Introductory Notes to the Study of Isaiah.
Around the year 1050 BC a Semitic tribal community in and around the area of the world now known as Palestine developed into a monarchy. The new kingdom--Israel. Her first king--Saul. Saul reigned in this tiny kingdom for forty years, but his sons did not reign after him. Instead, the scepter fell to a shepherd/warrior/musician named David. David started a dynasty.
The eighth king to sit on the throne of Judah after the split was Amaziah. This would be some one hundred twenty years after the death of Solomon. Amaziah had a brother named Amoz and Amoz had a son named Isaiah. This is the Isaiah of Scripture--the prophet whom God used to pen the biblical book by the same name.
When Amaziah died, his son Ahaziah took the throne. Ahaziah was distinguished in several ways as a king in Judah. For one, he was known by two different names. The books of the Kings refer to him as Ahaziah, but in the priestly Chronicles he is Uzziah. Henceforth I will refer to him as Uzziah as well.
When Uzziah became king the kingdom was in shambles. War with Israel and Syria to the north had left it weak and nearly defenseless. The Jerusalem wall had been breached. Things were looking down. But Uzziah was an effective ruler and during his reign the kingdom strengthened tremendously. This brings us to what would ultimately become Uzziah's downfall--his pride.
At the height of Uzziah's success he attempted to unite the Jewish priesthood with its monarchy. In other words, as king he attempted to usurp high priestly duties. In spite of the warnings of dire consequences by the priesthood, Uzziah would not be deterred. He went into the holy place to offer incense and was stricken with the dreaded leprosy for his affront.
Uzziah's reign lasted fifty-two years. During his reign Rome was founded. In Greece, the first Olympiad was held. The world's first empires were forming and Palestine was becoming a thoroughfare for traveling conquerors. The world was growing up, so to speak. Times were good for the people of both Israel and Judah as well. Prosperity was wide-spread, but with it came decadence and spiritual lapse.
Into this mix God sent a young prophet named Isaiah, cousin to the king, younger than the king, destined to have much more impact than any earthly monarch. He is the first of the major prophets. His message affected his culture and society, and went on to transcend it as he pointed the people's eyes and hearts first inward, and then upward. Isaiah is the prophet of the Messiah.
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the LORD high and lifted up . . ."
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