Isaiah Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Isaiah - Essay Example To illustrate, Isaiah is the outstanding proponent of justice we find in the Old Testament. What makes Isaiah different from others is his exceeding concern on political issues of Judea. He is the sole individual who advises the kings to rely on God’s infallible justice instead of seeking assistance from Assyria or Egypt in order to encounter the invaders. He interprets all foreign invasions as Yahweh’s interference that persuades his people to repent. According to him, sufferings and injustice will not prevail, instead only the eternal justice will sustain ultimately. He also condemned all sorts of social injustice like oppression of widows and orphans (Isaiah 1: 11-17), corruption and bribery (5:23), and disposition of the poor (5: 8-10). There was not even a single area of political or spiritual significance that he left out. He observed the pertaining discrepancy between actual religious beliefs and practices. â€Å"Is that what you call fasting; a day acceptable t o Yahweh?† (58:5) (cited in Gray, 2006, p.73). He convinced them of the fallacy of performing rituals with little understanding of the real virtue of justice. For instance, he asks, â€Å"What need have I of your sacrifices, says the lord, put your evil deeds away from my sight† (1:11). While comparing with other prophets, Isaiah can be called a political prophet for he had a key role in the political events of Judea between 740-681 BC. Amos and Jeremiah also focus on the injustice prevailing among the aristocrats whom they found greedy and unreasonably exploiting the poor. Jeremiah reminds them to be loyal to Yahweh otherwise inevitable punishment would come upon them as part of the divine justice (Jer: 1, 2). Jeremiah also predicts the Babylonian captivity which they would undergo to compensate their injustice (Jer: 27). The major injustice the prophets like Jeremiah, Amos and Josiah find with Israel was their