The first half has 39 chapters like the Old Testament and is filled with judgment as the pages are filled with immoral and idolatrous men. The first 35 chapters’ of those 39 chapters center on the throne of God and His holiness. Chapters like the sixth chapter where Isaiah writes of a vision of the throne of God during a time when Uzziah the king had died and Judah’s earthly throne was vacant. God shows him a true perspective: during the times when it appears that no one is on the throne or in control of our lives, God is still “high and lifted, and the train of His robe fills the temple.”
Then the next four chapters make us aware of the shortcomings and the failure of our choices. All of us want a Savior; few of us want a Lord who, upon His throne, judges our foolish attempts to rule our own lives.
The final 27 chapters (40–66) resemble the New Testament as they declare hope and grace. It is in these chapters that we are introduced in the clearest way to the Messiah, where judgment and mercy join together in God’s only begotten Son, Jesus. The first 39 chapters reveal man’s need for salvation, and the following 27 chapters show God’s provision for man’s need in the Messiah.
In this last section, God offers through Isaiah promises of hope, comfort, and restoration. In chapters 40-48, the basis of these promises is not man’s compliance but rather it is centered upon God’s sovereignty and majesty. There are 216 verses in those nine chapters, and 115 of them speak specifically of God’s greatness and power.
What can we deduce from this truth? Namely, that God’s promises are only appropriated by recognizing His nature and not by us exalting our nature!