Thursday
Evening Bible Study
December
19, 2019
Introduction
Announce: Next week –
we will have our big family Christmas Eve service on Tuesday at 6:00pm. We will NOT be meeting next Thursday, but we
WILL be meeting the following Thursday, January 2.
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). When you say “what does that mean?” you
may need to think of more than one thing.
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”.
Isaiah 54
read v.1-3
Those who are childless will give birth.
God will enlarge the nation.
:1 the children of the desolate …
In ancient Israel, a woman who was unable to have children was a
disgrace.
You see this with Hannah, who would eventually be the mother of the prophet
Samuel. (1Sam. 1)
She struggled with not being able to get pregnant.
Children helped run the farm and do the chores. A woman who was able to have lots of children
was considered especially blessed.
God is saying that a woman who was unable to have children will end up
having more than anyone else.
The idea is that the Jews who would be
in Babylon should not be discouraged because even though they seemed to have
been abandoned, they will one day multiply.
Paul quotes this in Galatians 4:27 and
applies it to those who trust God for salvation being multiplied versus those
who are clinging to the Law.
The Targum (an Aramaic translation of
the OT) interprets this of Jerusalem:
“sing
praise, O Jerusalem, which was as a barren woman that bears not;”
In this sense, the idea is that the city of Jerusalem will have been as a
barren woman that is now able to give birth.
This would be a prophecy that could be seen as
being fulfilled after the Jews returned from a seventy-year captivity in
Babylon, but even more as they’ve returned to rebuild Israel after having been
scattered by the Romans 1900 years ago.
Paul turns the application upside down in a sense. He quotes this in his letter to the
Galatians. He applies it to the story of
Sarah and Hagar, which he has suggested was a picture of the difference between
those who are saved by faith (Sarah and Isaac the child of promise), and those
who cling to the law (Hagar, Ishmael, Jerusalem Jews)
(Galatians
4:27 NKJV) For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren, You who do not
bear! Break forth
and shout, You who are not in labor! For the
desolate has many more children Than she who has a husband.”
:2 Enlarge the place of your tent
Tents were made up of layers of cloth.
Making a tent larger was just a matter of opening up
a wall and adding more material.
This barren woman is told to start doing some home remodeling. She’s told not only to make her tent bigger,
but stronger (“strengthen your stakes”)
too.
Lesson
Make room
This barren woman isn’t told to wait until she gets pregnant. She’s told to start remodeling now, before
she even gets pregnant.
That’s taking a step of faith.
It seems kind of crazy at times, but God does speak. Sometimes He prompts us to get ready for
what’s up ahead.
Think about your life.
Are you ready for God to use you more?
Could it be that God would be asking you to “enlarge your tent”? Is your life in a place where you are open to
God using you in new ways? It could be
possible that sometimes old “tent walls” will have to come down in order to
make room for new ones. Learn to find
balance in your life so you can run the race and finish!
(Jeremiah 12:5 NLT) “If racing against mere men makes
you tired, how will you race against horses?
If you think it’s tough now, what will you do when God
says it’s time to try the next level?
I remember playing video games with my boys when they were
young. When the first Super Mario came
out for our Nintendo 64, we struggled and struggled to get through the first
level. When we got to the next level we found that the first level was easy compared to the
second.
Illustration
My first full-time job after school was working at the
Bank of Newport while being involved in ministry at Calvary Chapel
Anaheim. I used to wonder how I could
ever keep up with all the things I was doing.
When I was brought on staff at Calvary Anaheim, there was a time when
things were kind of easy for me, but after a while they picked up, and I
wondered how I could keep up with it. In
a way it was easy to reminisce on those “easy” days of working at the
bank! And then we started having
kids. When we started the church in
Fullerton, I began to realize that my days of being on staff at Anaheim were
actually quite slow, compared to being a senior pastor
at a church, even a small one.
You may be feeling stretched right now, but maybe it’s because God wants
you to “enlarge the place of your tent”.
Could this be a word for you? For the church?
read v.4-8
Those who live in disgrace and shame won’t have to be afraid anymore
because God is their “husband” and will take care of them.
Perhaps the idea of a woman without a husband was not seen as
“complete”. As if something was wrong or
broken.
