Musing 188

While I’ve never really thought much about the idea that Isaiah was really a collection of the writings of multiple prophets (for one, the Jewish habits relating to collating writings suggests they would’ve seen attributing multiple authors work to one person as deceptive, a practice we see similarly condemned in the church era), one of the things I’ve wanted to study is exactly where Isaiah’s commission to preach judgement ends.

In Isaiah’s life, there’s 2 major events that could signal a shift from preaching judgement to one that’s more comforting and hopeful in nature.

First is the fall of the northern kingdom. While Judah and Israel weren’t always on the greatest of terms politically, there does seem to be some shared identity that they were Yahweh’s people, and Assyria destroying the northern kingdom likely would’ve been at least distressing to those in the southern kingdom (as Assyria was now breathing down their necks).

The second event would be Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem. We know from even Isaiah’s accounts that the destruction wrought on the southern kingdom was quite severe, necessitating God’s own intervention. And thus it makes sense that His next word to them is not that of judgement and calls to repentance, but a comforting word.

Either way, even within Isaiah’s own lifetime, there’s reason to think that there was a time when his calling to preach so as to harden the people would end, and a new ministry of hope would begin.