Description
The New Testament quotes Isaiah more than all the other prophets together. Isaiah is the Paul of the Old Testament in his teaching that faith in God’s promises is the single most important reality for the Lord’s people—this is the heart of chapters 1–37. He is the Hebrews of the Old Testament in his proposal of faith as the sustaining strength of the Lord’s people in life’s dark days—this is the heart of chapters 38–55. He is also the James of the Old Testament in his insistence that ‘faith works’, proving itself in obedience—chapters 56–66. Behind all this lies the history through which he lived and future events as he envisaged them. Historical context—Isaiah ministered within the fifty-year period between the death of Uzziah (739 BC), and that of Hezekiah (686 BC). Isaiah has numerous cross references to Kings/Chronicles.