He was only angry with them for a little while, but now He will have
compassion on them.
:5 your Maker is your husband
In years past, it was considered a “shame” for a woman to not be married,
and to not have children.
That’s not quite the same today.
The lesson here is about shame being taken away.
Lesson
Fulfilled
Whether you are a man or a woman, the real source of fulfillment that we
seek is only found in our relationship with God.
In Isaiah’s day, the lack of a husband brought “shame” to a woman.
The issues may be different for us today, but we still have plenty of
things that bring us shame.
Some of those “shameful” things bring us into bondage.
Illustration
Monkey trappers in Africa have a clever method of catching
monkeys. They fill empty gourds (or,
“calabashes”) with nuts and fruit. Each
gourd and a small hole just large enough for a monkey to reach his hand into,
and then the gourd is fastened to a tree.
Video: Trapping a Monkey
Too often we get these certain things in our lives that we
just don’t want to let go of. We think
that it’s these certain “nuts and berries” that really make life worth
living. Yet it’s these very things that
keep us captive. They bring us “shame”. If we’d just let go, we could be free. There’s only one thing to hold on to, our
loving relationship with Jesus.
Sometimes the things that trap us or hold us back aren’t bad things, but
things we are proud of.
Paul wrote to the Philippians that if anyone should be able to boast about
being a “good” guy, it was him. He had
all the qualifications of a good Jewish boy.
Yet Paul found that all those things held him back.
(Philippians
3:13–14 NLT) —13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I
have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and
looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on
to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God,
through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
When God is our “husband”, we find the fulfillment we are looking for.
read v.9-10
After Noah’s flood, God promised never again to flood the earth. Now God promises to never stop loving His
people.
read v.11-15
:11 lay your foundations with sapphires
We’re getting a picture of the Messiah’s reign.
Jerusalem will be rebuilt.
The picture reminds me of the New Jerusalem described by John in
Revelation.
(Revelation
21:19 NKJV) The foundations of the wall of the city were
adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was
jasper, the second sapphire…
:15 they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me
If they are ever attacked, God isn’t the one who has sent the enemy against
them.
read v.16-17
Isaiah continues on the theme of the Messiah’s
reign and God’s promised protection.
:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper
Lesson
Protection
Sometimes the protection comes from God stopping the enemy’s attack on us.
Now that doesn’t happen all the time. Schindler’s list is all about the Holocaust
when 6 million Jews died.
It would be incorrect to say that God promises to never allow us to face difficult
times.
God does allow difficult times into our lives.
Sometimes the God’s protection is all about the strength to respond.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego faced a fiery
furnace if they refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar.
They still refused, and when they were thrown into the furnace, they found
they were not alone.
The weapon formed against them did not prosper.
Jesus had weapons formed against Him.
He was beaten.
He was crucified.
There was no deliverance.
He died.
(1 Peter 2:21–23 NKJV)
—21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed
no sin, Nor was
deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not
revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself
to Him who judges righteously;
Illustration
In the third century, Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage, wrote to his friend
Donatus: “It is
a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and good people who have learned
the great secret of life. They have found a joy and wisdom which is a thousand
times better than any of the pleasures of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they
care not. They are masters of their souls.
They have overcome the world.
These people, Donatus, are Christians... and I am one of them.”
Isaiah 55
read v.1-5
God invites all who are hungry and thirsty to come and buy food from Him
that is free.
:1 Everyone who thirsts … who have no money
What a great picture of the gospel.
If you want God to work in your life, you need to meet two requirements:
1.
You need to be thirsty or needy
If you don’t recognize your need for Jesus, you aren’t
going to find Him.
2. You
need to be broke
You need to realize that you have nothing to merit
salvation in yourself.
If you meet those requirements, then God invites you need to come to where
you will be nourished.
You need to come to God.
And yet, the people continue to spend their money on things that don’t
really satisfy.
read v.6-7
:6 Seek the Lord while He may be found
When can God be “found”?
(Deuteronomy
4:29 NLT) But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for
him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.
He can be found if you’re still breathing air.
The day that you die, it’s too late to seek the Lord.
