God Is My Salvation
Isaiah 1:1-20
By Harold Dinsmore, M.Div.
© 2008 Harold Dinsmore

Isaiah of Jerusalem is known as the “Prince of the prophets.”  We see 4 kings mentioned in verse 1 of Isaiah. (Read the passage here.) Uzziah died in 740 B.C. and Isaiah received the divine call to be a prophet in that year.  The term vision, also in verse 1, is a word that prophets used to describe their messages.  The word indicates that God’s life-giving Word would follow.

God had a contention with His people and Isaiah 1 is an introductory chapter.  One can find a summary of Isaiah’s preaching in chapter 1.  Dr. Jerry W. Lee, professor Old Testament at Florida Baptist Theological College, calls chapter 1 an introductory conclusion.  The major themes of judgment and restoration that are developed throughout the book are contained in chapter 1.  So, chapter 1 both introduces and summarized the book of Isaiah.

The chapter begins with the summons of a judicial decree in verses 2-3.  God is both the prosecutor and the judge.  The first count in the indictment accused Israel of rebellion.