Did God foretell about a Servant who would bless the Gentiles, a light to guide the nations? Is that Jesus? Let’s look at Isaiah 42.
Is this Servant a clear reference to Jesus, His Elect One, who brings justice to the nations?
“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.” (Isa 42:1-4 NKJV)
Does God give His qualifications to be able to make such promises concerning Jesus? Do idols made by mere men qualify?
God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And it is he who says, “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons. I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols. Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.” (Isa 42:5-9 NLT)
Will there be a reason for rejoicing in song throughout the region and the entire world?
Sing to Yahweh a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the islands and their inhabitants. Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voices, with the villages that Kedar [Arabian and Syrian Deserts] inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela [Petra] sing. Let them shout from the top of the mountains! Let them give glory to Yahweh, and declare his praise in the islands. (Isa 42:10-12 WEB)
Will the Lord abandon us or will he bring us blessings beyond measure?
The Lord will go out like a soldier; like a warrior God will stir up rage. God will shout, will roar; over enemies he will prevail. I’ve kept still for a very long time. I’ve been silent and restrained myself. Like a woman in labor I will moan; I will pant, I will gasp. I will wither mountains and valleys, and I will dry up all their vegetation. I will turn rivers into deserts, and I will dry up pools. I will make the blind walk a road they don’t know, and I will guide them in paths they don’t know. But I will make darkness before them into light and rough places into level ground. These things I will do; I won’t abandon them. (Isa 42:13-16 CEB)
Will those who trust in useless idols be ashamed? What does God say to religious leaders who claim to see and hear but in reality are blind and deaf?
Everyone who worships idols as though they were gods will be terribly ashamed. You people are deaf and blind, but the Lord commands you to listen and to see. No one is as blind or deaf as his messenger, his chosen servant, who sees and hears so much, but pays no attention. (Isa 42:17-20 CEV)
How is the law magnified? Is circumcision now of the heart, is Sabbath now our rest in Jesus, is Jesus our Passover Lamb?
The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious. But this is a people plundered and looted; they are all of them trapped in holes and hidden in prisons; they have become plunder with none to rescue, spoil with none to say, “Restore!” Who among you will give ear to this, will attend and listen for the time to come? (Isa 42:21-23 ESV)
Did the discipline God gave them, by being plundered by their enemies, bring about their repentance?
Who gave Jacob to the robber, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the Lord? Have we not sinned against Him? They were not willing to walk in His ways, and they would not listen to His instruction. So He poured out on Jacob His furious anger and the power of war. It surrounded him with fire, but he did not know it; it burned him, but he paid no attention. (Isa 42:24-25 HCSB)
Does Matthew confirm Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy?
“Here is my Servant whom I have chosen, whom I love, and with whom I am pleased! I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to unbelievers. He will not quarrel or shout, and no one will hear him shouting in the streets. He will not snap off a broken reed or snuff out a smoldering wick until he has brought justice through to victory. And in his name unbelievers will hope.” (Mat 12:18-21 ISV)
Did God foretell about a Servant who would bless the Gentiles, a light to guide the nations? Is that Jesus? You decide!
God or Idols (Isaiah 41)
Who do we look to for help, God or some man-made substitute? Let’s look at Isaiah 41.
How does God reason with the coastlands, asking who is in charge of human history?
Be quiet before me, coastlands [distant lands]. Let the nations renew their strength. Let them approach and speak. Let’s draw near for a judgment. Who has awakened one from the east and has authority to summon him to serve—giving him nations, conquering kings, making them like dust with his sword, like scattered straw with his bow? He pursues them and passes untouched, needing no path for his feet. Who has acted and who has done this, calling upon generation after generation since the beginning? I, the Lord, was first, and I will be the last! (Isa 41:1-4 CEB)
Instead of turning to God, what false gods did the people worship?
Islands and foreign nations saw what I did and trembled as they came near. Worshipers of idols comfort each other, saying, “Don't worry!” Woodcarvers, goldsmiths, and other workers encourage one another and say, “We've done a great job!” Then they nail the idol down, so it won't fall over. (Isa 41:5-7 CEV)
How does God encourage and promise to strengthen Israel?
But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isa 41:8-10 ESV)
What does God promise to do for Israel against her enemies?
Be sure that all who are enraged against you will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will become as nothing and will perish. You will look for those who contend with you, but you will not find them. Those who war against you will become absolutely nothing. For I, Yahweh your God, hold your right hand and say to you: Do not fear, I will help you. (Isa 41:11-13 HCSB)
Should those who rejoice in and boast about the one true God be afraid?
Don’t be afraid, you little worm Jacob, and you insects of Israel! I myself will help you,’ declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. “See, I’m making you into a new, sharp, and multi-tooth threshing sledge. You’ll thresh and crush the mountains, and make the hills like chaff. You’ll winnow them, and the wind will lift them up, and a tempest will blow them away. Then you’ll rejoice in the Lord, and you’ll make your boast in the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa 41:14-16 ISV)
Will the one true God provide abundantly things that no idol can?
When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it. (Isa 41:17-20 KJV)
Does God invite debate about His prophecies and the ability of idols to do any work?
“Bring near your case,” Yahweh says. “Bring forward your mighty arguments,” The King of Jacob says. Let them bring it forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were, That we may establish our heart on them and know their outcome. Or cause us to hear of what is coming; Declare the things that are to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together. Behold, you are nothing, And your work is non-existent; He who chooses you is an abomination. (Isa 41:21-24 LSB)
How incapable are people to solve our problems? How futile is it to rely upon empty cast metal images?
“I have put one from the north into motion, and he has come; From the rising of the sun he will call on My name; And he will come upon rulers as upon mortar, As the potter treads on clay.” Who has declared this from the beginning, that we might know? Or from former times, that we may say, “He is right!”? There was no one at all who declared, There was no one at all who proclaimed, There was no one at all who heard your words. “Previously I said to Zion, ‘Behold, here they are.’ And to Jerusalem, ‘I will give a messenger of good news.’ But when I look, there is no one, And there is no counselor among them Who, if I ask, can give an answer. Behold, all of them are false; Their works are nothing, Their cast metal images are wind and emptiness. (Isa 41:25-29 NASB)
Are we reintroduced to the One from verse 4 who is described as the first and the last as Jesus Christ, God made flesh?
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Rev 1:17-18 NIV)
Who do we look to for help, God or some man-made substitute? You decide!
How does God reason with the coastlands, asking who is in charge of human history?
Be quiet before me, coastlands [distant lands]. Let the nations renew their strength. Let them approach and speak. Let’s draw near for a judgment. Who has awakened one from the east and has authority to summon him to serve—giving him nations, conquering kings, making them like dust with his sword, like scattered straw with his bow? He pursues them and passes untouched, needing no path for his feet. Who has acted and who has done this, calling upon generation after generation since the beginning? I, the Lord, was first, and I will be the last! (Isa 41:1-4 CEB)
Instead of turning to God, what false gods did the people worship?
Islands and foreign nations saw what I did and trembled as they came near. Worshipers of idols comfort each other, saying, “Don't worry!” Woodcarvers, goldsmiths, and other workers encourage one another and say, “We've done a great job!” Then they nail the idol down, so it won't fall over. (Isa 41:5-7 CEV)
How does God encourage and promise to strengthen Israel?
But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isa 41:8-10 ESV)
What does God promise to do for Israel against her enemies?
Be sure that all who are enraged against you will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will become as nothing and will perish. You will look for those who contend with you, but you will not find them. Those who war against you will become absolutely nothing. For I, Yahweh your God, hold your right hand and say to you: Do not fear, I will help you. (Isa 41:11-13 HCSB)
Should those who rejoice in and boast about the one true God be afraid?
Don’t be afraid, you little worm Jacob, and you insects of Israel! I myself will help you,’ declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. “See, I’m making you into a new, sharp, and multi-tooth threshing sledge. You’ll thresh and crush the mountains, and make the hills like chaff. You’ll winnow them, and the wind will lift them up, and a tempest will blow them away. Then you’ll rejoice in the Lord, and you’ll make your boast in the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa 41:14-16 ISV)
Will the one true God provide abundantly things that no idol can?
When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it. (Isa 41:17-20 KJV)
Does God invite debate about His prophecies and the ability of idols to do any work?
“Bring near your case,” Yahweh says. “Bring forward your mighty arguments,” The King of Jacob says. Let them bring it forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were, That we may establish our heart on them and know their outcome. Or cause us to hear of what is coming; Declare the things that are to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together. Behold, you are nothing, And your work is non-existent; He who chooses you is an abomination. (Isa 41:21-24 LSB)
How incapable are people to solve our problems? How futile is it to rely upon empty cast metal images?
“I have put one from the north into motion, and he has come; From the rising of the sun he will call on My name; And he will come upon rulers as upon mortar, As the potter treads on clay.” Who has declared this from the beginning, that we might know? Or from former times, that we may say, “He is right!”? There was no one at all who declared, There was no one at all who proclaimed, There was no one at all who heard your words. “Previously I said to Zion, ‘Behold, here they are.’ And to Jerusalem, ‘I will give a messenger of good news.’ But when I look, there is no one, And there is no counselor among them Who, if I ask, can give an answer. Behold, all of them are false; Their works are nothing, Their cast metal images are wind and emptiness. (Isa 41:25-29 NASB)
Are we reintroduced to the One from verse 4 who is described as the first and the last as Jesus Christ, God made flesh?
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Rev 1:17-18 NIV)
Who do we look to for help, God or some man-made substitute? You decide!
Good News (Isaiah 40)
Did God begin to comfort His people with good news, Gospel? Was this fulfilled in part by John the Baptist? Let’s begin in Isaiah 40.
What comforting words did God say to Jerusalem to encourage them?
Our God has said: “Encourage my people! Give them comfort. Speak kindly to Jerusalem and announce: Your slavery is past; your punishment is over. I, the Lord, made you pay double for your sins.” (Isa 40:1-2 CEV)
Is the following a prophecy, partially fulfilled in John the Baptist? Will Christ’s return bring this prophecy to complete fulfillment?
A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isa 40:3-5 ESV)
What did a voice say to Isaiah about humanity and God’s word?
A voice was saying, “Cry out!” Another said, “What should I cry out?” “All humanity is grass, and all its goodness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flowers fade when the breath of the Lord blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.” (Isa 40:6-8 HCSB)
Where did God tell Isaiah to go and what good news did He tell him to say?
“Climb up a high mountain, you messenger of good news to Zion! Lift up your voice with strength, you messenger to Jerusalem! Lift it up! Don’t be afraid! Say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’ Look! The Lord God comes with strength, and his arm rules for him. Look! His reward is with him, and his payment accompanies him. Like a shepherd, he tends his flock. He gathers the lambs in his arms, carries them close to his heart, and gently leads the mother sheep.” (Isa 40:9-11 ISV)
Did God ask Isaiah similar questions to those He had also posed to Job?
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? (Isa 40:12-14 KJV)
How much bigger is God than the entirety of His creation?
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are counted as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the coastlands like fine dust. Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before Him; They are counted by Him as non-existent and utterly formless. (Isa 40:15-17 LSB)
Two whom can we liken the real God, not some fake man-made idol?
To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To prepare an idol that will not totter. (Isa 40:18-20 NASB)
In a world where political leaders threaten our freedoms and commercial greed endangers our very lives, is there someone greater than it all?
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. (Isa 40:21-24 NIV)
Do we, who live in such a corrupt world, understand who has more strength than us all?
“To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing. (Isa 40:25-26 NKJV)
Do we ask if God even sees our troubles? Do we trust that He will help us find new strength?
O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isa 40:27-31 NLT)
How did John the Baptist fulfill the prophecy in verse 3 above?
“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make the way of the Lord ready! Make his paths straight!” (Mat 3:2-3 WEB)
Did God begin to comfort His people with good news, Gospel? Was this fulfilled in part by John the Baptist? You decide!
What comforting words did God say to Jerusalem to encourage them?
