Irmela

Q6. (Isaiah 35:1-10) How do you think these verses brought hope to their first readers? What a different and encouraging picture or hope to cling to. It covers everything. Such an assurance to the discouraged that the Lord will intervene, and in such an amazing way. What is promised here? The strength of God will replace the feebleness of man. The physical brokenness of man will be changed e.g., the blind will see; the lame will leap like a deer; the mute will shout for joy. The moral side will experience a change, e.g., moral filthiness will be exchanged for a life of holiness. Even nature will experience a change, e.g., there will be streams in the Desert; the burning sand will be a pool; the thirsty ground will be a bubbling spring. Why do you think Isaiah relies on heavily figurative language to communicate these promises? The promises are easily imagined then and faith is stirred by these pictures. How does he describe the "highway of holiness"? The unclean will not pass over it; the simple ones will not loose their way; there will be no danger of wild animals and bandits on it; this Highway will lead away from Babylon (the City of Destruction), to the Holy City; the walkers on it will be full of joy and thanksgiving. Who will walk on it? The redeemed. Who won't? There will be no lion or ravenous beast, which pictures danger. Thus there will be no danger. Anyone rejecting redemption, will also not be found there. What does it mean to be redeemed and ransomed? To be redeemed means to be saved from bondage or sin, with an atonement (the action of making amends) having been made. To be ransomed means to be freed from captivity, slavery or punishment by a payment.

Q5. (Isaiah 33:14-16) How does ethical behavior display love for God? If we love Him, we will try our best to live as He would have us live, i.e. righteous and holy lives. In our own strength this is impossible. We need His help. How does it display love for man? It is not being selfish but considering the needs of our fellow-man. No lies will be told about the fellowman ; he will not be treated wrongly, but fairly; no evil will be thought of the next person. It is like living out 1 Corinthians 13. How does the corruption of taking bribes destroy righteous government? Unfair treatment is meeted out and greed rises to an all time height.

Q4. (Isaiah 31:1) Why do we tend to seek help from every source except the Lord? I guess it is that one relies on that which looks or seems to be right. We are blinded to rely on man. There is no faith, it is "sight". To rely on the Lord is to exercise faith. In what way is this similar to idolatry? It is like trusting in whatever (riches, money, jobs or people) to get us out of our "trouble". That then becomes the idol, because we become frantic if it doesn't work out. People haven't changed. Jesus recognized this tendency. What was the remedy he taught his disciples in Matthew 6:31-33? To seek God's Kingdom first. His way of doing and being right.

Q3. (Isaiah 30:15-29) Why does God long to show us grace (30:18)? HE is a God of JUSTICE. He is a God of COMPASSION. His LOVE is matchless and so too His GRACE. He wants to spread His loving-kindness over us, because He wants us as His children. He does not want the enemy to overpower us. He desires for us to "hand over the reins to Him." What does that say about God's character? He is patient . What prevents his grace? Stubbornness, rebellion and disobedience. Looking deeper into the picture it is basically actually rejection from man's side. Grace is there, it is offered, but not accepted. Have you ever experienced the kind of guidance Isaiah mentions in verse 21? Yes. What is necessary in us so that we can hear God's voice? Surrender to and wait on Him.

Q2. (Isaiah 29:13) Have you ever seen a religious person go through all the religious motions, but whose heart is far from God? Yes, similar to Pharisees. Hypocritical. How can we detect this in ourselves if it applies to us? We become extremely judgemental of others. What is the remedy? Ask Christ to forgive us and to help us see Christ living in the person, and not man-made rules being broken. The Holy Spirit will do the necessary convicting, not us. How can you tell if your practice of religion is merely following "rules taught by men"? Measure it by the Word. If all is self-centered, Watch out!!!!!!! Make sure that Christ is glorified in all that you do. What is the danger of a rule-based faith? It is so easy to break a rule. There is no love in a rule-based faith. You just go through the motions. How does it differ from a love-based faith? The love-based faith has Jesus first and foremost in all its actions and thinking etc. Respectful fear of and obedience to God is the answer. Faith in Him. It's not work-based.

Q1. (Isaiah 28) How are we humans able to justify and deceive ourselves so easily? We are blinded to the truth. Our eyes are blind and ears are deaf. So we see and hear what and how we want to see things and and how we want to do things, and take those things to be right for our lives. Let's take the building of the Ark and Titanic as an example. Amateurs built the Ark With God's help and guidance and so called professionals built the Titanic. The outcome of the success can be seen in what happened on their Maiden Voyage. Why do we hold onto lies that guide our lives? Pride. If we change then we acknowledge that we have been wrong. Why do people stumble over Christ, the tested foundation stone, and His righteous standards? It would be acknowledging that we are wrong and that goes against the grain. We would be acknowledging a need and that would be seen as a weakness. Again the root is pride. How can we help people come to the truth? Live for Jesus. Let Him speak to them through your actions even more so than "preaching" at them. What is the alternative if they don't, according to Isaiah 28:21? His strange act that came to pass was that they were eventually punished and led captive out of the promised land. Judgement is sure to follow.

Q6. (Isaiah 27:12-13) When Isaiah prophesies the gathering of all His people at the sound of a great trumpet call, to what New Testament event does this correspond? When Christ's Kingdom is established on earth and all His people are called from the 4 corners as it were. It corresponds with the 2nd coming.

Q5. (Isaiah 26:19) Does this passage actually teach a bodily resurrection? What does it teach us about resurrection? When will this resurrection take place, according to the New Testament? Yes, I do believe that it will be a bodily resurrection. It talks of those who dwell in the dust, i.e. those that are dead. Wake up and shout for joy i.e. do something. The dead cannot "do" with a dead body. The body has to be resurrected. A different body to what we know. Incorruptible. When Christ returns, we will meet Him in the air.

