The book of Isaiah can be intimidating. First of all, Isaiah is lengthy - with 66 chapters, it’s one of the longest books in the Bible! And, its subject matter can be a bit daunting. Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (Isaiah 1:1). His ministry spanned over sixty years and while he wrote primarily to the southern kingdom of Judah, Isaiah also spoke to several other nations. It’s easy to get all of these countries and rulers confused. And, to make things even more challenging, the book of Isaiah is a prophetic work. Sometimes it’s hard to understand prophecy and everything gets a bit murky when we start reading about the moon turning to blood, right?

Thomas Wolfe was wrong. You absolutely can go home again. I’m referring of course to the novel that recounts the experience of George Webber, a novelist who returns to his hometown after he has written unflattering things about its inhabitants, who feel unfairly exposed by his work. Webber is shocked by the negative reaction his writings have received, and is reduced to questioning his own identity because of it. Wolfe’s novel received critical acclaim, in large part because of how so many readers identified with the plotline because of their own negative experiences of returning to a place that was not at all as they remembered it.