Isaiah has an intense focus on the Davidic line of kings. What conclusions can we draw about Isaiah, his goals, and his writings, based on his firm standing with the monarchy?
Isaiah infers that God’s will is unchangeable. The nation of Israel will fall, and although it will come back, it still needs to fall, and repenting will not stop that. What does this suggest about Isaiah’s understanding of God? How does this connect with our previous discussion on God’s anthropomorphic imagery in this book?
Does Isaiah’s prophecy serve to encourage the people to change their behavior or predict events that are certain to occur? How does this compare to other prophets of this time?
Applying the Text:
The prophet Isaiah is often connected with radical social commentary and condemnation of structural power. Do you agree with this viewpoint? Why or why not?
In Isaiah’s context, the idea of a “messiah” is not a one-time universal event. Do you think the term could be used for people today? Would that be an appropriate gesture? How might different religious traditions see this differently?
Isaiah has a gift for weaving hope and doom together into one prophetic message. What do you think this method accomplishes? Do you think it works well? Have you ever delivered information with this approach?