Isaiah! Appointed by God to deliver words of confrontation
and confirmation to a (seemingly) disparaged nation. They say you cannot
separate a man from his message…Isaiah’s name truly sums up his message. His
name means “The Lord is Salvation.” He was one of the most quoted prophets in
the Bible (65 times in the New Testament). He was born to a well-off family
(Isa. 7:3;8:2), married, and had two sons. He grew up in Jerusalem and
responded to the call of God to ministry “in the year king Uzziah died” (Isa.
6:1; ca. 739 BC).
It is important to note the times in which Isaiah delivered
his messages in the texts of our concern (chaps. 61-62). These two chapters
declare (1) the good news of salvation – messianic allusions, and (2) salvation
and justice/judgment for God’s people and nation. It was during the time of the
divided kingdom (Judah to the south and Israel to the north). There were rampant
idolatry and ritualism. Judah had not yet fallen in captivity to the
Babylonians as King Hezekiah still had control and a prosperous reign (715-686
BC). Recall Hezekiah appealing to God for his life because of an illness (2 Kn.
20; Isa. 38)? Eventually, the nation would fall into captivity, with Isaiah as
God’s voice (one of) to proclaim messages of judgment upon
their captors, comfort to a people now Babylonian exiles, and declarations of
future glory. Keep in mind, these were difficult times.