Our God has said: “Encourage my people! Give them comfort. Speak kindly to Jerusalem and announce: Your slavery is past; your punishment is over. I, the Lord, made you pay double for your sins.” (Isa 40:1-2 CEV)
Is the following a prophecy, partially fulfilled in John the Baptist? Will Christ’s return bring this prophecy to complete fulfillment?
A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isa 40:3-5 ESV)
What did a voice say to Isaiah about humanity and God’s word?
A voice was saying, “Cry out!” Another said, “What should I cry out?” “All humanity is grass, and all its goodness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flowers fade when the breath of the Lord blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.” (Isa 40:6-8 HCSB)
Where did God tell Isaiah to go and what good news did He tell him to say?
“Climb up a high mountain, you messenger of good news to Zion! Lift up your voice with strength, you messenger to Jerusalem! Lift it up! Don’t be afraid! Say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’ Look! The Lord God comes with strength, and his arm rules for him. Look! His reward is with him, and his payment accompanies him. Like a shepherd, he tends his flock. He gathers the lambs in his arms, carries them close to his heart, and gently leads the mother sheep.” (Isa 40:9-11 ISV)
Did God ask Isaiah similar questions to those He had also posed to Job?
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? (Isa 40:12-14 KJV)
How much bigger is God than the entirety of His creation?
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are counted as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the coastlands like fine dust. Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before Him; They are counted by Him as non-existent and utterly formless. (Isa 40:15-17 LSB)
Two whom can we liken the real God, not some fake man-made idol?
To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To prepare an idol that will not totter. (Isa 40:18-20 NASB)
In a world where political leaders threaten our freedoms and commercial greed endangers our very lives, is there someone greater than it all?
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. (Isa 40:21-24 NIV)
Do we, who live in such a corrupt world, understand who has more strength than us all?
“To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing. (Isa 40:25-26 NKJV)
Do we ask if God even sees our troubles? Do we trust that He will help us find new strength?
O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isa 40:27-31 NLT)
How did John the Baptist fulfill the prophecy in verse 3 above?
“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make the way of the Lord ready! Make his paths straight!” (Mat 3:2-3 WEB)
Did God begin to comfort His people with good news, Gospel? Was this fulfilled in part by John the Baptist? You decide!
Treasures on Earth (Isaiah 39)
Do the first 39 chapters of Isaiah parallel the 39 books of the Old Testament with a focus on sinfulness, while the last 27 chapters parallel the 27 books of the New Testament with a focus on a Savior? Let’s look at Isaiah 39.
Should a man’s life focus on the emptiness of accumulated wealth?
At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. (Isa 39:1-2 NIV)
What did Isaiah tell Hezekiah about all his accumulated wealth?
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of Yahweh of Armies: ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up until today, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says Yahweh. ‘They will take away your sons who will issue from you, whom you shall father, and they will be eunuchs in the king of Babylon’s palace.’” (Isa 39:3-4 WEB)
Did Hezekiah face any consequences for a life filled with meaningless wealth?
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: ‘The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. ‘Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.’” (Isa 39:5-7 NLT)
How selfish was Hezekiah after finding out that the next generation would suffer?
Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from the Lord is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.” (Isa 39:8 NLT)
What would Jesus have said about accumulating a wealth of treasures?
Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Mat 6:19-21 CEB)
Do the first 39 chapters of Isaiah parallel the 39 books of the Old Testament with a focus on sinfulness, while the last 27 chapters parallel the 27 books of the New Testament with a focus on a Savior? You decide!
Should a man’s life focus on the emptiness of accumulated wealth?
At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. (Isa 39:1-2 NIV)
What did Isaiah tell Hezekiah about all his accumulated wealth?
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of Yahweh of Armies: ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up until today, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says Yahweh. ‘They will take away your sons who will issue from you, whom you shall father, and they will be eunuchs in the king of Babylon’s palace.’” (Isa 39:3-4 WEB)
Did Hezekiah face any consequences for a life filled with meaningless wealth?
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: ‘The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. ‘Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.’” (Isa 39:5-7 NLT)
How selfish was Hezekiah after finding out that the next generation would suffer?
Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from the Lord is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.” (Isa 39:8 NLT)
What would Jesus have said about accumulating a wealth of treasures?
Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Mat 6:19-21 CEB)
Do the first 39 chapters of Isaiah parallel the 39 books of the Old Testament with a focus on sinfulness, while the last 27 chapters parallel the 27 books of the New Testament with a focus on a Savior? You decide!
Fifteen Years (Isaiah 38)
Would we want God to grant us extra time on this earth, if during that extra time we make some big mistakes? Let’s look at Isaiah 38.
What did Hezekiah do when Isaiah prophesied that he was about to die?
In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. (Isa 38:1-3 ESV)
How did God let Hezekiah know that his prayer had been granted? How much longer would he live?
Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am going to add 15 years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the power of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city. This is the sign to you from the Lord that He will do what He has promised: I am going to make the sun’s shadow that goes down on Ahaz’s stairway go back by 10 steps.” So the sun’s shadow went back the 10 steps it had descended. (Isa 38:4-8 HCSB)
How did Hezekiah express his gratitude to God for giving him 15 more years?
A composition by King Hezekiah of Judah, following his illness and recovery: I said, “Must I leave in the prime of my life? Must I be consigned to the control of Sheol [the grave]? Bitter are my years!” I said, “I won’t see the Lord in the land of the living; and I’ll no longer observe human beings among the denizens of the grave. My house has been plucked up and vanishes from me like a shepherd’s tent; like a weaver, I’ve taken account of my life, and he cuts me off from the loom—day and night you make an end of me. I’ve been swept bare until morning; just like a lion, he breaks all my bones—day and night you make an end of me. Like a swallow or a crane I chirp, I moan like a dove. My eyes look weakly upward. O Lord, I am oppressed, so stand up for me! What can I say, so I tell myself, since he has done this to me? I will walk slowly all my years because of my soul’s anguish. (Isa 38:9-15 ISV)
How grateful was Hezekiah for God giving him an extra 15 years of life?
O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live. Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. (Isa 38:16-20 KJV)
What simple medicine did Hezekiah use to heal his boil?
Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take up a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may live.” Then Hezekiah had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of Yahweh?” (Isa 38:21-22 LSB)
No matter how long a life God grants to us, how should we live it?
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Gal 2:20 NASB)
Would we want God to grant us extra time on this earth, if during that extra time we make some big mistakes? You decide!
What did Hezekiah do when Isaiah prophesied that he was about to die?
In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. (Isa 38:1-3 ESV)
How did God let Hezekiah know that his prayer had been granted? How much longer would he live?
Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am going to add 15 years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the power of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city. This is the sign to you from the Lord that He will do what He has promised: I am going to make the sun’s shadow that goes down on Ahaz’s stairway go back by 10 steps.” So the sun’s shadow went back the 10 steps it had descended. (Isa 38:4-8 HCSB)
How did Hezekiah express his gratitude to God for giving him 15 more years?
A composition by King Hezekiah of Judah, following his illness and recovery: I said, “Must I leave in the prime of my life? Must I be consigned to the control of Sheol [the grave]? Bitter are my years!” I said, “I won’t see the Lord in the land of the living; and I’ll no longer observe human beings among the denizens of the grave. My house has been plucked up and vanishes from me like a shepherd’s tent; like a weaver, I’ve taken account of my life, and he cuts me off from the loom—day and night you make an end of me. I’ve been swept bare until morning; just like a lion, he breaks all my bones—day and night you make an end of me. Like a swallow or a crane I chirp, I moan like a dove. My eyes look weakly upward. O Lord, I am oppressed, so stand up for me! What can I say, so I tell myself, since he has done this to me? I will walk slowly all my years because of my soul’s anguish. (Isa 38:9-15 ISV)
How grateful was Hezekiah for God giving him an extra 15 years of life?
O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live. Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. (Isa 38:16-20 KJV)
What simple medicine did Hezekiah use to heal his boil?
Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take up a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may live.” Then Hezekiah had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of Yahweh?” (Isa 38:21-22 LSB)
No matter how long a life God grants to us, how should we live it?
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Gal 2:20 NASB)
Would we want God to grant us extra time on this earth, if during that extra time we make some big mistakes? You decide!
Assyria Defeated (Isaiah 37)
How did God destroy an overwhelming threat to Judah? Can He do the same for us? Let’s look at Isaiah 37.
Did Hezekiah king of Judah enter the temple with sack cloth and prayer and seek Isaiah the prophet’s help?
Now it happened that when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of Yahweh. Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household with Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, reproof, and rejection; for children have come to the point of breaking forth, but there is no strength to give birth. Perhaps Yahweh your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which Yahweh your God has heard. Therefore, lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left.’” (Isa 37:1-4 LSB)
What message did God give Isaiah to pass on to king Hezekiah?
So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said to them, “This is what you shall say to your master: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I am going to put a spirit in him so that he will hear news and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’ (Isa 37:5-7 NASB)
Did Sennacherib the king of Assyria once again threaten Hezekiah king of Judah, bragging about his undefeated conquests?
When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah. Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush, was marching out to fight against him. When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?” (Isa 37:8-13 NIV)
Where did Hezekiah go for help, to Egypt or to the Lord?
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying: “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone.” (Isa 37:14-20 NKJV)
What did God reply to Hezekiah through His prophet Isaiah?
Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you prayed about King Sennacherib of Assyria, the Lord has spoken this word against him: “The virgin daughter of Zion despises you and laughs at you. The daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head in derision as you flee. Whom have you been defying and ridiculing? Against whom did you raise your voice? At whom did you look with such haughty eyes? It was the Holy One of Israel! By your messengers you have defied the Lord. You have said, ‘With my many chariots I have conquered the highest mountains—yes, the remotest peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars and its finest cypress trees. I have reached its farthest heights and explored its deepest forests. I have dug wells in many foreign lands and refreshed myself with their water. With the sole of my foot, I stopped up all the rivers of Egypt!’ ” (Isa 37:21-25 NLT)
How else did God rebuke Assyria through his message to Judah’s king Hezekiah? Would He turn Assyria back from conquering Jerusalem?
Have you not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it in ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, that it should be yours to destroy fortified cities, turning them into ruinous heaps. Therefore their inhabitants had little power. They were dismayed and confounded. They were like the grass of the field, and like the green herb, like the grass on the housetops, and like a field before its crop has grown. But I know your sitting down, your going out, your coming in, and your raging against me. Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came. (Isa 37:26-29 WEB)
How would Hezekiah know that God has given them victory over Assyria?
Now this will be the sign for you, Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows by itself. Next year you will eat what grows from that. But in the third year, plant seed and harvest it; plant vineyards and eat their fruit. The survivors of Judah’s family who have escaped will put down roots and bear fruit above. Those who remain will go out from Jerusalem, and those who survive will go out from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of heavenly forces will do this.
Therefore, the Lord says this about Assyria’s king: He won’t enter this city. He won’t shoot a single arrow here. He won’t come near the city with a shield. He won’t build a ramp to besiege it. He’ll go back by the same way he came. He won’t enter this city, declares the Lord. I will defend this city and save it for my sake and for the sake of my servant David. (Isa 37:30-35 CEB)
What did God do to the Assyrian army and what did Sennacherib’s sons do to him?
The Lord sent an angel to the camp of the Assyrians, and he killed 185,000 of them all in one night. The next morning, the camp was full of dead bodies. After this, King Sennacherib went back to Assyria and lived in the city of Nineveh. One day he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, when his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords. They escaped to the land of Ararat, and his son Esarhaddon became king. (Isa 37:36-38 CEV)
Should we confess our sins and pray for one another? How effective is prayer under humanly impossible circumstances?
Therefore, make it your habit to confess your sins to one another and to pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16 ISV)
How did God destroy an overwhelming threat to Judah? Can He do the same for us? You decide!
Did Hezekiah king of Judah enter the temple with sack cloth and prayer and seek Isaiah the prophet’s help?
