Beginning Isaiah
Isaiah 1: The vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw regarding Judah and Jerusalem.
My devotional journey through the Message has thus far taken me through the O.T. books of history and wisdom. The history books were the easiest and the books of wisdom were the most surprising. Now I turn my attention to the 16 writing prophets. It becomes clear right off that these men of God aren’t interested in winning popularity contests. In the words of the old west, they “shot from the hip.” They also insist that God is central to all of their lives and that their nation(s) can’t keep the Almighty confined to “acceptable” parts of their lives. That’s a message my nation needs to hear too. The words of the prophets are driven by the holiness, righteousness, and connected-ness of God. I start off with the most famous of all prophets, Isaiah. It has been suggested that Isaiah isn’t one person, but three or more. That’s because the tone and, according to the experts, vocabulary of his writings are as varied as it would be if three different people wrote. They also point out that in this culture, the disciples of a person would never dream of using their own name, viewing that as a breach of ethics. Again, the identity or identities of “Isaiah” won’t be much of an issue as I write from a devotional point of view. So, for months to come I’ll write from Isaiah and the other prophets of Israel. Let’s see where it takes us.
Take Away: Once again words written centuries ago speak in fresh ways to our current lives.