Irmela

Q7. (Isaiah 59:1-2) How do disobedience and lack of repentance prevent our prayers from being answered? Our iniquities, i.e., our immoral bad behaviour have separated us from God, and our sins have hid His face from us. This prevents our prayers from being answered. According to verse 2, who is causing the separation from God? We ourselves, as we give in to immoral behaviour and harbour sin in our hearts. How can it be corrected? By repentance and turning away from sin. Calling on God in true repentance. He will hear and forgive.

Q6. (Isaiah 58:13-14) In these verses what positive actions align themselves with a true keeping the Sabbath? Honour - we honour God by keeping the Sabbath Seeking God - we seek to please God with our lives Delight - relax, rest and enjoy God Conversation - not just give way to idle chatter. What negative actions should be avoided in a true keeping of the Sabbath? Making it a ritual with your heart not being in it. Making it a get together where slander, idle talk, backbiting, etc is the order of the day.

Q5. (Isaiah 58:9b-10a) In what ways are people injured by backbiting, judgmental attitudes, and harsh criticism? How are they injured by false accusations and slander? How can we change our church cultures to banish this kind of behavior? What would it require of us to really "spend ourselves in behalf of the hungry"? What would this look like for an individual? For a congregation? Backbiting, judgemental attitudes and harsh criticism breaks a person down completely. Many times, in ways that they do not recover to functioning normal again. They might already be hurting by something that people are not aware of and then false accusations may make them turn away from seeking help and certainly from trusting people enough to look for help. Their motivation to look beyond that place is broken and you find that they end up as 'loafers' or tramps. We need to get to the point where no accusations are made. Get the real facts and then try and help the person as someone created by Almighty God and marred by the evil in this world. Firstly give up the extras that we pamper ourselves with and use that to either support an organization that helps care for the homeless, or give that to a needy person. Time is also something that can be shared. Personal space is also something of value that can be shared. Hungry is not necessarily only for food. It can be for fellowship, for acceptance, for friendship etc. Compassion for those who are different and do not fit in. This could result in meeting needs of the individual, then the families of the individual, the friends and then community. A ripple effect is caused.

Q4. (Isaiah 58:6-7) What kinds of injustice does Isaiah condemn in these verses? Oppression and involuntary servitude, i.e. exploiting the servant workers. Not paying them a proper wage. Jahweh demands fairness and justice for workers and mercy towards those who cannot work. What excuses do we use to rationalize not being generous to the poor -- in our communities or in our families? We pass the buck as it were and pass it to the government or the church. Another excuse is that we think they are lazy, i.e. they beg because it is so much easier than finding a job. There are organizations that handle hand outs etc., because it is so easy to become targeted once you help some people and unfortunately one can only help so much. By supporting such organizations , it should keep beggars (many druggies) off the roads and stop them from being a danger to motorists and themselves. In what ways is "tough love" important to help people? In what ways could it hurt them? By teaching them to fish instead of continually giving them the fish, you actually boost their morale and they are able to face themselves again and feel worth something. Unfortunately tough love can also be taken up as being not loved or being rejected and not wanted. Both sides of the story need to be revealed to be able to come to an understanding of how to go forward or how to resolve a situation.

Q3. (Isaiah 57:15) What things do we learn about God in this verse? He is the high and lofty one. He inhabits eternity. He is holy, i.e. set apart from all sin, from the everyday and the common. What is the great paradox here? He humbled Himself to live with those who are prepared to repent of their sin. (Jesus emptied Himself and became a man . . .) Why does God care so much about the downtrodden and the contrite? They are humble and repentant. They need to be revived. Their spirits need uplifting. Do you and your congregation care for the downtrodden and contrite with the same intensity? I don't think anyone is able to measure up to God. Yes, the congregation is involved in various projects.

Q2. (Isaiah 56:2) Why does keeping a sacred day of rest honor God? God gave the Sabbath as a day of rest ; a day to cease from labour. He ordained it to be so, and if we do so, we are being obedient. Christians practice this different ways: (1) Sabbath worship and rest, (2) Sunday worship and rest, (3) Sunday worship, no rest, or (4) no worship, no rest. Which of the various options might best honor God? Sabbath or Sunday worship and rest. Which of these might dishonor God? No worship, no rest Which of these keep the spirit of one "who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it"? Sabbath worship and rest.

Q1. (Isaiah 56:3-8) What is the significance of God's welcome of believing and ethical foreigners and eunuchs to full status in His temple? What are the implications of that for the church? Who does your congregation tend to exclude from its fellowship -- if not explicitly, then by emphasis and focus? What could you do about this? The significance is that everyone is welcome. No one is excluded. Ethical faith of justice and righteousness, as reflected in Micah 6:8 . . . act justly love mercy walk humbly with our God.

