College Press Publishing

The reader of a book as large as Isaiah needs some sense of the structure of the whole in order to grasp the significance of the individual segments. A major issue for understanding both the structure and the unity of the book is the narrative section in chapters 36-39. These chapters connect the poetic portions in chapters 1-35 and 40-66. Chapters 1-35 relfect the backdrop of the Assyrian crisis and culminate in the deliverance of Jerusalem from Sennachreib through the faith of Hezekiah (chapters 36-37). Chapters 38-39 describe God's extension of Hezekiah's life, the arrival of Babylonian envoys to congratulate him (and promote and alliance between them), and God's announcement of the future Babylonian exile. These events set the stage for chapters 40-66, which reflect the backdrop of the return from Babylonian exile. The fact that the events of chapters 38-39 predate those of chapters 36-37 indicates a deliberate arrangement which affirms the unity of Isaiah.

Isaiah 1-39 may be divided into three major sections. Chapters 1-12 hinge around the call of Isaiah in chapter 6. The first five chapters focus on Judah's dangerous spiritual condition, characterized by ingratitude, insincere worship, corruption, and idolatry. Two glimmers of hope appear in 2:1-4 and 4:2-6, but the prevailing tone is one of doom. Chapters 7-12 highlight the weak faith of Ahaz as representative of Judah's fundamental problem. God's judgment, it is clear, will come by means of the dreaded Assyrians. They are merely God's instrument, however, and hope shines brighter in this section on the basis of God's convenant with David. A descendant of David will be the agent for the transformation of Judah's bleak near future to a time of the fulfillment of God's greatest covenant promises. The presentation of Isaiah's call, cleansing, and commission in chapter 6 not only establishes his prophetic credentials, but it also establishes Isaiah's experience with God as the model for Judah's conversion as well. This conversion will not occur in Isaiah's lifetime, however, for he is told that the people will be unresponsive to his message.

Isaiah 13-27 serves to warn Judah neither to fear nor to form an alliance with other nations. Through a series of messages to various neighboring nations, God demonstrates that he is not simply the regional God of Judah. All nations are under his sovereign rule and all must answer to him for their sins. God is also concerned for these nations and their salvation through his covenant people. If his covenant people become like the pagan nations, they cannot be a vehicle of salvation but must instead experience God's judgment like the others. This section culminates with a more generalized, semi-apocalyptic examination of the reality and purpose of God's judgment (chapters 24-27).

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