Now it happened that when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of Yahweh. Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household with Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, reproof, and rejection; for children have come to the point of breaking forth, but there is no strength to give birth. Perhaps Yahweh your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which Yahweh your God has heard. Therefore, lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left.’” (Isa 37:1-4 LSB)
What message did God give Isaiah to pass on to king Hezekiah?
So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said to them, “This is what you shall say to your master: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I am going to put a spirit in him so that he will hear news and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’ (Isa 37:5-7 NASB)
Did Sennacherib the king of Assyria once again threaten Hezekiah king of Judah, bragging about his undefeated conquests?
When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah. Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush, was marching out to fight against him. When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?” (Isa 37:8-13 NIV)
Where did Hezekiah go for help, to Egypt or to the Lord?
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying: “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone.” (Isa 37:14-20 NKJV)
What did God reply to Hezekiah through His prophet Isaiah?
Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you prayed about King Sennacherib of Assyria, the Lord has spoken this word against him: “The virgin daughter of Zion despises you and laughs at you. The daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head in derision as you flee. Whom have you been defying and ridiculing? Against whom did you raise your voice? At whom did you look with such haughty eyes? It was the Holy One of Israel! By your messengers you have defied the Lord. You have said, ‘With my many chariots I have conquered the highest mountains—yes, the remotest peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars and its finest cypress trees. I have reached its farthest heights and explored its deepest forests. I have dug wells in many foreign lands and refreshed myself with their water. With the sole of my foot, I stopped up all the rivers of Egypt!’ ” (Isa 37:21-25 NLT)
How else did God rebuke Assyria through his message to Judah’s king Hezekiah? Would He turn Assyria back from conquering Jerusalem?
Have you not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it in ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, that it should be yours to destroy fortified cities, turning them into ruinous heaps. Therefore their inhabitants had little power. They were dismayed and confounded. They were like the grass of the field, and like the green herb, like the grass on the housetops, and like a field before its crop has grown. But I know your sitting down, your going out, your coming in, and your raging against me. Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came. (Isa 37:26-29 WEB)
How would Hezekiah know that God has given them victory over Assyria?
Now this will be the sign for you, Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows by itself. Next year you will eat what grows from that. But in the third year, plant seed and harvest it; plant vineyards and eat their fruit. The survivors of Judah’s family who have escaped will put down roots and bear fruit above. Those who remain will go out from Jerusalem, and those who survive will go out from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of heavenly forces will do this.
Therefore, the Lord says this about Assyria’s king: He won’t enter this city. He won’t shoot a single arrow here. He won’t come near the city with a shield. He won’t build a ramp to besiege it. He’ll go back by the same way he came. He won’t enter this city, declares the Lord. I will defend this city and save it for my sake and for the sake of my servant David. (Isa 37:30-35 CEB)
What did God do to the Assyrian army and what did Sennacherib’s sons do to him?
The Lord sent an angel to the camp of the Assyrians, and he killed 185,000 of them all in one night. The next morning, the camp was full of dead bodies. After this, King Sennacherib went back to Assyria and lived in the city of Nineveh. One day he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, when his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords. They escaped to the land of Ararat, and his son Esarhaddon became king. (Isa 37:36-38 CEV)
Should we confess our sins and pray for one another? How effective is prayer under humanly impossible circumstances?
Therefore, make it your habit to confess your sins to one another and to pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16 ISV)
How did God destroy an overwhelming threat to Judah? Can He do the same for us? You decide!
Assyria Invades (Isaiah 36)
What do we do when faced with an impossible situation that nobody else in similar circumstances has escaped? Let’s look at Isaiah 36.
Did Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, begin to conquer the cities of Judah?
In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria came to attack the fortified towns of Judah and conquered them. Then the king of Assyria sent his chief of staff from Lachish with a huge army to confront King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. The Assyrians took up a position beside the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed. These are the officials who went out to meet with them: Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator; Shebna the court secretary; and Joah son of Asaph, the royal historian. (Isa 36:1-3 NLT)
Did Sennacherib’s official Rabshakeh speak against Israel’s trust in Egypt as an ally?
Rabshakeh said to them, “Now tell Hezekiah, ‘The great king, the king of Assyria, says, “What confidence is this in which you trust? I say that your counsel and strength for the war are only vain words. Now in whom do you trust, that you have rebelled against me? Behold, you trust in the staff of this bruised reed, even in Egypt, which if a man leans on it, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. (Isa 36:4-6 WEB)
Did the official mock any reliance upon God to protect Judah?
Now suppose you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God.’ Isn’t he the one whose shrines and altars Hezekiah removed, telling Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship only at this altar’? (Isa 36:7 CEB)
What bet did Sennacherib make with the people of Judah?
The king of Assyria wants to make a bet with you people! He will give you 2,000 horses, if you have enough troops to ride them. How could you even defeat our lowest ranking officer, when you have to depend on Egypt for chariots and cavalry? Don't forget that it was the Lord who sent me here with orders to destroy your nation! (Isa 36:8-10 CEV)
Why did the Assyrian army commander speak in Hebrew, the language of the common people, rather than Aramaic, the language of trade and diplomacy?
Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said, “Sir, we don't want the people listening from the city wall to understand what you are saying. So please speak to us in Aramaic instead of Hebrew.” The Assyrian army commander answered, “My king sent me to speak to everyone, not just to you leaders. These people will soon have to eat their own body waste and drink their own urine! And so will the three of you!” (Isa 36:11-12 CEV)
What did Rabshakeh say to glorify Sennacherib and mock God?
Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. (Isa 36:13-17 ESV)
What did Rabshakeh say to mock anything that Hezekiah might say about trusting God?
Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you by saying, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the power of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my power? Who among all the gods of these lands ever delivered his land from my power? So will the Lord deliver Jerusalem.” (Isa 36:18-20 HCSB)
What did the people say back to Rabshakeh, and what did Hezekiah’s officials do?
But the people remained silent and didn’t respond to him with so much as a single word, because the king had commanded, “Don’t answer him.” Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the secretary, and Asaph’s son Joah, the recorder, approached Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and let him know what the field commander had said. (Isa 36:21-22 ISV)
Is there battle armor that God gives us so that we may be victorious?
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph 6:14-17 KJV)
What do we do when faced with an impossible situation that nobody else in similar circumstances has escaped? You decide!
Did Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, begin to conquer the cities of Judah?
In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria came to attack the fortified towns of Judah and conquered them. Then the king of Assyria sent his chief of staff from Lachish with a huge army to confront King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. The Assyrians took up a position beside the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed. These are the officials who went out to meet with them: Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator; Shebna the court secretary; and Joah son of Asaph, the royal historian. (Isa 36:1-3 NLT)
Did Sennacherib’s official Rabshakeh speak against Israel’s trust in Egypt as an ally?
Rabshakeh said to them, “Now tell Hezekiah, ‘The great king, the king of Assyria, says, “What confidence is this in which you trust? I say that your counsel and strength for the war are only vain words. Now in whom do you trust, that you have rebelled against me? Behold, you trust in the staff of this bruised reed, even in Egypt, which if a man leans on it, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. (Isa 36:4-6 WEB)
Did the official mock any reliance upon God to protect Judah?
Now suppose you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God.’ Isn’t he the one whose shrines and altars Hezekiah removed, telling Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship only at this altar’? (Isa 36:7 CEB)
What bet did Sennacherib make with the people of Judah?
The king of Assyria wants to make a bet with you people! He will give you 2,000 horses, if you have enough troops to ride them. How could you even defeat our lowest ranking officer, when you have to depend on Egypt for chariots and cavalry? Don't forget that it was the Lord who sent me here with orders to destroy your nation! (Isa 36:8-10 CEV)
Why did the Assyrian army commander speak in Hebrew, the language of the common people, rather than Aramaic, the language of trade and diplomacy?
Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said, “Sir, we don't want the people listening from the city wall to understand what you are saying. So please speak to us in Aramaic instead of Hebrew.” The Assyrian army commander answered, “My king sent me to speak to everyone, not just to you leaders. These people will soon have to eat their own body waste and drink their own urine! And so will the three of you!” (Isa 36:11-12 CEV)
What did Rabshakeh say to glorify Sennacherib and mock God?
Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. (Isa 36:13-17 ESV)
What did Rabshakeh say to mock anything that Hezekiah might say about trusting God?
Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you by saying, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the power of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my power? Who among all the gods of these lands ever delivered his land from my power? So will the Lord deliver Jerusalem.” (Isa 36:18-20 HCSB)
What did the people say back to Rabshakeh, and what did Hezekiah’s officials do?
But the people remained silent and didn’t respond to him with so much as a single word, because the king had commanded, “Don’t answer him.” Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the secretary, and Asaph’s son Joah, the recorder, approached Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and let him know what the field commander had said. (Isa 36:21-22 ISV)
Is there battle armor that God gives us so that we may be victorious?
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph 6:14-17 KJV)
What do we do when faced with an impossible situation that nobody else in similar circumstances has escaped? You decide!
God's Restoration (Isaiah 35)
After punishment that may seem harsh from a puny human perspective, is God perfectly capable of complete restoration? Let’s look at Isaiah 35.
Will God restore the desert as He renews everything once more?
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. (Isa 35:1-2 KJV)
Will God strengthen the weak and anxious, saving them?
Strengthen limp hands, and give courage to the knees of the stumbling. Say to those with an anxious heart, “Be strong, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” (Isa 35:3-4 LSB)
Will the sick and handicapped be healed? Will the dry desert receive much needed water?
Then the eyes of those who are blind will be opened, And the ears of those who are deaf will be unstopped. Then those who limp will leap like a deer, And the tongue of those who cannot speak will shout for joy. For waters will burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. The scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes. (Isa 35:5-7 NASB)
Will there be a large highway only for the redeemed? Will everlasting joy be there, and no more sorrow?
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isa 35:8-10 NIV)
If God promises no more sorrow or crying, does that mean that there will be no more reason for them?
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. (Rev 21:3 NKJV)
After punishment that may seem harsh from a puny human perspective, is God perfectly capable of complete restoration? You decide!
Will God restore the desert as He renews everything once more?
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. (Isa 35:1-2 KJV)
Will God strengthen the weak and anxious, saving them?
Strengthen limp hands, and give courage to the knees of the stumbling. Say to those with an anxious heart, “Be strong, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” (Isa 35:3-4 LSB)
Will the sick and handicapped be healed? Will the dry desert receive much needed water?
Then the eyes of those who are blind will be opened, And the ears of those who are deaf will be unstopped. Then those who limp will leap like a deer, And the tongue of those who cannot speak will shout for joy. For waters will burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. The scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes. (Isa 35:5-7 NASB)
Will there be a large highway only for the redeemed? Will everlasting joy be there, and no more sorrow?
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isa 35:8-10 NIV)
If God promises no more sorrow or crying, does that mean that there will be no more reason for them?
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. (Rev 21:3 NKJV)
After punishment that may seem harsh from a puny human perspective, is God perfectly capable of complete restoration? You decide!
God's Anger (Isaiah 34)
Before God can bless humanity, must He prove His existence to a stubborn world, punish all evils, and expose all our efforts as futile? Let’s look at Isaiah 34.
As God was angry with Israel’s evils, is He also angry with all nations’ evils?
Come near, you nations, to hear! Listen, you peoples. Let the earth and all it contains hear, the world, and everything that comes from it. For Yahweh is enraged against all the nations, and angry with all their armies. He has utterly destroyed them. He has given them over for slaughter. Their slain will also be cast out, and the stench of their dead bodies will come up. The mountains will melt in their blood. All of the army of the sky will be dissolved. The sky will be rolled up like a scroll, and all its armies will fade away, as a leaf fades from off a vine or a fig tree. (Isa 34:1-4 WEB)
Is the punishment of Edom (Esau), Israel’s neighbor and frequent enemy, an example of God’s judgment upon the whole world?
