Thursday
Evening Bible Study
October
10, 2019
Introduction
The book of Isaiah is the first book in the section of the Old Testament
that we call the “prophets”.
It is the Old Testament book that has the clearest picture of the coming
Messiah.
The New Testament quotes from Isaiah more than from any other prophet.
John, the forerunner of Christ, began his ministry with a quote from Isaiah
(Mat. 3:3).
Jesus preached His first sermon in Nazareth from Isaiah (Luke 4:17-21).
Old Bible critics will say that the book of Isaiah is actually two books
written by different authors, with chapters 1-39 as the first book, and
chapters 40-66 as the second.
The two sections are indeed distinct, but they serve different purposes.
The first half is a book of judgment, the second half is one of comfort.
Better, recent scholarship, including the contribution of the Dead Sea
Scrolls affirms that it is a single book written by a single author.
This is not a book that was written all at once, in a single sitting. There
are various sections of the book, and it is the compiling of the writings of a
man over sixty years.
There will be times that the prophetic message is aimed close to Isaiah’s
time.
There will be times when the prophetic message is aimed far in the future.
There will be times when the message has a double effect with both a near and
far prophecy.
Isaiah has contemporaries.
His ministry overlaps the prophets Hosea and Micah.
His ministry lies roughly between 740-700 BC.
He prophesies during the reigns of the Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah –
all kings of the southern kingdom of Judah.
Keep in mind that in Isaiah’s lifetime, Israel has been split into two
different nations.
The northern ten tribes were called “Israel”, or “Ephraim”.
The southern two tribes were called “Judah”
Isaiah lived in the southern nation, and they are the main focus of his
prophecies.
Two concepts to keep in mind as we study prophecy:
We have seen that some prophecies have “double fulfillments” – they may be
fulfilled inside Isaiah’s day, and then again far in the future (like Is. 7:14
– the virgin).
We are also seeing that when it comes to prophecy, sometimes the prophecy
can skip hundreds or thousands of years between one phrase and the next. This
is called “prophetic telescoping”.
We’ve finished the section known as “Isaiah’s Apocalypse” (chs. 24-27), and
now move into a section dealing with more current events to Isaiah’s day,
including the coming Assyrian invasion.
Chapters 28-33 contain a series of “woes” and “burdens”.
28:1-15 Ephraim & Jerusalem
read vs. 1-2
:1 the drunkards of Ephraim
These are the days of the divided kingdom.
Isaiah lives in the southern kingdom, which is usually referred to as
“Judah” (the largest tribe), or sometimes as “Jerusalem” (it’s capital).
The northern kingdom is known as “Israel”, “Ephraim” (the largest tribe),
or “Samaria” (it’s capital).
:2 the Lord has a mighty and strong one
This is referring to the nation of Assyria, which will be conquering the
northern kingdom.
Summarize vs. 3-6
God will bring judgment on the northern kingdom through the Assyrians.
God always has a “remnant” among His people who survive these judgments.
To those who survive, God will be a greater part of their lives more than
ever.
read vs. 7-8
:7 erred through intoxicating drink
One of the things getting the northern kingdom off track is alcohol.
In vs. 1 they were called “the drunkards of Ephraim”.
Lesson
Alcohol’s deception
To be honest, the Bible doesn’t condemn the drinking of alcohol, but it
does condemn drunkenness.
Have you noticed how subtlety our society has accepted alcohol as the norm?
In just about all my favorite TV shows – detective shows, doctor shows,
even sci-fi shows – how do the characters decompress at the end of the episode?
They all go out for a drink.
Remember that old show “Cheers”? Listen to the words of the theme song and
see just how much the “bar” is a substitute for what ought to be happening at
church.
Video: Cheers Intro
I’ve often thought of alcohol as a cheap substitute for what God wants to
do in your life.
(Ephesians
5:18 NKJV) And do not be drunk with wine, in which is
dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
We ought to be choosing to be influenced by the Holy
Spirit rather than being influenced by alcohol.
A Japanese proverb
says: “First the man takes a drink, then the drink takes a drink, and then the
drink takes the man.”
For the person who has
a struggle saying “no” to that next drink, the problem is multiplied.
Oh how we need God’s
help in these things.
read vs. 9-11 in NLT:
(Isaiah 28:9–11
NLT) —9 “Who does the Lord
think we are?” they ask. “Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little
children, just recently weaned? 10 He tells us everything over and
over— one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little
there!” 11 So now God will have to speak to his people through foreign
oppressors who speak a strange language!
