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Q2. (Isaiah 56:2) Why does keeping a sacred day of rest honour God? 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 honour God? Which of these might dishonour God? Which of these keep the spirit of one "who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it"? I feel that as Christians we are not obligated to keep the Sabbath – it was given to the Israelites as a nation. As Christians we have the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week, to worship and serve Him and to rest as well. It honours our Heavenly Father in that it is a day of rest from our employment and allows us to focus on Him. It is a day in which we can bring glory to God. It is not a day intended to prohibit any urgent works and definitely not filled with a lot of legalistic deeds.

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? This is wonderful news in that we are all one in Him – that is Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, bond and free, male and female, black and white, people from every nation and out of every tongue and tribe. All are welcome in His church. We have no problems with this in our church.

Q5. (Isaiah 53) Which single New Testament passage best sums up for you the lessons of Isaiah 53? Why did you chose this passage? (Select from Matthew 26:38-42; Luke 22:37; John 1:29; Romans 3:24-26; 2 Corinthians 5:20-21; 1 Peter 2:24-25; 1 Peter 3:18; Philippians 2:5-11 - or any other passage you can think of.) The passage that best sums up Isaiah 53 for me would be 1 Peter 2:21-25. I chose this passage because of the great number of similarities: v. 21 - Christ suffered for you – see Isaiah 53:4-5. v. 22 - He committed no sin and no deceit was found in His mouth – see Isaiah 53:9. v. 23 - When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate – see Isaiah 53:7. v. 24 – He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness - see Isaiah 53:4; Isaiah 53:11. v. 24 – By His wounds we have been healed - see Isaiah 53:5. v. 25 - For you were like sheep going astray – see Isaiah 53:6.

Q4. (Isaiah 53) In addition to our sins, the Servant also bears the punishment deserved by sinners. In what sense, if any, did Jesus bear the punishment due you when he died on the cross? We know that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and that “the wages of sin is death … “(Romans 6:23a). Sin is in our DNA, for besides committing acts of sin, we have all inherited Adam’s sin. We know that God is a God of justice. He always acts in accordance with what is right. Remember in Isaiah 45:19, God said of Himself “I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right.” He declares what is right, and as a result of this righteousness it is necessary for God to punish us for our sins. When Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins it showed God was truly righteous – sin was punished.

Q3. (Isaiah 53) Isaiah 53 teaches what theologians call "the substitutionary atonement." In what sense does the Servant act as a substitute to bear our sins? Put it in your own words. To think that He has exchanged my sins for His righteousness! Truly, a sinner saved by grace. Then not only for me but for the whole world! There are no words to properly describe this act of grace! Jesus Christ suffered a substitutionary death for our sins – past, present, and future sins! If only the world would believe in Jesus Christ – not about Him, but in Him – there would be instant peace that surpasses all understanding.

Q1. (Isaiah 53) From how large a group of people does God remove sins in Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12? In what sense is this a universal sacrifice of salvation? In what sense is Jesus' sacrifice wasted on some people? Christ died for all – it was a universal sacrifice with no limitation on the number of people for whom He died. Unfortunately the sacrifice is wasted on those who do not believe in our Saviour Jesus Christ. We read in John 3:18 what Jesus Himself said, ”Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” Our eternal destiny is determined by the attitude we take toward the Son of God. It is only those who put their trust in Jesus who are not condemned and they will receive eternal life, but the rest are condemned. Our Lord Jesus has finished His work of salvation, and now it is up to each one of us to make a decision – do we accept Him or reject Him?

Q2. (Isaiah 53) Which New Testament parallels to Isaiah 53 convince you that Jesus Himself saw His own mission and destiny spelled out in Isaiah 53? If you aren't convinced, what stands in your way? I’m totally convinced that Isaiah 53 describes the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus. It mentions His death, His burial, and His resurrection. To me this is best described in the Gospel of Mark.

Q1. (Isaiah 53) From how large a group of people does God remove sins in Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12? In what sense is this a universal sacrifice of salvation? In what sense is Jesus' sacrifice wasted on some people? Christ died for all – it was a universal sacrifice with no limitation on the number of people for whom He died. Unfortunately the sacrifice is wasted on those who do not believe in our Saviour Jesus Christ. We read in John 3:18 what Jesus Himself said, ”Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” Our eternal destiny is determined by the attitude we take toward the Son of God. It is only those who put their trust in Jesus who are not condemned and they will receive eternal life, but the rest are condemned. Our Lord Jesus has finished His work of salvation, and now it is up to each one of us to make a decision – do we accept Him or reject Him?

