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Isaiah Bible Studies 2007 Chinese Presbyterian Church

Isaiah Bible StudiesLeaders Version

Isaiah Bible Studies


Introduction to Isaiah

There is one very clear division that divides the book into two very definite sections, quite different from each other.Chapter 1-39 and Chapter 40-66. Every body who has studied Isaiah from as far back as two centuries ago divides the book into these two sections. It’s an obvious division when you read them through. Quite different in subject in content, in atmosphere, and in tone.

So different that some people have even thought that they must have been written by different people. But that is by no means established. I am sure myself that the same man Isaiah wrote them. There are the same expressions even though the subject matter is totally different.

Notice that there are 39 Chapters in the first half of Isaiah and twenty seven in this part. Does that strike a chord? In the Bible there are 66 books, there are 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament and the astonishing thing is that the atmosphere of these chapters is the atmosphere of the Old Testament. And the atmosphere of those is the atmosphere of the new. Let me give you a couple of examples of the similarity.

In the book of Isaiah it begins with the sin of the people. So does the Old Testament right from the beginning in Genesis 3. We are talking about the sin of Adam and Eve. In the book of Isaiah, the first section ends with the promise of a coming king of righteousness who will redeem Israel. So does the whole Old Testament. This second half of Isaiah begins this way. A voice crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord.

Isaiah 40:3 – A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.”

And the New Testament begins with John the Baptist and uses exactly those words of him a voice crying in the wilderness. "Prepare the way of the Lord.”

Mark 1:3, 4 – "a voice of one calling in the desert, `Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" And so John came, baptising in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

About half way through the second section of Isaiah we have the wonderful chapter. Isaiah 53 about the cross. Halfway through the New Testament you have those chapters on the cross. And you know what the whole book of Isaiah finishes with? Isaiah 66:22 "As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the LORD, "so will your name and descendants endure. A vision of new heavens and a new earth. And when you read the New Testament it finishes with a vision of a new heaven and a new earth.

Introduction to Isaiah


Study 1 – Isaiah’s World

Map: The Near East, 800-500 BC

Why did New Testament writers quote Isaiah more than any other Old Testament book except Psalms? Perhaps because it foretold more about Christ than any other. Indeed, if we had only its prophecies about Christ, we would have a prize worth studying.

But Isaiah was more than just a prophet of the Messiah. He was a statesman who spoke God's word to steer a nation through sixty years of crisis. He was a messenger who announced God's desires and plans, and who reminded a forgetful nation of God's character. He spoke of such New Testament themes as salvation by faith in the work of God and His Chosen One. The depths of God's nature and the fullness of His plan for the world were nowhere better revealed until Jesus was born.

Even people who do not believe in Isaiah's God recognize that his poetry is among the finest in all literature. But for us who believe, Isaiah's book is a window into the mind of God as it was seven hundred years before Christ and is today.

ISAIAH THE MAN

The name Isaiah means "the Lord is salvation," a fitting choice for one to whom the Lord showed so much of His saving nature. Isaiah was the son of Amoz, not to be confused with the prophet Amos (a different Hebrew name). Amoz's family was prominent, for even as a young man Isaiah had "easy access to the king (Isaiah 7:3) and... close intimacy with the priest Isaiah was married at least once and had two sons, both of whom received names which embodied major aspects of his prophecy.Isaiah lived in Jerusalem and was often at the palace. His status and influence at court varied with the royal succession, as the following chart shows

Study 1 – Isaiah’s World, 1Source: Isaiah, LifeChange Series, Navpress


king Years Isaiah’s position chapters of prophecy

Uzziah(fairly godly)

Died740 bc

commissioned as prophet

(6)

Jotham(somewhat godly)

740-735young man; prophesied to king and capital; unpopular

1-6

Ahaz(ungodly) 735-727

(750-715)

young to middle-aged; well known as prophet; suspected of disloyalty

7-12(15-17?)

Hezekiah(godly) 727-687

(715-681)

middle-aged to elderly; trusted advisor to the king; resented by rival counselors

13-14,23-35

Manasseh(ungodly) 687-642

(699-641)

elderly; wrote prophecies for future generations

36-66

In this lesson, you'll take a quick overview of Isaiah's career by looking at a few of his prophecies. Don't feel you must study each one thoroughly; you'll come back to them in later lessons. Just try to get an overall sense of Isaiah's mission and message. Ask God to enable you to do this, and to give you a glimpse of Himself as you read Isaiah's words.

UZZIAH: PROSPERITY

Uzziah was an able ruler. During his long reign the kingdom of Judah was stronger than it had been since Solomon died two centuries earlier. Both Assyria and Aram (Syria) were weak, so Judah's only rival in the region was Israel (the ten northern tribes who had rejected Solomon's successor and formed their own nation). Uzziah's reign brought "walls, towers, fortifications, a large standing army, a port for commerce on the Red Sea, increased inland trade,... [and] success in war with the Philistines and the Arabians" (2 Chron. 26:6-15).

But hollow religion accompanied material progress. The Temple revenues grew, but so did greed and oppression. Uzziah himself was loyal to the Lord, but he did not enforce godliness on his people (2 Kings 15:1-4; 2 Chron. 26:3-5, 16-21). Toward the end of his reign, Judah's time of blessing ran out. A strong king took the throne in Assyria and began to muster an army for conquest. When Uzziah died in 740, King Tiglath-Pileser was about to march southward.

1. The Lord commissioned Isaiah to be a prophet in the year Uzziah died. According to Isaiah 6:1-13, what was this prophet's mission?

JOTHAM: DELAY



For the last ten years of Uzziah's reign, he was quarantined with leprosy. His son Jotham was the real ruler. Like his father, Jotham was personally faithful to the Lord but let his people worship other gods and flout the Lord's moral standards (2 Chron. 27:1-2). Jotham was more concerned with greatness than ethics: even as Tiglath-Pileser was conquering kingdoms north of Israel, Jotham was trying to prolong the time of prosperity. He financed dozens of building projects and forced the Ammonites to pay tribute (2 Chron. 27:3-6).

Evidently, he dismissed the warnings he received from the young prophet Isaiah. Still, Isaiah's social rank, the people's traditional respect for a prophet, and the Lord's protection kept Isaiah from outright persecution.

2. Isaiah probably delivered the prophecies of 1:1-5:30 during Jotham's reign. To get an idea of his message at that time, read 1:18-26. What did Isaiah say to Jerusalem?

ISAIAH TIMELINE

AHAZ: FOLLY

Ahaz succeeded his father in a time of decision. He failed the test. The kings of Syria and Israel were allying to resist the Assyrian onslaught. They threatened to invade Judah unless Ahaz agreed to join them. Ahaz didn't know whether to be more terrified of Assyria or of Syria and Israel, but he decided he was smart enough to use Assyria against his nearer rivals without being squashed along with them. Isaiah warned Ahaz not to seek help from Assyria (7:1-8:22), but he was ignored. Ahaz cried out to Tiglath-



Pileser, who obliged by sacking and deporting Gaza, Syria, and most of Israel by 732 bc. For the favor, Tiglath-Pileser extracted a huge tribute from Judah and summoned Ahaz to pledge his loyalty.

