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Summary
and questions for the Book of the prophet Isaiah
The
Book of Isaiah
What
turns an ordinary person into a prophet? So
little is known about the personal lives of most
prophets, we seldom get a glimpse of the person
before the call to prophesy overtakes him (or
her—like Isaiah’s wife, some prophets were
women.) That special hour when vocation makes
itself felt is often quite powerful, as Isaiah
describes in chapter 6. He is drafted into
God’s service in 742 BC during a vulnerable
generation. Nearby Assyria was threatening its
neighbors with dreams of world empire.
Assyria’s plans were bad news for the Jewish
people, divided for centuries into two kingdoms:
Israel to the north and Judah to the south.
Israel, with its capital city Samaria, would be
conquered within a year of Isaiah assuming the
prophet’s role. Judah’s capital Jerusalem
would be under siege as well within his
lifetime. In such a perilous age, God’s people
surely needed some divine guidance.
Isaiah
was the fellow for the job. He served under at
least three kings of Judah until 701 BC,
offering oracles
(words from the Lord) of both warning and hope.
We think of prophets as seers who predict the
future. But most prophecy involves choices being
made in the present that affect what the future
may hold. Isaiah is fierce in his defense of the
holiness of God, which his generation has not
respected, and God’s authority—the
understanding that God’s power is above every
ruler on earth, including the leaders of
Assyria. Isaiah wants to assure his nation that
God’s in charge of world events. But the
prophet also urges the people to take
responsibility for their own actions,
particularly in matters of social justice.
Oppression of weaker members of society is an
offense against God’s holy will. Jeopardizing
the lives of the poor puts the whole nation in
jeopardy as well.
The
prophet Isaiah is believed to be the author of
much of the first 39 chapters of the book we
call “Isaiah” today. His oracles in chapters
2, 9, and 11 are among the best-loved readings
for the Advent season. Another writer who
borrowed from Isaiah’s convictions and
principles wrote again under his name in the 6th
century after Jerusalem’s final defeat and
exile to Babylon. That writer, called Deutero-Isaiah
(“Second Isaiah”), is responsible for
chapters 40 through 55. His four “servant
songs” in chapters 42, 49, 50, and 52-53 are
critical to our Lenten meditations on the
passion of Jesus. A third writer, Trito-Isaiah,
wrote chapters 56-66 after the exiles returned
to rebuild Jerusalem. Jesus quotes from Isaiah
61 at the start of his own ministry. The
influence of the original prophet Isaiah was so
immense that his ideas continued to challenge
and instruct people for centuries to come—as
they do today.
Questions
1.
As you read Isaiah, note verses that are
familiar to you. Do they sound like good news or
bad?
2.
In what passages does Israel’s prophetic
vision seem wider than just his generation and
community?
3.
Isaiah chapter 5 includes the Vineyard
Song. What stories did Jesus tell that remind
you of this song?
4.
Isaiah’s call in chapter 6 is both profound
and just a little comic. Would you say, “Woe
is me?” if an angel named you the prophet of
your generation? Why or why not?
5.
The Immanuel Prophecy of chapter 7 was delivered
to King Ahaz but also has significance for
Christians. Name another prophecy in Isaiah that
was important for more than his own time.
6.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit, as we call them,
had their origins in the list in Isaiah 11:2-3.
Who demonstrates these gifts today?
7.
Consider the sign that Isaiah gives in chapter
20: going naked and barefoot for three years.
What did this strange gesture mean? Would it be
effective today?
8.
Isaiah 40:6 says that “All mankind is
grass,” sometimes translated simply as
“”Flesh is grass.” What does this image
tell you about the nature of human life?
9.
Read chapter 60. How many references can you
find that remind you of the Magi in our
Christmas story?
10.
Which writings appeal to you more: those of
“first” Isaiah (chs. 1-39), Deutero-Isaiah (chs.
40-55), or Trito-Isaiah (56-66), and why?
Summary
and Questions offered by Alice Camille, M.Div.
Alice
Camille is a nationally known author, religious
educator, and retreat leader. She received her
Master in Divinity from the Franciscan School of
Theology in Berkeley, where she also served as
adjunct faculty teaching ministry and preaching.
For ten years she has written the popular
Scripture series “Exploring the Sunday
Readings” for Twenty-Third Publications. She
also writes a monthly Bible column,
“Testaments,” for U.S. Catholic Magazine
that has won awards from the Catholic Press
Association and Associated Church Press. Her
books include the CPA award-winning titles Invitation
to the Old Testament and Invitation
to the New Testament (ACTA Publications).
She also co-authored A
Faith Interrupted: An Honest Conversation with
Alienated Catholics with Joel Schorn (Loyola
Press.) Alice takes God seriously and religion
with a sense of humor.
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