- Isaiah spends chapters 1-39 detailing God's unflinching judgment. Note to whom each message is addressed. Is it Judah or another nation? Also notice the power in God's pronouncements. Then in chapter 40, the message changes to comfort and grace. (Yup, grace in the Old Testament.) Chapters 40-66 are some of my favorites. Note Jehovah's declarations of unfailing love. Good stuff.
- Isaiah speaks often of Messiah's kingdom (especially in the latter chapters). What will the kingdom be like? Who will be part of the kingdom?
- Isaiah's dealings with King Hezekiah are recorded three times in Scripture (2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 32, Isaiah 36-38). What can you learn from the king and prophet as they faced some dire situations?
- Finally – Some have noted that Isaiah has 66 chapters divided into 39 and 27 chapters in their respective "halves" just like the Bible's 66 books are divided into 39 books for the Old Testament and 27 for the New, and so they look at Isaiah as a "mini-Bible". Therefore, chapters 1-5 should roughly correspond to the themes in the books of Moses, and 40-43 should follow the message of the Gospels. The chapter divisions were added more than a thousand years after the prophet finished writing, though. You'll have to read and decide for yourself.
Here are some of my favorite verses from Isaiah-