Objective

In this study, we’ll see how Isaiah delivered many prophecies about Judah and the nations of the world, showing us God’s judgment on sin and His offer of mercy through repentance.

Key Verse

Isaiah 1:18: Come now, let us settle the matter, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they will become like wool.

Introduction

Isaiah stands as the first of the major prophets in the Old Testament. Many people have called him the prince of the prophets because of the powerful messages of redemption that God gave him to deliver. His book is like a miniature Bible—the first 39 chapters focus mostly on judgment and the wrath of God against sin, while the last 27 chapters bring a message of hope and salvation.

The name Isaiah means “Yahweh is salvation.” This captures the heart of the book’s message perfectly. God wants to save His people from their sins, but they must turn back to Him. Throughout these prophecies, we see God’s holy character displayed alongside His merciful heart.

Isaiah’s ministry spanned the reigns of four kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. During this time, the northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria, and Judah faced constant threats from powerful enemies. Yet through all these dark days, God used Isaiah to deliver messages that would guide His people and point them toward their coming Savior.

In this study, we will focus on the first half of Isaiah—chapters 1 through 39. These chapters can be divided into four main sections that help us understand God’s warnings and His plan:

• God’s judgment on Judah
• God’s judgment on the nations
• The coming day of the Lord
• The story of King Hezekiah

As we explore these together, you will see how Isaiah’s words consistently point forward to Jesus Christ, our Savior. God used Isaiah to call people to repentance, and that same call still speaks powerfully to us today.

God’s Judgment on Judah

Isaiah begins his prophecy by describing God’s people as a vineyard that has gone to waste. This powerful image shows us how disappointed God was with His chosen people. He had planted Israel like a choice vine, expecting good fruit, but instead He found only wild grapes of sin and rebellion.

Listen to how Isaiah describes this situation:

Isaiah 5:1-2: I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.

God had given His people everything they needed to produce righteousness and justice. He had blessed them with His law, His presence, and His protection. But instead of gratitude and obedience, they gave Him rebellion and sin. The judgment that follows is both severe and deserved:

Isaiah 5:24: Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Jesus later used this same image of the vineyard in His own teaching. He told a parable about a vineyard owner who sent servants and then his own son to collect fruit from the tenants. This parable shows how God sent prophets like Isaiah throughout Israel’s history, and finally sent His Son, Jesus Christ. The religious leaders understood that Jesus was speaking about them when they rejected God’s messengers.

Mark 12:6-8: He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

God raised up Isaiah to prophesy against Judah and predict its coming destruction. The foundation for Isaiah’s entire ministry appears in chapter 6, where we read about his dramatic call from God. In this passage, Isaiah receives a great vision that changes everything. First, he looks upward at God and sees His perfect holiness. Then, he looks inward at himself and recognizes his own sinfulness. Finally, he looks outward at the world and accepts God’s mission to speak to the people.

Take time to read this powerful account slowly and carefully:

Isaiah 6:1-4: In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

When Isaiah saw God’s holiness, he immediately became aware of his own sin and unworthiness:

Isaiah 6:5: “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

But God did not leave Isaiah in his guilt and shame. Instead, He provided cleansing and forgiveness:

Isaiah 6:6-7: Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Only after Isaiah experienced God’s forgiveness was he ready to serve as God’s messenger. When God asked who would go and speak for Him, Isaiah responded with willingness and submission:

Isaiah 6:8: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

(Notebook Moment: Think about Isaiah’s vision of God in the temple. How does seeing God’s perfect holiness make you aware of your own need for forgiveness? What might change in your life if you responded like Isaiah did, saying “Here am I. Send me”?)

The message that God gave Isaiah to deliver was not an easy one. The people would hear God’s words but would not understand or respond with repentance. Their hearts had become hard, and judgment was inevitable:

Isaiah 6:9-10: He said, “Go and tell this people: ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

The destruction of Judah by Assyria is prophesied throughout chapters 7 through 10. But God also promises that after Assyria serves as His tool of judgment against His people, He will judge Assyria itself for its pride and cruelty.

God’s Judgment on the Nations

God’s warnings and judgments do not stop with Judah alone. In chapters 13 through 23, Isaiah delivers prophecies against many of the nations that surrounded Israel and Judah. These messages show us that God is the Lord over all the earth, not just His chosen people. No nation, no matter how powerful or proud, can escape His judgment if they turn away from righteousness and justice.

Isaiah speaks against seven major nations, each receiving God’s verdict for their specific sins:

• Babylon (Isaiah 13:1–14:23): God will bring down the prideful empire that trusted in its own strength and oppressed other peoples.
• Assyria (Isaiah 14:24–27): The Lord will break the power of this mighty conqueror that had terrorized the ancient world.
• Philistia (Isaiah 14:28–32): God will shatter their false security with destruction coming from the north.
• Moab (Isaiah 15:1–16:14): This once-proud people will face overwhelming grief and desolation for their arrogance.
• Damascus (Isaiah 17:1–14): The alliance between Syria and Israel will fail, and both nations will fall under God’s judgment.
• Ethiopia (Isaiah 18:1–7): Even this distant nation will witness God’s decisive action in world affairs.
• Egypt (Isaiah 19:1–25): The great nation will collapse in fear and confusion, but eventually many will turn to the Lord.

Consider how Isaiah describes Babylon’s complete downfall because of its pride and wickedness:

Isaiah 13:19-22: Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; there no nomads will pitch their tents, there no shepherds will rest their flocks. But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds, jackals her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.

This prophecy about Babylon’s destruction was fulfilled exactly as God said it would be. The great city that once ruled the world became exactly what Isaiah predicted—a desolate place where only wild animals would live.