Q9. (Isaiah 55:6-9) What does seeking the Lord entail? 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? Why is repentance necessary to this process? Why is humility necessary? What happens to us if our seeking is shallow? What happens if we put off seeking the Lord when we hear his invitation? Is it ever too late to seek the Lord? Can any real success be found by other means than seeking the Lord? Seeking the Lord entails turning to God in faith and believing His promise that by His love, His grace, and His mercy, He will pardon us our sins. It entails admitting we are sinners and that we have, in disobedience, strayed away from Him. It entails repenting – turning a complete 180 degrees away from sin. It must be an absolute surrender to His ways and the desire to live in obedience to Him. Repentance and faith go together in that we turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). God’s ways and thoughts are infinite compared to our finite ways and thoughts – they are far beyond our comprehension. There can be negative implications for success in our lives if we insist on doing things our way, without first consulting Him in prayer and waiting patiently for an answer. We often find that He leads us in a path which we had never even thought about, and that this actually ultimately leads to our happiness. Therefore, we must plan with submission to the higher purposes of God. It is never too late to seek the Lord. There are dangers in delaying this. We may never be given a second chance. So we must take the invitation very seriously. In the parable of the Great Supper, God closed the door on those who spurned His invitation (Luke 14:16-24). We should remember 2 Corinthians 6:2, “For he says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation”.

Q8. (Isaiah 55:1-3) Why do people "spend" their lives doing things that they know won't satisfy them deep down? Where does hedonism or a love of pleasure lead? What are the gracious elements of Yahweh's invitation in this passage? What is the cost of accepting the invitation? Will this invitation be perceived as "good news" to those who hear it? How can you issue this invitation in today's vernacular? When it comes to wealth, pleasure, and/or power there is never enough – one always wants more and more! After achieving these things there is still a void in our hearts, a void that only God can satisfy. True satisfaction and lasting pleasure are only found in the Lord. The invitation is free to all. To the poor – so there is no excuse in not accepting. To the rich – so they cannot boast that they were invited because of their wealth. However, this open invitation will only be accepted by those who have a thirst and hunger for righteousness. Jesus Himself said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled: (Matthew 5:6). These are people who long for honesty, integrity, and justice in society. When we accept, God promises us an abundant quality life. A life of joy as we come to know Him better. And the promise of spiritual growth as we meditate more and more on the Word of God. Unfortunately, the majority will reject this invitation. Because unaided, the natural man does not perceive the things of God – they are utter foolishness to him (1 Corinthians 2:14). He cannot possibly understand them because they can only be spiritually understood.

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? What then does it mean? It is a promise God has made; that there is nothing that can adversely affect us spiritually - it is all under God’s control. Any evil-doer can only accomplish what our Heavenly Father permits him to do. It is our inheritance and there is no need for us to conduct spiritual warfare through prayer and faith – it has all been done for those who serve God.

Q6. (Isaiah 54:1-8) In what sense was Jerusalem "barren" without God's favour? What does it imply when Isaiah says "your Maker is your husband"? What does the husband do in this analogy? In the New Testament "bride of Christ" analogy, who is the wife, who is the husband? What is expected of the wife? We see Jerusalem as barren and desolate while Israel is in captivity. But there is a future, the LORD will re-gather Israel the way a husband takes back his wife. The analogy describes that the Israelites should have no fear of disgrace, for she will no longer be desolate and helpless like a widow. God, like a husband will take back Israel, His wife. In the NT analogy, the wife is the church and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the husband. The wife is expected to be obedient to the husband.

Q5. (Isaiah 52:7-9) Why is a messenger or carrier of good news so beautiful? What is the original historical context of these verses? How does Paul apply this verse in Romans 10:15? It reminds me of Handel’s Messiah, Part II, and Movement 38 – “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.” (Romans 10:15; Isaiah 52:7). And so the message brought must have been beautiful music to the ears to the Jews - a song of deliverance. The messenger comes to proclaim the good news of peace and the glad tidings of salvation. What a beautiful sound and sight! They hear a messenger announce to Jerusalem, "Good news! You're saved. There will be peace. Your God is now King.” All start to sing and celebrate, knowing that the LORD comes to their rescue. The historical context of these verses are the joyous return of the exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem. God is the One who sends. We are the ones who are sent to spread the good news - the Gospel. It is our privilege and responsibility to go with beautiful feet to a lost and dying world.

Q4. (Isaiah 50:10-11) How can you trust the Lord to guide you when you can't see where you're going? Have you ever experienced fear in this situation? How do you continue? What is the danger of creating your own "light" to substitute for the invisible God? It is exactly when we walk in the dark and cannot see where we are going that we must put our trust in Him and it is when our faith needs to be at its strongest. We must walk in the light of our Lord Jesus who is the Light of the World. If we reject Him and use our own little torches we will be eternally lost.