When my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, it will descend upon Edom for judgment, upon a people I have doomed for destruction. The Lord has a sword covered with blood; it is soaked with fat from the blood of lambs and goats, from the kidney fat of rams, for the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. Wild oxen will fall with them, steers with mighty bulls, and their land will be drenched with blood; its soil soaked with fat. The Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of payback for Zion’s cause. (Isa 34:5-8 CEB)
Is this a time also described in Revelation, where God will punish the nations?
Edom's streams will turn into tar and its soil into sulfur—then the whole country will go up in flames. It will burn night and day and never stop smoking. Edom will be a desert, generation after generation; no one will ever travel through that land. Owls, hawks, and wild animals will make it their home. God will leave it in ruins, merely a pile of rocks. (Isa 34:9-11 CEV)
Will Edom become discounted as nothing, no longer a kingdom?
Its nobles—there is no one there to call it a kingdom, and all its princes shall be nothing. Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches. And wild animals shall meet with hyenas; the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; indeed, there the night bird settles and finds for herself a resting place. (Isa 34:12-14 ESV)
Would the ecological disaster punishing those who oppose Israel and thus God, be so complete that only wild animals would live there?
The sand partridge will make her nest there; she will lay and hatch her eggs and will gather her brood under her shadow. Indeed, the birds of prey will gather there, each with its mate. Search and read the scroll of the Lord: Not one of them will be missing, none will be lacking its mate, because He has ordered it by my mouth, and He will gather them by His Spirit. He has ordained a lot for them; His hand allotted their portion with a measuring line. They will possess it forever; they will dwell in it from generation to generation. (Isa 34:15-17 HCSB)
Does Revelation also describe God’s final anger upon the atrocities of the nations?
So the angel swung his sickle in the earth, gathered the grapes from the earth, and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. The wine press was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press as high as a horse’s bridle for about 1,600 stadia [300 kilometres]. (Rev 14:19-20 ISV)
Before God can bless humanity, must He prove His existence to a stubborn world, punish all evils, and expose all our efforts as futile? You decide!
As God was angry with Israel’s evils, is He also angry with all nations’ evils?
Come near, you nations, to hear! Listen, you peoples. Let the earth and all it contains hear, the world, and everything that comes from it. For Yahweh is enraged against all the nations, and angry with all their armies. He has utterly destroyed them. He has given them over for slaughter. Their slain will also be cast out, and the stench of their dead bodies will come up. The mountains will melt in their blood. All of the army of the sky will be dissolved. The sky will be rolled up like a scroll, and all its armies will fade away, as a leaf fades from off a vine or a fig tree. (Isa 34:1-4 WEB)
Is the punishment of Edom (Esau), Israel’s neighbor and frequent enemy, an example of God’s judgment upon the whole world?
When my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, it will descend upon Edom for judgment, upon a people I have doomed for destruction. The Lord has a sword covered with blood; it is soaked with fat from the blood of lambs and goats, from the kidney fat of rams, for the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. Wild oxen will fall with them, steers with mighty bulls, and their land will be drenched with blood; its soil soaked with fat. The Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of payback for Zion’s cause. (Isa 34:5-8 CEB)
Is this a time also described in Revelation, where God will punish the nations?
Edom's streams will turn into tar and its soil into sulfur—then the whole country will go up in flames. It will burn night and day and never stop smoking. Edom will be a desert, generation after generation; no one will ever travel through that land. Owls, hawks, and wild animals will make it their home. God will leave it in ruins, merely a pile of rocks. (Isa 34:9-11 CEV)
Will Edom become discounted as nothing, no longer a kingdom?
Its nobles—there is no one there to call it a kingdom, and all its princes shall be nothing. Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches. And wild animals shall meet with hyenas; the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; indeed, there the night bird settles and finds for herself a resting place. (Isa 34:12-14 ESV)
Would the ecological disaster punishing those who oppose Israel and thus God, be so complete that only wild animals would live there?
The sand partridge will make her nest there; she will lay and hatch her eggs and will gather her brood under her shadow. Indeed, the birds of prey will gather there, each with its mate. Search and read the scroll of the Lord: Not one of them will be missing, none will be lacking its mate, because He has ordered it by my mouth, and He will gather them by His Spirit. He has ordained a lot for them; His hand allotted their portion with a measuring line. They will possess it forever; they will dwell in it from generation to generation. (Isa 34:15-17 HCSB)
Does Revelation also describe God’s final anger upon the atrocities of the nations?
So the angel swung his sickle in the earth, gathered the grapes from the earth, and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. The wine press was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press as high as a horse’s bridle for about 1,600 stadia [300 kilometres]. (Rev 14:19-20 ISV)
Before God can bless humanity, must He prove His existence to a stubborn world, punish all evils, and expose all our efforts as futile? You decide!
Zion's Treasure (Isaiah 33)
Though God’s justice sometimes seems harsh from our perspective, does it result in an eternal joy that is beyond our wildest dreams? Let’s look at Isaiah 33.
What does God prophecy to Assyria who had defeated Israel?
You defeated my people. Now you're in for trouble! You've never been destroyed, but you will be destroyed; you've never been betrayed, but you will be betrayed. When you have finished destroying and betraying, you will be destroyed and betrayed in return. (Isa 33:1 CEV)
As Assyria threatens, do God’s people eventually turn from relying on Egypt, to relying on God alone?
O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. At the tumultuous noise peoples flee; when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered, and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap, it is leapt upon. (Isa 33:2-4 ESV)
The Lord’s discipline may seem hard by human standards, but does it bring us to humility and an understanding of who He is?
The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. There will be times of security for you—a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure. (Isa 33:5-6 HCSB)
Will brave men and those who made a treaty with Egypt weep and feel ashamed?
“Listen! Their brave men cry out in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly. The highways are deserted; travelers have quit the road. The enemy has broken treaties; he despises their witnesses, and respects no one. The land mourns and wastes away; Lebanon feels ashamed and withers. Sharon is like a desert; Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.” (Isa 33:7-9 ISV)
What will happen to those who relied upon a foreign government rather than God?
Now will I rise, saith the Lord; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself. Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you. And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire. (Isa 33:10-12 KJV)
Did God punish the sinners, but allow those who walk uprightly to endure?
“You who are far away, hear what I have done; And you who are near, acknowledge My might.” Sinners in Zion are in dread; Trembling has seized the godless. “Who among us can sojourn with the consuming fire? Who among us can sojourn with continual burning?” He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly; He who rejects greedy gain of oppression, And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil; He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the strongholds of the cliffs; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure. (Isa 33:13-16 LSB)
Who will the righteous see? Will it be a great experience in our eternity?
Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see a distant land. Your heart will meditate on terror: “Where is one who counts? Where is one who weighs? Where is one who counts the towers?” You will no longer see a fierce people, A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends, Of a stammering tongue which no one understands. (Isa 33:17-19 NASB)
Is this a description of a future Jerusalem as a peaceful abode?
Look on Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken. There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us. (Isa 33:20-22 NIV)
Will sickness and sin one day be removed from Jerusalem?
Your tackle is loosed, They could not strengthen their mast, They could not spread the sail. Then the prey of great plunder is divided; The lame take the prey. And the inhabitant will not say, “I am sick”; The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity. (Isa 33:23-24 NKJV)
Is this also described in Revelation in the new heavens and new earth?
No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. (Rev 22:3-5 NLT)
Though God’s justice sometimes seems harsh from our perspective, does it result in an eternal joy that is beyond our wildest dreams? You decide!
What does God prophecy to Assyria who had defeated Israel?
You defeated my people. Now you're in for trouble! You've never been destroyed, but you will be destroyed; you've never been betrayed, but you will be betrayed. When you have finished destroying and betraying, you will be destroyed and betrayed in return. (Isa 33:1 CEV)
As Assyria threatens, do God’s people eventually turn from relying on Egypt, to relying on God alone?
O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. At the tumultuous noise peoples flee; when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered, and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap, it is leapt upon. (Isa 33:2-4 ESV)
The Lord’s discipline may seem hard by human standards, but does it bring us to humility and an understanding of who He is?
The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. There will be times of security for you—a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure. (Isa 33:5-6 HCSB)
Will brave men and those who made a treaty with Egypt weep and feel ashamed?
“Listen! Their brave men cry out in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly. The highways are deserted; travelers have quit the road. The enemy has broken treaties; he despises their witnesses, and respects no one. The land mourns and wastes away; Lebanon feels ashamed and withers. Sharon is like a desert; Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.” (Isa 33:7-9 ISV)
What will happen to those who relied upon a foreign government rather than God?
Now will I rise, saith the Lord; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself. Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you. And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire. (Isa 33:10-12 KJV)
Did God punish the sinners, but allow those who walk uprightly to endure?
“You who are far away, hear what I have done; And you who are near, acknowledge My might.” Sinners in Zion are in dread; Trembling has seized the godless. “Who among us can sojourn with the consuming fire? Who among us can sojourn with continual burning?” He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly; He who rejects greedy gain of oppression, And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil; He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the strongholds of the cliffs; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure. (Isa 33:13-16 LSB)
Who will the righteous see? Will it be a great experience in our eternity?
Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see a distant land. Your heart will meditate on terror: “Where is one who counts? Where is one who weighs? Where is one who counts the towers?” You will no longer see a fierce people, A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends, Of a stammering tongue which no one understands. (Isa 33:17-19 NASB)
Is this a description of a future Jerusalem as a peaceful abode?
Look on Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken. There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us. (Isa 33:20-22 NIV)
Will sickness and sin one day be removed from Jerusalem?
Your tackle is loosed, They could not strengthen their mast, They could not spread the sail. Then the prey of great plunder is divided; The lame take the prey. And the inhabitant will not say, “I am sick”; The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity. (Isa 33:23-24 NKJV)
Is this also described in Revelation in the new heavens and new earth?
No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. (Rev 22:3-5 NLT)
Though God’s justice sometimes seems harsh from our perspective, does it result in an eternal joy that is beyond our wildest dreams? You decide!
An Ethical King (Isaiah 32)
Who is the king that will reign in righteousness with honest leaders? Let’s look at Isaiah 32.
Who is this king that shall reign? Is this a prophecy of Jesus’ second coming?
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. (Isa 32:1-4 KJV)
Will this be a time when only righteous people will be allowed to be in government?
No longer will the wicked fool be called noble, Or the rogue be spoken of as generous. For a wicked fool speaks wicked folly, And his heart does wickedness: To do ungodliness and to speak error against Yahweh, In order to make the hungry person empty; He even causes the thirsty to lack a drink. As for a rogue, his weapons are evil; He counsels wicked schemes To wreak destruction on the afflicted with lying words, Even though the needy one speaks justly. But the noble man counsels noble plans; And by noble plans he rises up. (Isa 32:5-8 LSB)
Will selfish women who care more for their luxuries than for the suffering be given a warning?
Rise up, you women who are at ease, And hear my voice; Listen to my word, You complacent daughters. Within a year and a few days You will be troubled, you complacent daughters; For the vintage is ended, And the fruit gathering will not come. (Isa 32:9-10 NASB)
Will the inequality of a corrupt society come to an end, one that allows some to live extravagantly, while causing others to suffer?
Tremble, you complacent women; shudder, you daughters who feel secure! Strip off your fine clothes and wrap yourselves in rags. Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines and for the land of my people, a land overgrown with thorns and briers—yes, mourn for all houses of merriment and for this city of revelry. (Isa 32:11-13 NIV)
Will the exclusive housing of the selfish rich be abandoned until the Spirit of God has been poured out? Will Israel’s brown lands turn green?
Because the palaces will be forsaken, The bustling city will be deserted. The forts and towers will become lairs forever, A joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks—Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest. (Isa 32:14-15 NKJV)
Will Israel finally become a place of justice and righteousness? Will bounteous crops grow in a land where once desert dominated?
Justice will rule in the wilderness and righteousness in the fertile field. And this righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in safety, quietly at home. They will be at rest. Even if the forest should be destroyed and the city torn down, the Lord will greatly bless his people. Wherever they plant seed, bountiful crops will spring up. Their cattle and donkeys will graze freely. (Isa 32:16-20 NLT)
Was the Spirit being poured out experienced in its initial fulfillment on Pentecost?
