Sermons By Ed

Settings:The people of God lived in a time of unprecedented political, economic, and spiritual upheavals. The children of Israel had gotten sucked into all kinds of sick Ca- naanite idolatry and immorality (chs. 41, 44, 46, & 57; The Canaanite pantheon of gods involved sacred prostitution that would stimulate Baal and Ashtoreth to fertilize the land). There was also great temptation for idolatry because of political sway and power. As a result there was a constant shift in population and national boundaries. Isaiah’s call begins with the death of King Uzziah (possibly his cousin) who had been struck by God with leprosy because of his irreverence and “cut off from the house of the Lord” (2 Chron. 26:21). In this context, God calls Isaiah to warn His people during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah” (1:1). At the onset of Isaiah’s ministry, Amos and Hosea were preaching similar messages to the people of the northern kingdom and Jeremiah would take up Isaiah’s mantle 50 years after Isaia