Isaiah: A Ride in the Chariot

By Theodor B. Rath

IsaiaH was one of the 16 radical or writing prophets who spoke to the people of Israel during a difficult time in their history. During this time, the people rebelled against God, experienced disorder in their society, and were often overpowered by their enemies. Occasionally, under the leadership of good kings, they experienced spiritual renewal, enjoyed prosperity, peace, and tranquility.

The book of Isaiah has 66 chapters. Traditionally, many people have believed that Isaiah was the sole author of the book. However, in the last couple of centuries, biblical scholars have determined that other unidentified writers were also involved in the writing of this book. Several major events, described in the book itself, took place over a period of 300 years or more. This is true for the period of time that transpired between chapters 39 and 40.

The overarching theme of the book is salvation. Other themes include judgment, punishment, captivity, the fall of the nation, comfort, hope, holiness, and salvation through a coming redeemer. While the first 39 chapters deal primarily with messages of judgment and a call to repentance, the last 27 chapters are messages of forgiveness and hope.

The book is divided into three parts. Chapters 139, called Proto-Isaiah, emphasized divine sovereignty and holiness, urging radical trust and faithfulness to the Lord, announcing judgment on sinful practices and failure to trust, and envisioning Gods eventual redemption of Israel in visionary and messianic terms. Proto-Isaiah generally is known as First Isaiah.

Chapters 4055 reflect the spirit of a new day, a time when God gave new challenges to the people. God is declared as the Creator, Redeemer, Lord, and Sovereign over all creation and all people. God would redeem people from all nations who sought the Lord. God would give a mission to all servants, who, through their endeavors, suffering, or other hardships, labored diligently to bring a message of redemption to the world. Included also are specific messages promising the release of the exiles from captivity in Babylon. This section of the book is called Deutero-Isaiah or Second Isaiah.

Chapters 5666, known as Trito-Isaiah or Third Isaiah, reflect conditions after the return of the exiles (538515 BCE) to rebuild Jerusalem and the difficult and political challenges of that generation. While Isaiah does not mention the return of the exiles or the rebuilding of the temple, that story is found in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Also in this section, Isaiah focuses on events that will come to pass in the future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781496969736

Theodor B. Rath

Pastor Theodor (Ted) B. Rath was born near Tuttle, North Dakota, the son of parents having a German heritage. His father, born in the Ukraine, was brought to the United States as a child. His mother was born in Romania and came with her family to the States settling in North Dakota. The oldest of five children, Ted has been married to his wife, Bernice, for fifty-nine years. Also of German background, and immigrants as well, her parents also were born in Ukraine. Bernice is a retired elementary school teacher. They have four children: Corleen, Nolan, Mylen, and Lo Ann. Pastor Rath is a Korean War veteran, having served his tour of duty at a general hospital located in the Kanto Plains District northwest of Tokyo, Japan. It was a facility that treated and rehabilitated American soldiers wounded in the Korean conflict. While in Japan, he was asked to teach a Sunday morning Bible class to Japanese junior and senior high girls, along with four women who served as their mentors. His translator, Junichi Ehara, was very faithful in assisting him for a period of seventeen months. After serving his tour of duty, he returned to the United States to continue the college education he had begun during the summer of 1949. Having resisted God’s call to the ministry for nearly ten years, he was ready to resume his studies and to continue his life’s work as a pastor. In 1957, he received his bachelor’s degree in history and religion from Westmar College in Le Mars, Iowa. He then attended the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Naperville, Illinois, and received a bachelor of divinity degree in 1960. In 1980, he received a doctor of ministry degree from the McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. Ted began his ministry in 1955. In May of 1960, he was ordained by the Dakota Conference of the Evangelical United Brethren Church. This denomination merged with the Methodist Church in 1968. He then served in three appointments in North Dakota for a period of thirty-five years. They included McClusky and Mercer; Cavalier (Trinity), Concrete, and Hamilton; Cando, Church’s Ferry, and Starkweather. During the time when parishes were realigned in the Cavalier area, he also served the Presbyterian Church at Crystal. The Hamilton congregation worshipped with Presbyterians during his tenure in that congregation. He retired in the summer of 1995. During his ministry, he served on the Dakotas Conference Commission on Archives and History, serving as its chair for two terms. In June of 1996, he travelled to the Ukraine to visit ancestral villages. After touring areas in the Ukraine not far from Odessa, he then visited communities in southwest Germany and northeastern France. Shortly after returning to the United States, he served as an interim pastor in a yoked parish of Presbyterians and ELCA Lutherans for seven years. The Raths have admired Michael Flowers and his wife, Dakota Conference missionaries who serve the Spirit Lake Ministry Center near Devils Lake, North Dakota, which is not far from where they have lived since retiring. The Spirit Lake nation is home to a Sioux Tribe of Native Americans who have been in that area of North Dakota since 1867. While living in Arizona, the Raths have attended the Chandler United Methodist Church, Chandler, Arizona. On Palm Sunday, 2014, they were the recipients of the inaugural Joyce Hammack Humanitarian award presented to them for expanding the vision the congregation’s ministry to include the Spirit Lake Ministry and other needs beyond the local community. This award is established in perpetuity by the Chandler congregation in recognition of outstanding Christian service and dedication by disciples committed to the ministry of missions with the Chandler United Methodist Church and its worldwide communities.

