The related themes of King, Servant and Messiah that feature prominently in Isaiah are analysed in this expanded version of the Didsbury lectures. Hugh Williamson examines the texts of Isaiah that focus upon the role of a human figure in the establishment of God's ideal society. Despite changing protagonists, the author identifies a fundamental unity of the principles of this society. From this he argues that the predictive element within Isaiah is in the task to be undertaken and not the person who will do it. 'The result of such an interpretation', he argues, 'is not to remove the impact of the text by contextualising it in the ancient world alone, but to liberate it to address the church of today with its abiding, yet renewed, challenge.'