It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18 WEB)
Was the gift of the Holy Spirit also poured out on Gentiles?
While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on everyone who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. (Acts 10:44-45 CEB)
Who is the king that will reign in righteousness with honest leaders? You decide!
Who is this king that shall reign? Is this a prophecy of Jesus’ second coming?
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. (Isa 32:1-4 KJV)
Will this be a time when only righteous people will be allowed to be in government?
No longer will the wicked fool be called noble, Or the rogue be spoken of as generous. For a wicked fool speaks wicked folly, And his heart does wickedness: To do ungodliness and to speak error against Yahweh, In order to make the hungry person empty; He even causes the thirsty to lack a drink. As for a rogue, his weapons are evil; He counsels wicked schemes To wreak destruction on the afflicted with lying words, Even though the needy one speaks justly. But the noble man counsels noble plans; And by noble plans he rises up. (Isa 32:5-8 LSB)
Will selfish women who care more for their luxuries than for the suffering be given a warning?
Rise up, you women who are at ease, And hear my voice; Listen to my word, You complacent daughters. Within a year and a few days You will be troubled, you complacent daughters; For the vintage is ended, And the fruit gathering will not come. (Isa 32:9-10 NASB)
Will the inequality of a corrupt society come to an end, one that allows some to live extravagantly, while causing others to suffer?
Tremble, you complacent women; shudder, you daughters who feel secure! Strip off your fine clothes and wrap yourselves in rags. Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines and for the land of my people, a land overgrown with thorns and briers—yes, mourn for all houses of merriment and for this city of revelry. (Isa 32:11-13 NIV)
Will the exclusive housing of the selfish rich be abandoned until the Spirit of God has been poured out? Will Israel’s brown lands turn green?
Because the palaces will be forsaken, The bustling city will be deserted. The forts and towers will become lairs forever, A joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks—Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest. (Isa 32:14-15 NKJV)
Will Israel finally become a place of justice and righteousness? Will bounteous crops grow in a land where once desert dominated?
Justice will rule in the wilderness and righteousness in the fertile field. And this righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in safety, quietly at home. They will be at rest. Even if the forest should be destroyed and the city torn down, the Lord will greatly bless his people. Wherever they plant seed, bountiful crops will spring up. Their cattle and donkeys will graze freely. (Isa 32:16-20 NLT)
Was the Spirit being poured out experienced in its initial fulfillment on Pentecost?
It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18 WEB)
Was the gift of the Holy Spirit also poured out on Gentiles?
While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on everyone who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. (Acts 10:44-45 CEB)
Who is the king that will reign in righteousness with honest leaders? You decide!
Foolish Alliances (Isaiah 31)
Do our nations also make foolish alliances like Israel, instead of trusting God? Let’s continue in Isaiah 31.
Was it foolish for Israel to go down to Egypt for help?
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they don’t look to the Holy One of Israel, and they don’t seek Yahweh! (Isa 31:1 WEB)
Who is stronger than the horses and army of any nation on earth?
But God also knows how to bring disaster; he has not taken back his words. God will rise up against the house of evildoers and against the help of those who do wrong. Egypt is human and not divine; their horses are flesh and not spirit. The Lord will extend his hand; the helper will stumble, those helped will fall, and they will all die together. (Isa 31:2-3 CEB)
How did God describe His planned protection of Jerusalem?
The Lord All-Powerful said to me, “I will roar and attack like a fearless lion not frightened by the shouts of shepherds trying to protect their sheep. That's how I will come down and fight on Mount Zion. I, the Lord All-Powerful, will protect Jerusalem like a mother bird circling over her nest.” (Isa 31:4-5 CEV)
What did God want from those who have revolted against Him and made idols?
Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you. (Isa 31:6-7 ESV)
Is this a prophecy of how God assigned an angel to kill 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night outside Jerusalem?
Then Assyria will fall, but not by human sword; a sword will devour him, but not one made by man. He will flee from the sword; his young men will be put to forced labor. His rock will pass away because of fear, and his officers will be afraid because of the signal flag. This is the Lord’s declaration—whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem. (Isa 31:8-9 HCSB)
Did the apostles also describe God’s presence as an all-consuming fire?
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and worship God in reverence and fear in a way that pleases him. For “our God is an all-consuming fire.” (Heb 12:28-29 ISV)
Do our nations also make foolish alliances like Israel, instead of trusting God? You decide!
Was it foolish for Israel to go down to Egypt for help?
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they don’t look to the Holy One of Israel, and they don’t seek Yahweh! (Isa 31:1 WEB)
Who is stronger than the horses and army of any nation on earth?
But God also knows how to bring disaster; he has not taken back his words. God will rise up against the house of evildoers and against the help of those who do wrong. Egypt is human and not divine; their horses are flesh and not spirit. The Lord will extend his hand; the helper will stumble, those helped will fall, and they will all die together. (Isa 31:2-3 CEB)
How did God describe His planned protection of Jerusalem?
The Lord All-Powerful said to me, “I will roar and attack like a fearless lion not frightened by the shouts of shepherds trying to protect their sheep. That's how I will come down and fight on Mount Zion. I, the Lord All-Powerful, will protect Jerusalem like a mother bird circling over her nest.” (Isa 31:4-5 CEV)
What did God want from those who have revolted against Him and made idols?
Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you. (Isa 31:6-7 ESV)
Is this a prophecy of how God assigned an angel to kill 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night outside Jerusalem?
Then Assyria will fall, but not by human sword; a sword will devour him, but not one made by man. He will flee from the sword; his young men will be put to forced labor. His rock will pass away because of fear, and his officers will be afraid because of the signal flag. This is the Lord’s declaration—whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem. (Isa 31:8-9 HCSB)
Did the apostles also describe God’s presence as an all-consuming fire?
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and worship God in reverence and fear in a way that pleases him. For “our God is an all-consuming fire.” (Heb 12:28-29 ISV)
Do our nations also make foolish alliances like Israel, instead of trusting God? You decide!
Trust God (Isaiah 30)
Who should Israel trust, God or foreign alliances? Who do we trust? Let’s look at Isaiah 30.
What did God warn Israel about trusting in a treaty with Egypt?
This is the Lord's message for his rebellious people: “You follow your own plans instead of mine; you make treaties without asking me, and you keep on sinning. You trust Egypt for protection. So you refuse my advice and send messengers to Egypt to beg their king for help. You will be disappointed, completely disgraced for trusting Egypt. The king's power reaches from the city of Zoan as far south as Hanes. But Egypt can't protect you, and to trust that nation is useless and foolish.” (Isa 30:1-5 CEV)
Does the phrase “Rahab [pride] who sits still” describe Egypt here as “do nothing pride?”
An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb. Through a land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the adder and the flying fiery serpent, they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people that cannot profit them. Egypt's help is worthless and empty; therefore I have called her “Rahab who sits still.” (Isa 30:6-7 ESV)
Were people in ancient Israel very similar to many moderns, wanting to hear only smooth things, illusions?
Go now, write it on a tablet in their presence and inscribe it on a scroll; it will be for the future, forever and ever. They are a rebellious people, deceptive children, children who do not want to obey the Lord’s instruction. They say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy the truth to us. Tell us flattering things. Prophesy illusions. Get out of the way! Leave the pathway. Rid us of the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa 30:8-11 HCSB)
How suddenly would the collapse of the nation in rebellion against God be?
Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says: “Because you reject this message, and put your trust in oppression and enjoy it, and since you rely on it, therefore, for you this sin will become like a breach in a high wall that is about to collapse, bulging out, and whose crash comes suddenly—in an instant. Its breaking will be like when potters’ vessels are broken, shattered so ruthlessly that among its fragments not even a broken sliver will be found for taking fire from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern.” (Isaiah 30:12-14 ISV)
What would have guaranteed the salvation of the nation?
For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill. (Isa 30:15-17 KJV)
Will Jerusalem eventually return to God and be blessed?
Therefore Yahweh waits with longing to be gracious to you, And therefore He is on high to have compassion on you. For Yahweh is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who wait for Him. O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. The Lord has given you bread of distress and water of oppression; He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will see your Teacher. And your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left. And you will defile your graven images overlaid with your silver, and your molten images plated with your gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing and say to them, “Be gone!” (Isa 30:18-22 LSB)
What will the day look like when God heals the people of Jerusalem?
Then He will give you rain for your seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be rich and plentiful; on that day your livestock will graze in a wide pasture. Also the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned feed, which has been winnowed with shovel and pitchfork. And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. And the light of the full moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the Lord binds up the fracture of His people and heals the wound He has inflicted. (Isa 30:23-26 NASB)
Will the people of Jerusalem have gladness on the day of judgment?
See, the Name of the Lord comes from afar, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a consuming fire. His breath is like a rushing torrent, rising up to the neck. He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction; he places in the jaws of the peoples a bit that leads them astray. And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people playing pipes go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. (Isa 30:27-29 NIV)
How glorious will the judgment of the Lord be in that day? Is Tophet in the Valley of Hinnom, which as the town’s rubbish dump, pictured hell?
The Lord will cause His glorious voice to be heard, And show the descent of His arm, With the indignation of His anger And the flame of a devouring fire, With scattering, tempest, and hailstones. For through the voice of the Lord Assyria will be beaten down, As He strikes with the rod. And in every place where the staff of punishment passes, Which the Lord lays on him, It will be with tambourines and harps; And in battles of brandishing He will fight with it. For Tophet was established of old, Yes, for the king it is prepared. He has made it deep and large; Its pyre is fire with much wood; The breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, Kindles it. (Isa 30:30-33 NKJV)
Did Jesus echo this chapter as He grieved over Jerusalem?
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. (Mat 23:37 NLT)
Who should Israel trust, God or foreign alliances? Who do we trust? You decide!
What did God warn Israel about trusting in a treaty with Egypt?
This is the Lord's message for his rebellious people: “You follow your own plans instead of mine; you make treaties without asking me, and you keep on sinning. You trust Egypt for protection. So you refuse my advice and send messengers to Egypt to beg their king for help. You will be disappointed, completely disgraced for trusting Egypt. The king's power reaches from the city of Zoan as far south as Hanes. But Egypt can't protect you, and to trust that nation is useless and foolish.” (Isa 30:1-5 CEV)
Does the phrase “Rahab [pride] who sits still” describe Egypt here as “do nothing pride?”
An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb. Through a land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the adder and the flying fiery serpent, they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people that cannot profit them. Egypt's help is worthless and empty; therefore I have called her “Rahab who sits still.” (Isa 30:6-7 ESV)
Were people in ancient Israel very similar to many moderns, wanting to hear only smooth things, illusions?
Go now, write it on a tablet in their presence and inscribe it on a scroll; it will be for the future, forever and ever. They are a rebellious people, deceptive children, children who do not want to obey the Lord’s instruction. They say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy the truth to us. Tell us flattering things. Prophesy illusions. Get out of the way! Leave the pathway. Rid us of the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa 30:8-11 HCSB)
How suddenly would the collapse of the nation in rebellion against God be?
Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says: “Because you reject this message, and put your trust in oppression and enjoy it, and since you rely on it, therefore, for you this sin will become like a breach in a high wall that is about to collapse, bulging out, and whose crash comes suddenly—in an instant. Its breaking will be like when potters’ vessels are broken, shattered so ruthlessly that among its fragments not even a broken sliver will be found for taking fire from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern.” (Isaiah 30:12-14 ISV)
What would have guaranteed the salvation of the nation?
For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill. (Isa 30:15-17 KJV)
Will Jerusalem eventually return to God and be blessed?
Therefore Yahweh waits with longing to be gracious to you, And therefore He is on high to have compassion on you. For Yahweh is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who wait for Him. O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. The Lord has given you bread of distress and water of oppression; He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will see your Teacher. And your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left. And you will defile your graven images overlaid with your silver, and your molten images plated with your gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing and say to them, “Be gone!” (Isa 30:18-22 LSB)
What will the day look like when God heals the people of Jerusalem?
