ISAIAH’S CALL- A
PROPHET FOR TROUBLED TIMES
The Rev. Harold Shepherd, CD, M.A, LL.B., S.T.M., LL.M.,
Ph.D.
Sermon from June 18, 2003
In the year that King Uzziah died, I
saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the
hem of his robe filled the temple… Then I heard the
voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who
will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send
me!” Isaiah 6:1,8
The eighth century B.C. was a troubled time for the
Northern and Southern Kingdoms. During this period, four
important prophets rose- two in the North (Amos and Hosea)
and two in the south (Isaiah and Micah). According to
Isaiah 6:1, Isaiah was called to be a prophet in about 642
B.C.- the year King Uzziah died (based on the chronology of
John Bright in A History of Israel, 3rd edition,
Westminster, 1981). Uzziah, also known as Azariah, began
his long reign in 783 B.C. In about 750 B.C. he made his
son, Jotham, co-regent after he became a leper. Jotham
reigned another seven years after the death of his father.
When Isaiah began his ministry in 742 B.C., Menahem
(745-737 B.C.) was King of Israel- the Northern Kingdom. He
was the fourth king in under one year. Jeroboam II’s
death in 746, after forty years on the throne, was followed
by six kings, leading to the fall of Samaria in 721 B.C. to
the Assyrians. In the South, Jotham was succeeded by Ahaz
(735-715 B.C) and then by Hezekiah (715-687 B.C.).
This age was marked by the rise of Assyria to become the
dominant power in the Near East. Tiglath-Pileser III
ascended the throne in 745 B.C. and ruled until 727 B.C. In
his second year in power, shortly before Isaiah began his
ministry, he marched his army westward, occupying the
Northern Kingdom. II Kings 15:19 records this expedition.
King Menahem paid one thousand talents of silver as tribute
to Tiglath-Pileser III (referred to as Pul in the text) to
spare the kingdom. As a vassal state, Israel was expected
to make regular payments to the Assyrians. After a reign of
ten years, Menahem was succeeded in the North by his son,
Pekahiah, in 737 B.C. The following year, Pekah ceased
power, not happy with the financial burden of tribute paid
to the Assyrians. Tigleth-pileser sent his army into
Palestine in 734 B.C. Pekah objected to the presence of
Assyrian troops in the region, so formed an alliance with
King Rezin of Damascus against the Assyrians. When the
Southern Kingdom refused to participate in this emerging
regional block designed to counter Assyrian power, Syria
and Israel invaded the south in 733 B.C. (the so-called
Syro-Ephramite war), killing many, including the
king’s son. However, they did not succeed in taking
Jerusalem. Ahaz, not optimistic about the prospects of
repelling two armies, sent tribute of gold and silver to
Tiglath-Peleser III, imploring his assistance. II Kings
16:7-9 records the response. The Assyrians defeated the
Syrian and Northern armies, captured Damascus, and killed
Rezin. Sensing weakness, a group of conspirators killed
Pekah and put Hoshea on the throne in 732 B.C. Judah (the
Southern Kingdom) became a vassal state of Assyria, paying
regular tribute. The Northern Kingdom was invaded and
Samaria destroyed by Sargon II in 721 B.C. The combination
of exile and resettlement of foreign peoples led to the
Samaritans of the New Testament. Egypt tried to rebel
against the Assyrians in 720 B.C., but was defeated. Not
content with foreign rule, a new regional alliance came
together about 713 B.C., consisting of Egypt, Edom, Moab
and, this time, Judah. Ahaz was succeeded by his son,
Hezekiah, in 715 B.C. He, like others in the region, were
tired of turning hard-earned cash over to a foreign power,
so participated in the revolt. This was put down in 711
B.C. After Sargon II died in 705, another rebellion was
attempted. Hezekiah again participated, as did the
Babylonians. Sennacherib invaded in 701 B.C., reaching the
walls of Jerusalem. An attempted palace coup forced
Sennacherib to return to Nineveh in great haste, sparing
Jerusalem.
Throughout this period, Isaiah counselled the Kings of
Judah to trust in God, not in military alliances or
diplomatic intrigue. He chastised Hezekiah for
participating in the alliance with Egypt against Assyria.
When Sennacherib’s army was camped outside of the
walls of Jerusalem, he proclaimed to the king that the city
would be spared. Isaiah was called to ministry during the
rise of the world’s first true Empire. His counsel
was not to take up arms to assert nationhood, but rather to
honour God and live peacefully with one’s neighbours.
The Northern Kingdom took up the sword and ceased to exist
as a nation. By the grace of God, Judah was spared.
Hezekiah’s warrior ways almost cost the nation its
existence, contrary to the policy of his father, Ahaz, who
had lived in peace by paying tribute. For him, human life
is more important than money, and peace is a cherished gift
from God. Trust in God when persecuted, and responding to
evil with good, anticipates New Testament teaching.
Isaiah’s message and ministry are as important today
as they were then.