Q4. (Isaiah 26:3-4) According to this verse, what is the key to perfect peace? What happens when we get distracted from trusting in the Lord? Why is the Lord called the "Rock eternal"? Trusting in the Lord. Committing yourself to Him Leaning on Him. (what a picture ...... who bears the weight? no longer I) Hoping on Him. There is perfect peace because of Yahweh's strength. When I no longer trust in the Lord , I no longer lean on Him. My support is gone. So a fall is bound to happen. He is everlasting. His existence is the distant future.

Q3. (Isaiah 25:7) Why does the promise that "he will swallow up death forever" provide such comfort to us when we grieve the death of loved ones? When we contemplate our own death? What will we experience instead of death when Christ comes? When something is swallowed up, it is gone. That is the picture given. Death (with all its pain of separation) will be gone as in forever. We will experience VICTORY. and Life everlasting.

Q2. (Isaiah 25:6-8) Obviously this "feast of rich food for all peoples" is a symbol of something more than just good food. What does this theme represent in Isaiah and the New Testament? What does it promise about the Last Days? The feast of rich food for all peoples (not only for Israel, but all nations/people) can also be spiritual food, not necessarily only the one or the other. The feast is celebrating the Lord for His righteousness; it is to cheer His defeat of all His enemies; it is to cheer His grace in removing the covering of death from all who belong to Him. In the Gospels we find in the discourses Jesus has where He explains about the "kingdom of Heaven/God", that He mentions the banquet that will be held. Also in Rev 19:9 the Marriage Supper with the Lamb, is referred to. The feast will sustain life and give life, for death will be destroyed forever. (Bible Commentary, Warren Wiersbe)

Q1. (Isaiah 24) What is the reason that Yahweh will devastate the earth (24:5-6)? Why do we feel so threatened by this kind of prophecy? Why is this kind of prophecy important to forming faithful disciples who "fear the Lord"? In what way does the glitter and glory of man (1 John 2:15-17) contradict this kind of prophecy? Yahweh will devastate the earth because of sin and rebellion against Him. The covenant made with Him was broken and the consequence for that is the devastation we read about here. Our stay here is temporary not permanent. Pictured here is utter destruction. Civilization, as we know it will be destroyed. Quite a scary thought, if we have not turned our lives over to Yahweh. It's like a wake-up call to stir us up to live right before the Lord. It brings reality before our eyes; shows us the consequence of sin, thus encouraging us to remain faithful. The glitter and glory will not last. It will all end in destruction. Those who follow the Lord will pass on to everlasting life.

Q3. (Isaiah 22) Why is Judah faulted for making necessary military preparations in the face of the Assyrian armies? What should they have done at the same time (verses 11-12)? What seems to be the sin of Shebna, steward of the palace (verses 15-19)? Have you ever been guilty of selfishness instead of doing your duty to Christ? Judah trusted in their own strength and did not consider including God's direction. By doing this they showed that they did not consider God in their preparation. They did not believe that God would help them. They should have repented, turned to God in humility and heard from Him first as to what they should do. It seems like he was lining his pockets in some way or another. Not necessarily with money/gold but also in other ways. Another thing that is mentioned is the fact that he is getting a tomb ready for himself, among the nobility. This was self-glorification. So he was on an ego-trip. In many ways he acted selfishly. I'm afraid so. Just ever so grateful for His mercy.

Q2. (Isaiah 20) Why did God command Isaiah to go naked for three years? What was its meaning? What effect did this acted prophecy have on Judah's foreign policy? If you were Isaiah, would you have obeyed God? Isaiah was to become a walking parable to Israel (Judah), as a warning not to make an alliance with Egypt. He was to walk through the land to let them see first-hand, what would happen to Egypt. Many would be carried away as captives, stripped as Isaiah was. It was a warning to Israel not to rely on Egypt and Ethiopia to help them fight against Assyria. Neither Egypt nor Ethiopia had been able to stand against Assyria. Hezekiah did not join in with Egypt. Later kings did and they then suffered a similar fate. A sobering thought, would I have gone around naked? It truly is a tough question to answer sincerely. I can only say, I do hope I would have. I pray that by God's grace I will be obedient to what He requests me to do, and never say Him nay.

Q1. (Isaiah 14) What was the attitude of heart in the ruler described in Isaiah 14:12-17? What is the scriptural evidence that this indeed refers to Satan? Have you ever exalted your opinion and will over God's will and God's word? How does this differ from the ruler in 14:12-17? What is the best way to humble oneself before the Lord? The attitude of heart was pride and self-ambition. In Luke 10:18 the Lord Jesus said: . . . I beheld satan as lightning fall from heaven. When we disobey, that is actually what we unintentionally do. We are then doing what we want (satisfying our own desires), not what God has purposed. In essence we are exalting our will above His will. I will share an example: I got divorced and it states clearly in God's Word that that is not what God's will is. I was breaking a vow which I had made before the Lord. I was eventually determined to get out of the abusive relationship, come what may. I no longer saw a way clear to try and save the marriage. I started to stand up for myself, rather than to be submissive. On hind-site, I see now all the wrong paths I took since that time. Some of them seemed safe and right, but compromise is not God's way. I thank the Lord that He is indeed a merciful God and He has forgiven us and enabled me to draw close to Him again. In shame, I see that now. I was basically saying I know better. If we confess our sins, turn from our wicked ways, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That ruler actually deliberately said that he would exalt himself. I don't think that the majority of humanity recognizes the danger of pride and disobedience and whatever else separates us from God. In essence we are saying we know better. The best way to humble oneself is to let go of one's own desires and submit all to Him and then let Him guide and you follow His leading.