The Book of Isaiah holds a lot of law and judgment against the affluence, idolatry, and growing indifference to God’s Word by God's people. However, this book was also written to give comfort with the good news of the coming Messiah! Use this overview and free study questions as a guide for a personal or small group study of the Book of Isaiah.
Introduction to Isaiah
If you could only have one book of the Bible, which would you choose? Certainly, one of the four Gospels would be high on the list, but I would suggest considering the Book of Isaiah. Among all of the Old Testament books, it is a literary masterpiece. Its vivid use of images and visual descriptions is striking. Isaiah writes to an affluent people who have grown cold and distant from their God. He strikes with the deepest Law—warning of God’s coming wrath, which sweeps on like a raging flood. Then he speaks of the gracious love of God, pouring the rich, healing Gospel into wounded souls. But what sets this book close to the Gospels in importance is the wealth of information Isaiah reveals about God’s promised Son and His saving mission, from His birth to His ministry to His suffering, death, and resurrection. Even more, he explains very clearly how Jesus’ suffering and death will secure our salvation, some seven hundred years before Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin.
Purpose of Isaiah
Isaiah writes to confront Israel’s waywardness, warn of the coming wrath, and then promise God’s merciful forgiveness and restoration of His people through the coming Messiah. Isaiah points out that God’s wrath is fierce and only a remnant of Israel will be saved. But he also teaches us that God’s wrath is not confined to Israel; it extends to every nation on earth. But the same is true of His gracious salvation, as we will see. For these Bible study questions, we will focus on the role of the Messiah as shown through the chapters of Isaiah.
To learn more about Isaiah, download our free study questions for guided Bible reading.