Then He will give you rain for your seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be rich and plentiful; on that day your livestock will graze in a wide pasture. Also the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned feed, which has been winnowed with shovel and pitchfork. And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. And the light of the full moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the Lord binds up the fracture of His people and heals the wound He has inflicted. (Isa 30:23-26 NASB)
Will the people of Jerusalem have gladness on the day of judgment?
See, the Name of the Lord comes from afar, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a consuming fire. His breath is like a rushing torrent, rising up to the neck. He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction; he places in the jaws of the peoples a bit that leads them astray. And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people playing pipes go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. (Isa 30:27-29 NIV)
How glorious will the judgment of the Lord be in that day? Is Tophet in the Valley of Hinnom, which as the town’s rubbish dump, pictured hell?
The Lord will cause His glorious voice to be heard, And show the descent of His arm, With the indignation of His anger And the flame of a devouring fire, With scattering, tempest, and hailstones. For through the voice of the Lord Assyria will be beaten down, As He strikes with the rod. And in every place where the staff of punishment passes, Which the Lord lays on him, It will be with tambourines and harps; And in battles of brandishing He will fight with it. For Tophet was established of old, Yes, for the king it is prepared. He has made it deep and large; Its pyre is fire with much wood; The breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, Kindles it. (Isa 30:30-33 NKJV)
Did Jesus echo this chapter as He grieved over Jerusalem?
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. (Mat 23:37 NLT)
Who should Israel trust, God or foreign alliances? Who do we trust? You decide!
Jerusalem Humbled (Isaiah 29)
Does God bless the spiritually blind and proud or the humble? Which are we? Let’s look at how God will deal with Jerusalem in Isaiah 29.
Though her annual festivals will continue, will Jerusalem be humbled? Is the term Lion of God used sarcastically of Jerusalem’s pride?
Ariel, Ariel, [Lion of God, Jerusalem] the city where David camped! Continue year after year; let the festivals recur. I will oppress Ariel, and there will be mourning and crying, and she will be to Me like an Ariel. I will camp in a circle around you; I will besiege you with earth ramps, and I will set up my siege towers against you. You will be brought down; you will speak from the ground, and your words will come from low in the dust. Your voice will be like that of a spirit from the ground; your speech will whisper from the dust. (Isa 29:1-4 HCSB)
Will God suddenly move to defend Jerusalem from her enemies, who will become like fine dust?
But the hordes of your enemies will become like fine dust, and the hordes of tyrants like flying chaff. Then suddenly, in an instant, you will be visited by the Lord of the Heavenly Armies—with thunder, an earthquake, and great noise, with a windstorm, a tempest, and flames from a devouring fire. Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Aruel, all that attack her and her fortification and besiege her, will become like a dream, with its visions in the night—as when a hungry man dreams—he eats, but wakes up still hungry; or when a thirsty man dreams—he drinks, but wakes up faint, with his thirst unquenched. So will it be with the hordes of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion. (Isa 29:5-8 ISV)
Was Jerusalem acting like a drunkard, in a state of spiritual sleep?
Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. (Isa 29:9-10 KJV)
Will people look at the Bible and claim it’s sealed (closed) or that they can’t read? Is that a familiar excuse people make today for not reading the Bible?
The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed book, which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” Then the book will be given to the one who does not know how to read a book, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I do not know how to read a book.” (Isa 29:11-12 LSB)
Did Jerusalem have another problem, familiar today? Do the traditions of men seem to dominate church culture, overshadowing the commandments taught by Jesus?
Then the Lord said, “Because this people approaches Me with their words And honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of the commandment of men that is taught; Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the understanding of their men who have understanding will be concealed.” (Isa 29:13-14 NASB)
Do we delude ourselves that God doesn’t see our deeds like ancient Israel did? Do people still say that God did not create us?
Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”? (Isa 29:15-16 NIV)
Is there a time of restoration, where the poor will rejoice and tyrants will be brought to nothing?
Is it not yet a very little while Till Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, And the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest? In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. The humble also shall increase their joy in the Lord, And the poor among men shall rejoice In the Holy One of Israel. For the terrible one is brought to nothing, The scornful one is consumed, And all who watch for iniquity are cut off—Who make a man an offender by a word, And lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, And turn aside the just by empty words. (Isa 29:17-21 NKJV)
How will Israel feel towards God as a time of restoration comes?
That is why the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the people of Israel, “My people will no longer be ashamed or turn pale with fear. For when they see their many children and all the blessings I have given them, they will recognize the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob. They will stand in awe of the God of Israel. Then the wayward will gain understanding, and complainers will accept instruction. (Isa 29:22-24 NLT)
Did Mary quote a similar sentiment in her words of praise to God?
He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. (Luke 1:52 CEB)
Does God bless the spiritually blind and proud or the humble? Which are we? You decide!
Though her annual festivals will continue, will Jerusalem be humbled? Is the term Lion of God used sarcastically of Jerusalem’s pride?
Ariel, Ariel, [Lion of God, Jerusalem] the city where David camped! Continue year after year; let the festivals recur. I will oppress Ariel, and there will be mourning and crying, and she will be to Me like an Ariel. I will camp in a circle around you; I will besiege you with earth ramps, and I will set up my siege towers against you. You will be brought down; you will speak from the ground, and your words will come from low in the dust. Your voice will be like that of a spirit from the ground; your speech will whisper from the dust. (Isa 29:1-4 HCSB)
Will God suddenly move to defend Jerusalem from her enemies, who will become like fine dust?
But the hordes of your enemies will become like fine dust, and the hordes of tyrants like flying chaff. Then suddenly, in an instant, you will be visited by the Lord of the Heavenly Armies—with thunder, an earthquake, and great noise, with a windstorm, a tempest, and flames from a devouring fire. Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Aruel, all that attack her and her fortification and besiege her, will become like a dream, with its visions in the night—as when a hungry man dreams—he eats, but wakes up still hungry; or when a thirsty man dreams—he drinks, but wakes up faint, with his thirst unquenched. So will it be with the hordes of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion. (Isa 29:5-8 ISV)
Was Jerusalem acting like a drunkard, in a state of spiritual sleep?
Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. (Isa 29:9-10 KJV)
Will people look at the Bible and claim it’s sealed (closed) or that they can’t read? Is that a familiar excuse people make today for not reading the Bible?
The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed book, which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” Then the book will be given to the one who does not know how to read a book, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I do not know how to read a book.” (Isa 29:11-12 LSB)
Did Jerusalem have another problem, familiar today? Do the traditions of men seem to dominate church culture, overshadowing the commandments taught by Jesus?
Then the Lord said, “Because this people approaches Me with their words And honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of the commandment of men that is taught; Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the understanding of their men who have understanding will be concealed.” (Isa 29:13-14 NASB)
Do we delude ourselves that God doesn’t see our deeds like ancient Israel did? Do people still say that God did not create us?
Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”? (Isa 29:15-16 NIV)
Is there a time of restoration, where the poor will rejoice and tyrants will be brought to nothing?
Is it not yet a very little while Till Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, And the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest? In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. The humble also shall increase their joy in the Lord, And the poor among men shall rejoice In the Holy One of Israel. For the terrible one is brought to nothing, The scornful one is consumed, And all who watch for iniquity are cut off—Who make a man an offender by a word, And lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, And turn aside the just by empty words. (Isa 29:17-21 NKJV)
How will Israel feel towards God as a time of restoration comes?
That is why the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the people of Israel, “My people will no longer be ashamed or turn pale with fear. For when they see their many children and all the blessings I have given them, they will recognize the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob. They will stand in awe of the God of Israel. Then the wayward will gain understanding, and complainers will accept instruction. (Isa 29:22-24 NLT)
Did Mary quote a similar sentiment in her words of praise to God?
He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. (Luke 1:52 CEB)
Does God bless the spiritually blind and proud or the humble? Which are we? You decide!
Drunkards (Isaiah 28)
What did God say to drunkards in Israel and Judah? Do we listen to the word about God’s kingdom and bear fruit? Let’s look at Isaiah 28.
What does God have to say to drunkards of the tribe representing northern Israel, Ephraim? Is it a problem today?
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley Of those who are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent; As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction, Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters, He has thrown it down to the earth with His hand. The splendid crown of the habitually drunk of Ephraim is trampled underfoot. And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley, Will be like the first-ripe fig prior to the summer, Which one sees, And as soon as it is in his hand, He swallows it. (Isa 28:1-4 NASB)
Though northern Israel failed, who will be the glorious crown for the remnant?
In that day the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people. He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. (Isa 28:5-6 NIV)
Have the spiritual leaders also failed in this regard, vomiting from excessive drinking?
But they also have erred through wine, And through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, They are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filth; No place is clean. (Isa 28:7-8 NKJV)
Rather than repent, do the people insult the nature of God’s holy scriptures?
“Who does the Lord think we are?” they ask. “Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, just recently weaned? He tells us everything over and over—one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!” (Isa 28:9-10 NLT)
If Israel failed to listen to God in their own language, would they hear the Lord in the language of their Assyrian captors?
But he will speak to this nation with stammering lips and in another language, to whom he said, “This is the resting place. Give rest to the weary,” and “This is the refreshing;” yet they would not hear. Therefore Yahweh’s word will be to them precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, fall backward, be broken, be snared, and be taken. (Isa 28:11-13 WEB)
Is this message also for those in Judah and Jerusalem? Is their covenant of lies with a foreign power, a deal with death?
Therefore, hear the Lord’s word, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. You said, “We’ve cut a deal with death; with the underworld we made a pact. When the overflowing flood passes through, it won’t reach us; for we have made lies our hiding place, and in falsehood we take shelter.” Therefore, the Lord God says: Look! I’m laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a valuable cornerstone, a sure foundation: the one who trusts won’t tremble. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line. But hail will sweep away the hiding place of lies, and water will overflow the shelter. Your deal with death will be dissolved, and your pact with the grave won’t stand. The rushing flood: when it passes through, you will be annihilated by it. Every time it passes through it will take you, for morning by morning it will pass, by day and by night. It will be nothing but terror to understand the message. The bed is too short to stretch out, and the shroud is too narrow to cover oneself. (Isa 28:14-20 CEB)
Had the Lord given Israel victories at Perazim and Gibeon? Would the next time surprise them with defeat unless they repent?
The Lord will fiercely attack as he did at Mount Perazim and in Gibeon Valley. But this time the Lord will do something surprising, not what you expect. So you had better stop sneering or you will be in worse shape than ever before. I heard the Lord All-Powerful threaten the whole country with destruction. (Isa 28:21-22 CEV)
How long can God teach His people before He expects His plowing and sowing to bear a crop?
Give ear, and hear my voice; give attention, and hear my speech. Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground? When he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter dill, sow cumin, and put in wheat in rows and barley in its proper place, and emmer as the border? For he is rightly instructed; his God teaches him. Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. Does one crush grain for bread? No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. This also comes from the Lord of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom. (Isa 28:23-29 ESV)
Did Jesus also use an analogy about a crop and hearing God’s word? Do some bear fruit?
But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does bear fruit and yields: some 100, some 60, some 30 times what was sown. (Mat 13:23 HCSB)
What did God say to drunkards in Israel and Judah? Do we listen to the word about God’s kingdom and bear fruit? You decide!
What does God have to say to drunkards of the tribe representing northern Israel, Ephraim? Is it a problem today?
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley Of those who are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent; As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction, Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters, He has thrown it down to the earth with His hand. The splendid crown of the habitually drunk of Ephraim is trampled underfoot. And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley, Will be like the first-ripe fig prior to the summer, Which one sees, And as soon as it is in his hand, He swallows it. (Isa 28:1-4 NASB)
Though northern Israel failed, who will be the glorious crown for the remnant?
In that day the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people. He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. (Isa 28:5-6 NIV)
Have the spiritual leaders also failed in this regard, vomiting from excessive drinking?
