Week 26, June 21–27: Isaiah 13–32

• Sun      Jun 21 Isa. 13–15
• Mon     Jun 22 Isa. 16–18
• Tue      Jun 23 Isa. 19–21
• Wed     Jun 24 Isa. 22–23
• Thu      Jun 25 Isa. 24–26
• Fri        Jun 26 Isa. 27–29
• Sat       Jun 27 Isa. 30–32

As we working our way through Isaiah and the books of the Latter Prophets, it could be helpful to consider a few general features of the prophetic books in the Bible, and some principles for how to read them as Christian Scripture for us today. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Minor Prophets can be daunting to read. They are written in various literary styles, but often the genre is poetry. Poetic writing uses all kinds of figurative imagery, its language is terse, and the ideas are often complex. Sometimes prophetic writers record apocalyptic visions that depict otherworldly beings and events, the meaning of which is often full of mystery. The prophetic books can read like sound bites from different points of view, jumping from one speaker to another without signaling the change.

They also contain many links to other parts of the Bible, and it is important to have some familiarity with the broader narrative of the OT to make sense of these connections. Whenever possible, go back to 1–2 Kings to learn about the historical context to which the prophets are referring. For example, Isaiah began by telling us that what follows in the rest of the book of Isaiah will contain the prophetic vision and words of Isaiah, “which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” (Isa. 1:1) Having the narratives where we read of the reigns of these four kings (in 2 Kings 15–20) fresh in our minds will help us better understand Isaiah’s message.

In spite of the difficulty of these books, there is a lot we can discover that is relevant and beneficial for us today. As we read along through these books, keep remembering that this is God’s word to us. The prophets whose words are contained in these books were addressing Israel and Judah many centuries ago. Nevertheless, their message was about God, his kingdom, and his coming Messiah. Their messages were unchanging and just as meaningful to us today as they were to those hearing them speak reading what they wrote for the first time.

When we talk about biblical prophets it can be helpful to distinguish between speaking prophets and writing prophets. The speaking prophets were those whose ministry we read about in the OT historical books. These prophets interacted with others in the narrative, often kings, but their prophetic words were not recorded at great length. Samuel, Elijah, and Elisha are the most familiar examples of what we call speaking prophets.

Writing prophets, on the other hand, are those whose writings were recorded and collected into the biblical books by their names, prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and Malachi. Really, however, designating these as writing prophets may be somewhat misleading, since we do not actually know who wrote the books named after those prophets. The book of Jonah, for example, is about the prophet Jonah, but whether he wrote it is not certain. (It would not be a very self-flattering book if he did write it.)

We often think of prophecy as having to do with the future. In common, contemporary parlance, a prophet is someone who predicts the future. However, biblical prophecy is a bit more nuanced than that. Prophets in the Bible, whether speaking or writing, do not always prophesy about the future. This is part of what they do, but it is not all they do. It is not even primarily what they do.

The role of the prophet in the Bible is essentially to speak for God. Prophets were mouthpieces for God (e.g. Exod. 7:1–2; Jer. 1:9). They transfer words between the Lord and his people, sometimes about the future, but also about the past and present. They often introduce their prophetic words from God with the phrase, “Thus says the Lord.” Occasionally they also speak to God on behalf of the people (e.g.  Gen 20:7).

As God’s mouthpieces, one of the main functions of the prophets was to guard the covenant relationship between the Lord and his people. As we have seen in the historical books, Israel and Judah consistently turned away from the Lord, turning instead to injustice and idolatry, forsaking God, forgetting his faithful kindness to them, and failing to heed the instructions of the Torah. The ministry of the prophets was to call the people back to the Torah and to the ways of the Lord, for their own good and for his glory. Often at great cost and grief, the prophets reminded the people of the covenant relationship God had established through Abraham, Moses, and David (2 Kgs. 17:13, 23; Jer. 9:1–11).

Over and over again, the prophets build their message on the words of earlier Scripture, the Pentateuch. They point to what God had said in Moses’s writings to show God’s people in their generations that the Lord had said their sin would have consequences. They remind the people that rejecting the Lord and turning from his ways would inevitably result in suffering and defeat at the hands of their enemies, and eventually it would lead to exile out of the Promised Land. This is the theme that runs through the entire corpus of biblical prophetic books; indeed, it is one of the unifying features of these books.

We have already seen this as we have begun reading Isaiah, but the two themes in tension throughout the prophets are judgement and salvation. Trouble is coming, or it has already come, the prophets declare incessantly. And sin and covenant unfaithfulness are the reasons for this trouble. Speaking on God’s behalf, the prophets call the people of Israel and Judah to repent and turn back to the Lord. He has been faithful to his covenant promises even though they have not. This message of judgement and a call to repent is one side of the tension the prophets present.

The other side of the tension is that God’s salvation is still coming. He has delivered his people before, and he will save and redeem them yet again. Just as he has always been, he will remain faithful and will fulfill all the covenant promises he has made. In the end, he will make a way for them to be restored. He will deliver them and bless them. His word remains true even though it may look like his promises are failing.

This is where the future, foretelling aspect of biblical prophecy comes in. Even though the situation of the prophets’ time is bleak because of the people’s sin, there is a future time coming when things will be made right. In theological terms, we refer to this as the eschatological perspective of the prophets, the vantage point that looks ahead to the future, to the last days when the Lord will send his Messiah and establish his kingdom forever.

As you read through the prophetic books, notice the themes of judgement and salvation in tension. The theme of judgement dominates the message of these books most of the time, but it is interrupted by glimpses of future (eschatological) blessing and salvation. It might even be appropriate to say that understanding this tension is the key to understanding these books.