1 – Introduction to Isaiah

Isaiah 1:1

1The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah (ASV, 1901).

Here the prophet himself begins the long sixty-six-chapter book which he wrote over four successive kings in Israel (740 to 680 B.C.). He lived in Jerusalem and was blessed to be used of God almighty to bring an incredible volume of prophecies to this world while living in the Southern kingdom of Judah. According to chapters 7 and 8, Isaiah was married and had at least two sons, Shear-jashub and Maher-shalal-hashbaz, whose symbolic names illustrated God's dealings with the nation as a whole. Since he had access to these four kings and possibly a fifth he was probably a wealthy man living in the upper class of Israel. Isaiah is to the Old Testament as the Book of Romans is to the New. It is a book filled with rich theological truth. Like Romans, God through Isaiah unveils the sinfulness of rebellious people and his gracious provision of salvation.