obligations to Him and the world. When this call to repentance failed, they reached judgment, destruction, and hope. Halley summarizes the mission and message of the prophets under five heads: (1) To try to save the nation from idolatry and wickedness: (2) With little response, to announce impending destruction; (3) But to give hope in that a remnant will be saved; (4) From this remnant will come an influence that will change the world; (5) That Influence will be none other than the Son of David, Jesus.9

III.

The Style of The Message

1.

The prophets employed the noblest characteristics of the Hebrew people (at least in the writing prophets) as they used the poetical forms of that day with its balanced statement, parallelisms, etc. This structure added a structural force to the meaning of their words. A message delivered in a striking and memorable way has greater impact than the same message sloppily given.

2.

They used many types and symbols.

3.

They found that dramatic approaches made the message more urgent.

IV.

The Audience

1.

Primarily, the prophets preached to all people as exemplified by Amos in the marketplace.

2.

Sometimes the message was directed to the king or higher authorities (Nathan, Jonah.)

3.

It was not restricted to Jewish audiences but also extended to foreign peoples (Cf. Amos, Jonah, Obadiah).

4.

The prophets made use of every circumstance be it a home (2 Kings 5:9), a wayside (1 Kings 20:38), in the court (2 Samuel 24:11), or in the temple (Amos 7:10 ff).10

THE MEDIUM

... To the prophet

1.

The message came to the prophet in a variety of ways. Sometimes it came in a dream as with Joseph (Genesis 37). But the prophet knew that it was the voice of God and not just a bit of undigested mutton.

2.

The message might come in a vision or a series of visions such as those Ezekiel received. The prophet understood these scenes as containing a revelation from God and was able to interpret these to the people.

3.

The message seems to come directly to the prophet in most instances. The means are not described, but the prophet is sure that the message came from Jehovah (2 Peter 1:21). I found this comment from the Zondervan Pictorial Dictionary quite interesting:

The Biblical prophet must be distinguished from the, prohetes of Greeks. The latter really acted as an interpreter for the muses and the oracles. The prophets, however, were not interpreters. They uttered the actual words which God had given to them, without any modification or interpretation upon their part. The Bible itself gives an accurate description of the function of the true prophet, ... and will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him (Deuteronomy 18:18 b). The words are placed in the prophet's mouth by God, i.e., they are revealed to the prophet, and then the prophet speaks unto the nation precisely what God has commanded him.11

... From the Prophet

The prophet received the message from God; he delivered this same message to the people.

1.

The basic medium used was that of words, those verbal symbols of spirit meanings. Thus, the prophet was very concerned about delivering the exact word(s) of the Lord. (Remember Young's emphasis upon the frequency of the thus saith the Lord in the prophets.) Rowley had a thought-provoking comment when he wrote, We should not forget that every prophetic word was believed to have a vitality within itself to work for its own fulfillment. (Cf. Isaiah 45:23; Isaiah 55:10 f) The prophet's word was not merely a forecast of the future. It was a living force which helped to mould the future.12 (Remember the early chapter of Genesis when God spoke and the worlds were created,)

2.

But the prophet also spoke by symbolic action. Isaiah would walk naked and barefooted (Isaiah 20:3) as an object lesson to Israel; Jeremiah would bind a wooden yoke to his neck (Jeremiah 27:2) so that he could preach forecoming bondage for these hard-hearted people without saying a word; Hosea took a wife of whoredom to illustrate the love of God. Of course, the action in itself would not proclaim the messageit amplified the verbal one which preceded or attended it.

3.

Some of the prophets put these messages into written form (Cf. Jeremiah and King Zedekiah); thus, they are able to speak to us today through these written forms.

4.

We might even say that God spoke through the personality of the prophet himself (Hosea is a good example as he personifies the love of God as he lives his love for Gomer.)

Oftentimes the personality of the prophet even recedes completely into the background, and the speaker appears to be God Himself. Almost naturally, for example, one reads words such as I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins; return unto me; for I have redeemed thee (Isaiah 44:22). The usage of the personal pronoun in the first person clearly refers to God Himself. Nor is such a phenomenon unusual. It appears throughout the prophecy, and is interwoven naturally with the utterances which the prophet speaks forth as having been given to him by God.13

The godly patience of Jeremiah incarnates the patience of God as did no other until Jesus came. Noble men and great preachers who lived their messagethese were the prophets. Hebrews 11 well describes their faith, courage, and devotion concluding with this poignant statement, of whom the world was not worthy. A nobler group of men have not appearedbut the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than the greatest of all these. Praise God for a Christ Who can make the most insignificant Christian of greater import than the greatest of these great men. Greater than Jeremiahby what grace has He wrought it?

FOOTNOTES

1.

Much of the foregoing was taken from Class Notes given by George M. Elliott at Cincinnati Bible Seminary, Cincinnati, O.

2.

Clovis Chappell, And the Prophets, pp. 10-15. Abingdon Press, N.Y. 1946.

3.

Kyle M. Yates, Preaching From the Prophets, Philippians 3:4. Broadman Press, Nashville, Tenn. 1942.

4.

Brant Lee Doty, Standard Bible Teacher and Leader, July, 1958. Standard Publishing, Cincinnati, Ohio.

5.

David Freedman and James Smart, God Has Spoken, pp. 151, 152. Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pa. 1949.

6.

Quoted by Jerry Phillips, Elements of the Prophetic Call, Christian Standard, August 10, 1968.

7.

Andrew W. Blackwood, Preaching From Prophetic Books, pp. 16, 17. Abingdon-Cokesbury, N.Y. 1951.

8.

Phillips, Ibid.

9.

Homer Halley, The Pocket Bible Handbook, p. 251. Homer Halley, Chicago, Illinois, 1951.

10.

H. H. Rowley, Prophecy and Religion In Ancient China and Israel, Chapter 1. Harper & Brothers, N.Y., 1956.

11.

Merrill Tenney, ed., Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, Prophet.

12.

Rowley, Op. Cit., p. 13.

13.

Edward Young, My Servants the Prophets, p. 175. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1965.