Q9. (Isaiah 55:6-9) What does seeking the Lord entail? It means seeking Him with our whole heart and also seeking in such a way as to get to know Him. It means seeking Him out, because of trusting Him. If God's ways and thoughts are different than our own human way of thinking, what are the implications of this for success in our lives? We need to hand over the reins to Him. Seek His guidance and follow that, as He leads. Why is repentance necessary to this process? We easily resort to follow our own way. Of this we need to repent. Let go and let God. Why is humility necessary? We need to be humble and let go of our own interpretation of things. Recognize and acknowledge that we do not know everything. This takes humility. What happens to us if our seeking is shallow? We flounder and loose sight of what we should really be doing. God sees our hearts and knows if we are sincere. What happens if we put off seeking the Lord when we hear His invitation? The time will come when it will be too late. Is it ever too late to seek the Lord? Scripture says, Seek Him while He is near. Once your eyes are closed in death - it is too late - one never knows when that time comes. Can any real success be found by other means than seeking the Lord? No. It will be short lived, or fall far short of really truly being REAL SUCCESS.

Q8. (Isaiah 55:1-3) Why do people "spend" their lives doing things that they know won't satisfy them deep down? I guess trying again on a familiar path which people think will bring satisfaction, even it has not done so before, is part of being stubborn and determined to prove one can satisfy oneself. Where does hedonism or a love of pleasure lead? To emptiness and damnation. What are the gracious elements of Yahweh's invitation in this passage? Waters, which speak of abundance of quantity as well as quality. Wine which symbolizes joy. Milk and bread, which is the Word of God, essential for spiritual growth. What is the cost of accepting the invitation? Surrender self and accept the blessing, which is free. Will this invitation be perceived as "good news" to those who hear it? To those who accept it, YES, but not to those who refuse to accept it. How can you issue this invitation in today's vernacular? I think the answer to that is unique every time. God gives the words to use, at the right time.

Q7. (Isaiah 54:16-17) What does the promise mean that no weapon formed against you shall succeed? Does it mean we won't have to conduct spiritual warfare through prayer and faith? No What then does it mean? It means God is with us in the battle. He does not leave us alone but is with us through thick and thin. Even if the result is death, He walks that path with us also.

Q6. (Isaiah 54:1-8) In what sense was Jerusalem "barren" without God's favor? She had again and again been unfaithful to God and finally the population was taken into exile by the Babylonians (the Chaldeans). Now it was as if she was forsaken. What does it imply when Isaiah says "your Maker is your husband"? The husband is the protector of the wife. So this statement implies that God (the Maker) is also the Husband (the protector) of Israel. What does the husband do in this analogy? Here He is her Redeemer, He allows her to return. He restores her as wife, no longer as a rejected wife (enduring punishment because of her unfaithfulness). No longer is she disgraced, nor does she have to live as a widow. (This refers to the time of her captivity, when it seemed as if God had turned His back on her.) In the New Testament "bride of Christ" analogy, who is the wife, who is the husband? The church is the wife and Christ (Messiah) is the Husband. What is expected of the wife? Obedience, submission and faithfulness to Christ

Q5. (Isaiah 52:7-9) Why is a messenger or carrier of good news so beautiful? When one is "down in the dumps" and then someone comes with good news, everything about that person is amazing, and his feet which brought him to the place to bring the news, will be beautiful indeed. (They will be welcome) What is the original historical context of these verses? An approaching messenger will bring news to the watchmen on the walls surrounding the cities. They in turn shout the news so that all in the city can hear. If it was good news, then those in the city would call out and rejoice together. How does Paul apply this verse in Romans 10:15? Those who bring tidings of salvation, who share the Gospel, that message is worth rejoicing about. Their feet are beautiful indeed, they are welcome.

Q4. (Isaiah 50:10-11) How can you trust the Lord to guide you when you can't see where you're going? He sees all the way, from beginning to end. It would be by faith that we lean on Him. Have you ever experienced fear in this situation? Yes How do you continue? One step at a time. What is the danger of creating your own "light" to substitute for the invisible God? Calamity and eventual torture. You are saved by grace and not of your own works.

Q3. (Isaiah 50:4-9) Who does Isaiah seem to speak about in our passage? The Messiah. In what way is He open to the Lord? He is totally submitted to the Lord. He is fully willing to submissively go through with what awaits Him. In what way does He suffer? He is mocked, scourged (gave His back to the smiters), spat upon, His beard is pulled out, falsely accused (went through a very unfair trial), etc. When was the Messiah vindicated in history? When He rose from the dead. How will He be vindicated at the end of the age? Every knee shall bow before Him and He will reign in His kingdom forever. (Phil 2:10 & 11) What character quality is necessary for believers when their vindication doesn't seem to happen soon enough? Patience, faith and remaining steadfast.

Q2. (Isaiah 49:14-50:3) Paul teaches that "all Israel will be saved." According to Isaiah in our passage, what will happen to the scattered Jews in the Last Days? God will gather His people and restore them to the land. (49:19) So many will be brought back that the land will seem too small to contain them all (to accommodate the population.) Does God seem to love Jews who haven't trusted in Messiah Jesus yet? Yes. Romans 11:1 Did God reject His people? By no means! Romans 11: 25-26 The full number of the Gentiles must be saved first before the "hardening" of the Jewish nation will change. And in this fashion all Israel will be saved. How can you show your love for Jews? By praying for them.