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© 2015 Theodor Rath. All rights reserved.

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Published by AuthorHouse  07/15/2015

ISBN: 978-1-4969-6974-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-6973-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015902987

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Contents

In Gratitude

Foreword

An Overview Of This Study

Part One:  The Beginning Of The Story

An Introduction

Topic 1: Synopsis Of The Book Of Isaiah

Topic 2: Characteristics About The Book Of Isaiah

Topic 3: Mesopotamia And The Fertile Crescent

Mesopotamia

The Fertile Crescent

Topic 4: The Prophets In The Beginning

Amos, Hosea, Jonah, Isaiah, And Micah

Amos – A Southerner Who Prophesied To The Northern Kingdom

Hosea – A Northerner Who Prophesied To His Own People

Jonah – A Prophet Sent To Assyria

Isaiah – A Prophet To Judah

Micah – A Prophet To Judah

Topic 5: The Prophet Isaiah

Topic 6: Why Include The Book Of Deuteronomy?

Topic 7: No Other Gods

Idolatry Today

Topic 8: From The Judges To The Prophet Isaiah

Part Two:  A Study Of Isaiah

Chapters 1-39: The Failings Of Israel

Chapters 1-5

An Introduction

Chapter 1 - Studies Of The Book Of Isaiah

What Do The Failings Of Israel And Judah Say To The World Today?

Chapter 2 - Two Special Events Coming In The Future

Chapter 3 – Broken Relationships, Poor Leadership, And A Weakened Society (Verses 1-15)

Chapter 3 – Verses 16-26 And Chapter 4 – The Women Of That Day (Verse 1)

Chapter 4 – Blessings For The Survivors (Verses 2-6)

Chapter 5 – The Song Of Unfruitful Vineyard (Verses 1-7)

Chapter 5 – God’s Judgments On Corrupt Social Practices (Verses 8-24)

What Do These Conditions Say To America And The World Today?

Chapter 5 – A Prophecy Regarding Judah’s Future (Verses 24-30)

