Why Isaiah?

Why would I want to study the book of Isaiah? Some might ask this question and wonder, “what could this have to do with me, a member of the New Testament church?”

There are several ways one might go about answering this question. First and foremost, as a part of our Bible, we are told in II Timothy 3:15 that “All Scripture is God breathed,” or “given by the inspiration of God,” and “profitable” for us in many ways. One of those ways is that the book itself gives internal evidence to the veracity of the Bible as a whole and to the book of Isaiah itself. Isaiah has many prophecies which pertain to Christ’s first coming as the Son of God and our Savior. It speaks of His birth, His unspotted life, His death, and His coming kingdom which is yet to be fulfilled in its fullness.

The fulfillment of the prophecies relating to Christ’s first coming give us assurance that He will also fulfill the promises related to His second coming and the establishment of His future kingdom spoken of by Isaiah and other Biblical prophets.

It might do well to be reminded that when Jesus walked the earth and when the church began, there was no New Testament for them to read. The Old Testament cannon, or accepted Biblical writings, was the Bible of their day. This cannon included the book of Isiah. It is also noteworthy to mention that the book of Isaiah is quoted at least 66 times in the New Testament. Jesus Himself quoted from the book and the book is quoted or mentioned in 20 of the 27 books of the New Testament!

Besides the future prophecies contained in Isaiah, there is also information related to the history of Israel which was a divided kingdom during Isaiah’s lifetime. Isaiah primarily spoke to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah during the reign of four of their kings from Uzziah through the reign of Hezekiah. From the messages God gave through Isaiah to the nation of Israel, we, as individuals and as a nation can learn many valuable lessons which are applicable to our lives.