Faith Expressions

Notes and Selected Verses from Isaiah Chapters 1 and 6

That is the meaning of Isaiah.

The Book of Isaiah is one of the 39 (or more) books found in the Old Testament part of the Bible. Like some books in the Bible, the title is taken from the name of the person who wrote the verses of the first 39 chapters of the book – Isaiah – and he is one of the leading prophets of Old Testament time. In fact, Isaiah is often considered as the greatest of the Biblical prophets. As a product of work, the Book of Isaiah is classified under the Latter Prophets as contrasted with those works classified under the Former Prophets.

There are two methods by which the 66 chapters of the Book of Isaiah are divided. The first method groups the chapters of the book into two: the first part consists of chapters 1-39 while the second part consists of chapters 40-66. The second method divides the book into three parts: the first part consists of chapters 1-39, the second part consists of chapters 40 to 55 and the third part, consists of chapters 56-66. There is agreement among experts in the study of the Bible that the first 39 chapters were written by Isaiah. However, some think that the entire book was written by only one person – the prophet Isaiah – while some believe that the later chapters were written by the followers or disciples of the prophet.

The Book of Isaiah was written during the reigns of four kings [Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah], during the war between Israel and Judah [the divided kingdom] and during the Assyrian invasion of Israel and Judah and just before the Babylonian exile. These were a time when God had an urgent message to send to his people, and Isaiah answered the urgent call to the prophetic office. These were a time when the covenant between God and his people appeared to have reached the breaking point because of the people’s sins and lack of trust in God. These were a time of disorder and great unrest from within and from without. It was under these circumstances that Isaiah wrote the verses of the book – in a powerful literary style that was both heart-warming and heart-breaking. For the prophet Isaiah, the only solution to the problems confronting the people of God was to return to God and to trust that their God is the God who saves. It was a message of hope and redemption not only for his nation but for the entire world.

Below and on the succeeding pages are verses that were selected from the book of Isaiah. A phrase interpretation is given for each verse or group of verses by the author of the website.

Verses from CHAPTERS 1 and 6

“Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! This is what the Lord says: ’The children I raised and cared for have turned against me. Even the animals – the donkey and the ox – know their owner and appreciate his care, but not my people Israel. No matter what I do for them, they still do not understand. Oh, what a sinful nation they are! They are loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil and corrupt children who have turned away from the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel, cutting themselves off from his help…Must you rebel forever? Your head is injured, and your heart is sick…Your country lies in ruin, and your cities are burned. As you watch, foreigners plunder your fields and destroy everything they see.’”

(Isaiah 1:2-7 / NLT 1997) --- Bible verses about the sins of the people of God and their problems as coming from within and from without

“I have had enough of burnt offerings…When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? Bring your worthless offerings no longer…I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your…festivals…They have become a burden to Me…So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.”

(Isaiah 1:11-15 / NASB 2000) --- Bible verses about God’s anger that was directed towards his chosen people

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ’Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’”

(Isaiah 6:1-3 / NIV® 2011) --- Bible verses about Isaiah’s vision and about holiness as a real, existential characteristic of God as testified by angels who possess pure and crystal-clear minds

“Then I [Isaiah] said, ’Woe is me, for I am ruined!

Because I am a man of unclean lips,

And I live among a people of unclean lips;

For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.’”

(Isaiah 6:5 / NASB 2000) --- Bible verse about Isaiah’s vision of God and his evaluation of himself in relation to the vision he had as completely unworthy of the prophetic office and ready for destruction

“Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, ’See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.’”

(Isaiah 6:6-7 / NLT 1997) --- Bible verses about Isaiah’s vision of God and the supernatural gift of forgiveness he received that made him fit for the prophetic office

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ’Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ’Here am I. Send me!’”

(Isaiah 6:8 / NASB 2000) --- Bible verse about Isaiah’s vision of God and his swift affirmative response to God’s urgent calling

“So he [the Lord God] told me to go and give the people this message: ’No matter how much you listen, you will not understand. No matter how much you look, you will not know what is happening.’ Then he said to me, ’Make the minds of these people dull, their ears deaf, and their eyes blind, so that they cannot see or hear or understand. If they did, they might turn to me and be healed.’” (TEV 1995) “Then I [Isaiah] said, ’Until when, Lord?’ And he replied: ’Until cities lie in ruins without inhabitants, houses are without people, the land is ruined and desolate, and the Lord drives the people far away, leaving great emptiness in the land. Though a tenth will remain in the land, it will be burned again. Like the terebinth or the oak that leaves a stump when felled, the holy seed is the stump.’” (CSB 2018)

(Isaiah 6:9-10 / TEV 1995 and Isaiah 6:11-13 / CSB 2018) --- Bible verses about Isaiah’s vision of God and the commissioning of Isaiah as God’s prophet

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Part I: God is Salvation – Notes and Selected Verses from Isaiah Chapters 1 and 6 with Phrase Interpretation

Part II: God is Salvation – Selected Verses from Isaiah Chapters 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 40 and 42 with Phrase Interpretation

Part III: God is Salvation – Selected Verses from Isaiah Chapters 43, 44, 45, 49, 52, 53, 55, 56, 58 and 61 with Phrase Interpretation