Some Concluding Thoughts

Chapter 6: The Call Of Isaiah

Chapters 7 And 8: Isaiah And King Ahaz

Chapters 7 And 8 – A Connection

Chapter 8 – Additional Prophecies And Expressions

Isaiah Chapter 9: Good News In The Face Of Judgment

Isaiah Chapter 10: God’s Four Decisive Words

Isaiah Chapter 11: The Messiah And The Messianic Age

Isaiah Chapter 12: A Song Of Thanksgiving

Isaiah Chapters 13-23: God And The Nations

Chapter 13 - Babylon

Chapter 14 – Babylon, Assyria, And Philistia

Chapters 15 And 16 - Moab

Chapter 17 - Damascus And Ephraim

Chapter 18 - Cush Or Ethiopia

An Addendum – Church Growth In The Sudan

Chapter 19 – Egypt

Chapter 20 – Isaiah And Ashdod

Chapter 21 – Babylon, Edom, And Arabia

Chapter 22 - Heeding A Difference Of Opinion

Chapter 23 - Tyre

Chapters 24 – 27

Chapter 24 – The Destruction Of The Earth

Chapter 25 - Praising God

Chapter 26 – Singing A Song Of Victory

Chapter 27 – The Promise Of Deliverance

Chapters 28-33

Chapter 28 – Learning Important Lessons

Chapter 29 – Jerusalem Will Be Attacked But Spared

Chapter 30 - Egypt Won’t Be Of Much Help

Chapter 31 – Repeating What Has Already Been Said

Chapter 32 – The Blessings Of Righteousness

Chapter 33 – God’s Promises Of Deliverance

Chapters 34 And 35

Chapter 34 – God’s Judgment On The Nations

Chapter 35 – Establishing A Marvelous Kingdom

Chapters 36 – 39 - Hezekiah Faces More Difficulties

Chapter 36 - Sennacherib And His Threats Against Hezekiah

Chapter 37 – Hezekiah’s Prayer Brings Deliverance

Chapter 38 – Hezekiah’s Critical Illness

Chapter 39 – Hezkeiah And The Visitors From Babylon

Part Three:  The Story Of The Exile

Between Chapters 39 And 40 Of Isaiah

Seven Kings And One Extra

Manasseh – 2 Kings 21:1-17; 2 Chronicles 33:1-20

Amon – 2 Kings 21:19-26; 2 Chronicles 33:21-25

Josiah – 2 Kings 22:1-20; 23:1-30; 2 Chronicles 34:1-33; 35:-27

Jehoahaz – 2 Kings 23:31-33; 2 Chronicles 36:1-3

Jehoiakim – 2 Kings 23:34-37; 2 Chronicles 36:5-8; Jeremiah 36:1-32

Jehoiachin – 2 Kings 24:8-17; 2 Chronicles 36:9-10; 2 Kings 25:27-30

Zedekiah – 2 Kings 24:18-20; 25:1-21; 2 Chronicles 36:11-14; Chapters 24, 27,28, 29, & 34 Of Jeremiah

Gedeliah – 2 Kings 25:22-26; Jeremiah 40:7-16; 41:1-17

The Prophets

Zephaniah – Who Prophesied About The Assyrians

Nahum – Who Prophesied About The Assyrians

Jeremiah – Who Prophesied About The Babylonians

Habakkuk – Who Prophesied About The Babylonians

Ezekiel - A Prophet During The Exile

Daniel - A Prophet During The Exile

The Siege And Fall Of Jerusalem

The Book Of Lamentations

Nebuchadnezzar – Ruler Of Babylon

The Exile Of Judah In Babylon

Preserving A Heritage

Part Four:  The Passages

An Introduction To Chapters 40 – 55 Of Isaiah

Chapter 40 -Nine Images Of God

Chapter 41 -Who God Is And What God Will Do?

Additional Thoughts About The New Exodus

Chapter 42 – Introducing The Servant

Chapter 43:1-7 – The Servant’s Redemption

Chapter 43:8-28 – The Servant’s Witness To The Nations

Chapter 44 – A Reminder From God To Israel

Chapter 45 – Cyrus The Great And God’s Call To The World

Cyrus The Great – Chosen And Used By God

Preparing For A Release Of The Exiles

Chapter 46 – God Cannot Be Compared To Babylon’s Idols

Chapter 47 – A Prediction Of Babylon’s Defeat

Chapter 48 – Gentle Reminders

Chapter 49 – The Servant’s Mission: Being A Witness To The World

Chapter 50 – The Servants – Israel, The Lord, And Others

Chapter 51 - 52:12 - The Servant And Israel

Chapter 52:13-15 – The Suffering Servant – Exalted, Disfigured, And Influential

Chapter 53 – The Servant’s Suffering, A Most Notable Prophecy

The Servant Songs

Chapter 54 – Restoring Israel

Chapter 55 – Invitatations, Instructions, Certainties, And Transformations

Part Five:  The Return Of The Exiles To Jerusalem

Chapters 56-59

Chapter 56:1-8 – Spirituality And Behavior For The New Community Of Faith #1

Chapters 56:9 And 57:1-13 – Spirituality And Behavior In The New Community Of Faith #2

