We know very little about the personal life of Isaiah the prophet. He is referred to as one of the Major Prophets of the Bible. This is mainly because his book is composed of 66 chapters, one of the longest books in the Bible. But when we look at his life, writings and preaching, he has to be one of the greatest prophets to have lived.
He was probably born in Jerusalem, the son of Amoz (not Amos), Isaiah 1:1, who is thought to have been related to the royal family. He lived in Jerusalem and prophesied in the days of four kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, Isaiah 1:1.
He was married to a woman described as “the prophetess,” Isaiah 8:3. This may imply that she had the gift of prophecy, too. They had two sons, Isaiah 7:3 / Isaiah 8:1-4.
There is no record of his death. Tradition says he was sawn asunder with a wooden saw during the reign of Manasseh. Some think that Hebrews 11:37 refers to the fate of Isaiah.
Isaiah was called in a vision at the temple, Isaiah 6. When the Lord asked, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah 6:8, it is said that Isaiah responded, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8.
His prophetical labours extended over a period of about sixty years. His book is quoted eighty times in the New Testament, showing fulfilment of his prophecies. He is called by name twenty-one times in the New Testament.
He was also a historian, 2 Chronicles 26:22, and a statesman-adviser to kings. His writings illustrate each of these. Truly, he was one of the great characters of the Bible.
To fully appreciate Isaiah and his book, one must understand the moral decay that Judah (Southern Kingdom) had fallen into. Following the death of Jehoshaphat, Judah entered into a period of moral decline, 2 Chronicles 21 / 2 Kings 8.
Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, married a daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, 2 Kings 8:18 / 2 Chronicles 21:6. She was as bad as her mother and exerted a great influence for evil in Judah, 2 Kings 11 / 2 Chronicles 22. During the reign of Ahaz, the southern Kingdom sank even lower, 2 Chronicles 28:19.
However, the next king, Hezekiah, raised the moral standards of the nation greatly. He was aided in this by the prophet Isaiah, 2 Chronicles 32:20. This is the setting from which we view Isaiah and his work of preaching.
This great prophet was God’s spokesman to denounce the sins of that day. The priests merely taught rites to be performed, while the prophets taught spiritual and moral principles.
Thus, Jehovah’s voice to his people was through the prophet Isaiah, who proclaimed God’s words of warning of what would happen to them for their revolting against God.
To read this book is to realise that this great spokesman was intensely devoted to the task God had given him to perform. Someone has said that Isaiah is to the Old Testament what Paul is to the New Testament.
After Isaiah was called, God told him that most of his work would be a ministry of judgment against the people, Isaiah 6:9-13. Even though he would speak the truth, the people would reject his words, Isaiah 6:10.
Jesus used these words of Isaiah’s calling as a prediction of the rejection of His own message by many of the people who listened to Him when he lived on earth, Matthew 13:14-15.
Isaiah’s ministry extended from about 740 B. C until 701 B.C. His years of preaching doom and the punishment that would come did not turn the nation of Judah from its headlong rush toward destruction.
But Isaiah faithfully preached the message God gave him until the very end. It was not an easy task that God assigned to Isaiah. Isaiah’s courage and bravery are to be admired. In Deuteronomy, we are told that the test of a true prophet is the coming to pass of what he wrote about future events, Deuteronomy 18:21-22.
What about Isaiah’s prophesies? Did his prophecies come to pass? It is an interesting study to look at the prophecies uttered by Isaiah, which were fulfilled in detail. Some came to pass during his lifetime.
1. Judah (Ahaz) would be delivered from Syria and Israel, Isaiah 7:4-7 / Isaiah 7:16.
2. Assyria would invade Judah, Isaiah 8:7-8.
3. Jerusalem would be delivered from the Assyrian army, Isaiah 37:5-7.
4. Hezekiah’s life extended fifteen years, Isaiah 38:4-5.
Some predictions were fulfilled after Isaiah’s death.
1. Babylonian captivity, Isaiah 39:5-7.
2. Desolation of Babylon, Isaiah 13:20-22.
3. Cyrus is named to be God’s “shepherd,” Isaiah 44:28 / Isaiah 45:1 / Isaiah 45:4.
4. Liberation of captives, Isaiah 45:13.
5. Rebuilding of Jerusalem, Isaiah 44:28 / Isaiah 45:1 / Isaiah 45:4.
6. Israel’s restoration, Isaiah 27:12-13.
Many of his prophecies were Messianic.
1. Preparatory work of John the Baptist, Isaiah 40:3-5 / Matthew 3:3.
2. Jesus would be born of a virgin, Isaiah 7:14 / Matthew 1:23.
3. Scenes of Christ’s ministry, Isaiah 9:1-2 / Matthew 4:15-16.
4. Deity and eternity of the throne, Isaiah 9:6-7.
5. Sufferings, Isaiah 53:5.
6. Would die with the wicked, Isaiah 53:9.
7. Make his grave with the rich, Isaiah 53:9.
8. Bear our griefs, Isaiah 53:4 / Matthew 8:16-17.
9. Be as a lamb led to the slaughter, Isaiah 53:7-8 / Acts 8:32-33.
10. Christ’s work, Isaiah 61:1 / Luke 4:18-19.
11. Christ’s kingdom, Isaiah 2:1-4 / Acts 2 / 1 Timothy 3:15.
12. New name for his followers, Isaiah 62:1-2 / Acts 11:26.
For years, critics of the Bible said that the book of Isaiah was written many years after the death of Christ because Isaiah was not inspired and could not make such clear predictions about events in the life of Christ. Thus, it had to be written by someone who lived as much as two to three hundred years after Christ, forging Isaiah’s name to the book.
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the spring of 1947 completely destroyed this theory. Among the scrolls were two complete copies of the book of Isaiah. This proves the book was written before the time of Christ, and copies of the book were being made long before the coming of Christ. The date for the writing of these scrolls has been fixed as early as two hundred years before Christ.
The many clear and detailed prophecies made by Isaiah can only be explained by the fact that Isaiah was inspired as he wrote this book. This is the only plausible answer that can account for these fulfilled prophecies uttered seven hundred years before the actual events took place.