Read Isaiah 1:2–4
The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner’s manger, but
Israel does not know, my people do not understand.
Isaiah 1:3
Isaiah was a man in touch with God. He foresaw God’s Son and
revealed God’s glory; he heard God’s message, and sought to bring the
people back to God before it was too late.
Isaiah was a patriot with a true love for his country, pleading with
Judah to return to God and warning kings when their foreign policy
was contrary to God’s will.
He also hated sin and sham religion. His favorite name for God was
“the Holy One of Israel,” and he used it twenty-five times in his book.
He looked at the crowded courts of the temple and cried out, “They have
forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned
their backs on him” (v. 4). Isaiah called the people to repent.
Isaiah was a courageous man. Unafraid to denounce kings and
priests, and unwavering when public opinion went against him, he
boldly declared the Word of God.
He was skilled in communicating God’s truth. Not content with
merely declaring facts, Isaiah clothed those facts in striking language
that would catch the attention of a people blind and deaf to spiritual
truth. Like our Lord Jesus Christ, Isaiah knew how to stir the imagination of his listeners so that he might arouse their interest.
Something to Ponder
Which of the qualities that describe Isaiah also describe you?