Thursday
Evening Bible Study
September
19, 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.
Isaiah 7 – Ahaz’ Troubles
Isaiah 7 is a chapter addressed to Ahaz, king of the southern kingdom of
Judah.
Ahaz was one of the “bad” kings. He didn’t follow Yahweh too closely.
In Ahaz’ day, his kingdom was being threatened by the northern kingdom of
Israel and it’s king Pekah,
and by the kingdom of Syria and it’s king Rezin.
It is about 735 BC.
Read vs 1-3
:3 you and Shear-Jashub your son
Isaiah and his son were to go out and meet the king at a reservoir near the
Gihon Spring.
If you’ve been to Israel and been through “Hezekiah’s Tunnel” in the city
of Jerusalem, then you’ve been at the Gihon – its water is what you are walking
through in the tunnel.
The tunnel was built after Ahaz, by his son Hezekiah, to prepare for a
later Assyrian attack.
You’re going to see Isaiah did a few things with his family.
Summarize vs. 4-9
God speaks through Isaiah and tells Ahaz that God will take care of those northern
threats, and within 65 years, their nations won’t even exist anymore.
That’s exactly what would happen.
:6 make a gap in the wall…
These two kings were planning on overthrowing Ahaz and putting their own
puppet king on the throne, an unknown man (“the son of Tabel”).
:8 within sixty-five years
This is 735 BC.
In 722 BC, the mighty Assyrian empire would come sweeping through and
conquer both these northern kings.
By 669 BC, 66 years later, the Assyrians had removed much of the population
and planted them in distant lands, and repopulated
these northern kingdoms with foreigners who intermarried with the remaining
people. The resulting people were known
as Samaritans, and for all intents and purposes those kingdoms were “not a
people”.
read vs. 10-12
:12 nor will I test the Lord
On the face of it, it looks like Ahaz is saying the right things. It even sounds scriptural.
(Deuteronomy 6:16
ESV) “You shall not put the Lord
your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.
The problem is, God wanted Ahaz to ask for a sign.
Lesson
Give God a chance
Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz apparently learned this lesson.
Several times when Hezekiah faced a difficult time, God gave him a sign.
When the Assyrians were on Hezekiah’s doorstep, God promised to deliver
Hezekiah, and a sign was given (Is. 37:30-32)
(Isaiah
37:30–32 NKJV) —30 “This shall be a sign to you: You shall
eat this year such as grows of itself, And the second year what springs from the same; Also in the
third year sow and reap, Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. 31 And the
remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah Shall again take root downward, And bear
fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, And those who
escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord
of hosts will do this.
When his health turned and he was facing death, Hezekiah cried out to God,
and God promised to heal him. There was
a sign given that this would happen (Is. 38:7-8)
(Isaiah
38:7–8 NKJV) —7 And this is the sign to you
from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which He has
spoken: 8 Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down
with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.” So
the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down.
One of Ahaz’ ancestors, King David, wrote this:
(Psalm 34:8 NKJV) Oh, taste
and see that the Lord is
good; Blessed is
the man who trusts in Him!
Illustration
There’s an old story about an event at “Baptist Day” at the University of
Chicago Divinity School.
The school had invited the famous theologian Dr. Paul Tillich to
lecture. Tillich spoke for 2 ½ hours
proving that the resurrection never happened.
During a question and answer session, an old black preacher stood up and
munched on an apple as he spoke. “Dr.
Tillich … I’ve never read any of your books … I may not be very educated … my
simple question … is the apple I just ate bitter or sweet?
Dr. Tillich paused, then answered in scholarly fashion: “I cannot possibly
answer that question, for I haven’t tasted your apple.”
The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled
paper bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich and said calmly, “Neither have you tasted
my Jesus.”
My point is not that we don’t need to be educated, but that ultimately at
some point you need to “taste” Jesus.
You need to see just how good God is.
Read vs. 13-14
:14 the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son … Immanuel
We are going to see two of those “Christmas Card Verses” tonight. This is one.
virgin – ‘almah – virgin, a young woman of
marriageable age who was a virgin.
Immanuel = “God with us” or “with us is God”
We see a great example here of “double fulfillment”.
1. It is speaking first as sign to
Ahaz.
A gal in Isaiah’s time who was currently a virgin, would become pregnant
and give birth. Before that child reached 12 years old, the enemies of Ahaz
would be gone. That’s exactly what
happened.
The child would be at least 12 years old (vs. 16, “know to refuse evil”,
the age of accountability, a boy’s “bar
mitzvah”) when the two enemies of Ahaz would be gone. The things in the
chapter are being spoken around 735 BC.
Syria was crushed by the Assyrians in 732 BC, and Israel was taken in
722 BC, thirteen years after this prophecy.
This child would be a sign that God would deliver His
people from their enemies.
