The Bible In A Year
1 Samuel – 2 Kings
Week 8 of 8
Readings for the Week
November 5-10, 2018
Theme of the week:
- Monday-2 Kings chapters 18, 19, & 20, Psalms 55 & 59
- Tuesday -Isaiah chapters 36, 37, 38 & 39, Psalms 70 & 71
- Wednesday -2 Kings chapters 21 & 22, Psalm 31
- Thursday -The book of Zephaniah
- Friday -2 Kings chapters 23, 24 & 25
- Saturday- Psalms 44, 74 & 79
The Bible In A Year
1 Samuel – 2 Kings
Week 8 of 8
A Framework for Understanding
Isaiah
The book of Isaiah is the longest of the prophet books and was written over a period of at least a few centuries. It may be divided into three sections, referred to by scholars as First, Second and Third Isaiah.
First Isaiah, chapters 1-39, records the prophet work of Isaiah, son of Amoz during the reign of the several kings in the southern kingdom of Judah. The dates are roughly from 733 to perhaps 687BCE, though experts are not able to give uniformity in the dating or the reign of the kings. In these passages we read of Judah’s religious infidelities, and the warnings that they will be overrun by the Assyrian empire. In these chapters we also read some of the most beloved chapters of prophet work interpreted by Christians as pointing to the eventual birth of Jesus.
In 597BCE the southern kingdom fell to Babylon, and a large portion of the citizens were carried into exile. Second Isaiah, chapters 40-55, is concerned with events nearing the end of the time of exile. The people are looking to a Persian leader, Cyrus II, who is defeating the Babylonia King, will eventually be victorious, establish the Persian empire, and will allow the exiles to return to their homeland and worship their own God there.
Second Isaiah contains a series of four passages collectively referred to as “Servant Songs.” These “songs” tell of God’s servant who will restore Israel’s life. While the songs for the most part can easily be seen as referring to Cyrus, there is much disagreement regarding the meaning of the “suffering servant”. Early Christians clearly saw these passages as a referring to Jesus.
Third Isaiah, 56-66, is concerned with the struggles to shape a community faithful to God out of the returned exiles.