The Book of Isaiah, written by Isaiah around 740 BC, is a prophetic text from a difficult period in Judah's history. Judah enjoyed a long period of prosperity until the rise of Assyria to the east disrupted it. Judah faced a crucial choice: trust God for salvation or depend on their own plans.
Isaiah delivers a message that weaves together judgment, hope, and restoration. He confronts Judah’s sin and calls them to trust God in the midst of their political and spiritual crisis. While God’s judgment on Judah’s sin is severe, it is not the final word. God promised to keep a faithful remnant and fulfill his covenant, despite Judah's facing the consequences of its rebellion.
The book of Isaiah divides into two major sections. Chapters 1-39 of Isaiah address the sins of his contemporaries and the judgment that is coming. Chapters 40-66 discuss the future. Chapters 40-55 provide hope for exiled Jews in captivity, while chapters 56-66 address those returning, assuring them of God's restoration and the fulfillment of his covenant.
Isaiah highlights God's greatness, holiness, commitment to redeeming his people, his control over history, and call for righteousness. It also points us to Jesus, the suffering servant who saves his people through his suffering. As the Bible's second-longest book and the most quoted in the New Testament, its influence runs deep.
This book challenges us to see beyond appearances to the deeper reality of God’s purposes. It disrupts our familiar ways of thinking, reminding us of the seriousness of sin and the depth of God’s grace. Isaiah stands as one of the most profound, challenging, and hope-filled books in Scripture.
The Big Idea of Isaiah
S: Whom should we trust?
C: God, who judges sin, but saves his people and establishes his eternal kingdom.
BI: Trust God alone, who judges sin, saves his people, and establishes an eternal kingdom.
Judgment and Warning (1-39)
God's Judgment on Judah (1-5)
1:1-26
S: What is wrong with Judah?
C: Judah doesn't see its helplessness, hypocrisy, and corruption.
BI: God calls his people to see their helplessness, hypocrisy, and corruption.
2:1-5
S: What should Judah do now in light of what God will do in the future?
C: Walk in the light of the Lord.
BI: In light of what God will one day do, walk in the Lord's light now.
2:6-22
S: What will God do on the day of judgment?
C/BI: God will destroy all the things that we rely on apart from him.
3:1-4:1
S: How will God judge Judah?
C: By removing their leaders and their vanity.
BI: In his judgment, God strips us of the things we value most.
4:2-6
S: Is God's judgment the final word?
C: No, because God will purify and restore his people through judgment.
BI: God will purify and restore his people through judgment.
5:1-7
S: What will God do with those who do not respond appropriately to all that he's done for them?
C: He will bring ruin on them.
BI: If we don't respond appropriately to what God has done for us, we'll be ruined.
5:8-30
S: How will God respond to those who claim to be his people but live wicked lives?
C: He will judge them severely.
BI: If you claim to be one of God's people but live a wicked life, God will judge you severely.
The Commissioning of Isaiah (6)
6:1-7
S: What does God graciously give his people?
C: A bigger view of God, a clearer view of sin, and a deeper understanding of forgiveness.
BI: God graciously gives his people a bigger view of God, a clearer view of sin, and a deeper understanding of forgiveness.
(adapted from a phrase by Matt Searles in God's Story)
6:8-13
S: What does God's word sometimes do?
C/BI: God's word sometimes hardens hearts.
Trust God, Not Assyria (7-12)
7:1-9
S: Where should we turn in crisis?
C: Not to human strategies of self-rescue but to promises of divine grace.
BI: In crisis, trust God, not people, for rescue.
7:10-25
S: What has God given us?
C: A sign that he is with us and will destroy our strategies of self-salvation.
BI: God is with us and will destroy our strategies of self-salvation.
8:1-15
S: How should we respond to God's judgment?
C: By fearing only him.
BI: Respond to God's judgment by fearing only him.
8:16-22
S: What happens if we reject divine teaching?
C: We'll be destroyed.
