Isaiah 53 is one of the most beautiful and precise prophecies about God’s work through Jesus that exists in the Old Testament. Isaiah, 700 years before Jesus was born, prophesied how God’s servant would die for His people, carrying their guilt as His own, to reconcile them to God.

Isaiah 52 is a chapter of hope in which Isaiah prophecies the restoration of Jerusalem and God’s return to the city to reign in righteousness. The end of the chapter is extremely important and is the setup for the famous fifty third chapter of Isaiah, it reintroduces God’s special servant, prophesying his future glory and future suffering.

Isaiah 51 is a message of hope to those in Judah who loved God. God was going to restore their broken nation, He would take it from despair to flourishing, just as He took Abraham from fatherless to the father of many nations. God called the people to wake up and recognize His power, His eternal salvation, and to wake up from a period of discipline to prepare for a period of blessing.

Isaiah 50 is about the unfaithfulness of Judah and the faithfulness of God’s special servant. Judah had failed in their calling to represent the God of Heaven and bring Him glory. God had selected a new servant, the Messiah, who had yet to come, who would accomplish His will and bring Him glory through His suffering.

To show His superiority to the false pagan gods, God promised to prophecy “new things” which would come to pass in the future and prove His eternal providence and power. God told Judah they would spend time in the refining fires of Babylonian captivity, but He would eventually deliver them and bring them back to Jerusalem.

To show His superiority to the false pagan gods, God promised to prophecy “new things” which would come to pass in the future and prove His eternal providence and power. God told Judah they would spend time in the refining fires of Babylonian captivity, but He would eventually deliver them and bring them back to Jerusalem.

In Isaiah 47, the Kingdom of Babylon is portrayed as a beautiful woman who is loved by all the nations. But in her popularity, she grew proud and wicked. She thought she was untouchable, above the judgement of God or men, but God promised to humble her. God would humble Babylon after He used them as an instrument of discipline towards the people of Judah.

Isaiah 46 is a comparison between the God of Judah and the false gods of the pagan nations. The God of Heaven created men and carried His people. The false gods had to be crafted by men and carried by men. Isaiah encouraged the people of Judah to look back into their history and observe all the evidences of the superiority and uniqueness of God.

Isaiah 45 contains a marvelous prophecy, spoken by Isaiah, foretelling the future leader of the Empire of Persia. Isaiah accurately prophesied the name, Cyrus, and the accomplishments of Cyrus the Great 100-150 years before they played out in history. Isaiah 45 is one of the clearest and most obvious passages that proves the divine origin of the Bible.

Isaiah 44 contains a prophecy about the future grace God was going to show to the nation of Judah. Though Judah had rebelled against Him, God promised to give new life to their land and redeem them. A large portion of the chapter is dedicated discouraging idolatry. Isaiah mocks the idols of foreign lands as nothing more than pieces of wood and image of metal.

Speaking prophetically about the captive Jews in Babylon, Isaiah encouraged them with words of salvation. God was going to help them and gather them back to Judah to serve the Lord. Unfortunately, Isaiah’s contemporaries needed a rebuke for their rebellion, and God delivered a strong rebuke, promising Judah’s “utter destruction” at the end of the chapter.

In the first half of Isaiah 42, Isaiah prophesied that God would send a servant who would establish a new covenant, bring justice, and uphold God’s law. This servant role was fulfilled by Jesus in the New Testament. The second half of the chapter is an admonition to Judah. They had abandoned faith in the God of Heaven. They were supposed to be God’s witnesses, but they had replaced Him with idols.

Isaiah continues comforting the people of Judah in chapter 41, foretelling God’s restoration of their nation. He presents God as transcending time, with power over the past, present, and future. He encourages the people of Judah to give up their dumb idols and give their hearts back to the powerful God of Heaven.

Shifting back to the prophetic, Isaiah promises comfort for the people of God. They would be punished for their sins, but afterwards, God would make His glory known among them. Isaiah rebukes the people of Judah for trading in the great God of heaven for stupid idols. He encouraged the people to wait on the Lord and trust His promises.

In Isaiah 39, Isaiah documents a mistake made by King Hezekiah. Hezekiah gave a tour of his entire armory, treasure house, and palace to envoys from the nation of Babylon. Isaiah and God were angry with Hezekiah for this foolish move. Isaiah prophesied that in the days of Hezekiah’s children, the Babylonians would conquer Jerusalem and take its people and treasures captive.

Isaiah 38 contains a short record about King Hezekiah of Judah. Hezekiah became very sick, and the prophet Isaiah told him to prepare for death. Distraught and saddened, Hezekiah reached out to the Lord in prayer. God showed Hezekiah grace and agreed to let him live for 15 more years.

After the Rabshakeh threatened Jerusalem in the last chapter, the king of Assyria sent another message to Hezekiah mocking him and his God. Hezekiah took the king’s letter and presented it to the Lord in prayer. God promised Hezekiah that He would defend Jerusalem. God sent an angel who killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night.

The king of Assyria had already conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, and now he turned his attention towards Judah. Isaiah 36 records the visit of the Rabshakeh to Jerusalem. He was the messenger of the king of Assyria, and he mocked Judah’s king, their strength, and their God in attempt to get Jerusalem to surrender without a fight.  

In chapter 35, Isaiah prophesied that God would turn the spiritual desert in Judah into an oasis of righteousness. God would make a highway for His redeemed people. They would walk in His ways, He would protect them, and they would make their way to Zion with joy and singing.

Isaiah prophesied that the day of the Lord’s vengeance was in store, when He would judge all evil nations of the earth and throw their haughty men down from the pedestals of pride. Edom specifically is called out in this chapter. God promised to humble them to nothing, to leave their land filled with the corpses of their warriors, and to empty their cities until they were homes for wild animals.