He would be a sign that God was with them.
2. But there is a secondary
significance, which Matthew identifies at the birth of Jesus (Mat. 1:22-23).
With Jesus, His mother wouldn’t just be a virgin who got pregnant,
but would still be a virgin even after
she got pregnant! She became pregnant
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus would also be a sign of God’s deliverance to His
people. He would deliver us from our sins.
Jesus was Immanuel.
He was literally God with us. He
was the eternal God having taken on the form of human flesh.
Summarize vs. 15-16
God says that this “child” born in Ahaz’ day won’t even be twelve years old
before the two northern kings are dead.
Just like it happened.
:16 before the Child shall know to refuse evil and choose the good…
This would be the age of 12, when a boy goes through his bar mitzvah, and is old enough to be
accountable to God.
Both Pekah and Rezin
would be dead within three years, long before this child would reach the age of
accountability, about 12 years old.
vs. 17-25 – Summarize
Isaiah then goes on to prophesy that Assyria will be coming and would be
bringing death and destruction.
Assyria would conquer Syria and the northern kingdom, but
would not conquer Judah.
Isaiah 8 – Assyrian Invasion
read vs. 1-2
:1 write Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz
Isaiah was to write this name down in the presence of these two
witnesses. It would be the name of his
son who hadn’t yet even been conceived yet.
It means “quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil”
It’s a warning of a coming invasion.
It’s also the longest personal name in the Bible.
read vs. 3-4
:3 I went to the prophetess…
Isaiah is intimate with his wife and she gets pregnant.
:4 before the child shall have knowledge…
“my father” = “abi”
“my mother” = “ami”
Before the child would reach a year old, the Northern Kingdom of Israel
(whose capital is Samaria) and the kingdom of Syria (whose capital was
Damascus) would be plundered by Tiglathpileser III of
Assyria (732 BC)
Summarize vs. 5-8
God again warns Judah that the Assyrians are coming
and they will flood the entire land with armies except for Jerusalem.
The name “Immanuel” is used again in vs. 8 – referring to the land.
:6 refused the waters of Shiloah
Siloam, a spring in Jerusalem. It
seems that Isaiah is referring to the government in Jerusalem, Ahaz, as a
gentle spring of water.
Apparently many of the people had been hoping that
those northern enemies would have replaced Ahaz.
But instead of “flowing softly” waters, they would get a “River”, a
reference to the mighty Euphrates River, upon which the Assyrians were
centered.
The Assyrians would flood the land right up to the head – everything would
fall except for Jerusalem.
read vs. 9-10
:10 For God is with us
Again, the translation of “Immanuel”.
The enemy would not succeed because God was with them.
He’s on our side too.
(Romans 8:31–32 NKJV)
—31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us,
who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us
all things?
Summarize vs. 11-18
There are a couple of gems in these verses – several verses are quoted in
the New Testament – (vs.12-13 – 1Pet. 3:14-15 and vs. 14 with 1Pet. 2:8)
The important thrust is that we need to honor God and keep His Word…
:12 “Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’
(Isaiah 8:11–12 NLT)
—11 The Lord has given me
a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, 12 “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live
in dread of what frightens them.
We need to be careful of not following “crowd-think”. Just because other people are stirring up
people with fearful things and conspiracy theories doesn’t mean we have to.
:13 Him you shall hallow
Peter quotes this passage:
(1 Peter 3:14–15
NKJV) —14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are
blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be
ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope
that is in you, with meekness and fear;
The idea is this: We don’t need to be afraid of what people are threatening
to do, we need to make God the center of our lives, follow Him, and speak for
Him.
:14 a stone of stumbling
Again Peter quotes this and says it was talking
about Jesus.
(1 Peter 2:8 NKJV) and “A stone of
stumbling And a rock of offense.” They
stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
Read vs. 18
:18 I and the children … for signs and wonders
This is quoted in Heb. 2:13
(Hebrews
2:13 NKJV) And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And again: “Here am I
and the children whom God has given Me.”
The writer uses this to say we are a part of Jesus’ family.
Isaiah is saying that his family would be a kind of living testimony to the
nation. You can see it in their names:
Isaiah = “Yahweh is salvation”.
Shear-jashub = “a remnant shall return”
(Isa. 7:3). This son’s name was a
reminder that no matter what destruction the nation was facing, that a remnant
shall return to the land. God wasn’t going
to wipe out the people.
Maher-shalal-hash-baz
= “swift to the booty,
speedy to the prey”. The
boy’s name referred to the quick coming Assyrian army who will be arriving
shortly to plunder and spoil the kingdoms to the north.
Lesson
Family testimony
Paul talked about the relationship between husband and wife being a picture
of Christ and the church.
We are living examples of what Christ’s relationship to us is like.