:11 with stammering lips and another tongue (NKJV)
God is describing what the unknown language of the Assyrians is going to
sound like to the Jews – gibberish.
Paul will quote this passage in 1Corinthians 14 to say that “tongues” is a
“sign” to the unbeliever.
If you follow Isaiah’s context, it’s not a sign that God is in your church,
it’s a sign of judgment to them (like Assyria invading).
They will only respond by saying you are crazy.
These rebellious, drunken leaders didn’t like Isaiah’s ministry. They
thought he was treating them like children. God’s reply is, “If you’re having
trouble understanding baby talk, then I’ll just speak to you in an unknown
language!” The Hebrew in verse 10 is, “tzau
latzau, tzau latzau, qau laqau, qau laquau”, sounding like gibberish.
This is how the Assyrians would be sounding to the Israelites when they
invaded.
Paul quotes this passage in 1Coririnthians 14 where he says that the gift
of tongues is a “sign” for the unbeliever.
(1
Corinthians 14:22a NKJV) Therefore tongues are for a sign,
not to those who believe but to unbelievers…
People get confused over this passage because they think that means that we
all ought to be speaking in tongues so the unbelievers will have a “sign” from
God.
The problem is that the “sign” is a negative one. It’s a sign of judgment.
The Assyrians speaking to the Israelites will sound like
“tongues”, and when the Israelites would hear it they would realize they’ve
been judged by God.
Don’t misunderstand – the gift of tongues is a valuable gift, but it needs
to be used properly.
In a group setting, there needs to be an interpretation of the tongue, if
no interpretation is available, then pray in tongues quietly.
Paul will even tell the Corinthians that if they are all speaking in
tongues while unbelievers are present…
(1
Corinthians 14:23b NKJV) …will they not say that you are out
of your mind?
This is an example of why it’s important to look at the context of passages
when you are studying them.
The context of Isaiah helps us understand what Paul is saying to the
Corinthians.
Summarize vs. 12-13
God offered the people rest (v.12), but they wouldn’t listen to Him so
instead they will be judged by Assyria.
read vs. 14-15
:15 we have made lies our refuge
One of the common lies in those days was for the prophets to be saying
“There will be peace!” when in fact the Assyrians were going to invade.
Lesson
Truth or Lie?
Illustration
A pastor was walking down the street
when he came upon a group of about a dozen boys, all of them between 10 and 12
years of age. The group surrounded a dog. Concerned lest the boys were hurting
the dog, he went over and asked “What are you doing with that dog?” One of the
boys replied, “This dog is just an old neighborhood stray. We all want him, but
only one of us can take him home. So, we’ve decided that whichever one of us
can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog.” Of course, the pastor was
taken aback. “You boys shouldn’t be having a contest telling lies!” he
exclaimed. He then launched into a ten-minute sermon against lying, beginning,
“Don’t you boys know it’s a sin to lie,” and ending with, “Why, when I was your
age, I never told a lie.” There was dead silence for about a minute. Just as the
pastor was beginning to think he’d gotten through to them, the smallest boy
gave a deep sigh and said, “All right, give him the dog.”
The key to growing up as a Christian is to learn to pay attention to the
truth.
(Ephesians
4:15 NKJV) but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in
all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
It’s important to recognize the truth about things like
who we are, what God thinks of us, and how He wants us to live.
28:16-29 Cornerstone
read vs. 16
:16 a precious cornerstone
The corner stone is the stone at the corner of the foundation of a
building. It’s considered the most important stone of a building. It’s the
stone that the building is built around. If the corner stone is straight and
true, the building will be too.
This is a prophecy about Jesus – Peter will quote this (1Pet. 2:6-8)
If you want to build your life securely, build on Jesus.
He is the “cornerstone”. He is the one we ought to be building our lives
upon if we want the “building” of our life to go up straight.
(Ephesians
2:20 NLT) Together, we are his house, built on the
foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ
Jesus himself.
David also spoke prophetically of this “cornerstone” –
(Psalm
118:22 NKJV) The stone which the builders rejected Has become
the chief cornerstone.
Peter will put both Isaiah and Psalms together:
(1 Peter 2:6–8 NLT)
—6 As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,
chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But
for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become
the cornerstone.” 8 And, “He is the stone that makes
people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do
not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
Summarize vs. 17-22
God will go on to warn the people about the destruction that is coming for
those who will not put their trust in God.
