Shakespeare of the Prophets

Song: Holy, Holy, Holy

Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-13

The prophets were victims of their times. Their message sometimes spoke of the future, even the distant future like when Isaiah spoke of the nature and coming of Jesus (chap. 53, read by the eunuch in Acts 8). Often their message rebuked the present sin of the times and told the coming consequences. The prophets were inspired historians, informing the people of the meaning of their history—why God did this, and allowed that, and how both events related to their sin or their obedience.

Isaiah is often called the “Shakespeare of the prophets” because of the beauty of his poetry. He was a prophet for forty years from the year that King Uzziah died in about 740 BC to the time of the Assyrian king Sennacherib’s campaign against Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah in 701 BC. He predicted the fall of Israel to Assyria and fall of Judah to Babylon. He named Cyrus (150 years beforehand) as the king who would restore the captives of Judah to their homeland. He also spoke of the future glory to come to Israel with the Lord’s appointment of His suffering servant, the Christ. His messages are many, but here are three:

Holy is the Lord of hosts. There is no room in the kingdom for those who play at religion. God is holy. He can’t dwell with the unclean. Period.

Watch worldly alliances. Judah put her trust in alliances with the super powers of her day. Their trust was misplaced. Trust in the world still is.

God has His remnant. In our text, God called the remnant a stump that after the tree is felled sprouts new growth. When all the world seems to have gone bad, God still watches after the faithful.

Jason Moore