Whether we realize it or even like it, our families are a testimony of God
at work in us.
read vs. 19-20
:19 mediums and wizards…
This is a great passage to share with someone who likes to get into
psychics, astrology, etc.
During those dark days people would be looking for answers in the wrong
places.
People need to be seeking God.
Isaiah 9 - The Child
read vs. 1-2
:2 The people
who walked in darkness have seen a great light
Matthew tells us that verses 1-2 are a prophecy of the coming Messiah.
The prophecy even gave the location of His ministry.
Zebulun, Naphtali, Galilee – these are all areas around the Sea of Galilee.
“the way of the sea” (Romans: Via Maris) refers to the ancient road
that ran along the coast of Israel, then turned inland near Carmel, and ran
along Galilee, then up to Damascus.
This was all the area where Jesus spent most of His time.
read vs. 3-7
:6 For unto us a Child is born
The great deliverer would one day be born as a child.
We know His name – Jesus. He is…
Wonderful – there’s nothing too difficult for Him.
Counselor – He knows the answers we need
Mighty God – Jesus was fully man and fully God.
Everlasting Father – How can the “Son” be a Father? We are His children.
Prince of Peace – He’s the one that makes peace with God and puts peace in
our hearts.
:7 the increase of His government …
Some of this speaks of the future coming of Christ.
Summarize vs. 8-21
The next section is a prophecy about the fall of the northern kingdom.
It describes three waves of judgment one after another.
Each wave ends with:
“For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out
still” (vs.12, 17, 21)
This phrase was already used once in 5:25 when God was warning of judgment
on Israel.
Each wave of judgment is not the end, but wait … there’s more…
Isaiah 10 -
Assyrian Invasion
Summarize vs. 1-4
This section details the judgment coming on those who lead others astray.
It too ends with the phrase:
“For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out
still” (vs.4)
Summarize vs. 5-19
God would use the Assyrians to bring judgment on His people,
but in this section, God warns Assyria that they too will be judged.
Assyria will be judged for its great pride, thinking that it is better than
everyone else.
Note: God can use pagan nations to judge His people.
A key verse in the section is:
(Isaiah
10:15 NKJV) Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops
with it? Or shall the
saw exalt itself against him who saws with it? As if a rod could wield itself
against those who lift it up, Or as if a
staff could lift up, as if it were not wood!
This is a good lesson for all of us when we find that God has been blessing
our efforts. Don’t be too puffed up.
He is God, we are not.
Read vs. 20-23
In the middle of this judgment, there is a ray of hope.
:22 A remnant of them will return
Through all this judgment there will still be a small remnant of God’s
people who will survive.
Summarize vs. 24-27
God tells His people not to be afraid of the Assyrians because one day they
too will be slaughtered.
Key Verse:
(Isaiah
10:27 NKJV) It shall come to pass in that day That his burden
will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke
will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.
It might be talking about:
1) King Hezekiah – a king was “anointed”, and Hezekiah would be the one who
trusted God and saw the deliverance from the Assyrians.
2) Jesus – He is the “anointed” One.
He will one day break the yoke that the antichrist will
have on the world.
3) The Holy Spirit – the Spirit is called the “anointing” (1Jn. 2:27)
He wants to break the bondage that sin has on our lives.
(Galatians 5:16 NKJV) I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and
you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Summarize vs. 28-34
God then goes on to describe the coming Assyrian invasion. City by city they will come right up to
Jerusalem.
Some see this as having a double fulfillment when the antichrist
comes to invade Israel.
Then God will humble the Assyrians.
We’ll see this when we get to chapters 36-37 when God rescues Hezekiah from
the Assyrians.
Isaiah 11 – Coming Messiah
Read vs. 1-2
:1 a Rod from the stem of Jesse
Jesse was David’s father.
Jesus is a descendant of David.
:2 The Spirit of the Lord …
Jesus would have the Holy Spirit resting on Him.
If you look carefully, there are SEVEN aspects to the Holy Spirit mentioned
here.
This might be related to the “seven spirits” before God’s throne (Rev. 4:5)
This is who Jesus is.
This is also what the Spirit does in our lives when we allow Him to rest on
us.
Read vs. 3-5
:4 He shall strike the earth …
This is talking about the Second Coming.
Prophetic Telescoping – within some prophecies, time may skip
centuries between one verse and the next.
Read vs. 6-9
This is a description of the Millennial Kingdom. Jesus will restore the earth to how things
were like before the fall of Adam.
Read vs. 10
:10 the Gentiles shall seek Him
It’s funny how the early church found it difficult to think that Gentiles
could be saved, yet even in Isaiah, there were hints.
Summarize vs. 11-16
We have a description of how God will bring back the outcasts of Israel
from every corner of the world.
This has been happening for the last 70 years (aliyah)
It also speaks of the Israelites conquering the lands of modern Jordan, and
the Palestinian territories.