Chapter 57:14-21 – Spirituality And Behavior In The New Community Of Faith #3

The Prophet Haggai

The Prophet Zechariah

The Ministries Of Ezra And Nehemiah

Chapter 58 – Spirituality And Behavior For The New Community Of Faith #4

Chapter 59 – Spirituality And Behavior For The New Community Of Faith #5

Beyond Tomorrow - Chapters 60, 61, And 62.

Chapter 60 – The Dawning Of A New Day

Chapter 61 – A Focus On The Future – Performing A New Task

Chapter 62 – The People Of Israel And Jerusalem To Be Justified And Redeemed

Chapter 63:1-6 – Edom: A Symbol Of God’s Judgment

The Prophet Obadiah

Chapters 63:7-19 And 64:1-12 – The Prophet’s Prayer

Chapter 63:7-19

Chapter 64:1-12 - The Prophet’s Earnest Prayer

Chapters 65 And 66

Chapter 65:1-16 – God Answered The Prophet’s Prayer

God’s Plan For A Future Yet To Be

Chapter 65:17-25 - Changes And New Beginnings

Chapter 66 – Two Special Promises Made By God

The Prophet Joel

The Prophet Malachi

Part Six:  Looking At The Book Of Isaiah Today

The Assyrians - From Their Past To The Present

The Babylonians - From Their Past To The Present

From Babylonia To Iraq – From Then Until Now

The Persians - From Their Past To The Present

A Conclusion - A More Personal Word -

Appendix

The Kings Of Judah – The Southern Kingdom 108

The 19 Kings Of Israel – The Northern Kingdom 109

Biography Of Author

Bibliography

Endnotes

IN GRATITUDE

First, I thank God for the life and ministry of the late Rev. Dr. Francis W. Boelter, who served as a Professor of Religion at Westmar College, LeMars, Iowa, and as Professor of Old Testament at the Evangelical Theological Seminary, Naperville, Illinois during the 1950’s and 1960’s. His teaching ignited a spark in me to pursue studies in the latter parts of the Old Testament, something that stayed with me during my ministerial career.

Secondly, I want to thank my family – my wife, Bernice, for the time she gave me to pursue this study when we could have done other things during our retirement. Truly, this has been a great blessing. Likewise, I am very thankful to Mylen, our second son, for his assistance in helping me to use the computer as a valuable tool in this study. I am also grateful to our first grandchild, Heather, who assisted in working with a computer when we spent the summer months in North Dakota.

Thirdly, I am ever so grateful for my mentor, La Verne Abe Harris, Ph.D., for giving me the guidance necessary to make this particular study a reality. I have benefited greatly from her knowledge, experience, expertise, and wisdom. Her congenial spirit, patience, and understanding demonstrated her unique abilities while working with students and novices in their attempts to put ideas and thoughts into print. Her assistance has made this study a delight to pursue, giving me a greater sense of purpose and meaning in my life and ministry. My wife and I are very grateful to have met her and her husband, Carl, several years ago. Our life has been the richer for it.

Fourthly, I thank members of a review committee in the persons of Dr. La Verne, Charles Parker, and the Rev. Michael Downing for reading and reviewing the materials of this study in the earlier stages of preparation.

Lastly, I am most grateful for the interest in this project expressed to me by numerous friends in Arizona and North Dakota. This includes not only United Methodists but members of other Christian denominations as well. Above all, I thank Almighty God for the grace and goodness shown to me during this particular endeavor.

TO: BERNICE

FOREWORD

The basic design of this study is four-fold: 1) to tell the story about Isaiah and other prophets in that time of history; 2) to share what I have learned from the experts (as I will call them) with others who can benefit from this study; 3) to show how the failings mentioned in chapters one through five are also taking place in America and in other countries in the world today; and 4) to make this a tool either for personal reading and learning or something that can be used as a Bible study in group settings.

