Episode 86: Introduction to Isaiah – Part 1
Join Dan Weatherall and Paul Davenport as they continue their mini series on the Old Testament prophets by starting to look at the Book of Isaiah. They explore Isaiah’s historical context and, referring to the seven types of prophetic content introduced in the previous episode, they work through some examples of his messages to Judah, the surrounding nations and the promise of future blessings for all people. Discussing key themes and passages in chapters 1 to 39, Dan and Paul aim to demystify Isaiah’s complex but rich narrative, encouraging listeners to dive into the text themselves. This episode sets the stage for the second part of the discussion, which will cover chapters 40 onwards.
Show Notes
Dan and Paul begin by briefly recapping the findings of their previous podcast on the prophets. They discuss the historical context of the book of Isaiah, noting that the prophet was active in the reigns of kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. Isaiah was active during the Assyrian crises when the Northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed. King Hezekiah of Judah suffered sickness at the same time as a brutal, though failed siege of the city by the Assyrian armies.
The discussion includes analyzing the structure of Isaiah and the authorship of the book. They run through chapters 1 to 39, relating specific passages to the overall narrative of God’s covenant with Israel and how some aspects are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus even though they had specific meaning at the time. The first half of the book is discussed, providing an overview of the book with the hope that this will encourge deeper reading of this substantial and complex book.
A full summary and structure of the book is available here.
Episode timestamps
00:00 Introduction and Recap
00:11 Overview of Isaiah
01:55 The Seven-Part Model of prophetic content
04:20 Historical Context of Isaiah
09:43 Authorship and Composition of Isaiah
15:06 Structure and Themes of Isaiah
21:13 Introduction to Isaiah’s Prophecies
21:40 Isaiah’s Message to Ahaz
25:20 Oracles Against Nations
28:37 God Reigns in Zion
31:35 Warnings for Judah
33:47 Hope and Restoration
35:36 Historical Account of Hezekiah’s reign
38:39 Conclusion and Reflections