God is Salvation

That is the meaning of Isaiah.

The Book of Isaiah is one of the 39 (or more) books found in the Old Testament part of the Bible. Like some books in the Bible, the title is taken from the name of the person who wrote the verses of the first 39 chapters of the book – Isaiah – and he is one of the leading prophets of Old Testament time. In fact, Isaiah is often considered as the greatest of the Biblical prophets. As a product of work, the Book of Isaiah is classified under the Latter Prophets as contrasted with those works classified under the Former Prophets.

There are two methods by which the 66 chapters of the Book of Isaiah are divided. The first method groups the chapters of the book into two: the first part consists of chapters 1-39 while the second part consists of chapters 40-66. The second method divides the book into three parts: the first part consists of chapters 1-39, the second part consists of chapters 40 to 55 and the third part, consists of chapters 56-66. There is agreement among experts in the study of the Bible that the first 39 chapters were written by Isaiah. However, some think that the entire book was written by only one person – the prophet Isaiah – while some believe that the later chapters were written by the followers or disciples of the prophet.

The Book of Isaiah was written during the reigns of four kings [Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah], during the war between Israel and Judah [the divided kingdom] and during the Assyrian invasion of Israel and Judah and just before the Babylonian exile. These were a time when God had an urgent message to send to his people, and Isaiah answered the urgent call to the prophetic office. These were a time when the covenant between God and his people appeared to have reached the breaking point because of the people’s sins and lack of trust in God. These were a time of disorder and great unrest from within and from without. It was under these circumstances that Isaiah wrote the verses of the book – in a powerful literary style that was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. For the prophet Isaiah, the only solution to the problems confronting the people of God was to return to God and to trust that their God is the God who saves. It was a message of hope and redemption not only for his nation but for the entire world.