Isaiah is easily one of the most informative and significant books of the entire Old Testament. It provides a wealth of insight into the nature of God, His dealings with His (unfaithful) people, His providential care for His servants, and the layout of the kingdom of God under the reign of Messiah. However, it can also be a daunting study. At sixty-six chapters, Isaiah is the one of the longest of the prophetic books. Its explanations, prophecies, and descriptions of judgment are often couched in highly dramatic, poetic, and symbolic language. There are also a number of historical allusions as well as references to specific instructions in the Law of Moses throughout Isaiah; an unawareness of these references severely limits the communication of book’s message. Furthermore, there are several major thematic contexts which Isaiah is constantly appealing to or is developing as he goes. Again, if one is unaware of those themes, or misses the transition from one to the next, this will frustrate his or her study of this grand book.
An Overview of Isaiah is intended to help the student deal with all of these factors. This is not a mere survey, but is certainly nothing like the standard commentaries on this book (which are 400 to 1000 pages in length, and are usually written for ministers and theologians). This overview is designed to provide a simplified yet explanatory treatment of the book of Isaiah. It will serve as a study guide for nearly any adult Bible class as well as private or individual study.