Summarize vs. 23-29
Isaiah will give a picture of how God makes His decisions by pointing to
the farmer.
The farmer uses different methods and tools when he plants various crops.
The point is that God too will use different ways of dealing with each
person according to what they need.
29:1-24 – Jerusalem
read vs. 1-2
:1 Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt!
We are introduced to a new name for Jerusalem – “Ariel”.
It means “lion of God” or “altar of God”
Summarize vs. 3-12
Jerusalem will go through some pretty tough times ahead when the Assyrians
invade, but God is going to be trying to nudge them back into following Him.
Isaiah warns the people to pay attention to the warnings, but he knows they
won’t.
read vs. 13-14
:13 removed their hearts far from Me,
Lesson
Heart vs. Rules
Jesus will recognize that this would be a description of the Jews in His
day.
The Pharisees were criticizing Jesus’ disciples for not following the
Jewish washing rituals before they ate.
(Matthew 15:3–9
NKJV) —3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the
commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God
commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who
curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5 But you say,
‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received
from me is a gift to God”—6 then he need
not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of
no effect by your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy
about you, saying: 8 ‘These people
draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain
they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
God doesn’t want you living your life according to traditions.
He wants the changes to come from the inside out – God changes our hearts
as we get closer to Him, and our hearts lead the change in our actions.
“Religion” is all about following traditions, doing the things you see other
people do.
Illustration
Four men are driving cross-country together: one from Idaho, one from Iowa,
one from Florida, and the last one is from New York. A bit down the road the
man from Idaho starts to pull potatoes from his bag and throws them out the window.
The man from Iowa turns to him and asks, “What are you doing?” The man from
Idaho says, “Man, we have so many of these darned things in Idaho. They’re
laying around on the ground, I’m sick of looking at them!” A few miles down the
road, the man from Iowa begins pulling ears of corn from his bag and throwing
them out the window. The man from Florida asks “What are you doing that for?”
The man from Iowa replies, “Man, we have so many of these darned things in
Iowa. I’m sick of looking at them!” Inspired by the others, the man from
Florida opens the car door and pushes the New Yorker out.
Are you just concerned about doing what other people seem to be doing? God
is concerned about your obedience, but He’s looking for obedience that comes
from a heart of love for Him.
vs. 17-24 talk about a time in the future when the people have turned to
God.
read vs. 17-24
:18 the eyes of the blind shall see
It’s possible that this is hinting at the coming of Jesus (the first time).
:20 the terrible one is brought to nothing
God will wipe out the Assyrian army that is camped around Jerusalem.
:24 those who complained will learn doctrine
The people’s hearts had been full of complaining, but after they’ve turned
back to the Lord, they are now teachable.
Lesson
Complain or Learn
I think that sometimes we can take our concern for things being done just
right a little too far.
Illustration
Instead of complaining, we want to learn to
cultivate the discipline of being “teachable”.
Howard Hendricks shares this insight about
the value of learning: When I was a college student—I worked in the college
dining hall, and on my way to work at 5:30 every morning I walked past the home
of one of my professors. Through a
window I could see the light on at his desk, morning after morning. At night I stayed late at the library to take
advantage of evening study hours and returning home at 10:30 or 11 o’clock I
would again see his desk light on. He
was always pouring over his books. One
day he invited me home for lunch, and after the meal I said to him, “Would you
mind if I asked you a question?” “Of
course not.” “What keeps you
studying? You never seem to stop.” His answer, “Son, I would rather have my
students drink from a running stream than a stagnant pool.”
30:1-7 – Egypt
Summarize vs. 1-7
There is a warning about the people trusting in the Egyptians for help in
the coming Assyrian invasion.
We’ve seen similar warnings (ch. 18-20)
Chapter 18 – don’t trust the Ethiopians
Chapter 19 – Egypt will fall
Chapter 20 – Isaiah is naked like the Egyptians and Ethiopians will be when
Assyria conquers them.
30:8-17 Rebellious People
read vs. 8-11
:10 Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits
Lesson
What do I want to hear?
Our world has been so deceived to think that truth is whatever you want it
to be.
If you don’t like what someone says, then you don’t have to believe it.
