Today, we turn to the Book of Isaiah, who was a prophet from 740 BC to as late as the 680’s BC. The length of time of Isaiah’s work has led some biblical scholars to assume Isaiah is not the writing of one prophet but of two or even three. The challenge before us is not to determine if the writing contains one, two, or three authors, but to consider what Isaiah said, and why? Once we do that, we must see how it applies to our lives today, given we serve the risen Jesus. Isaiah lived under the old covenant, and prophesied the coming of Jesus. He also prophesied about the doom coming to Israel if she didn’t repent and return to God. While calls to repentance can apply in every age, because we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, as we read much of Isaiah, it will be more as historical background than as pertinent to our daily lives. Isaiah’s word to Israel was and is God’s word. It’s application in our lives, though will be more in terms of principles to apply and promises given and already answered than as prophesy of future events.
In Isaiah 1, we read of the kings of Judah (Israel’s southern kingdom) during which Isaiah prophesied. We read from the outset how both Israel and Judah have turned against the LORD and have suffered His judgment. Remember in Isaiah’s time, the people of God were under the Law of Moses, which required obedience for the people to be blessed. The people had not been obedient. They had turned from the LORD and worshiped idols. Therefore, they had suffered God’s judgment. He tells the people He doesn’t want their sacrifices and burnt offerings. He wants obedience. He does promise that though their sins were like “scarlet,” they would be washed as white as snow. (Sin is often called “black,” by people, because they think of it as being darkness. The color God associated with sin was scarlet or red. ) As we read through chapter 1, we see the repetition of the LORD’s condemnation of evil, a call to repentance, and a return to Him. He calls Jerusalem a “whore,” and that image is often used throughout the books of the prophets, because the LORD saw Israel and Judah as His bride. They often indulged themselves in worshiping false gods, particularly Baal. This led to the analogy of God’s people being a whore. This tells us how profoundly personal the LORD considers our relationship with Him. Far from being a distant God who is unconcerned with our daily lives, He loves us and wants us to put our relationship with Him before any other. That is His desire, because He has done that with us!
Isaiah 2 begins with a promise of Jerusalem being the central place, where people will come to worship the LORD and to learn His laws. This is a future promise, because at the time the people of Judah and Jerusalem were engaged in unfaithfulness. The latter portion of the chapter deals with “The day of the LORD.” Nearly all the prophets spoke of the day of the LORD. It was a future time when He would judge all nations. As we read in chapter 2, the judgment on the idol worshipers, which was virtually every nation, was to be severe. This is in keeping with the LORD’s view that His people are precious, and anyone or anything that would turn us away from Him deserve judgment and punishment.
Isaiah 3 is a scathing rebuke on Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah not only rebukes them for what they have been doing, but tells of the LORD’s judgment and punishment to come. While the previous chapter offers a promise to Judah and Jerusalem, chapter 3 makes it clear this is not an unconditional promise. The promises of the old covenant were always conditioned on the people obeying the LORD. The people had rejected that condition, and the consequences would be severe.
As we return to Mark 6, we find Jesus returning to His hometown to teach. While the people were amazed at His teaching, they began to question it, because they knew Him. He had grown up among them, so they were skeptical. Jesus told them a prophet was never honored among his own people. As a result of the people’s lack of faith, Jesus could not do many miracles there. Do you find that interesting? Jesus’ ability to heal had some connection to people’s faith. That statement has been used down through the centuries to tell people they failed to receive healing, because they didn’t have enough faith. While that might be true at times. Jesus’ point was the whole group held no faith in Him, and their collective disbelief was the reason for His failure to heal many. It wasn’t that Jesus couldn’t heal many people. It was that He didn’t, because they failed to believe He could. They saw Him as merely human, and not as God’s Son. When we pray in faith, we don’t always receive what we want, but Jesus always hears us and responds. If we’re part of a group that doesn’t believe He is the Son of God, we ought not be surprised when He doesn’t answer our prayers, (although He might!) but even then He might answer to demonstrate His love for us, and to show us He is real.
As we continue through Mark 6, Jesus continues to perform amazing miracles such as feeding the 5,000, and walking on water, but He also sends out the twelve to do their own mission work. Jesus didn’t come to heal everyone, or to cast out every demon. He came to establish the Kingdom of God, and to bring our salvation. He did that in an extremely unusual way: through training up a small group of people, who would testify to His Lordship, and offer prayers for healing and deliverance to any who desire that. They would also establish communities or fellowships of people in places all over the other, where the “body of Jesus Christ,” would be lived out in such a manner that those on the outside would want to come in!