Let me tell you about who was Isaiah in the Bible—the remarkable prophet who served God during the reigns of four different kings in Judah. His amazing visions and prophecies about God's holiness, judgment, and the coming Messiah make him one of the most important prophets of all time.

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Isaiah's ministry lasted over sixty years during a tumultuous period when the Assyrian Empire threatened God's people. The book that bears his name contains some of the most beautiful poetry in Scripture and the most detailed prophecies about Jesus Christ—written more than 700 years before Jesus was born!

Who Was Isaiah in the Bible?

Chapter 1: The Prophet's Calling

Isaiah's story begins with an encounter so powerful it would shape his entire ministry. In the year that King Uzziah died (around 740 BC), Isaiah experienced a vision of God's glory that changed everything for him.

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.'" (Isaiah 6:1-3)

As Isaiah stood in God's presence, he was overwhelmed with his own sinfulness. "Woe to me!" he cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." (Isaiah 6:5)

In this moment of despair, something remarkable happened. One of the seraphim flew to Isaiah with a burning coal from the altar, touched his lips with it and said, "Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for" (Isaiah 6:7). This symbolized God's purification of Isaiah, making him ready for service.

Then came God's call and Isaiah's willing response. The Lord asked, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" Isaiah replied with words that defined his ministry: "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8) From this moment on, Isaiah became God's messenger to Judah and to future generations.

Chapter 2: Prophet to Kings

Isaiah served during the reigns of four kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. The Bible tells us: "The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah" (Isaiah 1:1).

Each of these kings faced different challenges, and Isaiah had to deliver God's message to them—sometimes messages of comfort, often messages of correction. Isaiah had the difficult job of speaking truth to power, telling kings things they didn't always want to hear.

One of the most dramatic encounters happened with King Ahaz. When Jerusalem was threatened by enemy armies, Isaiah urged the king to trust God rather than seeking help from the powerful Assyrian Empire. "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all" (Isaiah 7:9).

To reassure Ahaz, Isaiah delivered an amazing prophecy about the coming Messiah: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). This famous prophecy would be fulfilled centuries later when Jesus was born.

Later, Isaiah developed a closer relationship with King Hezekiah, a godly king who implemented religious reforms. When Jerusalem was surrounded by the Assyrian army and faced certain destruction, Isaiah delivered God's promise of deliverance. That night, the angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, and Jerusalem was saved (Isaiah 37:36).

Through these interactions with kings, Isaiah demonstrated the prophet's crucial role: to remind rulers that they themselves answered to a higher King.

Chapter 3: Warnings of Judgment

Much of Isaiah's ministry involved delivering difficult messages of coming judgment. The nation of Judah had fallen into serious sin, and Isaiah had to warn them of the consequences.

"Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: 'I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me… They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him'" (Isaiah 1:2, 4).

Isaiah condemned many specific sins: religious hypocrisy, injustice toward the poor, drunkenness, pride, and idolatry. He was particularly concerned with social justice, crying out against those who "deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed" (Isaiah 10:2).

The prophet didn't just warn Judah about judgment—he also delivered oracles against surrounding nations like Babylon, Egypt, Philistia, and Assyria. These prophecies showed that God is sovereign over all nations, not just Israel.

Though these messages were difficult to deliver, Isaiah faithfully communicated God's word. He often used vivid metaphors—comparing the nation to a vineyard that produced bad fruit (Isaiah 5:1-7), or describing the people as sick from head to toe (Isaiah 1:5-6).

Despite the harshness of these warnings, Isaiah's purpose was always to call people back to God. "Come now, let us settle the matter. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool" (Isaiah 1:18).

Chapter 4: The Suffering Servant

In the middle of Isaiah's book (chapters 40-55), the tone shifts dramatically. These chapters contain some of the most beautiful, hopeful passages in the entire Bible, looking forward to a time of comfort and restoration. They begin with the tender words, "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (Isaiah 40:1).

But the most remarkable passages describe a mysterious figure called the Servant of the Lord, who would suffer for the sins of others. Chapter 53 provides the most detailed description of this Suffering Servant:

"He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain… Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering… he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:3-5).

