The Thundering Prophet, "Narrative Interlude" (Isaiah 36: 1-39: 8)

By: Dr. Bill Creasy

Narrated by: Dr. Bill Creasy

In Isaiah Part 2, we enter the historical interlude. We learn in Isaiah 1: 1 that Isaiah functions as a prophet during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah: That is, from 740 – 686 B.C. During that time, two major historical events occur: 1) Assyria’s attack on the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. and 2) Assyria’s attack on Jerusalem in 701 B.C., while Hezekiah is king and Isaiah is prophet.

That attack in 701 B.C.—and God miraculously saving Jerusalem—foreshadows greater events to come. The defeat of Assyria in 701 B.C. marks the beginning of Assyria’s decline as a world power and the rise of Babylon on the world’s stage. Once Babylon defeats Assyria it gets all the territory Assyria conquered, down to the gates of Jerusalem. In 605 B.C. Babylon attacks Jerusalem and does what Assyria failed to do: It conquers Judah and Jerusalem, sending the survivors into exile in Babylon.

©2014 William C. Creasy (P)2013 William C. Creasy