On his way to Assyria, Ahaz saw an altar in Damascus that he liked (art connoisseur that he was), so he had plans sent to Jerusalem. He set up this new altar in the Lord's Temple and on it sacrificed to Syrian gods. The old altar of the Lord he moved aside and used for divination (the Assyrian method of seeking divine guidance by studying the entrails of sacrificial victims).

Eventually, Ahaz closed the Temple and authorized full-scale idolatry. He even burned his own sons in child sacrifice (2 Kings 16:1-20; 2 Chron. 28:1-27).

3. Isaiah spoke 7:1-12:6 at various times during Ahaz's reign. What counsel did he give Ahaz when Syria and Israel threatened (7:3-4, 9)?

4. How did God encourage Isaiah during this crisis?

8:11-15

9:2-7

HEZEKIAH: HOPE

Hezekiah was a different character from his father Ahaz. He was a bold patriot, dedicated to Judah's welfare. He also had a healthy respect for both the Lord and His prophet, who was some fifteen years older than Hezekiah (Isaiah was about forty years old when Hezekiah took the throne). Because the new king was eager to listen to Isaiah and to know the Lord, Isaiah was able to influence national policies at crucial moments (2 Kings 18:1-20:21; 2 Chron. 29:1-32:33).

Hezekiah began by trying to stamp out idolatry in Judah. He had the Temple reopened and cleansed of pagan objects. He banned idolatry and ordered pagan worship sites destroyed. He even invited the tiny remnant of Israel to join in a Passover celebration. But Israel was a lost cause: its king rebelled against Assyria, and the new Assyrian king, Sargon, responded with a brutal siege. In 721 bc, Sargon took Israel's capital, deported 27,292 of the nation's prominent people, and replaced them with conquered pagans from elsewhere. Israel was obliterated, and Judah escaped only by paying harsh tribute.

Another crisis occurred in 703, when Hezekiah fell deathly ill. Since he had no son, the line of David was in danger. But Hezekiah prayed, and he was spared for fifteen years (Isaiah 38).

At that time, one Merodach-Baladan managed to wrest Babylon from Assyrian rule. To visit Jerusalem, he grasped the excuse of congratulating Hezekiah on his recovery from illness. His real errand was to urge an alliance against Assyria. The alliance came to nothing, but the visit was a portent of things to come (Isaiah 39).

The great crisis began in 705 and ended in 701. When Sennacherib followed Sargon as king of Assyria, many subject countries decided to revolt against their unbearable tribute payments. Hezekiah the patriot determined to join them. Isaiah fought in vain against a faction at court who urged Hezekiah to ally with Egypt against Assyria (Isaiah 28-31). Sennacherib was merciless. In 701 he led his army in a campaign of terror down



the west coast of Palestine and began to march on Jerusalem. Hezekiah panicked. He began to empty even the palace and Temple of riches to placate Sennacherib, but the Assyrian was determined to level Jerusalem. Only the Lord's intervention prevented him from taking the Holy City, and only Isaiah's prophecies kept Hezekiah from crumbling under pressure (Isaiah 36-37).

5. When some of Hezekiah's counselors advised him to join Egypt against Assyria, what was Isaiah's word from God (30:1-5, 15-18)?

6. Because Hezekiah ignored Isaiah, Sennacherib invaded Judah. What message did the Lord give in Hezekiah's desperate hour (37:30-35)?

INTO THE FUTURE

Just a pitiful remnant of Judah survived the onslaught of 701 bc, but it was enough to preserve the nation for another century. The Lord had planned Babylon, not Assyria, to be Judah's captor.

The last twenty-seven chapters of Isaiah's book look beyond immediate events into the centuries to come. He probably wrote them for future generations rather than spoke them to his contemporaries. As an old man he compiled his visions as a warning and encouragement for posterity.

A Babylonian king named Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Assyrian army in 606 bc. His army subdued Syria and Palestine, and carried a number of Judah's noblemen back to Babylon. Eighteen years later, after some annoying revolts, Nebuchadnezzar leveled Jerusalem and brought the rest of her people to Babylon. For seventy years Judah was deserted. Then a Persian named Cyrus began to weld an empire and finally took Babylon in 539. It was his policy to return deported peoples to their lands in order to seek the favor of their gods. Accordingly, he restored the Jews to Judah and authorized them to rebuild their Temple. The Lord revealed these events to Isaiah toward the end of his life, centuries before they occurred (Isaiah 40-66).

But He showed Isaiah still more. At various places in his book, but especially in the second section, Isaiah recorded revelations of the more distant future—of the King who would come to suffer for and reign over not just Judah, but all the earth. The Lord sent Isaiah not just as a statesman for his own age, but as a herald of the most awesome plans in the heart of God

7. What encouragement did God prepare for the exiled Jews a century before they were born?

40:1-5

45:1-4

8. What further promises did the Lord reveal through Isaiah?

42:1-4



65:17-19

9. You've had a whirlwind tour of Isaiah's book. Much of it you may not understand. If so, don't worry. What are your first impressions of Isaiah and his message? (First impressions may include Isaiah's style, topics, emotions, attitudes toward God and the people of Judah, etc.)



APPLICATION

The last step of Bible study is asking yourself, "What difference should this passage make to my life? How should it make me want to think or act?" Application will require time, thought, prayer, and perhaps even discussion with another person.You may sometimes find it more productive to concentrate on one specific application, giving it careful thought and prayer, than to list several potential applications without really reflecting on them or committing yourself to them. At other times, you may want to list many implications that a passage has for your life. Then you can choose one or two of these to act or meditate upon.Sometimes you will immediately see what you need to do about what you have learned from God's Word. At other times, the only obvious response will be prayer—perhaps praise, thanks, confession, or petition. If so, you may find it fruitful to plan to pray about the same passage daily for several days. In this way, the truths of the passage may sink in and remain with you, and you may see it affecting your life.

10.Is there any response you would like to make to something you observed in Isaiah's book? If so, jot down your thoughts and plans.

11.If you have any questions about the historical background or the passages in this lesson, record them here. Also, write down any questions about the book of Isaiah that you would like to answer as you study.



Study 2 – A Hollow Religion

Isaiah Chapter 1:1-31

Just as biographies often begin with the subject's birth, we might expect the book of Isaiah to begin with the prophet's call. The description of his call, however, doesn't come in until Isaiah 6. Why not? The most probable answer is that before we can understand Isaiah's confession and the Lord's strange commission in Isaiah 6, we must understand something of the society in which Isaiah lived and to which he was called to preach.

Isaiah 1 introduces us to something which God finds nauseating in Isaiah's culture—a rotten religion. We will do well to use this chapter to help us review our own religious behavior.

1. Someone once said, "The history of religious movements is: Man—Movement—Monument." Why do you think that there is a tendency in religious movements to become formal, empty, ritualized and, finally, fossilized?

READ Isaiah 1:1-31

2. In Isaiah 1:2-3 the Lord summons heaven and earth to be witnesses of his accusations against his people. What is the force of the two metaphors the Lord uses to describe his people's unreasonable and rebellious conduct?

3. Both the nation (Isaiah 1:4) and the country (Isaiah 1:7) are in a shocking condition. What vivid pictures of sinfulness do Isaiah 1:4-9 provide?

4. In what ways have heaven and earth witnessed the same sinfulness and the same results in your life and your society?

5. These people who Isaiah 1:2-9 speak of were religious! How does God react in Isaiah 1:10-15 to all of their religious commotion?

6. Describe the kind of life that God is asking them to lead instead (Isaiah 1:16-17).

7. From your own experience, explain why it is much harder to fulfill the moral requirements of Isaiah 1:16-17 than just to go through the ritual activities mentioned in Isaiah 1:10-15?

8. Pass over Isaiah 1:18-20 for the moment and look at Isaiah 1:21-26. You will notice that these verses are framed by reference to "the faithful city" (Jerusalem or Zion). Life in the capital reflects life in the nation. What picture do these verses give of life in Jerusalem?

9. God's judgment is compared in Isaiah 1:25-31 to a refining (Isaiah 1:25) and destroying (Isaiah 1:31) fire. Who will this judgment fall on?

Study 2 – A Hollow Religion, 1


10.Now return to Isaiah 1:18-20. Some scholars think Isaiah 1:18 is a sardonic or cynical question, but traditionally it has been understood as a gracious invitation by humanity's Accuser and Judge.

a. What does this invitation offer?

b. What does it threaten?

11. Evaluate your own religious practices in the midst of your own society with all its needs. What reorientation does your life require if your religion is not to be just a burden—to you and to God?

Study 2 – A Hollow Religion, 2


Study 3 – A Hope that never tires


Throughout history, God the Holy One, God the Gracious One, unwearyingly speaks to his people, revealing himself as a God of grace, an incomparably great God, and a God who is in charge of the movements of history, even when a tyrant arises to terrify the world. The nations in terror turn to their idols.

READ Isaiah 40:1-31

1. God had shown Isaiah that His people Judah would be defeated by the Babylonians as punishment for centuries of faithless idolatry. He also showed the prophet a time of future restoration and glory for a purified remnant. Judah would know God by watching Him keep His Word.

How did Isaiah preview the message of chapters 40–66? (Isaiah 40:1, 2)

2. The word comfort in the Bible has more in common with the words fortress and fortitude than the word comfortable. Unpack the resilience and inner strength of this idea of comfort.

3. Isaiah foresaw a forerunner of the day of the Lord. In part John the Baptist fulfilled this mission (Luke 3:4–6). Part of the prophecy still refers to a future time. What does the voice in the wilderness say about the glory of God and the glory of humanity?

The glory of God (Isaiah 40:3–5)

The glory of humanity (Isaiah 40:6–8) BIBLE EXTRA

4. Deserts, valleys and mountains are hindrances to transport and communication. If all people are to see the glory of the Lord, these obstacles must be removed. What obstacles do you and your small group or church face in both your local witness and global missions efforts? How can these obstacles be removed?

5. Use a Bible concordance and look up as many New Testament references to “glory” as you can in ten minutes. List below all those references in which “glory” refers clearly to Jesus Christ the person or to His works. In what ways is Christ, the glory of God, revealed and shining forth in the world today? From what you know about Bible prophecy concerning the Second Coming of Christ, in what ways will His yet-future revelation manifest the glory of God more fully?

6. What are the good tidings Jerusalem will proclaim in the future? (Isaiah 40:9–11)

7. When have you known God’s power, and when have you known his gentleness, as in verses 10-11?

Study 3 – A Hope that never tires, 1


8. This picture of the Messiah as a shepherd invokes other key Bible passages comparing God’s care for His people with a shepherd’s care for a flock. Look up the following verses and note briefly what the image of a shepherd communicates about God and His Messiah, Jesus:

Psalm 80:1

Ezekiel 34:23

Micah 5:4

John 10:1–18

9. From the soaring vision of God in verses 12-17, Isaiah presents a sweeping critique of idolatry in verses 18-20. How does Isaiah’s approach compare to the way in which we handle idolatry in the church today?

10.What is wrong with the creative processes idolaters go through to conceive their gods? (Isaiah 40:18–20)

11.What is the living God like who promises to come near and comfort His people? (Isaiah 40:21–26)

12.What conclusions can we draw based on Isaiah 40? About God (Isaiah 40:27, 28)

About those who trust Him (Isaiah 40:29–31)

13.Notice the order of words soar, run, walk in verse 31. What reasons can you suggest for the unusual order of these promises?

FAITH ALIVE

14.In what circumstances of your life has God shown Himself to you as the awesome God who is greater than anyone can begin to imagine? In what circumstances of your life has God shown Himself to you as the healing God who cares for you like a gentle Shepherd?

Study 3 – A Hope that never tires, 2


Study 4 – God Verses The Idols


Fear and those who wait for the Lord will find that He keeps giving them strength. They shall fly they shall run; they shall walk.

It usually goes the other way round in life. We walk then we run and we hope to fly. The build up ought to be. They walk they run they fly!

But no Isaiah deliberately says they fly, they run they walk. Walk being the very climax. Some thought that he was referring to the physical ages of man. When we were youths, we fly, we rush, and we climb the ideas of idealism. We rush at things, we want to fly. Then when we are middle age, we slow down a bit and will have some running left. And then as we move on we no longer run and we watch the younger generation do the flying. I don't think that it means physical ages here. I think it means spiritual ages. When you first come to know Christ, you want to fly. And God gives you strength to be filled with exuberance, which lifts you above everything. You could almost touch the Lord, He is near. Then you run. But the climax of Christian strength is to keep on walking. Not the flights of ones early love but the daily trudge, year after year. When God gives you the strength to walk, worthily of the high calling in Christ Jesus. It's easier for God to make you soar up like the eagle and it's harder to learn to walk and not faint.

Have you seen people steadily walking with God? Who thirty forty years and more are still keeping up with the Lord who are not fainting. That is the climax. They have had their flights. They have had the times when they ran, but like Paul they have learned to walk and to keep on walking. They who wait for the Lord will renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings, as eagles they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint. That's Christian life, continuity and then in verses 1 – 4. He appeals to the Babylonians. God not only speaks to His people but He is of such power that he addresses the nations as well.

Is there much point in addressing the nations? How often do we see ambassadors of a small nation posted to a super power register a protest say some. The United Nations has great God is.

Then He says "Look at the nations. The great national powers, at whose mercy you feel yourself to be. Assyria, Egypt, Babylon you stand in admiration and awe of them. You tremble before them. So vastly do their military forces and resources exceed yours.” But stop and consider how God stands in relation to those mighty forces you fear so much. Isaiah 40:15 says "Behold, the nations are a drop in the bucket, and are counted as dust on the scales." All nations before him are as nothing. You tremble before the might of foreign powers but God is so much greater than the nations that they are nothing to him. How great is The Lord. Look next at the world.

Think of the size of it. Yes round the world trips are fairly common place these days but consider the variety and complexity that more and more are exploring. What tiny figures you and I are by comparison with the whole planet on which we live! Yet what is this whole mighty planet by comparison with God. Isaiah 40:22 says “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth. And its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to live in.” The world dwarfs us all, but God dwarfs the world.

READ Isaiah 41:1-29

Study 4 – God Verses The Idols, 1


1. God called all of the ancient nations into His courtroom (Isaiah 41:1). For the first time, Isaiah’s prophecy leaped ahead and looked back on the defeat of Babylon by Persia under the leadership of Cyrus (v. 2). Through the rest of Isaiah, Cyrus is viewed as an unwitting servant of the Lord to restore Judah to the Promised Land. How did Isaiah describe Cyrus the Persian’s mission? (Isaiah 41:2–4)

2. Read Isaiah 41:7 and 21-29. God is raising up a mighty world conqueror from the northeast (a reference to Cyrus the Medo-Persian). What is the people’s panic-stricken response to this emergency?

3. Read Isaiah 41:8-20. What three images of comfort and encouragement strengthen Israel in these traumatic times?

4. How did the Lord counsel His people to respond to the Persian conqueror? (Isaiah 41:8–10)

WORD WEALTHServant (Isaiah 41:8) is a crucial term in Isaiah 40–66. Like many concepts in

Isaiah servant has layers of meaning that become increasingly obvious as the prophecy unfolds. Basically, a servant is someone committed to advancing the purposes of God’s kingdom on the earth. Israel was God’s servant, but not a faithful one (Isaiah 41:8–10). Out of Isaiah’s description of Israel as God’s national servant emerges an individual who embodies all that Israel was meant to be (Isaiah 49:3–6). This Servant is the Messiah (Isaiah 52:13–53:12).

5. What did the Lord promise would eventually happen in the relations between the mighty nations and puny Israel? (Isaiah 41:11–16)

6. What does God promise to do for the helpless among those who depend on Him? (Isaiah 41:17–20)

7. What was the first challenge the Holy One of Israel issued to the idols and what was its result? (Isaiah 41:21–24)

8. How did the idols do in delivering the nations (including Judah when she trusted them) from the conquerors the living God sent among them? (Isaiah 41:25–29)

FAITH ALIVE

9. Why do you think we are tempted to give our allegiance to things around us that are ultimately of our own devising rather than to the living God?

10.What can we do to keep our spiritual focus on the Holy One of Israel instead of worldly sources of security and power?

Study 4 – God Verses The Idols, 2

Study 5 –The Spirit-Anointed Servant of the Lord


Look for key words that stand out. This morning we hit the most prominent word in the entire book of Isaiah.It is the word “servant” Isaiah 41:8 says you Israel my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen. Isaiah 41:9 says "You are my servant.” Isaiah 42:1 says “behold my servant”. Isaiah 42:19"who is blind but my servant." Isaiah 43:10 “you are my witnesses says The Lord. And my servant whom I have chosen.” Isaiah 44:1 “Now hear O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen. Verses 2 Fear not O Jacob my servant.”Isaiah 44:21 “Remember these things O Jacob and Israel for you are my servant I have formed you. You are my servant”. Isaiah 45:4 “For the sake of my servant Jacob and Israel my chosen.”

Then there is a gap in Isaiah 48:20 “The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob”. Isaiah 49 is full of the word verses 3, 5, 6, and 7. Isaiah 52:13. Behold my servant shall prosper. Isaiah 53:11 “By his knowledge shall the righteous one my servant make many to be accounted righteous”.

Reading those passages we can begin to understand how a young Jewish man from a group, passionate about the privileged role of the nation of Israel of the descendants of Jacob could take a gun and end the life of a prime minister. Words Like "Israel whom I have chosen, Fear not, my servant Israel shall prosper”. A person serious about these promises would come to the conclusion Israel should bow to no one let alone negotiate to give up some of the promised land given to them by The Lord and regained through hard fought warfare. To this young man and others of like mind, to negotiate in any way would be to lower their status as a righteous servant of the Lord. Unfortunately, to this young man the word servant is a proud word reserved for the people of God, the Jews. This is a key word. What does it mean and more importantly who is the servant? First of all, what is a servant? That is a relatively easy question to answer. In our age this word is disappearing. We don't have servants in our homes these days but we are still able to answer. What is a servant? A servant is a person who is at the disposal of someone else. To obey their will to do their work. To represent their interests and therefore when God said "Behold, My servant He is referring to someone who is at his disposal, to do his will, to do his work to represent his interests.”

And then secondly. Who is this servant? We must therefore ask about whom was the prophet Isaiah speaking when he described this person, this servant who is at the disposal of The Lord.There have been many opinions as to who this servant is. In Acts 8 when Phillip, jumped up into the chariot of the treasurer of the Kingdom of Ethiopia, he found him reading the prophet Isaiah. And he was reading one of the very chapters in which the word servant occurs. And The Ethiopian said to Phillip." about whom does the prophet say this? That is a good question. "Does he speak this of himself, Was Isaiah referring to himself as the servant because he was too embarrassed to insert his own name or was he talking about some other, said the Ethiopian to Phillip. And that is the question we need to answer. We know the

Study 5 –The Spirit-Anointed Servant of the Lord, 1

answer that Phillip gave, that it pointed straight at Jesus Christ. But we have to begin much further back than that and realise something of a dilemma.

Generally speaking, there have been two answers that are given.(1) When God says behold my servant he was referring to all the Jews. Treating them collectively, as a nation and saying. “This nation is my servant. This nation is for Me. This nation is to do my will and my work in the world.”(2) A second view is that the servant of God is only one person only one Jew. And there have been at least 25 guesses as to who that one person may be.

All of the Jews, some of the Jews, or one Jew? Which of these three is correct? Or are all three the right answer or are two of them right. Lets look firstly at the view that all the Jews are referred to.In at least half of the references, I have just read to you. The first answer is the right one. In at least half of those references, My servant is defined as Jacob, or Israel. And both names are given, and that undoubtedly refers to the nation of God, the Jews. How can an entire nation be a servant? There is one God in heaven and His purpose was to choose one people on earth to represent Him. God's method of reaching people was not to speak to all of them at once, but to speak to one of them and ask that one to tell the others. That is the way that God has chosen to work. He has not chosen to speak to the Babylonians and the Assyrians and the Persians all at once. He has chosen to speak to one nation and said. “I will speak to you, now you go and tell the others, that is God's method.” Criticise it if you like. Jonah did. Why involve me? God told Jonah and he had to tell the people of Nineveh. Jonah's attitude was, why bother me? Why cause me the shame and embarrassment of telling unworthy people who are scum. Why don't you drop leaflets from your celestial carpet and tell the people of Nineveh. If it is such an earthshaking and important message why trust human beings. In fact Jonah was angry because God was so merciful that he could have bypassed his input and left him alone to have his holiday at Tarshish. We today would not need any missionaries going from one culture to another. For better or for worse. God said. This is my way to do it. I will choose one nation to speak to all the others. Just as he does not directly speak to everyone living in Epping. He says I will speak to you now go and tell them. That is the method of God. That's why if we don't tell them they may never hear. And this principle is world wide when it comes to the truth about God about His son Jesus Christ and the person and work of the Holy Spirit. We are to be witnesses to the astonishing Love of God, to His God has chosen this way. And it is a good way to test our obedience and faith and the fact that we are fellow workers with God. You shall be my witnesses said God to the Jews and Jesus said to his disciples. “You shall be my witnesses and God has chosen to use witnesses to tell the truth of Himself to others. He has not chosen to tell everybody.” That is why Jesus said. “From the first, fundamentally Salvation is of the Jews.” In John chapter 4:22.

No one will ever be saved except through what God said and did through the Jews. This is a Jewish book that I am reading from today. Christ was a Jew, The Apostles were Jews. Salvation is of the Jews. God gave them salvation to give to us. And in that sense the Jews as a whole nation are His people His witnesses his


missionaries, his servants and every Jew was intended by God to be a missionary to the truth and to tell the world. From the very first call to Abraham, God made it very clear. In you and in your seed all the families of the earth will be blessed. That is your job, that is your service.

The great tragedy is that the Jewish nation never became a missionary nation.They never fulfilled their service. Fortunately some of them did. The Apostles did and others did. But for the nation, they never actually did. They collectively were not good servants. And if God had chosen any other people, I am sure that they would not have fulfilled the purpose of God.That is the reason that verse 19 of chapter 42 says. “Who is blind but my servant? Or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one or blind as the servant of the Lord.” And the tragedy is that God was trying to train servants who were blind and deaf and they could not see the truth themselves and they couldn't hear what he was saying to them and so He could not use them. When I was teaching scripture at Ku-ring-gai high school in the late eighties. There came into my class a Jewish girl who had just migrated from Israel. Every student had to attend scripture unless they had a note from parents or guardians to the contrary. I welcomed her and at the end of the lesson I said to her. "It must be great to hear about The Lord in school in Israel." To my amazement she said. We don't have scripture at school in the Kibbutz. We are discouraged to believe in God. We believe in our nation but we are not encouraged to believe in God." To this day, the tragedy is that they were given something to give to the world. And by the time that Jesus came, they had so lost interest in God's work that the court of the gentiles in the temple had become a place of business and money changers. And if you are not a Jew there was no place for you to pray in the temple of God.

The nation of Israel is not the servant as they should have been. There has been a division among scholars and students of the Bible as to whether the words. "My servant" refers to Israel as she actually was or as she ideally should be. Was it a statement of her actual state or this ideal calling and fulfilment that God had intended for them. Which was it? Well there is evidence that it is a bit of both. And the fact that she is given two names here. The human name, Jacob and the divine name Israel. That double name would seem to say that God doesn't know whether to treat them as they really are or to treat them as what they ideally ought to be. A human example would be that parents may call us by a different name, when they expect our behaviour to be a little bit better. My parents used to call me by my Chinese name if I was naughty and emphasise each part of the name. Here He would love to treat them as they should be. "Israel" but the more human side Jacob shows through. There is this tension within the whole Old Testament. Whether ideal Israel or not about half the references to servant in Isaiah obviously refers to the whole nation. My people my servant. The whole nation.

So that is the first thing about the word servant. There are times when it speaks about the entire nation of Israel.There are times when the word servant cannot mean the entire nation. There are four passages in these chapters in which the words "My servant cannot


possibly refer to the whole nation." And these passages are very well known to us.In these passages the servant is talked about as He singular and not as "You Plural" And it seems to emerge that there is someone else in God's mind when He talks about the servant. Also in these four passages the character of God's servant is absolutely perfect and righteous. My righteous servant. And the fact is The Nation was never like that. And then another reason is that the mission, the task of my servant is to the people of Israel and so therefore it must be an individual serving the whole.

The best known of these passages is Isaiah 53 a description of the servant in these terms. “He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.”That cannot possibly refer to the nation. It's something that was done FOR the nation. And so we are left with this conclusion, that of the passages which mention "My servant”, half of them obviously refer to a people. All the Jews but the other half of them cannot possibly refer to the whole nation but refers to an individual.And the best way to understand these servant sections in Isaiah is to say that there are two meanings of the word servant in Isaiah. It either refers to the whole nation, or it refers to one person within it.

And all the passages in Isaiah can be fitted into one or the other of these two. And then you see that when God chose Israel to be his servant. To be a light to the nations, to be a witness, a missionary movement. The Jews were to be God's missionary society. The trouble was they never became that. What was wrong? The answer was they were sinful. They didn't do what God wanted them to do. They wouldn't obey his laws. They wouldn't obey his mandate. How could he put that right? Of course He could have chosen another nation, another people, but the same thing would have happened. Because everybody is in the same condition. The only answer that God could produce was this. I will have to get someone to save them from their sin and so God decided to chose one from among his people. Who would be perfectly righteous to bear the sins of all the others in the nation? "For the transgression of MY people was he stricken." In order to save the nation from that which prevented them from being his witnesses. In order for the nation to be his servant, somebody else had to come to do something for him. To bear their sins. That having got rid of their sin and disobedience, they might again become the missionaries and that is exactly what happened to the Apostles. They were Jews of the nation of Israel. They were part of the disobedient people and yet Jesus died for them and took their sins away, and they became the witnesses of God and of Christ to the ends of the earth. And the church still is. They became missionaries because they came to know Christ.

That's the new plan. Jacob the old human nation was a sinful nation. Who is blind like my servant? Who is deaf like my messenger? But God said. “I have another messenger. One Jew who is perfectly good as good as they are bad. As obedient as they are disobedient. And he will bear their iniquities and take away their sin and then they will be freed to be my missionaries.”You see the plan. And you see that as you read this plan in Isaiah, the word servant is used in two meanings. The servant who was not up to scratch, and the


servant who was completely good. The servant who was sinful, and blind and deaf and the servant who saw it all and heard it all and was not blind and not deaf and came to lead the blind out of their darkness and came to open the ears of the deaf.

In one of the passages the word “Israel” is applied to Jesus as well as to Jacob and that was because in a real sense, He fulfilled the calling of the nation. He was part of it. He embodied it in himself. He was a Jew and he did for the first time what God had intended every other Jew to do and be a light to the gentiles and a witness to God. For you and for me.

In 1892 Bernhard Duhm published a German commentary Das Buch Jesaia in which he called four passages in Isaiah the Servant Songs. The label has stuck to Isaiah 42:1–4; 49:1–6; 50:4–9; and 52:13–53:12. In this first Servant Song, the Lord established the essential connection between the messianic Servant and the Holy Spirit.


READ Isaiah 42:1-25

1. How did the Lord describe His Servant and the servant’s mission? (Isaiah 42:1–4)

2. What positive and negative phrases are used to describe God’s servant in verses 1-4?

BIBLE EXTRA

3. Isaiah 40:1–4 is taken up in key passages in the Gospels. Look up the following references, and write down the phrases that come from this passage in Isaiah. Then tell what the portions from Isaiah seem to mean as they are used in the Gospels.

Matthew 12:9–21

Luke 3:21–22

Luke 4:1, 14–21

4. In verses 5-9 God addresses his servant. What has God done and what will God do for the servant according to verses 5-9?

5. How would you summarize the servant’s functions or duties according to verses 1-9?

6. In what ways does the description of the servant and his ministry foreshadow our Lord’s person and work?

7. In what respect or respects does this passage challenge you – your character, your service?

8. What vivid similes do verses 10-17 use to describe the Lord at work?

9. What response to the news of the Servant’s mission did Isaiah request from the farthest gentile nations (the coastlands) and the nearby tribes of Arabia (Kedar) and Edom (Sela)? (Isaiah 42:10–13)

KINGDOM EXTRA

“Sing to the Lord a new song” (Isaiah 42:10–12). This prophetic exhortation reflects the many times David included this activity in his own devotional walk. The value of singing new songs (that is, songs in the Spirit or in your spoken language that are not of previous composition) has tremendous devotional impact for the believer. “New songs” born of the Spirit of God can help break through spiritual barriers when nothing else seems to be working.

10.What role did the Word of God play in the judgment facing God’s people in Isaiah’s day? (Isaiah 42:21–25)

11.How do verses 18-25 describe the state of the people of Israel?


FAITH ALIVE

12.Both you and the Lord Jesus can be called servants of the Lord. How is your role as a servant similar to and different from Christ’s role as the Servant?

Similar

Different

13.Promises are needed because people are so often liars. But every word of God is a promise – what he says he will do. Look in this chapter at the verbs that God is the subject of. Which one or ones can you take as a personal promise of God to you now?


Study 6 –The Redeemer of Israel and His Counterfeits


The final two chapters of this portion of Isaiah rejoice in the salvation Israel had been given and the Saviour who loved them. This section ends with the longest and most detailed of the passages that mock idolatry. The false saviours are seen in the truest light when compared with the Holy One of Israel.

READ Isaiah 42:1-25

1. Why did the Lord insist Israel had no reason to fear in the present? (Isaiah 43:1–4)

2. Why did the Lord say Israel’s descendants had no reason to fear in the future? (Isaiah 43:5–7)

3. What could Israel—even spiritually blind and deaf Israel—testify about the Lord to the nations? (Isaiah 43:8–13)

4. What would Israel—spiritually restored Israel—be able in the future to testify concerning the Lord to the nations? (Isaiah 43:14–21)

WORD WEALTH

Redeemer (Isaiah 43:14; 44:6) translates the Hebrew noun that figures so prominently in the book of Ruth as the kinsman redeemer. Whenever God calls Himself Israel’s Redeemer, He is declaring that He stands in close relationship to them. A kinsman redeemer was supposed to deliver his near kinsman from debt, from slavery, or from any other calamity that left him helpless. The Lord, who obligated Himself to Abraham and his descendants by covenant, redeemed Israel from Egypt by means of the Passover sacrifice and His mighty deeds. After the Babylonian captivity, He would redeem Israel again through the unwitting service of Cyrus the Persian emperor.

5. How did the Lord, who stands ready to blot out His people’s sins, evaluate the spiritual condition of Judah that necessitated the Babylonian captivity? (Isaiah 43:22–28)

6. After stating categorically that Judah’s sins would lead to judgment, the Lord called the nation His servant once more (Isaiah 44:1) and for the third time in this section urged the people not to fear (v. 2). What future blessings would the Spirit of God bring to His people? (Isaiah 44:3–5)

KINGDOM EXTRA

“I will pour My Spirit on your descendants” (Isaiah 44:3). The vivid picture of a flood saturating dry, parched ground portrays the expansive and satisfying dimension of the Spirit’s blessing. The simple qualification for reception is desire—recognizing our need for refreshing, and responding by earnestly seeking His presence. As the

Spirit’s refreshment is seen in and through us, others are drawn to the fountain of His living water. 3

3 Ibid., 180, “Surveying Isaiah,” note on Is. 44:3.

7. List the names of God found in Isaiah 44:6–8 and briefly express what each means to you.

1.2.3.4.5.6.

8. The living God arranges the course of history and He can prepare His people for it in advance (Isaiah 44:7, 8). The idols are powerless. They ordain nothing; they foretell nothing; they redeem no one. How did the idolaters bear witness against themselves? (Isaiah 44:9–12)

9. What are the fallacies in the story of making an idol in Isaiah 44:13–20?

Logical fallacies

Spiritual fallacies

10.Isaiah 44:21–23 contains a short psalm in which the Lord reminded Israel that He was their Redeemer and in which Isaiah invited the heavens and earth to praise Him for that redemption. Write yourself a reminder of all God has done for you as your Redeemer. Write it as Isaiah did from God’s point of view (“Remember what I have done for you”). Write a response of praise to God your Redeemer. Feel free to call on anyone or anything else to join you in praising the Lord. 1

1Hayford, J. W., & Snider, J. (1997, c1996). Welcoming the Saving Reign of God : A study of Isaiah. Spirit-Filled Life Bible Discovery Guides. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Study 7 – A Light to the Gentiles


The title Servant of the Lord first appeared in 41:8-10 as a reference to the national Israel, but suddenly it narrowed down to focus on an individual character embodying all the spiritual ideas which Israel as a nation failed to master (42:1-9). The Servant of the Lord is portrayed to redeem Gentiles as well as Jews (42:1, 4, 6).

READ Isaiah 49:1-7

1. Isaiah 49:1-7 consists of the servant’s message. In Isaiah 49:1-3 the servant of the Lord describes the Lord's call. What phrases in these verses describe the Lord's comprehensive preparation of his servant?

His service is for the nations, not just Israel (v1). ‘Islands’ (NIV) or ‘coastlands’ (ESV) echoes ‘distant nations’ (v1) to mean nations other than Israel. The language is prophetic (‘listen’ and ‘hear’), indicating the prophetic function of the servant.

He was called to serve before birth (‘before I was born’ and ‘from my birth’). He was mentioned by name before birth (v1). One may quickly recall Isaiah’s earlier prophecy: 「Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."」(Isaiah 7:14)

Verse 2 shows a war metaphor. ‘Sharpened sword’ – effectiveness; ‘polished arrow’ – rubbed free from roughness or unevenness, which might deflect it in flight, hence its accuracy. ‘Sword’ – close at hand, and ‘arrow’ – distant armies. ‘shadow of his hand’ and ‘concealed in his quiver’ denotes to the personal preparation and care, and intimacy with God.2

‘my servant’ has a personal flavour. ‘display my splendour’ occurs 13 times in OT, 9 times in Isaiah. Instead of what the Lord has done for his people, here speaks of what the Lord has done for him, an individual. This has never been said to a prophet or individual, or Israel as a nation. It demonstrates the uniqueness of this servant.

2. Is the Servant's task easy and completely joyful? What does He say about this in 49:4?

The Servant is despondent because although he has laboured and spent his strength, nothing has been achieved (‘no purpose’, ‘in vain’ and ‘for nothing’).

‘Yet’ is a turning point, calling attention to a contrary truth. The servant sees it as the wisdom of God (‘what is due me’), and the power of God (‘reward’ is rather ‘outcome of work’).3

Isaiah describes a servant who is human-like, having emotions of defeat and despondency, yet he corrects his despair by relying on God’s wisdom and power.

3. The Lord calls His Servant "Israel" in 49:3, yet what is His mission (49:5-6)? How would you resolve the seemingly conflicting idea – ‘Israel ministering to Israel’?

2 J. Alec Motyer, The prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary, 386.3 Ibid., 387.

Study 7 – A Light to the Gentiles, 1

The mission of the Servant is twofold. First by bring back the national Israel to God. His second mission is to be a light for the Gentiles, bringing God’s salvation to the ends of the earth.

Isaiah 49:3 calls the servant Israel, but in Isaiah 49:5 we see he has a ministry to Israel (and also in Isaiah 49:6 to the Gentiles). Thus we conclude that the servant represents Israel—the ideal Israel. The servant represents an individual or a group of people within Israel who will bring spiritual restoration. Perhaps an individual will be more possible. The first part of Isaiah (1-40) prophesizes the return of a remnant of Israel, therefore the Servant may be distinguished from the nation and the remnant (cf. 10:21).

4. How do people respond to the Servant at first (49:7)? What two different views of the Servant are described in 49:6-7?

God is going to display his glory in the servant's life and work. The job of a shepherd was a despised and unclean task in Bible times; but God is honouring the servant with the task of shepherding his people. Yet this task alone has too small a radius. The servant is also to be a light to lighten Gentiles (see Isaiah 42:6), a theme picked up in Simeon's song (Luke 2:30-32) and in Acts 26:23. Thus, this chapter picks up themes which are developed in the later "servant songs": On the one hand the servant is despised, abhorred; yet on other hand he becomes the object of universal homage and the rulers of nations will bow down to him.

5. Review the servant's reactions in Isaiah 49:1-7 to the Lord's call. How does he look to the past and to the future for his encouragement?

It is striking to note how the servant's memory turns to the time before he was born. In addition the Lord enlarges the servant's vision to see God's salvation reaching to the ends of the earth.

BIBLE EXTRA

6. Look up these passages, and note the ways that the New Testament says Isaiah 49:5, 6 are fulfilled. Luke 2:25–35

Acts 13:42–48

FAITH ALIVE

7. How has the Lord Jesus served as a light (Is. 49:6) to show you the way to walk in the darkness of the world?

8. How can you refresh the attitude of your thanks and praise to God this week for including you in His plan of salvation?4

4Hayford, J. W., & Snider, J. (1997, c1996). Welcoming the Saving Reign of God : A study of Isaiah. Spirit-Filled Life Bible Discovery Guides. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Study 7 – A Light to the Gentiles, 2

Study 8 – The Restoration of Israel


Through the servant God promises to restore Israel. In the pilgrimage of the heart back to God there is provision (v.9), protection (v.10a) and guardianship (v.10b). This pilgrimage will not be hindered by obstacle or uncertainty (v.11), nor distance and location (v.12). The entire creation will rejoice (v.13). The faithless response of Zion (Israel) in verse 14 is answered by the faithfulness of God (vv.15-21). Israel may gain comfort through God’s power to defeat every nation on earth for his people (vv.22-23) and pronouncing their future judgment (vv.24-26).

READ Isaiah 49:8-26

1. What is the significance for the Servant to ‘be’ a covenant for the people (Isaiah 49:8)?

‘In biblical though the covenant is a unilateral pledge and consequent work of God. To speak of the Servant as the covenant means that while, as we know, it is through his work that covenant blessings become available, it is only in him, in the union of personal relationship, that these blessings can be enjoyed.’5

2. The Lord is going to save his people, and the servant is going to be the mediator of his covenant with the people. How does Isaiah 49:7-12 describe different aspects of God's salvation?

Various aspects of the servant's ministry are mentioned in Isaiah 49:7-12: transformation—slavery to honour (Isaiah 49:7); restoration—ruins to reconstruction (Isaiah 49:9); release—prison to freedom; provision—hunger to pasture (Isaiah 49:9-10); guidance (Isaiah 49:11-12).

3. In what ways does Isaiah 49:8-12 give a foretaste of the ministry of Jesus Christ?

The exodus is the Old Testament event most commonly referred to in the New Testament. There are many echoes of that event in Isaiah 49:8-12 and in the ministry of our Lord.

4. What is the full meaning of "comforts" and "will have compassion" in Isaiah 49:13? Why is this a reason for the universe to start singing?

5. Summarize the message the Lord gave to Isaiah in response to the people of Judah who felt that He had abandoned them because of their sins (Is. 49:14). By what arguments does the Lord refute the complaint in Isaiah 49:15-18?

His love for them (Is. 49:15, 16) Their future deliverance (Is. 49:17, 18) Their future prosperity (Is. 49:19–21)

5 J. Alec Motyer, The prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary, 391

Study 8 – The Restoration of Israel, 1

6. What will be the future attitude of the nations to Israel? (Is. 49:22–24) What comfort would this bring to Israel?

7. What will be the fate of those nations that oppress the people of God? (Is. 49:24–26) How did the prophet Isaiah reveal that God is Lord of the whole earth?

FAITH ALIVE

8. What does it mean to you to know that a mother is more likely to forget her nursing child than the Lord is to stop caring about you?

9. How do God’s promises to Israel help you to face your daily challenges? In what particular area of insecurity can you remind yourself of God’s great love for you?

6

6 Hayford, J. W., & Snider, J. (1997, c1996). Welcoming the Saving Reign of God : A study of Isaiah. Spirit-Filled Life Bible Discovery Guides. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.


Study 9


These first few verses are God’s response to the accusation that he had forsaken and forgotten Israel when they were taken away into Exile (Isaiah 49:14). The mother of Israel which is referred to in verse 1 is a metaphor for Zion (i.e. Jerusalem, their capital and the place of the temple).

READ Isaiah 50:1-3

1. What reasons are given for Israel’s captivity?

A: Israel’s sins (verse 1).

2. Was God forced to give them up? Why?

A: No, no-one can force God to do anything. His arm is not too short (i.e. he has enough power) to rescue them (verse 2).

3. The drying up of the sea, the death of the fish, and the turning the sky to darkness, all allude to miracles which God performed when he rescued Israel from captivity in Egypt. Why would these references be important for Israel during Isaiah’s time?

A: Israel was now in captivity in Babylon. The references to the Exodus are reminders that God is able to rescue them.

4. What should Israel have done instead of blaming God for their situation?

A: They should have called out to God for help and obeyed his commands. Instead there no-one listened to God (verse 2).

5. When things are going badly for you, do you ever blame God? What should our response be?

A: Each person will answer differently and hopefully people will be open to share honestly. Our response should be to turn to God and to trust in his sovereignty to control the situation for good (Isaiah 50:2-3, Romans 8:28).

READ Isaiah 50:4-9

These verses contain the words of ‘the Servant’ (verse 10).

6. What reason, if any, is given for the servant’s suffering?


A: No reason is given in this passage – he has not been rebellious (verse 5). Elsewhere, for example Isaiah 53:12, we learn that the servant suffers for the sin of the people.

7. Describe the servant’s attitude towards God. How does it compare with the attitude of Israel?

A: He trusts that God is in control and is working things for good. This is the complete opposite to Israel.