Also, I could not address every word or passage in the Book of Isaiah. Doing so would not be workable or feasible. Again, when studying the lessons, please use your Bible to follow the scriptures or the story. You can include the Book of Deuteronomy, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles or a book of the Bible relevant to the story being studied. When studying Deuteronomy in Part One, Topic 6, use your Bible to learn about God’s requirements for the Hebrews regarding obedience and faithfulness to the Lord in matters of behavior, beliefs, faith, relationships, spirituality, and promises or warnings relative to their future. Doing so will be immensely helpful. Lastly, please consult other sources such as books, commentaries or even the Internet to enlarge your learning.

The last 17 books of the Old Testament, commonly known as the prophets, are difficult to understand and to comprehend. When reading books like Hosea, Obadiah, or Zechariah, one finds it more difficult to understand and comprehend passages than when reading other selections of the Bible. Or, one may read some passages in other books of the prophets, like Amos or Jonah, and understand them, but not understand other selections. Such is also true for the book of Isaiah.

While attending seminary during the latter years of the 1950’s, I took several courses on the Old Testament. One course was about the prophets. In the years since, I have remembered only the most familiar passages that are read or used in pulpits across America today. These passages are most helpful when reflecting or celebrating our faith in Christ.

In the fall of 2008 I began an in-depth study on the Book of Isaiah. I consulted the experts — the professors, scholars, and teachers, who, over the course of many years had written extensively about this prophet. This included the other 15 prophets as well. In my reading, I went across the theological spectrum from left to right. I learned so much about their ministries and other factual material that I had not understood nor comprehended previously. As I continued my studies in the years since, I began to look at the whole story — a story about the people of Israel throughout their history over many generations of time.

During my studies I also learned in greater depth about the Ethiopian who travelled to Jerusalem to observe a Hebrew worship experience. His story is told in the Acts 8:26-40. That setting left a deep impression upon him. While returning to his homeland, he read from Isaiah, chapter 53, about the sufferings of God’s servant or Christ, as Christians have called him. Philip, an evangelist, led by the Holy Spirit, approached the chariot that the Ethiopian was riding and taught him the meaning of this passage. While thinking about the Ethiopian, I have marveled at the trip he made, depending upon his point of origin somewhere in eastern Africa to Jerusalem — a distance of about 1,000 miles. (Some researchers believe the headquarters of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, was located at Meroe, a city on the banks of the Nile River, about 133 miles northeast of Khartoum in the north central part of the Sudan). At that moment he was on his way home riding in a chariot drawn by a team of horses. No one in our age and generation in a time when people travel by automobiles, trains, or airplanes, would ever think about making this kind of a trip by horses to observe a worship service.

I thoroughly enjoyed doing this project having worked at it for over five years. I learned so much about Isaiah and the other 15 prophets linked with him in the latter part of the Old Testament. Before doing this study I only had an abbreviated understanding of that section of the Bible, an amount generally taught to students in a seminary. Through the years of my active ministry I became fascinated with the prophets and always sought to learn more about them and their ministry. After retiring I became more intrigued with them and began to read materials written by professors, researchers, theologians and other books recommended by writers in theologically-oriented periodicals. I now have an enlarged understanding of a section of the Bible that has given me a greater sense of fulfillment as a pastor and a student of the Word of God. When I began my intensive study of Isaiah, I felt some nudges to put something into a form that could be read by others, particularly lay people, students, or pastors, who also want to enlarge their learning and understanding of God’s servants – the writing prophets of the Old Testament. My study and writing is far from being complete. I just could not comment on everything found in this part of the Bible. I wanted to share a story, written in simple form about a section of the Bible that for many people is very difficult to understand or to comprehend. I feel I have accomplished a task that God expected of me.

