I think I really began to better understand Isaiah’s role when I read the series “Gods and Kings.” I highly recommend it (https://amzn.to/3smiaA8). But God called Isaiah to give prophecy to Israel in some of its more difficult hours (appx 740 to 680 B.C.).
The nation had experienced inner turmoil and was split into two. The majority of the tribes of Israel had formed “Israel” for 3/4 of the north, and the a small two tribes formed “Judah” in the 1/4 in the South. By the time Isaiah was on the scene, the northern Israel had gone through 18 really bad kings. And southern Judah was hit and miss with their leaders, some good, some bad.
Isaiah wasn’t the only voice during this time. Hosea and Micah were also prophets in this season.
It was a tense time for both Israel and Judah. They were surrounded by very strong world powers. Assyria was in the northeast, Babylon was in the south east, and Egypt to the southwest. Not only were these other nations powerful but they desired nothing more than to conquer these pesky Israelites who had historically been a problem when they come from Egypt into the land of Canaan.
Isaiah himself was married at this time with at least a couple of sons (Is 7:3; 8:3) and was living in Jerusalem ((Isaiah 7:3, 22:1, 37:2, 38:5, and 39:3). This meant he was living in Judah, the southern kingdom with the two tribes.
The book of Isaiah opens up this way:
1 The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
So who were these kings?
Uzziah – He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, Father of Jotham, king of Judah (2 Chr 26). Most kings became so in their 20’s but Uzziah was only 16. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success. But he became powerful and then prideful (2 Chr 26:16). He went into the temple which only priests could do, and God struck him with leprosy. He was to have leprosy all the days of his life. Because of that he got a different burial which really mattered in that day and time.
Jotham – King of Judah, did what was right in the eyes of the Lord except he didn’t remove the high places. The result was the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there (2 Kings 15; 2 Chr 26-27)
Ahaz – Wicked, wicked king of Judah, son of Jotham (2 Kings 16; 2 Chronicles 28). He even sacrificed his own son to the gods.
Hezekiah – King of Judah, did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, like David his ancestor (2 Kings 18; 2 Chr 29). He smashed the altars and high places. He trust the Lord. “There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses” (2 Kings 18:5-6). His trust in the LORD is breathtaking and worthy of a movie one day.
