We remember that the purpose of Isaiah’s prophecy was to comfort the Lord’s people and encourage them during difficult times when God seemed far away and the power and prosperity of their enemies seemed unassailable. The prophecy was designed to remind the Lord’s faithful remnant that despite appearances God is still on His throne and the promise of a coming Messiah was in no way hindered or compromised. It is the Old Testament equivalent of Christ’s words, ‘these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them’. Tyre’s long history The ancient Phoenician city of Tyre, originally part built on an island, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. In…

Our previous studies in Isaiah have helped us to understand how much awareness Old Testament believers had concerning the coming of the Messiah. We have seen how the place, circumstances and parentage of Christ’s extraordinary birth were known. We have learned that Isaiah knew about the redemption and deliverance of God’s chosen people. We have noted how detailed prophecies to comfort and encourage God’s remnant church were given and later fulfilled. An enduring message In all of Isaiah’s writings the person of the Lord Jesus can be discerned in typical ways in the historical and circumstantial events portrayed. As the prophet laid out God’s purpose and message for the people of his own age, and generations following, we detect spiritual significance in the things written.…