BI: If we reject divine teaching, we'll be destroyed.
9:1-7
S: How will God respond to our need?
C: By sending a divine King to deliver us.
BI: God responds to our need by sending a divine King to deliver us.
9:8-10:4
S: What will God do to his unrepentant people?
C: He will give them as much discipline as they need.
BI: When we don't repent, God gives us as much discipline as we need.
(adapted from Big Idea Companion)
10:5-19
S: What don't the wicked understand?
C: They're instruments of God's power and will face his judgment.
BI: The powers that be are tools in God's hand and will face his judgment.
(adapted from Big Idea Companion)
10:20-34
S: What will God ultimately do?
C: Save his people and cause them to trust him.
BI: God will ultimately save his people and cause them to trust him.
11
S: What will God do when things seem hopeless?
C: He will send a King who will fill the world with his peace.
BI: God responds to our need by sending a King who will fill the world with his peace.
12
S: How should we respond to God's salvation?
C: With songs of praise.
BI: Respond to God's salvation with songs of praise
God's Judgment on the Nations (13-23)
13:1-14:27
S: What will God do to the proud and powerful nations that are opposed to him and his people?
C: He will use them and judge them.
BI: God will use the proud and powerful for his purposes but will ultimately judge them.
14:28-32
S: How should we respond when our enemies taunt us?
C: Remember what the Lord will do to them and what he will do for you.
BI: When your enemies taunt you, remember what the Lord will do to them and what he will do for you.
15-16
S: How should we respond to God's judgment of the wicked?
C: By mourning their judgment and welcoming those who flee to the Lord.
BI: Mourn God's judgment of the wicked and long for their salvation.
17-20
S: Why shouldn't we look for help from worldly powers?
C: Because they will one day look for help from God.
BI: Don't look for help from those who will one day look to God for help.
21
S: How should we think about the strong military and political forces of the world?
C: Don't trust or fear them, because they too will answer to the Lord.
BI: Don't fear or trust the world's superpowers, because they will answer to God.
22:1-14
S: What happens when God's people don't respond appropriately to God's blessings?
C: They too are judged.
BI: When God's people don't respond appropriately to God's blessings, they too are judged.
22:15-25
S: Why should we be realistic about leaders?
C: Because the best of them will fail.
BI: Be realistic about leaders because the best of them will fail.
23
S: How should we think about the economic powers of the world?
C: Don't trust them because God will humble them because of their pride.
BI: Don't trust the economic powers of the world because God will humble them for their pride.
The Lord's Triumph and Sovereignty Over History (24-27)
24
S: How will God respond to the wickedness of the world?
C: He will judge it.
BI: God will respond to the wickedness of the world by judging it.
25
S: What will God's people do after he judges the world?
C: Praise him and feast with him.
BI: After God judges the world, his people will praise him and feast with him.
26:1-27:1
S: What will happen when God destroys evil and establishes his kingdom?
C: God will secure his people, give them peace, and destroy evil.
BI: At the end of time, God will secure his people, give them peace, and destroy evil.
27:2-13
S: What is God's ultimate purpose for his people?
C: To prosper and restore them.
BI: God's ultimate purpose is to prosper and restore his people.
Warnings Against Trusting Assyria and Egypt (28-35)
28:1-13
S: What will God do to his proud people when they trust in their own strength?
C: He wil judge them but will preserve a remnant.
BI: God judges the proud but never abandons all.
28:14-29
S: What happens when we trust anything other than God?
C: Like a skilled farmer, God will accomplish his purposes through judgment.
BI: When we trust anyone or anything but God, God knows what to do to set us straight.
29:1-14
S: What happens when God's people fail to trust him?
C: He will discipline them but not abandon them.
BI: When God's people don't trust him, he disciplines them but doesn't abandon them.
29:15-24
S: What happens when we make plans independently of the Lord?
C: We end up confused about whose plans will prevail.
BI: When we plan our own way out of a crisis, we forget who's really in control.
30
S: Where should we turn in crisis?