When reading Isaiah, I found many facts, premises, or thoughts that attracted my attention. I now want to highlight the meaning for me. First, we live in an age abundantly blessed by discoveries and inventions that add so much in comfort and convenience for most of the earth’s inhabitants. Our world today is filled with attractions and distractions. People today have turned the focus of their life from God to themselves. I highlighted this concern in my commentary on the first five chapters in the book of Isaiah. Again, I must ask the question, Where is God in our life? Or where do we place the Lord in daily living? Is God first or last? We may also refer to Rabbi Kuschner’s question, when he asks the question on the cover of his book entitled Who Needs God? Where we place God in our life and activities becomes a primary question not only for Americans but also for people living in all other countries of the world. Where do we place God in our life and faith? God asked that question of the Hebrews and eventually of people living in other nations. The Lord now asks that same question of us today. A study about this question has stimulated me to do more about putting God first, wherever possible, to make Christ central in my faith and to allow the Holy Spirit to fulfill God’s plans for my life and my family. My prayer is that you will do the same.

Secondly, I am also attracted to prophecies written by at least eight of the writing prophets in the Old Testament about the restoration of Israel. They are Isaiah (11:12; 14:1-2; 27:6; 43:5-6), Jeremiah (29:14; 32:42), Ezekiel (28:25-26; 36:24-), Joel (3:19-21), Amos (9:11-15), Micah (2:12-13), Zephaniah (3:14-20), and Zechariah (8:7-8). This restoration has been and is being fulfilled during the 20th and 21st centuries CE. The beginnings of Israel’s return to the nation’s homeland began shortly after 1900. The nation was fully recognized in May of 1948. This return has greatly affected other nations in the world, especially Israel’s neighbors in the Middle East. The Arabs, living in that area of the world have reacted very strongly to Israel’s presence and influence. Political leaders from America and Europe have often intervened when tensions and conflicts occurred. Now with the aid of the United Nations they continue to monitor hostilities in the region, always hoping to build on their efforts to achieve peace and stability. The tensions found between Arabs and Jews (Israel) have created several other concerns and problems also affecting Christians, particularly those living in countries of the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, and other parts of the world. Most Arabs are Muslim or Islamic by faith with many of them being very hostile to Christians and Jews. Having studied some of these concerns, problems, and reactions, I have discovered the following: 1) Islam is divided: on one hand we hear about Moslems killing Christians (the Middle East, Africa- Sudan, Nigeria, Egypt); on the other hand, we’re told about those who live who peacefully with each other (southern Spain, western Africa, Indonesia); 2) Christians living in some countries of the Middle East and other places have fled others have migrated to Europe, the United States, and other places in the West; 3) Many Moslems are now converting to Christianity; and 4) Radical elements within Islam and especially among terrorists defending them are seeking world domination with the desire to restore the political, religious, and social conditions once associated with the Ottoman Empire (1299-1922). As Christians very concerned about world affairs, we need to carefully watch the events transpiring with these concerns.

Many Christians believe a showdown is probably inevitable between radical elements of Islam and nations in the West. The beliefs, feelings about certain types of freedom, and some of the practices of theology differ greatly between the two. However, we also hear about Christians, Jews, and Moslems meeting together to build greater levels of commonality, trust, and understanding among these three groups. We pray for their efforts to increase.

Thirdly, I have been amazed at the growth of Christianity in the world. This has transpired in the midst of a falling away by many who once saw themselves as believers. Isaiah spoke of salvation (chapter 12), mentioning the word salvation 24 to 26 times. He also called for repentance (1:18) and a seeking of the Lord (55:6-7). In his writings, Isaiah also prophesied about Israel becoming a light to the nations (49:6-7; 60:3). Christ chose this theme before leaving the disciples and gave them (as well as ourselves) the great commission (Matthew 28:19-20). And throughout the centuries since, and especially in more recent years, Christians of numerous denominations and persuasions have gone into the world to evangelize, preaching a message of forgiveness and redemption to those willing to hear the Good News. Quoting the Lord, Isaiah also said, "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth (44:22). Today, we will find believers in every continent of the world. Believers from the United States and other countries, particularly those who are not engaged in regular missionary service, are now willing to travel to Africa, Asia, and other places needing some assistance, to share their talents and abilities to help people struggling with hunger, disease, or some special need.

