Letter to the Faithful - Isaiah 1:1
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. I write to you, dear brothers and sisters, not as one who stands above you, but as a fellow servant of the Word, compelled by the Spirit to stir your hearts toward the sacred Scriptures, which are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
You who cherish the Holy Writ, consider with me the words given to Isaiah, son of Amoz, as recorded in the first verse of his prophecy: “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jethro, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” Herein lies the beginning of a mighty testimony, a divine revelation bestowed upon a man chosen by God to speak truth to a wayward people. Let us ponder this together, for though it was written in days long past, it is living and active, piercing even to our own souls in this present age.
Beloved, Isaiah’s vision was no mere dream of human fancy, but a word from the Lord Himself, who sees the end from the beginning. The prophet stood in the courts of kings—Uzziah, Jethro, Ahaz, and Hezekiah—men of power, yet men frail and fallen as we all are apart from grace. To Judah and Jerusalem, the chosen of God, Isaiah was sent, not with flattery, but with a mirror to their rebellion and a call to return to the God who had redeemed them. Does this not echo in our ears today? For we too are a people called by His name, grafted into the promises through the blood of Christ, yet ever in need of His refining fire.
Take heed, dear ones, that this vision came in a time of both prosperity and peril. Uzziah’s reign saw strength and pride, yet beneath it festered sin unconfessed. Hezekiah’s days would bring reformation, yet not without the chastening of the Lord. So it is with us: the Lord speaks through His Word, not only in our triumphs but also in our trials, that we might seek Him with all our heart. Isaiah’s prophecy begins not with judgment alone, but with a vision—a glimpse of God’s holy purpose to restore what sin has broken. Herein lies our hope: that the God who spoke to Judah speaks still, calling us to repentance and faith.
I beseech you, then, as those who stand upon the sure foundation of Scripture, to hear Isaiah’s voice as a herald of Christ. For did not our Lord Himself declare that the Scriptures testify of Him? This vision, given to Isaiah, points us forward to the One who bore our iniquities, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Let us not read these words as distant history, but as a living summons to examine our own hearts, to cast aside all that hinders, and to cling to the cross where mercy and justice embrace.
Now, my friends, may you be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to walk worthy of your calling. Let the vision of Isaiah stir you to prayer, to humility, and to a renewed love for the God who reveals Himself in His Word. And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and forevermore.