Continuing in our review of the number of times that Isaiah is directly quoted from in the New Testament we find that Isaiah is specifically referred to in Paul’s letter to the church at Rome five different times.
There are many other quotes in the New Testament that are drawn from Isaiah, at least a hundred or more. Another interesting finding is that in the NKJV, the word gentile is found 146 times, 53 times in the Old Testament and 93 times in the New Testament. Of the 53 references to Gentiles in the Old Testament, 45 of them can be found in only 4 books: Isaiah has the most with 17, Ezekiel mentions gentiles 16 times, Psalms has only 7 references to gentiles and Jeremiah has merely 5 references. Isaiah clearly speaks to Gentiles bringing a message of salvation and of hope to them through Christ as the Messiah.
When we look at selected passages in Isaiah that speak of the Gentiles, we find that the earthly ministry of Christ began among the Gentiles in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1). We are told that the Gentiles shall seek Him (Isaiah 11:10). Christ is also spoken of as One who will bring forth justice to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:1). He will also come as a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6).
Isaiah 60:3 states, “The Gentiles shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising.” Isaiah 62:2 states, “The Gentiles shall see your righteousness and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name.”
With regard to this new name, we read in the book of Acts 11:26 that the disciples of Christ were first called Christians in Antioch. They are the ones who will proclaim God’s glory as revealed in Christ as it is stated in Isaiah 66:19, “And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.”
John 1:14 reads, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Romans is a book written to the Gentiles of Rome specifically and it uses the prophet Isaiah to declare and prove that Jesus was indeed a fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament.
Paul first refers directly to Isaiah in Romans 9:27-28 where he states, “Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved. For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.” In this passage Paul is referencing Isaiah 10:20-23.
The second reference in Romans that Paul makes to Isaiah is the next verse, Romans 9:29 where he states, “And as Isaiah said before: Unless the Lord of the Sabaoth (Lord of Hosts) had left us a seed, We would have become like Sodom, And we would have been made like Gomorrah.” Paul is referencing Isaiah 1:9 which reads “Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah.”
In these first two references, Paul is explaining Isaiah and summarizing that a remnant or seed will be saved, God will make a short work on the earth (the ministry of Christ only lasted for three and half years) and except for the fact that God intervened in the affairs of men through the revelation of His Son and except we believe in Him, we also would become like Sodom and Gomorrah, utterly destroyed for the face of the earth.
One of the reasons that Jesus came to earth was to “sow good seed”. He stated in Matthew 13:37, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man” and in Luke 8:11 we are told that the seed that is sown is “the word of God”. When you and I come to faith in Christ we allow the good seed of His word to be sown in our hearts. When that occurs good fruit comes forth from our lives: the fruit of the Spirit.
The third place in Romans that Paul refers to Isaiah occurs in Romans 10:16 where he states, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?’” Paul quotes the first phrase from Isaiah 53:1, which asks, “Who has believed our report?”
The fourth passage that Paul uses from Isaiah is Romans 10:20, which reads, “But Isaiah is very bold and says, ‘I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.’” In this passage Paul is quoting from Isaiah 65:1a. The very next verse, Romans10:21, continues to quote from the same passage, so they can be viewed as a continuing thought by Paul. In essence, this passage can be summarized by the fact that God is going to do a “new thing” in the earth (Isaiah 43:19). He is going to reveal Himself to a people who did not seek Him because He has stretched out His hands to a “disobedient and contrary people” who did not receive Him. John speaks of this happening in verse 1:11 where he says, “He (Christ) came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”
The final reference in Romans that Paul uses in directly quoting from Isaiah the Prophet and pointing to Jesus as the Messiah is found in Romans 15:12 which states, “And again Isaiah says, ‘There shall be a root of Jesse; and He shall reign over the Gentiles, In him the Gentiles shall hope.’” Here Paul is quoting Isaiah 11:10 which reads, “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.” Christ is this One who is the root of Jesse as a descendant of King David whose father was Jesse. He is the One who is a banner to the people. He is the One upon whom Gentiles call. The One upon whom all people can call. His resting place is glorious.
In conclusion, Isaiah prophetically speaks of one who will come forth as a light to the Gentile nation. He will bring forth justice. He will minister in Galilee of the Gentiles, His glory will be declared among the Gentiles. Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled all of these prophecies: Jesus is the only begotten of the Father, the holy unique Son of the Living God, and ultimately the Savior of the whole world.
Isaiah continually points to Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, driving this point home. The New Testament directly quotes Isaiah twenty-two times; the Gospels quote Isaiah fourteen times; Acts quotes him three times, and finally, Paul’s letter to the Romans quotes Isaiah five times. Clearly, Isaiah deserves the title “The Messianic Prophet.”