(Ecclesiastes
9:10 NLT) Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the
grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
read v.8-11
:8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts
We may use this verse for lots of things, but the context of this passage
has been about finding God’s forgiveness.
His thoughts about forgiveness are not like our thoughts.
We like to hold grudges.
We like to get revenge.
God likes to forgive.
David wrote something similar:
(Psalm
103:11 NKJV) For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is
His mercy toward those who fear Him;
:11 It shall not return to Me void
Ultimately, this refers to all the promises that Isaiah has written
concerning the restoration of the nation of Israel under the coming Messiah,
Jesus. God has promised that it would
happen, and it will, as seen in the next verse.
But I think this can also be a picture of what God’s Word can do in our own
lives.
God’s word is powerful.
(Hebrews 4:12 NKJV) For the word of God is living
and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the
division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart.
God’s word matures us.
(2
Timothy 3:16–17 NKJV) —16 All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man
of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
We need to keep putting God’s word into our lives.
We shouldn’t be hesitant to share God’s word with others.
One of Billy Graham’s most repeated phrases was … “the Bible says…”
That’s a good example to follow.
read v.12-13
:12 you shall go out with joy
When Jesus comes back, the Jews will “go out” of the countries they’ve been
living in, and with joy.
There will be a time of peace and prosperity.
Isaiah 56
read v.1-2
There are blessings that come when we walk in obedience to God, “keep
justice”, “keeping our hands from doing any evil”.
read v.3-8
:3 the son of the foreigner
This is talking about Gentiles who are following Yahweh.
:3 the eunuch
A eunuch was a man who had been castrated.
It was often done so they could be trusted to guard and serve the “queen”.
A eunuch was not allowed to be a part of the “congregation” of Israel.
(Deuteronomy
23:1 NKJV) “He who is emasculated by crushing or mutilation
shall not enter the assembly of the Lord.
A eunuch was not allowed to be a priest.
(Leviticus
21:20 NKJV) or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man
who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch.
:5 a place and a name
Despite their disadvantages, if someone is truly seeking the Lord, there’s
nothing that can hold them back from God’s blessings.
Sometimes those who are single (like the eunuch) are treated differently in
church than those who are married.
That’s a real shame.
Paul said it was an advantage to be single because then
you can wholeheartedly serve the Lord.
(1 Corinthians 7:32 NLT) I want you to be free from the
concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s
work and thinking how to please him.
You may feel at times that everyone else at church are super holy saints,
and you don’t belong.
The truth it, we are all sinners saved by grace.
Summarize v.9-12
The chapter ends with a rebuke to the Jewish leaders.
All they care for is their own selfish agendas and getting drunk.
Sounds like what we think as “politicians”.
Back to …
:7 My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations
Lesson
Prayer
It has always been God’s intent that the Temple not just be for Jews, but
for all nations.
That includes the Gentiles (“sons of the foreigner”) and even the eunuchs.
The last week of Jesus’ life, He went into the Temple (Mat. 21:13), turned
over the tables of the money changers and those who were selling animals for
sacrifice.
(Matthew 21:13
NKJV) And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a
house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
Not only were the people in the Temple NOT praying, the
Temple became a place of commerce, the common people were being cheated.
It was no longer a place for all people, but for those who
could afford it.
It’s sad when there is an opportunity to seek God, but God’s people are
busy doing other things…
The Ark is a great picture of the presence of God. God’s desire is that His presence isn’t tucked
away in a warehouse, or some obscure place in our heart. We should be experiencing God’s presence in
prayer. It is something we need to seek and make a daily part of our lives.
I’d like to encourage you to think about taking a step of growing in
prayer.
Last Sunday I decided to hang out in the room behind the sanctuary and join
the prayer team.
I’m planning on doing this on a more frequent basis after
the first of the year and I’d love for some of you to join me.
Coming up on Thursday, January 2, we are going to be having a night of
worship and prayer.
Our hope is that we as a church would focus our prayers on
our future this coming year – for the transition in pastors, and for God to
open a door for a new place to meet.
Quote
“You can tell how popular a church is by who comes on Sunday morning. You can tell how popular the pastor or
evangelist is by who comes on Sunday night.
But you can tell how popular Jesus is by who comes to the prayer
meeting.” ~ Jim Cymbala