These messages serve several important purposes. First, they affirm God’s sovereignty over all peoples—He is not merely a local or tribal deity, but the Lord of all the earth. Nations are accountable to Him for injustice, idolatry, oppression, and pride, even if they do not recognize His covenant with Israel. Second, the judgments warn God’s people that military alliances or political treaties with these nations are no substitute for trusting in God’s protection. Third, the prophecies reveal God’s moral standard for all humanity, showing that His justice is consistent and impartial.

But even in these messages of judgment, God offers hope. The prophecy against Egypt, for example, ends with a remarkable promise that the Egyptians will one day worship the true God. Many of these nations would eventually hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and find salvation. The same God who judges sin also provides redemption for all who turn to Him in faith.

(Notebook Moment: Consider how God judges entire nations for their sins. What does this teach you about God’s character? How should this truth affect the way you pray for government leaders and nations today?)

The Coming Day of the Lord

Throughout the book of Isaiah, we encounter the important phrase “the day of the Lord.” This expression appears frequently in the prophetic books and describes any time when God brings His judgment on sin. In Isaiah’s prophecies, it often points to God’s judgment against Israel, Judah, and the surrounding nations. But it also looks forward to the great final judgment that will come at the end of time.

Consider this vivid description of the day of the Lord:

Isaiah 13:6-11: Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will go limp, every heart will melt with fear. Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame. See, the day of the Lord is coming—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

Jesus used very similar language when He described the signs that would accompany His second coming and the final judgment:

Matthew 24:29: Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

This connection shows us how Isaiah’s prophecies about the day of the Lord point forward to the end times and Christ’s return in glory. The same God who brought judgment on ancient nations will one day judge the entire world.

The day of the Lord teaches us that God is patient with sin, but His judgment will surely come. This truth calls us to live in readiness for Christ’s return. We should not fear this day if we have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation, but we should take it seriously and live holy lives while we wait for Him.

The Story of King Hezekiah

Isaiah also includes important historical information about one of the good kings of Judah. We read about Hezekiah’s reign in chapters 36 through 39. His story provides a powerful example of both God’s faithfulness to those who trust Him and the importance of remaining humble even after experiencing God’s blessings.

We learn three crucial lessons from Hezekiah’s life. First, his kingdom was delivered from the threat of Assyrian invasion. The Assyrian king Sennacherib surrounded Jerusalem with a mighty army and threatened to destroy the city. But Hezekiah turned to God in prayer, and the Lord sent an angel who destroyed the Assyrian army in a single night:

Isaiah 37:36-37: Then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

Second, Hezekiah was delivered from sickness and certain death. When God told him through Isaiah that he would die from his illness, Hezekiah prayed earnestly to the Lord. God heard his prayer and added fifteen years to his life:

Isaiah 38:1-5: In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.'”

Third, and sadly, Hezekiah sinned against God after the Lord had done so much for him. When envoys came from Babylon to congratulate him on his recovery, Hezekiah foolishly showed them all his treasures and military resources. This led to Isaiah’s prophecy that these same Babylonians would one day return to carry away everything Hezekiah had shown them:

Isaiah 39:5-7: Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord Almighty: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

Hezekiah’s life teaches us important lessons about prayer, faith, and humility. God answered his prayers in miraculous ways, but Hezekiah’s later pride and poor judgment brought consequences that would affect future generations.

(Notebook Moment: Look carefully at Hezekiah’s story. How did faithful prayer change his desperate situation? What does his later failure teach you about the importance of staying humble before God, even after He blesses you?)

Christ in Isaiah’s Prophecies

Some of the greatest prophecies about Jesus Christ in the entire Old Testament appear in the book of Isaiah. Even in the first half of the book, which focuses primarily on judgment, we find wonderful promises about the coming Messiah.

In Isaiah’s vision of God in the temple, the apostle John tells us that Isaiah actually saw Jesus Christ in His glory:

Isaiah 6:1: In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

John 12:41: Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

Isaiah also prophesied that Christ would sit on David’s throne and establish an eternal kingdom of righteousness and peace:

Isaiah 9:6-7: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Another beautiful prophecy about Christ appears in chapter 11, where Isaiah describes the Messiah as a branch that will grow from the family tree of Jesse, King David’s father:

Isaiah 11:1-5: A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by 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. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

This passage teaches us that Christ would descend from David’s family line, that God’s Spirit would rest upon Him in fullness, and that He would judge with perfect righteousness and justice.

Isaiah also prophesied that the Gentiles—people from all nations—would one day believe in the Messiah:

Isaiah 11:10: In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

These prophecies about Christ give hope and meaning to all of Isaiah’s messages of judgment. God’s ultimate plan was not just to punish sin, but to provide a Savior who would take away sin completely.

Conclusion

Isaiah’s prophecies in chapters 1 through 39 reveal both God’s holy judgment against sin and His merciful heart toward those who repent. Throughout these messages to Judah and the surrounding nations, we see that God longs for His people to turn back to Him so He can forgive and restore them.

Isaiah 30:18: Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

God’s desire has always been for His people to live in peace, joy, and rest. We can only find this kind of life by trusting and obeying Him:

Isaiah 32:17-18: The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.

As we study Isaiah’s prophecies, we discover that God’s judgment on sin is absolutely certain, but His mercy toward repentant sinners is even greater. All of these prophecies point forward to Jesus Christ, who takes our sins upon Himself and makes us “white as snow” in God’s sight. The same God who spoke through Isaiah to call people to repentance still invites you today to come and reason with Him. He promises that no matter how deep your sin, His forgiveness can make you completely clean.

Let Isaiah’s message encourage you to turn away from sin and trust fully in Jesus Christ. He is the fulfillment of every promise that God made through His prophet. In Christ, we find both the satisfaction of God’s justice and the fullness of His mercy.

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