C: Not to human wisdom or strategies, but to God and his promises.
BI: In crisis, turn to God's promises, not human wisdom or strategy.
31
S: Why is it foolish to trust in human solutions?
C: Human solutions are no match for God's solutions.
BI: Don't trust in human solutions because they're no match for God's solutions.
32
S: What will happen when the righteous King reigns?
C: God will restore all that's broken.
BI: When the righteous King reigns, God will restore all that's broken.
33
S: What will God do to those who oppress his people?
C: He will judge them and save his people.
BI: God judges oppressors and saves his people.
34
S: What will God do with this world?
C: He will utterly judge the wicked.
BI: God will utterly judge the wicked.
35
S: What will God do after he judges the wicked?
C: He will transform the world and return his people home.
BI: After God judges the wicked, he will transform the world and bring his people home.
Interlude: Hezekiah and Sennacherib (36-39)
36-37
S: In our darkest hour, whom can we trust?
C: In God, including his sovereignty and his promises.
BI: When crisis overwhelms, cling to God's sovereignty and his unchanging promises.
38
S: When your world falls apart, who can you trust?
C: The Lord, who has power over life and death.
BI: When your world falls apart, trust the One who holds power over both life and death.
39
S: What dangers often follow God’s blessing?
C: Pride and complacency.
BI: When God blesses, guard against pride and complacency.
Comfort and Hope (Chapters 40-66)
God's Deliverance of His People (40-48)
40
S: What truths can we cling to when we feel abandoned by God?
C: His plans are good, his greatness is unlimited, and his strength is available.
BI: When you feel abandoned by God, remember that his intentions are good, his power is limitless, and his strength is always available.
41:1-20
S: Why does Judah not need to fear, unlike the nations?
C: Because the Lord who controls history is with them.
BI: God's people never have to fear, because the Lord who controls history is with them.
41:21-29
S: What's the problem with worshiping other gods?
C: Unlike the Lord, they don't control history.
BI: Worshipping other gods is foolish because only the Lord controls history.
42:1-17
S: How will God use his chosen Servant?
C: To bring justice to the world gently.
BI: God's chosen Servant will bring justice to the world gently.
42:18-25
S: What happens when God's people become like the world?
C: They lose the ability to bless the world.
BI: When God's people become like the world, they lose the ability to bless the world.
43:1-44:5
S: What will God ultimately do for his people?
C: Restore and renew them.
BI: In the end, God will restore and renew his people.
44:6-20
S: Why worship God and not idols?
C: Because God is God and idols are ridiculous.
BI: Worship the Lord because he is God and idols are ridiculous.
44:21-45:25
S: How will God restore his people?
C: Through a pagan ruler who hasn't even been born yet.
BI: God can use anyone to accomplish his purposes, and he owes no one an explanation.
46:1-13
S: What's the difference between God and idols?
C/BI: Idols can do nothing, but God can do anything, including saving his people.
47
S: What will God do to all powers opposed to him and his people?
C: Use them and then humble them.
BI: God uses even his enemies for his purposes, but he will judge them.
48:1-11
S: What is God's purpose for his rebellious people?
C: To refine them for his glory.
BI: When God's people rebel, God refines them, not to destroy them but to restore them for his glory.
48:12-22
S: What should God's people do?
C: Acknowledge him and flee from the world.
BI: As God's people, acknowledge him and separate from the world.
Salvation through the Servant (49-55)
49:1-7
S: What will the Servant do?
C: Although opposed, he will bring salvation to Israel and the world.
BI: Although opposed, the Lord’s Servant brings salvation to Israel and the world.
49:8-26
S: What should God’s people remember when they feel forgotten?
C: That God will never forget them but love them, restore them completely, and bring the nations to them.
BI: God’s people may feel forgotten, but God remembers them, loves them, restores them, and will draw the nations to them.
50
S: What is the difference between Israel and the Servant?
C: Israel is sinful, but the Servant is obedient even when suffering, and he demands a response.