Q3. (Isaiah 50:4-9) Who does Isaiah seem to speak about in our passage? In what way is he open to the Lord? In what way does he suffer? When was the Messiah vindicated in history? How will he be vindicated at the end of the age? What character quality is necessary for believers when their vindication doesn't seem to happen soon enough? Isaiah is speaking about the Messiah. Everything here speaks directly about our Lord Jesus Christ. Every morning He is open to hear and receive instructions from His Father for that day. He delights in doing the will of God, even if it meant going to the Cross. He did not turn back but willingly gave Himself over to suffering and shame. In full confidence that God would vindicate Him. He was vindicated, of course, by His resurrection and He will come to earth again in full glory. We have to walk in dependence on the LORD and confess our sins and fully acknowledge our need for His grace and forgiveness - to put our trust in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

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? Does God seem to love Jews who haven't trusted in Messiah Jesus yet? How can you show your love for Jews? God has stated that He will never forsake the Jews and all those that believe in Jesus will be saved. In the Last Days many will gather at Jerusalem and the majority of them will turn to Christ for salvation. God chose the nation of Israel, and He has never forsaken them - in the same way He chose the church, through Jesus Christ, and He will never forsake the church either. However, not all Jews or all church members will be saved, for it is possible to be Jewish or to belong to a church without ever responding in faith. But just because some people have rejected Christ does not mean that God stops working with either Israel or the church. He continues to offer salvation freely to all. It is our responsibility as Christians not to turn a blind eye to the Jews but to pray for the nation and if given the opportunity to tell them about the saving grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Q1. (Isaiah 49:1-13) Why do people tend to disregard or even discriminate against aliens in their country? How can you increase your love for people of other nationalities? God's people are called to be a "light to the nations." What might that entail for the church in your community? In your country? In my country we periodically have outbreaks of xenophobia with fatal results. It is because of the scarcity of jobs and the fact that aliens are prepared to work for lower wages and at the same time are not members of a militant union. They also come with different skills and form a network with their fellow countrymen to establish businesses in my country. God loves all and we are to imitate Him. It is not always easy but with the help of the Holy Spirit we can do it. Being in a strange country they can be vulnerable to abuse as well as being homesick and missing their family. These are all opportunities for us to show our love and kindness as Christians.

Q7. (Isaiah 45:7b) In what sense does God "bring prosperity and create disaster"? Is God the source of evil? Of trouble? Of prosperity? Of poverty? In what sense is he responsible for these? In what sense are we responsible for these things? Since we know that God is the source of both prosperity and disaster, what should we be doing? We have all been given freedom of choice - otherwise we would be mere robots. It is through our evil sinful nature that we are the source of all evil; God Himself is never the source of evil. The sins and wickedness of our world are the real evils and they are the opposite of the works of the Spirit. In our world today we have the sins of sensuality, ****, selfishness, cruelty, injustice, and oppression all being rampant. However, God can use these sins to accomplish His purposes. Otherwise, He is sovereign and is in control of all that happens – light (life), darkness (death), prosperity and disaster. He is our Heavenly Father and does love us and care for us.

Q6. (Isaiah 45:1-4) How can Cyrus be called by name more than a century before he was born? In what sense is Cyrus "anointed" by God? How can an unbeliever accomplish God's purposes? What does this tell us about God? About being humble in our judgments of others? With God all is possible and to call Cyrus by name more than a 100 years before he was born proved that He was the all-knowing and only true God. That our God is sovereign. It demonstrated that if He could be accurate about Cyrus, He could also be accurate in His prophecy concerning our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Just as prophets, priests, and kings were anointed for service, so Cyrus was set apart or anointed by God to perform a special service for Israel's sake. It does not mean Cyrus was a believer but rather that he was chosen for a specific purpose by God. He had to follow God’s instructions in delivering the Israelites from captivity in Babylon and allow them to return to their homeland. This proves that God can use unbelievers to accomplish His purposes. We see an example of this in Genesis were God hardened the heart of Pharaoh in preparation for the exodus from Egypt.

Q5. (Isaiah 43) This chapter tells us specific purposes that God's people have been created for. How can you fulfill your purpose to show God's glory (verse 7)? To be his witness (verses 10, 12)? To proclaim his praise (verse 21)? What are the obstacles you are facing in fulfilling these purposes? How do you benefit from fulfilling God's purpose for you? To show God’s glory we have to acknowledge Him in His work of creation and redemption, and in the role of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We must accept His Word as the absolute truth and always cheerfully obey His commands. We must also actively try to be of service to Him and commit all of ourselves to Him. One of our responsibilities is to be a witness for our Lord, telling the world who God is and what he has done. We must reflect His glory – we should be able to display Christian values through our words and deeds. I feel that the fear of rejection is the main obstacle I face in fulfilling my responsibility in proclaiming the Gospel. I have been working on it and realise that I should be calling on the Holy Spirit’s help in doing my duty.

