The book is introduced as the "vision" that Isaiah saw. Clearly he saw many visions and received many words, but this emphasises that this majestic book gives a single unified vision of God's plan, and we need to see it as such, not as a disjointed series of words and visions.
Isaiah functioned during the reigns of four kings, these kings reigned from 792 to 686 BC. Isaiah worked in the southern kingdom of Judah. The northern kingdom was about to be defeated by Assyria.
"Hear me you heavens! Listen you earth!" The word is addressed not just to people, but to the whole of creation.
Israel was a nation that owed its existence completely to the Lord. Without Him there would have been no nation. He gave them good instructions, but they rebelled against Him. Animals are better at obeying their masters than Israel was at obeying God. The place of Israel in God's plans is a controversial topic. It must be remembered that the Old Testament can be described as a record of the sins of Israel. It must also be remembered that every book that is clear on this fact, is also clear about the ultimate redemption of Israel. Any simplistic view of Israel's place in God's plans is almost certainly wrong.
The fact that God managed to raise rebellious children should bring some heart to parents who have rebellious children. It is easy to put blame on the parents, and parents can feel guilty. Now we need to be honest and admit that we and do sometimes get things wrong, sometimes badly so. However, you be a perfect parent, and this would be no guarantee of problem free children.
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