The book of Isaiah contains the prophecies of the prophet Isaiah, who was called by God in the year of King Uzziah’s death. There is much debate among scholars about who exactly wrote the book and when it was written. That said, multiple books in the Bible identify Isaiah as the source for the prophecies contained in the whole book, and functionally the book works best as one unified whole rather than a compilation from different authors from different time periods. Further, the book of Isaiah carries with it the same authority as the other books of the Bible and is an indispensable book within the whole of Scripture.

By the time Isaiah began prophesying, Israel was well on the decline in the eyes of God. Though recently there had been relative prosperity in both kingdoms, there had also been injustice, idolatry, and lack of reliance on God. Through Isaiah, God announces His intention to pass judgment on His people for their sins if they do not repent. This judgment, however, is not without hope. There will be a future king who comes to bring about justice and restore Israel.

Reading Isaiah:

The book of Isaiah is the first of the major prophets in the Old Testament. It is filled with divine messages from God through Isaiah in the form of Hebrew poetry, with bits of narrative appearing in between. Remember that prophecy in its basic form is a message from God and prophets are essentially God’s elected spokesperson. These messages can contain future hopes, but also contain God’s message directly to Israel’s present circumstances.

Hebrew poetry is very different from the contemporary poetry we are used to reading and can be difficult to follow. Often, the ideas communicated within each line or phrase will “rhyme” with each other, meaning the author will link lines together by repeating or building on a singular idea. This repetition adds more layers to the word picture being painted by the author. Ultimately, poetry communicates best when it connects on an emotional level. Allow the pictures painted by the poetry to connect, be it the pictures of Israel’s sin, God’s wrath, or the hope offered in repentance. The book is long but has repeating themes which are possible to track.

This section of Isaiah starts with an accusation of Jerusalem’s leaders for making an alliance with Egypt because Isaiah knows this will fail them. We see the rise and fall of Jerusalem through King Hezekiah and his foolishness in creating yet another alliance that will eventually lead to the exile. Isaiah’s hope throughout the book is that the future Messiah will come and bring hope to the people.

God is guiding all of human history.

The wrath of God is to be feared above all else.

Hold onto hope. The future is filled with hope, and God is fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecies. A Messiah is on the way.

The people have lost faith. God is responding to people’s faithlessness and gives them insight to why they are in suffering.

Structure:

Zechariah was both a prophet and a priest. He was a prophet by calling and a priest by family lineage. He began his ministry shortly after Haggai had begun his prophetic work. He had an intimate familiarity with the worship practices of the Jews due to his priestly heritage, even if he had never served in a completed temple due to its destruction around 586 BC.

Zechariah’s name means “Yahweh remembers,” which was appropriate to the purpose of his prophecies. Zechariah is a book of hope and encouragement. It is a reminder that God would remember His promises to His people, even after all the time they had spent in exile. They would still be judged for sin, but God would bring cleansing and restoration, and God would rebuild his people and his temple.

The setting for this book is that a moral reformation of the people had not occurred. Jerusalem was still only partially rebuilt and had no significance among the surrounding nations. The people concluded that God was absent from them. Many viewed faithful obedience as useless. It seemed to make more sense to forget God and to pursue the best life possible.

The book of Zechariah contains the clearest and the largest number of messianic (about the Messiah) passages among the Minor Prophets. In that respect, it’s possible to think of the book of Zechariah as a kind of miniature book of Isaiah. Zechariah pictures Christ in both His first coming (Zechariah 9:9) and His second coming (9:10–10:12). Jesus will come, according to Zechariah, as Savior, Judge, and ultimately, as the righteous King ruling His people from Jerusalem (14:8–9).

The messianic prophecies were especially timely, because at the time God’s people were discouraged. The chapters of Zechariah are filled with dreams (prophecies) and commissions to repentance and faithfulness. It’s filled with the encouragement that a Messiah is coming, and that the people should ready themselves for his arrival.

Repentance & Faithfulness - the call to turn away from sinful ways and return to the one true God.

Hope - God’s people are called to place their hope in Him, and be spiritually renewed.

The Advent of the Messiah - a Messiah is coming. Chris is predicted to come in lowliness and humanity. He’ll be rejected and struck down, but His kingship will not end. He is building an everlasting temple and will reign with peace and prosperity for God’s glory. 

Structure: