In the first week of our series, the prophet Isaiah bemoans the fact that the people merely go through the motions while living out their relationship with God. Isaiah carries the message of the Lord's displeasure towards a people who remember how to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings but who have forgotten the orphan and the widow (Isa. 1:13,17).
In the second week of the series, Isaiah tells of a time to come when the people will return to God, when there will be peace. In order to make sense of Isaiah's optimistic prediction in a time of chaos, we asked ourselves, "What is a prophet, and why would they matter to us?" Agape found that prophets are people anointed by God to deliver a message to his people. That message can regard the past, present, or future. So what? Well, Isaiah's era mirrors ours in certain ways; there is lawlessness, religiosity, corruption, rebellion, and war (Isa 1). Yet he brings a message about a time yet to come when "the cow will feed with the bear" and "the wolf will live with the lamb" (Isa 11:6-7). A certain man will usher in this time of eagerly awaited peace. Who is he? Has he come yet? Next week, the series continues.
