With the opening words in Isaiah 58, the prophetic purpose is proclaimed. The prophetic mission was not to foresee future events or even to provide guidelines, a kind of behavioral roadmap for the people to follow.

The primary role of prophets was to call God’s people to repentance, to demand their return to obedience and to mind the people what it means to live lives in keeping with the covenant. The opening command from God to Isaiah in 58:1 is, therefore, the most basic job description of a prophet:

Shout out, do not hold back, raise your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.

The “rebellion” and “sins” that Isaiah is to announce to the people of Judah — and to their Persian rulers — are surprising ones. Yahweh is not displeased…