Illustration
There was a man who was walking along a narrow cliff on a dark night. It was so dark that he couldn’t see what was
over the edge. Suddenly he slipped and found himself falling off the edge. As
he started to fall, he caught a tree branch sticking out, and managed to just
barely hang on. But there was no where to go. He didn’t have enough strength to
climb back up. He cried out, “Oh God, if You’re really there, please help me!”
Nothing. He cried out again, “Oh God, I’ll go to church every Sunday and read
my Bible. Please help me!” Nothing. He
cried out again, “Oh God, I’ll do whatever you tell me to. Just please help me!” And then he heard a
still, small voice, “Just let go.” He thought about it a little bit. He cried
out again, “Is there anybody else up there?”
The problem is, when you are in trouble, you want to know the truth, not
something that comforts you for a minute.
If I’m sick and hurting, I don’t want to take something for the pain as
much as I want to know how to fix what’s wrong.
Summarize vs. 12-14
God warns the people that they are facing judgment, and that trying to hide
from the truth isn’t going to stop it from coming.
read vs. 15
:15 In returning and rest
Lesson
Slow down
There are definitely times when we need to step up and take action, but
there are plenty of times when we need to take a step back, slow down, and draw
near to God.
Elijah had gotten himself into trouble with wicked queen Jezebel, and he
ran as far as he could to get away.
After a period of rest, it was time for him to hear from God.
(1 Kings 19:11–13
NKJV) —11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong
wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and
after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord
was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but
the Lord was not in the
fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 So it was, when Elijah heard it,
that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance
of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing
here, Elijah?”
When Elijah was quiet enough to hear
the still small voice, he was able to get back to his ministry. Too often we
have so much going on around us, so much noise inside of our heads, that we
couldn’t hear if God shouted.
I think this speaks to the time we give
towards prayer.
Martin Luther once said, “I have so
much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.”
David Brainerd, a missionary to the
American Indians before the Revolution was known for his prayer life. His journal was permeated with accounts of
prayer, fasting, and meditation. “I love
to be alone in my cottage, where I can spend much time in prayer.” “I set apart
this day for secret fasting and prayer to God.”
Missionary Adoniram Judson sought to
withdraw from business and company seven times a day to engage in the holy work
of prayer. He began at dawn, then at nine, twelve, three, six, nine, and
midnight he would give time to secret prayer.
John Hyde of India made prayer such a
dominant characteristic of his life that he was nicknamed “Praying Hyde”.
Does all that sound
crazy to you?
I’m not sharing about these men to make
us feel guilty about our prayer life.
Prayer is like a muscle, and you need
to build it up a little at a time. You
can’t run a marathon on your first day at the track.
My point is to show that great
spiritual men in history were men of prayer.
They learned to find that “rest” and “quiet” before God.
:15 But you would not
God gave the people the solution – to look to Him, but they would not.
We only cause trouble for ourselves when we’ve heard God’s voice and we
choose to go our own way instead.
I’ve had plenty of “you would not” times in my life – take my word for it.
30:18-26 Gracious God
Summarize vs. 18-26
It’s interesting that even when we’ve given up on God, He hasn’t given up
on us.
(Isaiah 30:18a
NKJV) Therefore the Lord
will wait, that He may be gracious to you…
The passage goes on to talk about God’s restoration of the people and the
nation.
They will turn from their idols, and God will bless them and their land.
Then there’s this promise:
(Isaiah 30:21 NKJV)
Your
ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever
you turn to the left.
It’s a wonderful promise that God would be leading them.
We see this promise fulfilled through the work of the Holy Spirit in our
lives.
(John 16:13 NKJV) However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you
into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever
He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
God will certainly use people in our lives to teach and
guide us.
Yet God also wants to lead us through His Spirit.
It takes some careful listening to hear a voice “behind
you”.
30:27-33 Assyria
Summarize vs. 27-33
God promises the destruction of the dreaded Assyrian Empire.
(Isaiah
30:31 NKJV) For through the voice of the Lord Assyria will be beaten down, As He
strikes with the rod.
We’ll see the destruction of the Assyrians next week.
31:1-9 – God or Egypt
read vs. 1-3
:3 the Egyptians are men, and not God
It’s not wrong to ask people to help you, but keep in mind that people are
just people. People are fallible.
Ultimately we need to be sure we are trusting in God for help.
Summarize vs. 4-9
God will go on to remind the people of Jerusalem that He will be their
deliverer from the Assyrians.
