Panorama económico y social de la provincia del Cañar

Isaiah’s figure as a prophet was so imposing, that although he carried out his prophetic activity between 740-701 BC, he inspired a tradition of prophetic reflection, preaching and writing in a school which was associated with his spirit and name that spanned for about two hundred years. Isaiah preached to the leaders and peoples of both the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel, especially at a time when power politics with its inherent pride, greed, selfishness and lust for wealth was at its peak, resulting in the exploitation and oppression of the poor. He proclaimed a message of doom for such people, although with the hope that a repentant remnant would be saved. It is from this remnant, Isaiah prophesied, that the ideal figure of a righteous ruler would emerge and restore Israel’s fortune, liberating Israel from her ugly and oppressive past.

Thus, Isaiah chides oppressive rulers who take delight in religious ceremonies, but engage in evil and murder:

Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom!

Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts;

I do not delight in the blood of bulls; or of lambs, or of goats. When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand?

Trample my courts no more; bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and calling of convocation – I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.

Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them. When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow (1:10-17).

Isaiah lays further accusations on the doorsteps of the rulers of the people, for their unwonted acts against the poor.

The Lord rises to argue his case; he stands to judge the peoples. The Lord enters into

judgment with the elders and princes of his people: It is you who have devoured the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor? Says the Lord God of hosts (3:13-15).

He expresses God’s disappointment over those who pervert justice:

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed;

righteousness, but heard a cry! (5:7).

He warns the oppressors of an impending day of punishment:

Ah, you who make iniquitous decrees, who write oppressive statutes, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be your spoil, and that you may make the orphans your prey! What will you do on the day of punishment, in the calamity that will come from far away? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth, so as not to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain? (10:1-4).

In contrast to his contemporary oppressive rulers, Isaiah preaches on the emergence of a messianic ruler, who would be a model of justice and righteousness. This he does, providing the ruling class of his time with the figure of a divinely accepted ideal king.

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us;

authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named wonderful Counselor, mighty God; everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this (9:6-7).

Again, about the ideal messianic ruler, Isaiah proclaims:

A shoot shall come out of the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins”(11:1-5).

Isaiah looks forward to a time of liberation for the oppressed, the poor and the suffering:

Thus says the Lord: In a time of favor I have answered you, on a day of salvation I have helped you; I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritage; saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out’, to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves’. They shall feed along the ways, on all the bare heights shall be their pasture; they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down, for he who has pity on them will guide them (49:8-10).

He knows that such liberation is good news to the oppressed. Thus:

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me, he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn (61:1-2).