What do you think about visions? Do you get a picture of a fake spiritualist, complete with colorful flowing robes and jangling bangles, predicting the future or communing with the dead? Or maybe it is a very realistic dream all full of terrible meaning. Some of the rabbis taught that Moses was given a vision of the plans for the Tabernacle; a visual pattern that had to be followed exactly. I think some are threatened by the idea of visions; dismissing them as the tool of manipulation from an age of superstition. And truth be told, it is easy to say, “God gave me a vision,” followed by instructions involving donations. There are false visions. Jeremiah speaks out against prophets who see visions of their own imagination (Jeremiah 23:16) and Ezekiel calls attention to prophets who cry out “peace” when there is no peace (Ezekiel 13:16). Okay, so, yes, people will make up visions for their own use; a tool of manipulation. But that does not negate that God chose to communicate to his people through visions.
The debate over Isaiah 1:1 is; does it introduce the entire book – all 66 chapters – or does it introduce the first section only? According to Brown, Driver, Briggs, the word “vision” can refer to a message received in an ecstatic state. It is often connected to dreams. But it can refer to a divine oracle. Nahum, Obadiah, and Isaiah call their books a vision. This vision is said to be concerning, upon, or according to, Judah and Jerusalem. This is one of the reasons people will argue against this introducing the whole book because some of the oracles are concerning Persia and Babylon. But, as some have pointed out, even addressing these nations is really according to Judah and Jerusalem. Others will point to other introductions in the book, like 2:1 which introduces a “word” which Isaiah saw and 13:1 which speaks of the “burden” concerning Babylon. But both of these are also described as something which Isaiah “saw,” and this word can also refer to seeing a vision or message in an ecstatic state. Not that I believe it is central to the understanding of Isaiah, but I do believe that the “Vision” describes the oracles of all 66 chapters. Isaiah was given a divine oracle. It is not a dream of his own imagination.
The name “Isaiah” means “salvation of Yah.” Yah is a shortened form of Yahweh. Well, that’s a great name, isn’t it? And it fits the Vision. Even though there is judgment involved in these oracles, the underlying theme is always God working salvation. Other than this, we really don’t know much about Isaiah. We know less about Amoz, his father. He is mentioned in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. He saw his vision during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. It seems likely that his career began near the end of Uzziah’s life (around 742 BC – Isaiah 6:1). Hezekiah died around 687 BC. So, some fifty-five years. Fifty-five years of giving the kings God’s Vision. And mostly, they didn’t listen. Even, Hezekiah, who was a good king, tried to make alliances when told not to. The Vision, of course, reaches far beyond the days of these kings, which is another reason people will think that this introduction introduces just part of the book. Even as the message reaches into the lives of the exiles and of the rebooting post-exilic Israelites, it is an encouragement for them to live as a vassal kingdom until the coming of the Messiah; the Suffering Servant. The Persians and the Babylonians will come and go. And through it all, the Holy God of Israel is preparing his people for the coming Banquet where all nations will come to the Mountain of God.
The Hebrew author tells us that in times past, God spoke through his prophets in many and diverse ways, but in these last days he speaks through his son. I am not suggesting that there are no prophets today. The word prophet refers to a proclaimer and interpreter of God’s message. When we proclaim and interpret the message today – the message of the Son – we are prophets. But we are not Isaiah. The situation has shifted one last time and we live and work in the last days; the age of the Messiah. He is our message; our vision.
What can this Vision have to do with us? After all, our situation is far removed from that of the people in Isaiah’s day. If this book is a collection of divine oracles; it has relevance to every situation. As we dive into the Vision of Isaiah, we want to look into the history; the specific situation to which it was written. We are going to want to discover what the Vision meant to the people it was first delivered to. Only then, can we discover what God is communicating to us. The Holy one of Israel is still speaking hope and redemption through the remnant. Look to the Vision and be filled with hope.