(Isaiah 31:8 NKJV) “Then Assyria shall fall by a sword not of man, And a sword
not of mankind shall devour him. But he shall flee from the sword, And his young men shall become
forced labor.
Again, we will see just how God does this next week…
We now get another taste of that “prophetic telescoping”, where Isaiah is
going to skip thousands of years, back and forth…
32:1-8 Coming Kingdom
Summarize vs. 1-8
Isaiah describes when a king will come and finally do things correctly,
“reigning in righteousness”.
That’s Jesus.
This is the Millennial Kingdom when Jesus rules for 1,000 years.
Isaiah also talks about foolish and evil people being around as well.
There will be people born to those who survived the Tribulation, and some
of those natural people will not follow Christ.
Yet Isaiah says that these people will be seen for what they are – foolish
and evil.
At the end of the Millennium, Satan is released, and these “fools” will
rebel against God, only to suffer one last defeat (Rev. 20).
32:9-14 Complacent Women
Summarize vs. 9-14
Isaiah now flips back to his own present time.
He warns the women to seek God and not grow complacent. They will be facing difficult times ahead, but
they need to hang in there.
32:15-20 Coming Spirit
Isaiah than seems to flip forward in time, perhaps all the way to the
Millennium…
read vs. 15-20
:17 work of righteousness will be peace
We have a great promise here.
Lesson
Peace from righteousness
Righteousness is the state of being “right” with God.
Jesus’ righteousness
Ultimately, this is the righteousness that makes everything right.
When we accepted Christ, God exchanged our sin for the righteousness of
Jesus, and that made us right with God.
(2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to
be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Paul put it another way to the Romans:
(Romans 5:1 NKJV) Therefore, having been justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
There are going to be plenty of times in my life when I screw up. Until I see Jesus, I will continue to stumble
from time to time.
That’s when I need to be sure to go back to the
righteousness of Christ.
I do have peace with God because of Jesus.
My righteousness
Though my “righteousness” can never take the place of Christ’s, God does
want to do a work in my life, teaching me to turn from sin and follow Him.
When I am being tempted, I feel anything but peace.
If I give in to temptation, what do I experience? Guilt and condemnation.
I need to remember that if I choose to turn from
temptation and turn to Jesus, that I will experience the path of “peace”.
33:1-16 – Cry for Help
The Assyrians are now on the march.
They are soon going to be on Jerusalem’s doorstep.
Listen to Isaiah’s prayer
read vs. 1-9
:1 When you cease plundering, You will be plundered
Lesson
Let God handle it
I think there are way too many times when we take things into our own hands
that we should never have touched.
Paul wrote,
(Romans 12:19–21
NKJV) —19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to
wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says
the Lord. 20 Therefore “If your
enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so
doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” 21 Do not be
overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Then we hear God’s response…
read vs. 10-14
:14 Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
Lesson
Wakeup Call
When God did the terrible/amazing thing and destroyed 185,000 Assyrians,
don’t think that everyone in Jerusalem was thrilled.
There would be people in the city that would have their hands over their
mouths in terror thinking, if God can do this, then maybe I ought to be a little
more serious about following Him?
The early church saw this happen.
In the early days of the church, a couple named Ananias and Sapphira
decided they would pretend to be a little more generous than they really were,
to get some attention.
When Peter confronted them, God struck them dead.
(Acts 5:11 NKJV) So great fear came upon all the
church and upon all who heard these things.
Illustration
Dr. George Sweeting, a past President of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago,
tells of the day he noticed an unusual combination of bumper stickers on the
car of a man who was visiting the school. The coincidental message conveyed by
the two stickers prompted Dr. Sweeting to suggest to the unsuspecting visitor
that he might want to remove one of them. One read: JESUS IS COMING! and the
other: ESCAPE TO WISCONSIN.
• Dr. George
Sweeting, President of Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, IL. Christian Reader, “Lite Fare.”
Jesus is coming, but don’t bother running to
Wisconsin. Run to Jesus.
The author of Hebrews wrote,
(Hebrews 12:28–29
NKJV) —28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken,
let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and
godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming
fire.
Who can dwell in a land where God dwells?
read vs. 15-16
The person who learns to live correctly.
33:17-24 Land of the King
Summarize
(Isaiah describes a Zion that has been delivered, including…)
:19 you will not see a fierce people
namely the Assyrians
The description here seems to go beyond the days of Hezekiah – they seem to
be talking about Jesus’ coming kingdom.