Isaiah 12 - Rescue
This chapter is a song of praise following the dual prophetic events of
Israel’s rescue from Assyria, as well as the future Antichrist.
Read vs. 1-2
:2 I will trust and not be afraid
Lesson
Trust or Fear?
What a great principle to learn in life.
The opposite of fear is faith.
The key to not being afraid is learning to trust God.
Illustration
The great tightrope walker has stretched a cable across Niagara Falls. As the crowd begins to gather, he carefully
makes his way from one side to the next.
The crowd is asked if they think he can ride a bicycle across. They shout “Yes!” as he rides back across the
falls. Next they are asked if they think
he can push a wheelbarrow across. They
all shout “Yes!”. A man is singled out. “Will you get in the wheelbarrow?”
When you think about it, getting into a wheelbarrow and being pushed across
Niagara Falls doesn’t exactly make me think about losing my fears. It only makes them worse. So I stay on the
sidelines. And be afraid.
Growing in life is all about learning to get across the falls. And you know that you can’t walk that
tightrope by yourself. It’s best to just
get into the wheelbarrow.
Keep in mind, you’re not getting into the wheelbarrow of an inexperienced,
reckless, angry person. He’s the best
tightrope walker there ever was. He’s
never lost a person getting across yet.
David wrote,
(Psalm 56:3 NKJV) Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.
Read vs. 3
:3 with joy you will draw water
Lesson
Holy Spirit Joy
This is part of the Scriptures the Jews would quote during the Feast of
Tabernacles when each day the priests would bring water from the Pool of Siloam
and pour it out in the Temple.
They did it with great dancing and singing.
It was said to be the most exuberant demonstration of joy anyone had ever
seen.
To the Jews, this verse had great significance in one of their annual
feasts. Each fall, at the Feast of
Tabernacles, the people would gather in Jerusalem to remember what life was
like for their ancestors who came out of Egypt and lived for forty years in the
wilderness. Part of the annual rituals
involved a daily procession of priests to the pool of Siloam where they would
fill a golden pitcher with water and take it back to the temple grounds.
And don’t think that this was some somber occasion. It was a time of great joy, music and dancing
by even the most solemn people. It was
said that “he that never saw the rejoicing
of the place of drawing of water, never saw any rejoicing in his life.”
(John Gill)
As the priests made their way back to the temple, they would sing from
Isaiah 12:3, “With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of Salvation”. The water would be poured out on the
pavement, partly as an act of repentance (JFB), partly as a kind of plea to God
for rain (Gill), and also because the Jews believed this had something to do
with the pouring out of the Holy Spirit (Gill).
The feast would last eight days, with the same ritual taking place each
day. It’s on the last day of the feast
in AD 32 that something significant happened:
(John 7:37–39 NKJV)
—37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood
and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart
will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He
spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the
Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
I don’t know about you, but I surely need a little more joy in my life.
Let’s come and drink and yield to the Holy Spirit.
Read vs. 4-6
:6 great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst
Illustration
A man took a new job that required him to work a lot of nights. He thought
it would be a good idea to get his wife a guard dog so
he went to the pet store to get a Doberman Pincher. “If it’s a guard dog you
want,” said the store owner, “I’ve got just the thing.” He emerged a minute
later from the back room carrying a small toy poodle. “A poodle!” the man
exclaimed, “you want to sell me a poodle for a guard dog?” “Oh, this isn’t any
ordinary kind of poodle,” the shop owner replied. “This dog knows karate. Let
me show you.” The man then pointed at a dog food sign a few feet away and said,
“Karate the sign!” The poodle ran over to the sign and demolished it in a
manner of seconds. Then he pointed to a nearby chair and said, “Karate the chair.”
Again, the dog quickly reduced the chair to a pile of rubble. Very impressed,
the man quickly purchased the dog and took him home to show his wife. “Honey,”
he said excitedly, “I got you a guard dog for those long nights when I’ll be
working.” She turned, took one look at the pooch and exclaimed, “A poodle? You
got me a poodle for a guard dog?” “Oh this isn’t just
your ordinary dog, sweetheart,” he explained. “This dog knows karate.”
Whereupon she took one more look at the poodle and retorted, “Karate my eye!”
I wonder if sometimes we don’t recognize real power and strength when we
see it.
Lesson
He is in you
Hezekiah would discover on that morning when the people woke up to find
that one angel had wiped out 185,000 Assyrians.
God is in us. He is powerful.
(Zephaniah 3:17 AV)
The
LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he
will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he
will joy over thee with singing.
(1 John 4:4 NKJV) You are of
God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is
greater than he who is in the world.
This is what we find when we climb back into that wheelbarrow and ask Jesus
to take us across the mighty Niagara.
Next Week – Read Chapters 13-20