Dr. Baden suggests that Isaiah’s prophecies are confrontational, but not necessarily revolutionary. Where do you see examples of this in the text? Is there a part where Isaiah does seem to go against the norms of his societal context?
In this section we see the return of the distinction between spirit and flesh. In what context is this brought up again? Is this an individual concern? A political one?
How is the distinction between spirit and flesh emphasized in this part of Isaiah as compared to other parts? Is the focus on the individual or the communal?
Isaiah was likely a prophet at the royal court. This environment had many competing prophets attempting to curry favor with the king. Does this knowledge change how you read Isaiah’s prophecies?
Applying the Text:
Does the genre of prophetic literature continue to this day? What are some examples you would include in that genre?
Isaiah has to regularly convince the ruler that his prophecy is the true one. How do you discern authentic messages from the divine with the inauthentic? Are there things we can learn from Isaiah’s prophetic practice that could help us today?