This prophecy, written more than 700 years before Jesus' birth, describes with astonishing accuracy how Christ would suffer and die for our sins. It explains that the Messiah would not come as a conquering king (at least not initially) but as a suffering servant who would give his life as a sacrifice.

Isaiah even foretold how people would respond to the Messiah: "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him" (Isaiah 53:2). Jesus didn't match the popular expectations for the Messiah, just as Isaiah predicted.

This section of Isaiah contains the clearest picture of substitutionary atonement in the Old Testament—the idea that someone innocent would suffer in place of the guilty. "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).

Chapter 5: A Vision of Glory

Isaiah's prophecies don't end with suffering—they look forward to a time of ultimate restoration and glory. The final chapters of his book (56-66) provide glimpses of God's ultimate plan for His people and for all creation.

Isaiah foresaw a time when God would create "new heavens and a new earth" (Isaiah 65:17). He described an era of peace when "the wolf and the lamb will feed together" (Isaiah 65:25), symbolizing the end of all violence and conflict.

The prophet also looked forward to a time when salvation would extend to all nations, not just Israel. God declared through Isaiah, "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations" (Isaiah 56:7)—words Jesus later quoted when cleansing the temple.

Perhaps most beautifully, Isaiah described the mission of the Messiah in chapter 61, a passage Jesus applied to Himself when He began His ministry:

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor…" (Isaiah 61:1-2).

Though we don't know exactly how Isaiah's life ended (tradition suggests he was martyred by being sawn in half during King Manasseh's reign), his words have lived on for nearly 3,000 years, continuing to comfort, challenge, and inspire readers with their vision of God's holiness, judgment, and ultimate redemption.

What Can We Learn About Isaiah?

1. Encountering God transforms us - Isaiah's vision of God's holiness in chapter 6 completely changed him and prepared him for ministry. Real encounters with God will always transform us and how we see ourselves. Biblestudytools.com notes how Isaiah's transformative moment defined his ministry.
2. Speaking truth requires courage - Isaiah had to deliver difficult messages to powerful people, including kings. Following God often means saying things people don't want to hear, even when it's uncomfortable or dangerous.
3. Judgment and hope belong together - Isaiah balanced warnings of judgment with stunning prophecies of hope and restoration. As Jesuswalk.com highlights, his ministry demonstrates that God's discipline is always aimed at restoration.
4. Prophecy can have multiple fulfillments - Many of Isaiah's prophecies had immediate applications in his time but found their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ centuries later. Scripture often works on multiple levels across different time periods.
5. God's plan extends to all nations - Though Isaiah primarily spoke to Judah, his vision included all peoples. God's salvation was never meant to be limited to one nation but to extend to people "from every nation, tribe, people and language" (Revelation 7:9).

FAQ About Isaiah

When did Isaiah live and prophesy?

Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of four kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. This was a tumultuous period when the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria, and the southern kingdom of Judah faced similar threats.

How many chapters are in the book of Isaiah?

The book of Isaiah contains 66 chapters, making it one of the longest books in the Bible. It's often divided into three sections: chapters 1-39 (focusing on judgment), chapters 40-55 (focusing on comfort and the Servant of the Lord), and chapters 56-66 (describing future glory and restoration).

Why is Isaiah called the "evangelical prophet"?

Isaiah is sometimes called the "evangelical prophet" because his book contains so many prophecies about Jesus Christ and the gospel. He foretold Jesus' virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), His divine nature (Isaiah 9:6), His ministry in Galilee (9:1-2), His suffering and death for our sins (53:4-12), and many other details about the Messiah's life and work.

What famous vision did Isaiah have?

Isaiah's most famous vision occurred in the year King Uzziah died, when he saw "the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne" in the temple (Isaiah 6:1-8). This powerful encounter with God's holiness led to Isaiah's confession of sin, his purification by a burning coal from the altar, and his commissioning as a prophet.

Would you like to learn about another great prophet from the Bible? Check out "Who was Jeremiah in the Bible?" to discover the story of the "weeping prophet" who bravely proclaimed God's messages during Judah's darkest days and witnessed the fall of Jerusalem that Isaiah had predicted!