One of the blessings we have in our modern age is the joy of travelling to other parts of the world. Also, people from other places in the world come to our country. I have had a number of such experiences, and God has richly blessed my life because of these adventures. For this I say, thank you, Lord.

AN OVERVIEW OF THIS STUDY

During the past century, archaeologists, pastors, researchers, scholars, students, and others have devoted their interests and energies to in-depth studies of the last 17 books of the Old Testament. Known as the prophets or writing prophets, they are not easy to read or to understand. Students of the prophets and their written materials have greatly enriched the knowledge and faith of many believers throughout the world. In essence, they have become teachers to those who want to learn more about this part of the Bible and its message for people living in this period of history. By using their skills, these teachers have provided a wealth of explanations, exegesis, exposition, facts, information, interpretation, and other sources of knowledge greatly benefiting millions of people who desire to enlarge their understanding of this section of the scriptures. Available today for the learner are many books, commentaries, and other written materials published by these scholars and teachers. In an age where the computer has become a necessary instrument of communication and learning, one can find information about this part of the Bible on the Internet.

In the light of the great abundance of materials today to people seeking to enlarge their knowledge and understanding of the writing prophets, one may ask, Why this study? The answer is two-fold: 1) to provide lay people and pastors (especially students), whose knowledge of the prophets is very limited, with a condensed, but abbreviated story of this section of the Old Testament, and 2) to provide explanations of events, people, and teachings, as well as stories of interest written in a more simple form to be better understood by the reader.

The books from Isaiah through Malachi are a major focus of attention. Depending on the point of beginning used by any writer to tell the story of these 16 prophets, the time frame can be seen as being anywhere from 300 to 500 years. The time frame from Isaiah to Malachi is considered to be about four centuries, or about 400 years. During Isaiah’s time, the Assyrians were the strongest governing power in the Middle East. The power and the influence of the Assyrians was felt in various ways in this part of the world, beginning about 2600 BCE and ending about the seventh century CE, when their influence was severely curtailed by the Arabic Islamic invasions of the region. The power, control, and influence of the Assyrians will be described in different places of this study. The book of Isaiah, however, will be the basic area of study, accompanied by 1) historical details, and 2) references to and brief studies about the other fifteen prophets whose books, messages, and prophecies are found in the latter section of the Old Testament.

The major premise of this presentation deals with the effects of prosperity and culture as experienced during the reigns of Jeroboam 2 (the 13th king of Israel) and Uzziah (the 10th king of Judah). King Jeroboam 2 ruled 41 years, having served longer than any other king in Israel (2 Kings 14:23). King Uzziah (also known as Azariah) reigned over Judah for 52 years (2 Kings 15:1-2). The Hebrew people experienced great prosperity during the reigns of both kings. However, during this time of prosperity the people experienced failings, economically, morally, and religiously — grievances that became the message and ministry of the writing prophets. The primary purpose of this study is to show that prosperity can either be a blessing or a curse. If people live by principles of justice and righteousness their society will be wholesome and meaningful. However, if they choose to ignore the factors essentially needed by any society to be strong and significant, they will experience disastrous consequences. And the culture surrounding people can easily make or break them.

This study is divided into six parts. Part One is a collection of various subjects that explain the beginnings of the story. Part Two is a study of Isaiah, chapters 1-39. The passages of each chapter are explained or interpreted. Part Three is the story of the Exile – a time when the Babylonians held Judah captive. Isaiah predicted the Exile but never told its story. Part Three is placed between chapter 39 and 40 of Isaiah. Part Four is an account of chapters 40-55 of Isaiah, with a description of the passages in each chapter. Part Five (chapters 56-66) is basically the story of the return of the exiles to Jerusalem with a description of passages in each chapter. Part Six is an abbreviated history about the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and the Persians from the when they were in power to the modern age. The events taking place in the Middle East during the 20th and 21st centuries CE, and probably beyond these dates reflect what has been written about the Significance of Isaiah on pages xxii through xxv of this study.

Please note the following changes in terminology. B.C. (before Christ) now is called BCE (before common era). A.D. (anno domini) or after Christ is now called CE (common era). Also, all quotations from scripture are taken from the