Q4. (Isaiah 42:18-25) According to this passage, in what ways is God's "servant" blind? Why? Who is the "servant" in this passage? How would you assess your own degree of spiritual blindness in the last 5 or 10 years? How effective is a blind servant in accomplishing his master's purposes? How effective have you been? Israel, as the chosen nation, is the servant in this passage. They were stupid, blind, and deaf to the calls of God, and had sunk into pagan idolatry. They were blind in that they closed their eyes and stopped their ears as He spoke. By rejecting the prophet's message, they disobeyed the Word of God and denied their Servant role – they were disobeying Him and turning away from Him. A blind servant whose duty is to see, and a deaf messenger with the responsibility to hear, are doubly useless, especially if the blindness and the deafness are self-imposed. It is because of their own stubbornness that God was left no alternative but to let them be plundered, robbed, trapped, and deported without an apparent sign of hope. I pray that God will open my mind and soften my heart and that I will not become blind and deaf to His Word. That I will understand and that He will help me to apply what I have learnt in my life. This can only happen with the help of the Holy Spirit and if I persevere in studying and meditating on His Word.

Q3. (Isaiah 42:6-7) What does it mean for God's people to be "a light to the nations"? In what ways are you "letting your light shine"? How well do you represent God's covenant in your everyday life? We are to proclaim the Gospel so that blind eyes are opened to the truth, and hardened hearts softened and freed from their bondage to sin. Jesus is the source of our light and as good Christians we are to reflect His light – to have this light shine for Him. This light should display our good works to the glory of our Father in heaven.

Q2. (Isaiah 42:1-4) What do these verses teach us about the Messiah? What will characterize him and his actions? What does it tell us about his quest for justice? About his tenderness? If this describes our Messiah, what difference should it make in our lives, values, and demeanour? We are taught He is a God of gentleness, encouragement, justice, and truth. He will not tolerate any injustices and will bring justice to the earth. He will treat us with tenderness and build us up and support us in times of trouble. In other words He will always be there for us. If only we could follow His example and reflect His glory by being His shining light in the world today. Help us to demonstrate our concern and love for others.

Q1. (Isaiah 40) What does Isaiah 40 teach us about the necessity of preparing ourselves for the Lord (verses 3-5)? About God's tenderness and compassion (verse 11)? About God's glory vs. the glory of nations (verses 15-17)? Why do we get so enamoured by the glitter and glory of the world? What pieces are we missing (verses 15-17, 21-26)? According to verse 31, how can we draw strength from the Lord? There is so much work to be done, so many difficulties and obstacles to be removed before we can meet our Lord, because we are all sinners saved by grace. I only need to look at myself – there is pride and self-righteousness to be removed. A heart to be softened, evil desires, and prejudices to be got rid of. The list goes on and on. So, there is still much work to be done, and this can only be done with the help of the Holy Spirit. Verse 11 gives us a glimpse of the tenderness and gentle goodness of our Lord toward those who obey and love Him – there is therefore hope. When it comes to God’s glory; nothing can compare to His omnipotence or omniscience. For example, the power of all the nations on the scale against His omnipotence is less than a drop in the bucket or a speck on the balance. They are “as nothing … less than nothing and worthless”. We are repeatedly warned not to love the world or the things of this world. The reason for this is that the things here on earth are not compatible with the love for our Heavenly Father. Jesus warned us that where our treasures are, that is where our hearts will be. If our treasures are in heaven, our interests will also be there (Matthew 6:21). All the world can offer us can be described as the **** of the flesh, the **** of the eyes, and the pride of life – such as sensual bodily appetites, evil desires from what we see, and an unholy ambition for self-display and self-glory. The glory of the world is temporal and passing away and cannot be compared to the eternal glory of our Lord. It is when we come to realise or try to comprehend who our Heavenly Father truly is that we get a glimpse of Him that controls all and sees all. It is then that we can fully put our trust in Him and know that He will keep His promises and strengthen us to rise above life’s difficulties.

Q4. (Isaiah 38:3) What is the basis on which Hezekiah asks for healing? Why is personal righteousness and holiness important in getting your prayers answered? How can unrighteousness prevent answered prayer if all gifts from God are by grace anyway? Hezekiah asks for his prayers to be answered because of his having lived a life in obedience to God. He knew he would find favour with God, not because of his deeds but because of his faith. I feel that our Heavenly Father respects obedience and would be inclined to answer the prayer of a true believer more urgently. He knows that if we love Him we obey His commands. God also looks at our motives – is our prayer based on greed, covetousness, or even envy? If our motives are not pure and is only for selfish enjoyment, I doubt God will grant that request. An unrighteous person’s line of communication with God is broken. However, I feel no prayer is ever lost – only sometimes we need to be more patient.