"A Rebellious Nation”

SERMON OUTLINE:

Background to the book:

(1). WHO - Who was Isaiah?

(2). WHEN? – when did it take place?

(3). WHERE? – Where did it take place?

(4). WHY? - Why is Isaiah so important?

(5). WHAT? - What's the big idea?

Outline of chapter 1:

(1). God: the judge (VS 2-4):

(2). The accused: Judah (vs 5-15):

(3). The sentence: Judgement or mercy (vs 16-31):

SERMON BODY

Ill:

• It turns out even the experts get it wrong sometimes,

• Art historians have just discovered that a famous painting by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian,

• Has been hanging upside down in galleries for 75 years.

• The 1941 abstract painting by Mondrian, titled New York City,

• Has been on display in galleries since 1945,

• While undertaking research for a new show on the artist earlier this year.

• Curator Susan Meyer-Buser has made a startling discovery,

• She noticed the lines on the picture were thicker at the bottom,

• While the lines on a similar painting had thickening lines at the top.

• The strangest part is that they cannot now turn the picture the right way up,

• Because it has become too fragile!

• And experts believe that the change in gravity would cause damage,

• Potentially causing the adhesive tapes to fall off.

• So, if you want to see the picture as the artist intended it to be seen,

• You are going to have to do a handstand!

• TRANSITION: We start a new series of studies in the Old Testament book of Isaiah,

• He too has some shocking news for his nation.

• He will tell them that things are not as they seem, they too need a turnaround!

Question: Anyone know who this man is?

• Clue 1: He was one of the most widely read authors of the early 20th century.

• Clue 2: He was regarded in the late-19th century as an unofficial poet laureate of the British Empire,

• Clue 3: He wrote children’s book The Jungle Book,

Answer: Rudyard Kipling

• He was an English journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist

• He writes these words in his poem, ‘The Elephant's Child.’

“I keep six honest serving-men

(They taught me all I knew);

Their names are What and Why and When

And How and Where and Who..”

• TRANSITION: this morning we will look at five of his six ‘serving-men,’

• As we get a bit of background to the book.

(1). Who - Who was Isaiah?

• The book of Isaiah takes its name from its writer Isaiah (the son of Amoz).

• But we now very little about the man himself,

(a).

• In fact, we have to go outside the Bible to other Jewish books to learn about him.

• In particular the historian Josephus.

• Josephus informs us that Isaiah had a good start in life,

• Because he was born in a palace, he grew up in the royal court.

• We might say, “He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth!”

• So materially life was comfortable!

Quote:

• Spike Milligan (was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright.)

• "Money cannot buy you happiness but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery."

• Isaiah came from a wealthy family, he was the grandson of Joash,

• And was therefore cousin of the king Uzziah.

• Which is one reason he was so devasted by Uzziah’s death in chapter 6.

(b).

• Isaiah was married, nothing too unusual about that,

• Most Jewish men were married.

• But who he married might surprise you!

• Isaiah the prophet married a prophetess! (Chapter 8 verse 3).

• Although we do not have any recorded prophecies from her,

• She was part of an exclusive club,

• Only five women in the Old Testament are called prophetesses in Israel.*

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*Several women prophets are mentioned in the book of Ezekiel. There are the female prophets, plural, of Israel that Ezekiel condemns in 13:15-17.

Rabbis taught in Megillah (14a), one of the tractates of the Talmud, that there were seven prophetesses in Israel: “Our Rabbis taught: Forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses prophesied to Israel. . . . ‘Seven prophetesses’. Who were these? – Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah and Esther.”

Why the list is different is a whole Bible study in itself!

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(c).

• Isaiah’s wife the prophetess bore him two sons,

• Some scholars say three sons depending on how you understand certain verses,

• But we know for sure that he had two sons!

• Son #1: ‘Shear-jashub’, meaning "A remnant shall return" (Isaiah 7:3),

• Son #2: ‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz’, meaning,

• "Spoil quickly, plunder speedily" (Isaiah 8:3).

• (Trivia, a whopping 18-letter, six syllable name, the longest in the Bible)