BI: Though we are sinful, God’s servant stays faithful through suffering and calls us to trust the Lord.
51
S: What encouragement does God offer those who face his discipline?
C: To remember what God has done and promised to do, and trust only him.
BI: When you face God’s discipline, remember what he’s done and will do, and trust him alone.
52:1-12
S: What is God’s call to his captive people?
C: Shake off the bonds of captivity, proclaim the good news, and rejoice.
BI: God calls his people to break free, proclaim the good news, and rejoice.
52:13-53:12
S: What will God’s Servant do?
C: Experience rejection and sorrow, suffer and die willingly on behalf of others to cleanse them from sin, leading to his victory and exaltation.
BI: Jesus willingly endured rejection and death to cleanse us from our sins, and God has honored and elevated him as promised.
54
S: What blessings will God’s people experience?
C: Fruitfulness, God’s favor and love, and security.
BI: God will give his people fruitfulness, his favor and love, and lasting security.
55
S: What is God’s invitation?
C: Come to the party, be satisfied in him, turn way from our thoughts to his, and trust that his purposes will prevail.
BI: God invites us to come to the feast, be satisfied in him, think his thoughts, and trust that his purposes will prevail.
God's Restoration of Israel and the World (56-66)
56:1-8
S: Who's included in God's saving purposes?
C: Anyone who wants in, including outcasts.
BI: God's salvation extends to anyone who responds, even the outcasts.
56:9-57:13
S: What is wrong with God's people?
C: Both the leaders and the people seem religious but are in desperately poor spiritual shape.
BI: External religion can mask a spiritually empty heart.
57:14-21
S: How can sinful people find their way back to a holy and exalted God?
C: Through the low path of contrition and humility.
BI: The way back to an exalted God is through the low path of contrition and humility.
58
S: What kind of righteousness does God bless?
C: Not just religious observance but neighbor-love.
BI: The righteousness God blesses moves beyond religious practice to tangible neighbor-love.
59
S: What is our greatest problem, and the solution to this problem?
C: Our sins have separated us from God, requiring our confession and God's salvation.
BI: Our sins have separated us from God, requiring our confession and his saving action.
60
S: What will it look like when God restores his people?
C: God will gather them, draw the nations and their wealth to join them, and fill them with his glory.
BI: When God restores his people, he will gather them, enrich them, and fill them with his glory.
61
S: What will the Messiah do?
C: Bring comprehensive restoration and vengeance.
BI: The Messiah will bring complete restoration and righteous judgment.
62
S: What is God determined to do?
C: Restore, transform, and delight in his people forever.
BI: God will restore, transform, and delight in his people forever.
63:1-6
S: What will the Servant do?
C: Judge the wicked and save his people.
BI: The Servant will bring judgment to the wicked and salvation to his people.
63:7-14
S: What does Israel's history reveal?
C: The sinfulness of God's people and the faithfulness of God.
BI: Scripture is the story of our failure and God's faithfulness.
63:15-64:12
S: How can we pray for God's compassion for our transgressions?
C: Remind him of his promises, yourself of his incomparability, and plea for his forgiveness.
BI: In confession, do three things: remind God of his promises, remember his incomparability, and plead for his mercy.
65:1-16
S: How does God respond to our prayer for mercy?
C: By saving seekers and judging rebels.
BI: God answers prayers for mercy by saving seekers and judging rebels.
65:17-25
S: What is the future like for God's people?
C: God will renew creation, banish suffering, and cause us to flourish.
BI: God promises his people a renewed creation, freedom from suffering, and unending flourishing.
66:1-17
S: What will God do in the end?
C: Bring judgment to sinners and salvation to those who fear him.
BI: When all is done, God brings judgment to sinners and salvation to those who fear him.
66:18-24
S: What will happen in the end?
C: People from every nation will worship the Lord, but rebels will face everlasting judgment.
BI: In the end, people from every nation will worship the Lord, but rebels will face everlasting judgment.
