←Isaiah 1→BSB

• This is the vision: This term introduces the book as a unified whole, covering Isaiah’s prophecies over about fifty-five years, from around 740 to 685 BC.

• Isaiah son of Amoz: Nothing else is known about Isaiah’s family.

• Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah, was the center of Isaiah’s ministry. Some of his prophecies also relate to the northern kingdom, Israel (called Samaria and Ephraim, Isaiah 9:8–21; 28:1–13), which Assyria destroyed in 722 BC (see 2 Kings 17).

heavens . . . earth: All of creation is called to witness the trial that God convened against Judah (cp. Deut 31:28; 32:1).

an ox knows its owner: Not so with Judah. Yet despite their rebellion, God still graciously addressed them as my people.

The expression Holy One of Israel is frequently used in Isaiah as a title for the Lord. God is the righteous and just King of heaven and earth (6:3–5), the incomparable God (40:25), and the Redeemer of his people (43:14). It was a terrible and foolish sin for Judah to reject him.

• God sent famine, war, disease, and death as punishment. In most cases, however, God wanted to change stubborn behavior rather than simply to punish.
• As a result of their persistent rebellion, the people’s head is injured and their heart is sick. The nation was wounded physically from Assyrian aggression, while spiritually they were defiled and overtaken by sin (64:6).

without any soothing ointments or bandages: Judah’s national condition was like the body of an injured person who had not received medical care.

country . . . towns: By 701 BC, the Assyrians had destroyed the infrastructure, taken cities, and ravaged the fields (see 64:10). This fulfilled Isaiah’s prophetic word (6:11–13). Those who survived this Assyrian onslaught would know by experience to heed later warnings of exile to Babylon (39:6–7). God does what he says he will do, so the warning of God’s judgment on all the nations is certain.

Beautiful Jerusalem (Hebrew The daughter of Zion): Zion, one of the hills on which Jerusalem stands, often served as a synonym for Jerusalem. Zion carried with it the notion of God’s presence (Ps 46), his protection of his people, and Jerusalem’s resistance to enemy forces. Now, however, the opposite was true. Jerusalem had become weak, like a helpless city under siege and like an abandoned . . . shelter or lean-to.

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies refers to the millions of angels that are at the Lord’s command (see 2 Kgs 6:16–17; Matt 26:53). At the Exodus, Moses described God as a warrior fighting for his people (Exod 15:1–21). Ironically, in Isaiah’s day, God fought against Judah because of their wickedness (Isa 1:24; 3:1–5).

• Listen to (literally listen to the word of) the Lord: In this context, listen means to respond in obedience to the law (or teaching; Hebrew torah) of our God (see 2:3; 5:24).
• leaders . . . people: All levels of society were guilty.
• Like Sodom and Gomorrah, Jerusalem had come under divine judgment for its rebellion against God’s laws. Jerusalem might have been utterly destroyed like those cities were it not for God’s grace (1:9; see Gen 19).

• The incense that accompanied offerings was intended as a sweet fragrance to the Lord (see Exod 30:7–8), but when offered with hypocrisy it was a nauseating stench and an abomination to God.
• While the Lord had ordered special days for fasting at the Temple (Lev 16:31; 23:32; Num 29:7), they were ruined by the guilt of Judah’s sin (see Isa 58:1–7; Matt 6:16–18).
• pious meetings: These holy days were associated with the new moon and other festivals (see Lev 23).

• New moon celebrations occurred on the first day of each lunar month (Num 28:11–15) and included sacrifices, feasting, and rest from work.
• The annual festivals were the festivals of Passover, Harvest, Trumpets, and Shelters (Num 28:16–29:39; Deut 16:1–17).

I will not look . . . I will not listen: The Lord does not respond to prayer offered from a life of persistent wickedness. In this case, God charged the people with perverting his laws in order to practice violent injustice toward innocent victims.

Wash . . . and be clean! The people were defiled by their sin and the uncleanness of their sacrifices. To be clean in God’s eyes, they needed to change their behavior, get rid of their sins, and give up their evil ways (see also 1:18).

Seeking justice means upholding God’s standards of fairness and advancing the rights of the oppressed, orphans, and widows—those who are weak and marginalized in society (see also Jer 7:5–7; 22:3; Zech 7:10; Matt 23:23; 25:31–46; Jas 1:27).

• God called his people to come and settle their dispute so that he could restore his covenant relationship with them. This required Judah to make a decision between obeying or turning away (1:19–20). Isaiah says their sins are like scarlet . . . they are red like crimson, the color of blood, which Judah had unjustly shed (1:15).
• white as snow . . . white as wool: The people would be radically transformed—cleansed, purified, and made holy (see also Ps 51:7; Dan 7:9).

I, the Lord, have spoken! This statement marks the solemnity of what God has just promised. The phrase is used eleven times in Isaiah.

The image of Jerusalem as a prostitute represents Judah’s unfaithfulness to God (see Jer 3:6–14; Ezek 16:25–26; Hos 1–3).

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the Mighty One of Israel, was usually Israel’s protector (31:5). However, in this context, God was coming to take revenge against his own people, who by their wickedness had become his enemies and foes.

• I will raise my fist against you: God, normally Israel’s protector, would become their attacker. However, he had a purpose beyond punishment.
• I will melt you down. . . . I will remove all your impurities: God would use the Exile to remove the wicked from among his people and to refine those who would return.

The restoration of the community would be marked by new leaders who uphold justice rather than perverting it (see 1:23). Jerusalem would again be pure silver (see 1:22), the Home of Justice and the Faithful City.

Here, Zion refers to the remnant community. Only those who repent would receive God’s salvation and purification and would dwell in his presence. Zion was required to be the bastion of justice and righteousness, for God loves righteousness. God expected the covenant community to reflect the holy standards he cares about.