But they also have erred through wine, And through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, They are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filth; No place is clean. (Isa 28:7-8 NKJV)
Rather than repent, do the people insult the nature of God’s holy scriptures?
“Who does the Lord think we are?” they ask. “Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, just recently weaned? He tells us everything over and over—one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!” (Isa 28:9-10 NLT)
If Israel failed to listen to God in their own language, would they hear the Lord in the language of their Assyrian captors?
But he will speak to this nation with stammering lips and in another language, to whom he said, “This is the resting place. Give rest to the weary,” and “This is the refreshing;” yet they would not hear. Therefore Yahweh’s word will be to them precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, fall backward, be broken, be snared, and be taken. (Isa 28:11-13 WEB)
Is this message also for those in Judah and Jerusalem? Is their covenant of lies with a foreign power, a deal with death?
Therefore, hear the Lord’s word, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. You said, “We’ve cut a deal with death; with the underworld we made a pact. When the overflowing flood passes through, it won’t reach us; for we have made lies our hiding place, and in falsehood we take shelter.” Therefore, the Lord God says: Look! I’m laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a valuable cornerstone, a sure foundation: the one who trusts won’t tremble. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line. But hail will sweep away the hiding place of lies, and water will overflow the shelter. Your deal with death will be dissolved, and your pact with the grave won’t stand. The rushing flood: when it passes through, you will be annihilated by it. Every time it passes through it will take you, for morning by morning it will pass, by day and by night. It will be nothing but terror to understand the message. The bed is too short to stretch out, and the shroud is too narrow to cover oneself. (Isa 28:14-20 CEB)
Had the Lord given Israel victories at Perazim and Gibeon? Would the next time surprise them with defeat unless they repent?
The Lord will fiercely attack as he did at Mount Perazim and in Gibeon Valley. But this time the Lord will do something surprising, not what you expect. So you had better stop sneering or you will be in worse shape than ever before. I heard the Lord All-Powerful threaten the whole country with destruction. (Isa 28:21-22 CEV)
How long can God teach His people before He expects His plowing and sowing to bear a crop?
Give ear, and hear my voice; give attention, and hear my speech. Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground? When he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter dill, sow cumin, and put in wheat in rows and barley in its proper place, and emmer as the border? For he is rightly instructed; his God teaches him. Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. Does one crush grain for bread? No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. This also comes from the Lord of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom. (Isa 28:23-29 ESV)
Did Jesus also use an analogy about a crop and hearing God’s word? Do some bear fruit?
But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does bear fruit and yields: some 100, some 60, some 30 times what was sown. (Mat 13:23 HCSB)
What did God say to drunkards in Israel and Judah? Do we listen to the word about God’s kingdom and bear fruit? You decide!
God's Vineyard (Isaiah 27)
Is there a prophesied time of regathering the descendants of Israel? Will the whole world rejoice? Let’s look at Isaiah 27.
Is this creature a suspected, rarely seen sea monster hiding in unexplored depths, or does it symbolize that fallen angel, the slanderer?
On that day, Leviathan, the sea monster, will squirm and try to escape, but the Lord will kill him with a cruel, sharp sword. (Isa 27:1 CEV)
Is Israel this pleasant vineyard that will become fruitful and fill the whole world?
In that day, “A pleasant vineyard, sing of it! I, the Lord, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day; I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together. Or let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with me, let them make peace with me.” In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit. (Isa 27:2-6 ESV)
Was God’s punishment always meant to purge sins that only cause self-harm?
Did the Lord strike Israel as He struck the one who struck Israel? Was he killed like those killed by Him? You disputed with her by banishing and driving her away. He removed her with His severe storm on the day of the east wind. Therefore Jacob’s iniquity will be purged in this way, and the result of the removal of his sin will be this: when he makes all the altar stones like crushed bits of chalk, no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing. For the fortified city will be deserted, pastures abandoned and forsaken like a wilderness. Calves will graze there, and there they will spread out and strip its branches. When its branches dry out, they will be broken off. Women will come and make fires with them, for they are not a people with understanding. Therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them, and their Creator will not be gracious to them. (Isa 27:7-11 HCSB)
After a time of punishment, will God eventually gather the lost descendants of Israel, scattered tribes that DNA proves still exist across the Middle East? Does the Trumpet picture the return of Christ?
At that time, the Lord will winnow grain from the Euphrates River channel to the Wadi of Egypt, and you will be gathered in one by one, O people of Israel. Furthermore, at that time, a great trumpet will be sounded, and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and those who had been expelled to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on his holy mountain at Jerusalem. (Isa 27:12-13 ISV)
Whether or not such a sea creature exists, is there symbolism here?
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil [slanderer], and Satan [adversary], which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Rev 12:9 KJV)
Did salvation come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous? When they repent, how much more joyful will that be?
Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness be! (Rom 11:12 LSB)
Is there a prophesied time of regathering the descendants of Israel? Will the whole world rejoice? You decide!
Is this creature a suspected, rarely seen sea monster hiding in unexplored depths, or does it symbolize that fallen angel, the slanderer?
On that day, Leviathan, the sea monster, will squirm and try to escape, but the Lord will kill him with a cruel, sharp sword. (Isa 27:1 CEV)
Is Israel this pleasant vineyard that will become fruitful and fill the whole world?
In that day, “A pleasant vineyard, sing of it! I, the Lord, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day; I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together. Or let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with me, let them make peace with me.” In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit. (Isa 27:2-6 ESV)
Was God’s punishment always meant to purge sins that only cause self-harm?
Did the Lord strike Israel as He struck the one who struck Israel? Was he killed like those killed by Him? You disputed with her by banishing and driving her away. He removed her with His severe storm on the day of the east wind. Therefore Jacob’s iniquity will be purged in this way, and the result of the removal of his sin will be this: when he makes all the altar stones like crushed bits of chalk, no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing. For the fortified city will be deserted, pastures abandoned and forsaken like a wilderness. Calves will graze there, and there they will spread out and strip its branches. When its branches dry out, they will be broken off. Women will come and make fires with them, for they are not a people with understanding. Therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them, and their Creator will not be gracious to them. (Isa 27:7-11 HCSB)
After a time of punishment, will God eventually gather the lost descendants of Israel, scattered tribes that DNA proves still exist across the Middle East? Does the Trumpet picture the return of Christ?
At that time, the Lord will winnow grain from the Euphrates River channel to the Wadi of Egypt, and you will be gathered in one by one, O people of Israel. Furthermore, at that time, a great trumpet will be sounded, and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and those who had been expelled to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on his holy mountain at Jerusalem. (Isa 27:12-13 ISV)
Whether or not such a sea creature exists, is there symbolism here?
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil [slanderer], and Satan [adversary], which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Rev 12:9 KJV)
Did salvation come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous? When they repent, how much more joyful will that be?
Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness be! (Rom 11:12 LSB)
Is there a prophesied time of regathering the descendants of Israel? Will the whole world rejoice? You decide!
Victory Song (Isaiah 26)
When a nation finally becomes faithful to God, what blessings await? Are we faithful? Let’s look at Isaiah 26.
Will Judah become a law-abiding, faithful nation, able to sing a song of victory, a song of salvation?
The time is coming when the people of Judah will sing this song: “Our city is protected. The Lord is our fortress, and he gives us victory. Open the city gates for a law-abiding nation that is faithful to God. (Isa 26:1-2 ESV)
What happens to the mind that trusts in God? Who is an everlasting rock?
You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You. Trust in the Lord forever, because in Yah, the Lord, is an everlasting rock! (Isa 26:3-4 HCSB)
What will the oppressed and needy do to the arrogant city that was filled with pride?
For he has made drunk the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low to the ground casting it down to the dust, by the feet of the oppressed who trample it, by the footsteps of the needy.” (Isa 26:5-6 ISV)
What does a person, headed in the right direction, seek at night and early in the morning?
The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just. Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. (Isa 26:7-9 KJV)
Do the wicked stay stubborn even when they are shown grace?
Though the wicked is shown favor, He does not learn righteousness; He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, And does not perceive the majesty of Yahweh. O Yahweh, Your hand is raised up high, yet they do not behold it. They behold Your zeal for the people and are put to shame; Indeed, fire will devour Your adversaries. (Isa 26:10-11 LSB)
Has any oppressive foreign power brought the nation peace? Have all those empires died? Who increased the nation?
Lord, You will establish peace for us, Since You have also performed for us all our works. Lord, our God, other masters besides You have ruled us; But through You alone we confess Your name. The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise; Therefore You have punished and destroyed them, And You have eliminated all remembrance of them. You have increased the nation, Lord, You have increased the nation, You are glorified; You have extended all the borders of the land. (Isa 26:12-15 NASB)
In pain like a woman in labor, can human efforts alone bring us salvation?
Lord, they came to you in their distress; when you disciplined them, they could barely whisper a prayer. As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, Lord. We were with child, we writhed in labor, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth, and the people of the world have not come to life. (Isa 26:16-18 NIV)
Who alone can cause the dead to arise from the bowels of the earth?
Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead. (Isa 26:19 NKJV)
Can we just go home, lock our doors and hide safely protected by God?
Go home, my people, and lock your doors! Hide yourselves for a little while until the Lord’s anger has passed. Look! The Lord is coming from heaven to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide those who have been killed. They will be brought out for all to see. (Isa 26:20-21 NLT)
Who is the rock upon whose words we can build by listening and doing?
Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Mat 7:24 WEB)
Was Christ also involved in Israel’s history, bringing them safely out of Egypt?
and all drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. (1 Cor 10:4 CEB)
When a nation finally becomes faithful to God, what blessings await? Are we faithful? You decide!
Will Judah become a law-abiding, faithful nation, able to sing a song of victory, a song of salvation?
The time is coming when the people of Judah will sing this song: “Our city is protected. The Lord is our fortress, and he gives us victory. Open the city gates for a law-abiding nation that is faithful to God. (Isa 26:1-2 ESV)
What happens to the mind that trusts in God? Who is an everlasting rock?
You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You. Trust in the Lord forever, because in Yah, the Lord, is an everlasting rock! (Isa 26:3-4 HCSB)
What will the oppressed and needy do to the arrogant city that was filled with pride?
For he has made drunk the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low to the ground casting it down to the dust, by the feet of the oppressed who trample it, by the footsteps of the needy.” (Isa 26:5-6 ISV)
What does a person, headed in the right direction, seek at night and early in the morning?
The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just. Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. (Isa 26:7-9 KJV)
Do the wicked stay stubborn even when they are shown grace?
Though the wicked is shown favor, He does not learn righteousness; He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, And does not perceive the majesty of Yahweh. O Yahweh, Your hand is raised up high, yet they do not behold it. They behold Your zeal for the people and are put to shame; Indeed, fire will devour Your adversaries. (Isa 26:10-11 LSB)
Has any oppressive foreign power brought the nation peace? Have all those empires died? Who increased the nation?
Lord, You will establish peace for us, Since You have also performed for us all our works. Lord, our God, other masters besides You have ruled us; But through You alone we confess Your name. The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise; Therefore You have punished and destroyed them, And You have eliminated all remembrance of them. You have increased the nation, Lord, You have increased the nation, You are glorified; You have extended all the borders of the land. (Isa 26:12-15 NASB)
In pain like a woman in labor, can human efforts alone bring us salvation?
Lord, they came to you in their distress; when you disciplined them, they could barely whisper a prayer. As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, Lord. We were with child, we writhed in labor, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth, and the people of the world have not come to life. (Isa 26:16-18 NIV)
Who alone can cause the dead to arise from the bowels of the earth?
Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead. (Isa 26:19 NKJV)
Can we just go home, lock our doors and hide safely protected by God?
Go home, my people, and lock your doors! Hide yourselves for a little while until the Lord’s anger has passed. Look! The Lord is coming from heaven to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide those who have been killed. They will be brought out for all to see. (Isa 26:20-21 NLT)
Who is the rock upon whose words we can build by listening and doing?
Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Mat 7:24 WEB)
Was Christ also involved in Israel’s history, bringing them safely out of Egypt?
and all drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. (1 Cor 10:4 CEB)
When a nation finally becomes faithful to God, what blessings await? Are we faithful? You decide!
Joy in Tribulation (Isaiah 25)
Do we have faith in God and His final plan, giving us joy in the midst of tribulation? Let’s begin in Isaiah 25.
Does God give us reason for joy even in the worst times of our lives?
O Yahweh [Lord], You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Counsels formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. (Isa 25:1 LSB)
Is God fair, punishing nations justly for their atrocities? Will they repent and revere Him?
For You have turned a city into a heap, A fortified city into a ruin; A palace of strangers is no longer a city, It will never be rebuilt. Therefore a strong people will glorify You; Cities of ruthless nations will revere You. (Isa 25:2-3 NASB)
Does God care for the poor and needy in an uncaring and ruthless world?
You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall and like the heat of the desert. You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled. (Isa 25:4-5 NIV)
In Mount Zion, the spiritual center of God’s kingdom, what will He do for all people, all nations?
And in this mountain The Lord of hosts will make for all people A feast of choice pieces, A feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow, Of well-refined wines on the lees. And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken. (Isa 25:6-8 NKJV)
Is this salvation that God brings to all the people just a rescue in this life or eternal?
In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the Lord, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!” (Isa 25:9 NLT)
Will God rule from Mount Zion and reach out to the nations? Will proud nations, symbolized by Moab, be humbled?
For Yahweh’s hand will rest in this mountain. Moab will be trodden down in his place, even like straw is trodden down in the water of the dunghill. He will spread out his hands in the middle of it, like one who swims spreads out hands to swim, but his pride will be humbled together with the craft of his hands. He has brought the high fortress of your walls down, laid low, and brought to the ground, even to the dust. (Isa 25:10-12 WEB)
Does such praise in the midst of tribulation reveal faith in the final outcome?
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Rev 21:4 CEB)
Do we have faith in God and His final plan, giving us joy in the midst of tribulation? You decide!
Does God give us reason for joy even in the worst times of our lives?
O Yahweh [Lord], You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Counsels formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. (Isa 25:1 LSB)
Is God fair, punishing nations justly for their atrocities? Will they repent and revere Him?
For You have turned a city into a heap, A fortified city into a ruin; A palace of strangers is no longer a city, It will never be rebuilt. Therefore a strong people will glorify You; Cities of ruthless nations will revere You. (Isa 25:2-3 NASB)
Does God care for the poor and needy in an uncaring and ruthless world?
You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall and like the heat of the desert. You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled. (Isa 25:4-5 NIV)
In Mount Zion, the spiritual center of God’s kingdom, what will He do for all people, all nations?
And in this mountain The Lord of hosts will make for all people A feast of choice pieces, A feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow, Of well-refined wines on the lees. And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken. (Isa 25:6-8 NKJV)
Is this salvation that God brings to all the people just a rescue in this life or eternal?
In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the Lord, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!” (Isa 25:9 NLT)
Will God rule from Mount Zion and reach out to the nations? Will proud nations, symbolized by Moab, be humbled?
For Yahweh’s hand will rest in this mountain. Moab will be trodden down in his place, even like straw is trodden down in the water of the dunghill. He will spread out his hands in the middle of it, like one who swims spreads out hands to swim, but his pride will be humbled together with the craft of his hands. He has brought the high fortress of your walls down, laid low, and brought to the ground, even to the dust. (Isa 25:10-12 WEB)
Does such praise in the midst of tribulation reveal faith in the final outcome?
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Rev 21:4 CEB)
Do we have faith in God and His final plan, giving us joy in the midst of tribulation? You decide!
Great Tribulation (Isaiah 24)
Will the whole earth one day be shaken in judgment? Will we stay faithful to God? Let’s look at Isaiah 24.
After mentioning several specific nations, did God now expand his judgment to the whole earth?
Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people. Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors—none will be spared. The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The Lord has spoken! (Isa 24:1-3 NLT)
Is our world polluted under its inhabitants? Does God punish humanity for its sins?
The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish. The earth also is polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell therein are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. (Isa 24:4-6 WEB)
What fails in the world when God begins withdrawing His blessings?
The wine dries up; the vine withers; all the merry-hearted groan. The joyous tambourines have ceased; the roar of partiers has stopped; the joyous harp has ceased. No one drinks wine or sings; beer is bitter to its drinkers. The town is in chaos, broken; every house is shut, without entrance. There is a cry for wine in the streets. All joy has reached its dusk; happiness is exiled from the earth. Ruin remains in the city, and the gate is battered to wreckage. It will be like this in the central part of the land and among the peoples, like an olive tree that has been shaken, like remains from the grape harvest. (Isa 24:7-13 CEB)
Does a remnant from all over the world praise the Lord? Who is trustworthy?
People in the west shout; they joyfully praise the majesty of the Lord. And so, everyone in the east and those on the islands should praise the Lord, the God of Israel. From all over the world songs of praise are heard for the God of justice. But I feel awful, terribly miserable. Can anyone be trusted? So many are treacherous! (Isa 24:14-16 CEV)
Is the earth utterly broken and violently shaken under the weight of its sins?
Terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth! He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again. (Isa 24:17-20 ESV)
What will happen to heaven and earth on that day when the Lord of Hosts will reign as king on Mount Zion?
On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven above and kings of the earth below. They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon; after many days they will be punished. The moon will be put to shame and the sun disgraced, because the Lord of Hosts will reign as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and He will display His glory in the presence of His elders. (Isa 24:21-23 HCSB)
Will God once more shake heaven and earth together?
At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven.” (Heb 12:26 ISV)
Could this be pointing to a time just before the return of Jesus Christ?
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (Mat 24:21-22 KJV)
Will the whole earth one day be shaken in judgment? Will we stay faithful to God? You decide!
After mentioning several specific nations, did God now expand his judgment to the whole earth?
Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people. Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors—none will be spared. The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The Lord has spoken! (Isa 24:1-3 NLT)
Is our world polluted under its inhabitants? Does God punish humanity for its sins?
The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish. The earth also is polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell therein are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. (Isa 24:4-6 WEB)
What fails in the world when God begins withdrawing His blessings?
The wine dries up; the vine withers; all the merry-hearted groan. The joyous tambourines have ceased; the roar of partiers has stopped; the joyous harp has ceased. No one drinks wine or sings; beer is bitter to its drinkers. The town is in chaos, broken; every house is shut, without entrance. There is a cry for wine in the streets. All joy has reached its dusk; happiness is exiled from the earth. Ruin remains in the city, and the gate is battered to wreckage. It will be like this in the central part of the land and among the peoples, like an olive tree that has been shaken, like remains from the grape harvest. (Isa 24:7-13 CEB)
Does a remnant from all over the world praise the Lord? Who is trustworthy?
People in the west shout; they joyfully praise the majesty of the Lord. And so, everyone in the east and those on the islands should praise the Lord, the God of Israel. From all over the world songs of praise are heard for the God of justice. But I feel awful, terribly miserable. Can anyone be trusted? So many are treacherous! (Isa 24:14-16 CEV)
Is the earth utterly broken and violently shaken under the weight of its sins?
Terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth! He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again. (Isa 24:17-20 ESV)
What will happen to heaven and earth on that day when the Lord of Hosts will reign as king on Mount Zion?
On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven above and kings of the earth below. They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon; after many days they will be punished. The moon will be put to shame and the sun disgraced, because the Lord of Hosts will reign as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and He will display His glory in the presence of His elders. (Isa 24:21-23 HCSB)
Will God once more shake heaven and earth together?
At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven.” (Heb 12:26 ISV)
Could this be pointing to a time just before the return of Jesus Christ?
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (Mat 24:21-22 KJV)
Will the whole earth one day be shaken in judgment? Will we stay faithful to God? You decide!
National Pride (Isaiah 23)
Is a nation’s wealth quickly gone if God so decides? Can God humble a proud nation and lead it to repentance? Let’s begin in Isaiah 23.
Does Isaiah prophesy the destruction of the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon, along the south coast of today’s Lebanon?
A message concerning Tyre. “Wail, you ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is destroyed and is without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus [Kittim] it was revealed to them. “Be silent, you inhabitants of the coast, you merchants of Sidon, whose messengers crossed over the sea, and were on mighty waters. Her revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; and she became the marketplace of nations. (Isa 23:1-3 ISV)
Would Egypt suffer loss of trade from these two now condemned cities?
Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins. As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre. Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle. Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn. (Isa 23:4-7 KJV)
Who is responsible for this punishment of Tyre? Tarshish is a Mediterranean power variously speculated to be headquartered in Spain, Sardinia, Tunis or southern Turkey.
Who has counseled this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, Whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth? Yahweh of hosts has counseled it, to defile the pride of all beauty, To make contemptuous all the honored of the earth. Overflow your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish; There is no more restraint. He has stretched His hand out over the sea; He has made the kingdoms tremble; Yahweh has given a command concerning Canaan to demolish its strong defenses. (Isa 23:8-11 LSB)
Will God destroy their strongholds like Assyria caused Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, to exist no more?
He has said, “You shall not be jubilant anymore, you crushed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, pass over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.” Behold, the land of the Chaldeans—this is the people that did not exist; Assyria allocated it for desert creatures—they erected their siege towers, they stripped its palaces, they made it a ruin. Wail, you ships of Tarshish, For your stronghold is destroyed. (Isa 23:12-14 NASB)
Is this a prophecy of Tyre being diminished during the 70 year Babylonian era? Would her material wealth eventually be dedicated to God?
At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute: “Take up a harp, walk through the city, you forgotten prostitute; play the harp well, sing many a song, so that you will be remembered.” At the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord, for abundant food and fine clothes. (Isa 23:15-18 NIV)
Is love of neighbor different from national pride? What does God do with the proud?
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6 NKJV)
Is a nation’s wealth quickly gone if God so decides? Can God humble a proud nation and lead it to repentance? You decide!
Does Isaiah prophesy the destruction of the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon, along the south coast of today’s Lebanon?
A message concerning Tyre. “Wail, you ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is destroyed and is without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus [Kittim] it was revealed to them. “Be silent, you inhabitants of the coast, you merchants of Sidon, whose messengers crossed over the sea, and were on mighty waters. Her revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; and she became the marketplace of nations. (Isa 23:1-3 ISV)
Would Egypt suffer loss of trade from these two now condemned cities?
Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins. As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre. Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle. Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn. (Isa 23:4-7 KJV)
Who is responsible for this punishment of Tyre? Tarshish is a Mediterranean power variously speculated to be headquartered in Spain, Sardinia, Tunis or southern Turkey.
Who has counseled this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, Whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth? Yahweh of hosts has counseled it, to defile the pride of all beauty, To make contemptuous all the honored of the earth. Overflow your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish; There is no more restraint. He has stretched His hand out over the sea; He has made the kingdoms tremble; Yahweh has given a command concerning Canaan to demolish its strong defenses. (Isa 23:8-11 LSB)
Will God destroy their strongholds like Assyria caused Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, to exist no more?
He has said, “You shall not be jubilant anymore, you crushed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, pass over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.” Behold, the land of the Chaldeans—this is the people that did not exist; Assyria allocated it for desert creatures—they erected their siege towers, they stripped its palaces, they made it a ruin. Wail, you ships of Tarshish, For your stronghold is destroyed. (Isa 23:12-14 NASB)
Is this a prophecy of Tyre being diminished during the 70 year Babylonian era? Would her material wealth eventually be dedicated to God?
At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute: “Take up a harp, walk through the city, you forgotten prostitute; play the harp well, sing many a song, so that you will be remembered.” At the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord, for abundant food and fine clothes. (Isa 23:15-18 NIV)
Is love of neighbor different from national pride? What does God do with the proud?
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6 NKJV)
Is a nation’s wealth quickly gone if God so decides? Can God humble a proud nation and lead it to repentance? You decide!
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