INTRODUCTION TO ADVENT
PRAYING WITH ISAIAH, THE POET—PROPHET OF CHRISTMAS

Last season’s Lent Project, focusing on the Gospel of John ended with the thought, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25, NIV). One sometimes wonders, then, why there are only four gospels? You might already know that there is a prequel to the gospel accounts. The fullness and clearness of Isaiah’s messianic message is the reason why Christian scholars affectionately refer to the book of Isaiah as “the fifth Gospel.” 

The Great Isaiah Scroll, one of the nine hundred famed Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered around 1947, is housed at Jerusalem’s Shrine of the Book Museum, built as a repository for these priceless treasures. The Isaiah Scroll was found in its entirety and dates from approximately 100 BCE. It is the crowning jewel of the collection and so invaluable that “extraordinary measures have been taken to safeguard it against any natural disaster or act of war.”

Isaiah was the first major prophet. His name means “salvation is of the Lord.” He ministered in the eighth century before Christ, a century of tremendous upheaval and unrest. Isaiah was called to bring God’s truth to the children of Israel—both messages of warning, as well as comfort. He spoke frankly about the people’s rampant addiction to sin and the complete destruction that would soon be visited upon them if they did not repent. Of course, the majority did not heed God’s warnings to Isaiah, and as a result, drought, famine, exile, and foreign occupation followed. 

Yet there was a remnant who clung to the prophecies of hope that Isaiah proclaimed. These people longed for deliverance and a ruler who would set everything right. Sometimes Isaiah is called the “evangelical prophet” or “the prophet of the good news,” because he foresaw and recorded the divine mission of the Messiah in a panoramic way, like no other Old Testament author. He spoke in lucid details about the coming of the Son of God and vividly described the cross and the suffering Messiah. The heart of Isaiah’s writings depicts the substitutionary death of Christ—his righteousness for sinners and the eternal results of that profound sacrifice. 

Almost three thousand years later, Isaiah’s beautifully poetic language continues to stir our hearts as we drink in his “God-breathed” words. Dr. Jeffery Mirus writes, “In one inspiring passage after another, the prophet faithfully pronounces God’s judgment on Israel along with His great love and desire to redeem. Moreover, these themes sweep across all ages, past, present, and future.” The rhythmic back-and-forth, continual imprecations leveled against the unrighteous coupled with healing words of love for those who turn from their wickedness are a mind-boggling mash-up that Isaiah employs in chapter after chapter. Dr. Mirus continues, “The alternation between condemnation and redemption, punishment and reward, previous times and future times: all of this is dramatically interwoven throughout the book.” 

It is essential to note the layout of Isaiah. The New Testament gospels or the Acts of the Apostles, for example, have a linear narrative that runs from the beginning to the end. The structure of Isaiah, in contrast, comingles past, present, and future events into a richly textured, multilayered collage of historical narratives, poetry, prophecies, apocalyptic visions, prayers, and songs. Isaiah’s poetic approach relies on symbolism and metaphor to relay significant material in much the same way Christ told his parables. Hebrew poetry employs various forms of parallelism, where a word or thought in one line is connected or echoed in a second line. Like most Old Testament prophetic literature, the book of Isaiah is almost entirely written in a poetic format. Dr. Jeremy Holmes writes, “This is the effect poetry can have: you do not simply know about God’s majesty, but you feel that it is in front of you like a mountain or a tree. To borrow a phrase from Pseudo-Dionysius, one not only knows but suffers the divine.”

For the next thirty-five days, God’s vision given to the prophet Isaiah will guide us as we journey through Advent, to Christ’s nativity, and beyond. It seems that every time we open Isaiah’s text, his powerful poems and narratives are not only fresh, but also particularly relevant to the circumstances we find ourselves in today. It is our prayer that the Scripture passages, music, visual art, and poetry we have selected will challenge us as, together, we open our hearts and lives to the Christ of Christmas.

To read the transcript of the video introduction - please click on the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.