New Series: Isaiah - Introduction

I think the writer's block I experienced earlier has finally begun to lift and I'm going to start a new series working through the book of Isaiah. Why Isaiah? Isaiah was one of the most prolific prophets in the Hebrew scriptures, not only writing much content, but also covering a wide swath of topics - even while maintaining constant themes of justice, hope and redemption. Isaiah is unwavering in his critique and God's judgment of Israel (particularly the ruling class) while delivering at the same time the promise of restoration for those who repent. I've also never read Isaiah from beginning to end in a concerted effort to study the book and this seems like a good way to do it.

Further, when reading the New Testament, one will find many references to Isaiah. It is clear that Paul relied heavily on the Psalms and Isaiah and continually refers back to them as does Jesus himself. While I think it is important to read and study the entirety of scripture, aside from the Pentateuch, the Psalms and Isaiah seem to hold particular relevance to understanding the words of Christ and New testament writers.

I haven't decided how I will go about the survey, but right now I think I will do a quick overview and then go chapter by chapter from the beginning commenting and expanding on Isaiah's prophecies and judgments. One thing that I've found is that Isaiah speaks directly to us now as he did to Israel (and others at the time) This is both heartening and terrifying which will become apparent as we look into even the first chapter of Isaiah.

I'm pretty excited about writing about this and I hope it will be both enjoyable and enlightening as Isaiah illuminates from the 8th century BC truths that are relevant to the 21st century AD