Conditions of Judah (The Southern Kingdom). During the reigns of Ahaz, Jotham and Uzziah, oppression, wickedness and idolatry existed everywhere. Ahaz made an alliance with Assyria, which finally brought destruction to Israel, but Hezekiah listened to Isaiah and made reforms, and God destroyed the Assyrian army before Jerusalem was destroyed.
Nature of the Contents of the Book. The contents of the Book have been said to include: (1) Warnings and threats against his own people because of their sins. (2) Sketches of the history of his times. (3) Prophesies of the return of Israel from captivity. (4) Prophesies concerning the coming of the Messiah. (S) Predictions of the judgment of God on other nations. (6) Discourses that urge upon Israel moral and religious reformation. (7) Visions of the future glory and prosperity of the church. (8) Expressions of thanksgiving and praise.
The Center of Interest. The prophet deals primarily with the nation and not with the individual. He speaks primarily of the present and not of the future. These two facts must be kept constantly in mind as we read and interpret the book.
Analysis.
I. Discourses Concerning Judah and Israel, Chs. 1-12.
1. Some promises and rebukes, Chs. 1-6.
2. The book of Immanuel, Chs. 7-12.
II. Prophesies against Foreign Nations, Chs. 13-23. III. The Judgment of the World and the Triumph of God's People, Chs. 24-27.
1. The judgments. Ch. 24.
2. The triumph. Chs. 25-27.
IV. Judah's Relation to Egypt and Assyria, Chs. 38-32.
V. The Great Deliverance of Jerusalem, Chs. 33-39.