The different names given to the prophet in Scripture throw light upon his character and the nature of his work. He is described as a man of God implying that he was more closely related to God than others and indicating also that he was a man of righteous character. A second name is 'servant of Jehovah', and this showed that the prophet was specially commissioned by God to discharge certain duties for Him.
The type of service in which he was engaged is brought out in a third phrase: 'messenger of Jehovah.' His chief task was to convey messages from God to men. His words were authoritative because they were uttered in the name of the Lord. He is also called a 'seer', and this shows how the prophet received his message, for he saw things to which other men were blind. But this is not to suggest that the prophet was a wholly passive person, at the receiving end of everything, for prayer was doubtless a frequent preparation for the prophetic revelation. The tradition of prophets as such was well-established by the time Isaiah was born, and he comes on the scene as a true man of God, who has received a revelation and a commission from Jehovah, and comes to the people bringing a message from Jehovah.
Isaiah was born during the reign of the good king Uzziah, and it was in the last year of this monarch's life that he received the call to the prophetic office. Uzziah's character was generally acknowledged to be very noble, and in every way he showed a spirit of true piety and honor for the things of God, although in his later years he suffered from leprosy, due to an act of great pride. During his reign the nation as a whole enjoyed times of prosperity and temporal development. The whole nation mourned his passing from the scene at a time when his presence seemed needed the most. Under him the worship of Jehovah was encouraged but he was not strong enough to secure the destruction of the high places where idolatrous practices were continued. His reign must be ranked as one of the outstanding of the southern kingdom.
The name, Isaiah, means 'Jehovah saves,' or 'Jehovah is salvation', and through days of crisis and disaster greater than any before in the history of the people, his call was constantly to faith in the One Who alone could save the land. His role was ever that of inspiring and challenging the drooping spirits of the men of Judah at times when hope seemed dead. His ministry was a long one stretching as it did through the reigns of Uzziah, Jothan, Ahaz and Hezekiah. His father's name was Amoz, and there is a Jewish tradition that he was a brother of King Amaziah; in which case Isaiah would be the cousin of King Uzziah. Naturally enough, it is impossible to be really sure of this, but it is certainly a reasonable explanation of the fact that Isaiah enjoyed immediate and regular entrance to the royal house. And also that he had the ear of the most influential people of his day. In spite of this, he remained a simple and undaunted spokesman for Jehovah, and tradition again affirms that it was for this reason that he was put to death in the reign of the wicked Manasseh, Hezekiah's successor. He was married and he himself called his wife 'the prophetess' (Isaiah 8:3). He had two children, one named Shear-jashubl, which means 'a remnant shall return,' and the other Maher-shalalhashbaz, which means 'haste ye to the spoil.' These names were given to them as portents of what was to come and also as a reinforcement of the prophet's predictive message.
Apart from this, there is little else known of his personal history except what is found in the book itself. The exact length of his ministry is not known for sure, but he definitely labored for at least forty years. From the last year of King Uzziah's reign 740 B.C. to the fourteenth year of the reign of King Hezekiah in 701 B.C. and it is clear that through all this period of time his call and challenge were unremitting and persistent. His aim was ever definite - the establishment of the worship of the Lord in righteousness and truth amongst the chosen race.
Isaiah's prophecy, the longest of all the Old Testament prophecies divides first of all quite naturally into two parts, chapters 1-39, and 40-66.
The type of service in which he was engaged is brought out in a third phrase: 'messenger of Jehovah.' His chief task was to convey messages from God to men. His words were authoritative because they were uttered in the name of the Lord. He is also called a 'seer', and this shows how the prophet received his message, for he saw things to which other men were blind. But this is not to suggest that the prophet was a wholly passive person, at the receiving end of everything, for prayer was doubtless a frequent preparation for the prophetic revelation. The tradition of prophets as such was well-established by the time Isaiah was born, and he comes on the scene as a true man of God, who has received a revelation and a commission from Jehovah, and comes to the people bringing a message from Jehovah.
Isaiah was born during the reign of the good king Uzziah, and it was in the last year of this monarch's life that he received the call to the prophetic office. Uzziah's character was generally acknowledged to be very noble, and in every way he showed a spirit of true piety and honor for the things of God, although in his later years he suffered from leprosy, due to an act of great pride. During his reign the nation as a whole enjoyed times of prosperity and temporal development. The whole nation mourned his passing from the scene at a time when his presence seemed needed the most. Under him the worship of Jehovah was encouraged but he was not strong enough to secure the destruction of the high places where idolatrous practices were continued. His reign must be ranked as one of the outstanding of the southern kingdom.
The name, Isaiah, means 'Jehovah saves,' or 'Jehovah is salvation', and through days of crisis and disaster greater than any before in the history of the people, his call was constantly to faith in the One Who alone could save the land. His role was ever that of inspiring and challenging the drooping spirits of the men of Judah at times when hope seemed dead. His ministry was a long one stretching as it did through the reigns of Uzziah, Jothan, Ahaz and Hezekiah. His father's name was Amoz, and there is a Jewish tradition that he was a brother of King Amaziah; in which case Isaiah would be the cousin of King Uzziah. Naturally enough, it is impossible to be really sure of this, but it is certainly a reasonable explanation of the fact that Isaiah enjoyed immediate and regular entrance to the royal house. And also that he had the ear of the most influential people of his day. In spite of this, he remained a simple and undaunted spokesman for Jehovah, and tradition again affirms that it was for this reason that he was put to death in the reign of the wicked Manasseh, Hezekiah's successor. He was married and he himself called his wife 'the prophetess' (Isaiah 8:3). He had two children, one named Shear-jashubl, which means 'a remnant shall return,' and the other Maher-shalalhashbaz, which means 'haste ye to the spoil.' These names were given to them as portents of what was to come and also as a reinforcement of the prophet's predictive message.
Apart from this, there is little else known of his personal history except what is found in the book itself. The exact length of his ministry is not known for sure, but he definitely labored for at least forty years. From the last year of King Uzziah's reign 740 B.C. to the fourteenth year of the reign of King Hezekiah in 701 B.C. and it is clear that through all this period of time his call and challenge were unremitting and persistent. His aim was ever definite - the establishment of the worship of the Lord in righteousness and truth amongst the chosen race.
Isaiah's prophecy, the longest of all the Old Testament prophecies divides first of all quite naturally into two parts, chapters 1-39, and 40-66.
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