The servant listens to God (verse 4) but Israel does not (verse 2). During suffering he looks to God for help (verses 7 and 9) while Israel blames God (Isaiah 49:14). The servant refers to God four times as “the Sovereign Lord” (verses 4, 5, 7 and 9) while God has to remind Israel that “his arm was not too short (verse 2).

8. Which of Israel’s prophets never turned away from God’s will like the Servant (verse 5)? (You may like to look up the following verses: Exodus 4:10-13, Jeremiah 19:7-18, John 4:28-29).

A: Only Jesus. Even the great prophets like Moses and Jeremiah had times when they did not want to serve God.

Read Isaiah 50:10-11

These verses contain Isaiah’s instructions to Israel.

9. Why has Isaiah told Israel about the servant?

A: In the context of the whole book of Isaiah, the servant is the one whom God will use to rescue them. In just this passage, the servant shows how Israel should be responding in their current situation of suffering in exile.

10. What can we learn from the servant about how to respond to suffering? (You may also like to read 1 Peter 4:12-19). Spend some time praying for those who are suffering at the moment.

A: To commit ourselves to God and continue to do good.


Study 10

Isaiah Chapter 51:1-16.

1. How can Israel be sure that the Lord will surely comfort Zion (verse 3)?

A: Because of God’s power and faithfulness. Just as God is able to make the nation of Israel from one person (verse 2) as he promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:5), so he is also able to comfort Zion.

2. Three times God says to listen to him and here what he has to say. Who is this passage addressed to and why is it so important that they should listen to God rather than men?

A: God’s people (verse 4) who know (verse 7) and desire (verse 1) righteousness. They should listen because only God is able to provide righteousness. The earth and men will pass away but God and his righteousness will not (verses 6-8).

3. In what way is our situation similar to Israel? What makes you forget God?

A: Our salvation is also from God (verse 5) therefore he should also be our hope for a better future rather than what is offered by men.

4. What is the greatest comfort given to the people? What comforts us in difficult times?

A: They are God’s people (verse 4, verse 7, verse 16).

5. Imagine you have a friend who was tempted to give up on Christianity because he/she was going through hard times. How would you encourage him/her from this passage?

A: The present trials do not compare with the joy that comes from knowing God (verse 11).

Read Isaiah 50:17-23.

6. What has made Israel’s situation so bad?

A: They were suffering for their sins (Isaiah 50:1) and there punishment was inflicted by God (verse 17).

7. Does God treat us the same way as Israel?

A: Our cup of wrath has been drunk by Christ (Luke 22:42) but we are still disciplined for our own good (Hebrews 13:4-13).


8. Would you describe the overall mood of this passage as ‘gloomy’ or ‘joyful’? Justify your answer.

A: The overall mood is comfort and assurance which leads to joy because we are God’s people and he will make things right (verse 22).

9. Does your heart match the mood of this passage? Spend some time praying that it does.


Isaiah’s Book

The book of Isaiah is a collection of prophecies organized into two main sections, each composed of smaller sections. Here is a possible outline of the book:

Part 1: The Book of Judgment (chapters 1-39)

I. Rebuke and Promise (1:1-6:13)A. Introduction: Judah Charged with Breaking the Covenant (1:1-31)B. The Future of Judah and Jerusalem (2:1-4:6)

1. Jerusalem's future glory (2:1-5)2. Judah's future discipline (2:6-4:1)3. Jerusalem's future restoration (4:2-6)

C. Judah Sentenced to Judgment and Exile (5:1-30)D. Isaiah's Commission (6:1-13)

II. The Threat against Judah in 735 bc (7:1-12:6)A. Ahaz Warned Not to Fear the Alliance (7:1-25)B. Isaiah's Son and David's Son (8:1-9:7)C. Judgment against Israel (9:8-10:4)D. The Destruction of Assyria (10:5-34)E. The Davidic King and Kingdom (11:1-16)F. Songs of Joy for Deliverance (12:1-6)

III. Judgment against the Nations (13:1-23:18)A. Babylon (13:1-14:23)B. Assyria (14:24-27)C. Philistia (14:28-32)D. Moab (15:1-16:14)E. Aram and Israel (17:1-14)F. Cush (18:1-7)G. Egypt (19:1-25)H. Egypt and Cush (20:1-6)I. Babylon (21:1-10)J. Edom (21:11-12)K. Arabia (21:13-17)L. Jerusalem (22:1-25)M. Tyre (23:1-18)

IV. Judgment and Promise (24:1-27:13)A. Universal Judgment for Universal Sin (24:1-23)B. Deliverance and Blessing (25:1-12)C. Praise for Deliverance (26:1-21)D. Israel Delivered, Enemies Destroyed (27:1-13)

Isaiah’s Book, 1

V. The Egyptian Temptation in 702 bc (28:1-35:10)A. Woe to Scoffers (28:1-29)B. Woe to Schemers (29:1-24)C. Woe to Those Who Trust Alliance with Egypt (30:1-33)D. Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt (31:1-32:20)E. Woe to Assyria—but Blessing for God's People (33:1-24)F. The Nations Destroyed (34:1-17)G. Future Joys of the Redeemed (35:1-10)

VI. Historical Transition from Assyrian Threat to Babylonian Exile (36:1-39:8)A. Jerusalem Saved from Assyria (36:1-37:38)B. The Lord Extends Hezekiah's Life (38:1-22)C. Exile in Babylon Foreseen (39:1-8)

Part 2: The Book of Comfort (chapters 40-66)

VII. The Deliverance and Restoration of Israel (40:1-48:22)A. Comfort and the God Who Brings It (40:1-31)B. The God of History and Prophecy (41:1-29)C. The Lord's Servant—Light for the Gentiles (42:1-25)D. Israel's Gracious Redeemer (43:1-44:5)E. The Lord versus Idols (44:6-23)F. God's Plan to Deliver Israel through Cyrus (44:24-45:25)G. The Lord versus Babylon's Gods (46:1-13)H. The Fall of Babylon (47:1-15)I. Israel Stubborn, but God Gracious (48:1-22)

VIII. The Servant—God's Agent of Deliverance (49:1-55:13)A. The Servant's Mission, and Reassurance for Zion (49:1-26)B. Israel's Rebellion and the Servant's Steadfastness (50:1-11)C. Comfort for the Faithful (51:1-52:12)D. The Suffering and Glory of the Savior Servant (52:13-53:12)E. Zion's Glory from the Servant's Victory (54:1-17)F. A Call to Share in what the Servant Has Won (55:1-13)

IX. The Fulfillment of Salvation (56:1-66:24)A. The New Criteria for Belonging to Israel (56:1-8)B. The Triumph of Grace over Faithlessness (56:9-57:21)C. False and True Worship—A Key to the Fulfillment (58:1-14)D. Sin, Confession, and Redemption (59:1-21)E. Zion's Glory (60:1-22)F. The Servant Proclaims God's Favor (61:1-11)G. Impending Glory when the Savior Comes (62:1-12)H. Impending Wrath when the Savior Comes (63:1-6)I. Praise and Prayer for That Day (63:7-64:12)J. The Lord's Answer: Judgment and Salvation (65:1-25)K. Judgment for the False, Salvation for the Faithful (66:1-24)

Isaiah’s Book, 2

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