Today’s passage: Isaiah 46

Helpful thoughts:

• Bel and Nebo are names of false gods from Babylon.
• It is perfectly logical to be amazed by and submit to God…
  • All other gods are fake.
  • God is holy, righteous and sovereign.  Even the birds go where He tells them (Verse 11).
• …and yet, righteousness and salvation have to come to His people against their stubbornness (Verse 12)!  There will only be salvation and righteousness given to people because God has decreed it so.
  • Romans 3:10-12

Questions to consider:

1. Why is it right to believe and obey God?  Why are you glad to be a Christian?
2. What are some of the “gods” of our culture?  Why does fearing God and following Christ make so much more sense than any other options that the world gives?
3. What would we be without God’s grace?  Who deserves the praise for our eternal life and sanctification?  How does the necessity of God’s grace for our repentance and salvation bring Him glory?

Today’s passage: Isaiah 45

Helpful thoughts:

• God is not just active/involved in the lives of those who know Him or believe in Him.  God is sovereign over everyone and every thing.
• God never commands His children to do anything in vain (Verse 19).
• John 14:6 is true all over the world.

Questions to consider:

1. Do you sometimes feel like your unsaved friends, family, co-workers, etc. are outside of God’s “jurisdiction”?  Is that true?  Why can you be totally confident and loving in sharing Christ with them?
2. How could this passage be an encouragement or correct our thinking when we are tempted to envy the world’s “success”?  What words are spoken to those who reject God in verse 9?
3. What would be an accurate response to the person who says, “I can’t/won’t believe in a God who does that?” (Verse 11)

Today’s passage: Isaiah 44

Helpful thoughts:

• Every “little ‘g’ god” in this world is the invention of man.  There is only one God who truly exists.
• False gods are invented in order to be a benefit to their inventors.  But they do not profit their inventors.
  • The only true “profit” for the idolater is the lie that they could successfully reject the true God…they’re blinded.
• Though we all would be liars and idolaters, the Lord has:
  • Opened our blind eyes.
  • Blotted out our transgressions.
  • Redeemed us.

Questions to consider:

1. What “profits” do we hope to receive through idolatry?  What are the things we tend to want more than what God gives?  What do these “profits” result in?
2. What parts does God play in our existence and life?  When anyone would think that false gods (Or no God at all) are acting, what error have we made?  Does it ever profit us to go elsewhere or to prefer a Godless moment?
3. Who is our Redeemer?  What did He redeem us from?

Today’s passage: Isaiah 43

Helpful thoughts:

• God made the people of Israel a nation and loves them by His choice.  They did not earn His favor, He made them and gave them His gracious love.
• The timing of these promises refer to the time at the end of the exile, when Israel would return to the promised land by way of a different wilderness.
• Egypt and Ethiopia (Cush and Seba) would become subject to the Persians, while Israel would be allowed to go free.
• No one ever has and no one ever will defeat God.

Questions to consider:

1. For whose sake is the Lord blotting out the transgressions (Forgiving the sins) of the people of Israel (Verse 25)?  Why would God’s name be on the line if Israel failed to exist?  Why will God’s name always prevail as consistent with who He has revealed Himself to be?
2. What would be the result of engaging in verse 26?  Do we have a case against God?  Why or why not?
3. How are the sins of God’s people simply blotted out?  How can God remain just and also no longer remember our sins against us? (Romans 3:21-26)

Today’s passage: Isaiah 42

Helpful thoughts:

• Matthew 12:9-21
• The Lord is worthy of praise and worship from all people, every single person who ever has or ever will live.  His holiness demands worship.  To refrain from worship is to be His foe.
• The Law proclaims the righteousness of God and magnifies the unrighteousness of man.
  • But God, in His mercy and grace turns darkness into light and rough places into level ground…these are the things He does.

Questions to consider:

1. As the world cries out for justice, when will it truly arrive?  When will there finally be justice in the world?  What will be the result of all the world’s attempts prior to that day?
2. Will our religiosity or perfect execution of righteousness bring about peace and justice in the world?  Could we ever accomplish such a thing on our own?  Even if we are “good” Christian people, who remains our only hope?
3. Why is it good for us to learn more of the righteousness of God and our failure to measure up?  If we think we’ve pretty much kept up with all of God’s commands and we’ve earned His favor, what are missing?  How does the Gospel produce humility and how does humility indicate growth?

Today’s passage: Isaiah 41

Helpful thoughts:

• The people of the nations who have rejected God are right to have a dreadful fear of Him.
• God’s created nation and chosen people are right to rest peacefully in His sovereign protection.
• There are no other gods.  Every other belief system in the world (Including secular humanism/atheism) is the imagination and invention of man, who are the invention and creation of God.
  • Other gods (Or worldviews that seek to eliminate God) are entirely false.  They are acts of rebellion against the Holy God.

Questions to consider:

1. Christian, what has God said He will do for you (Philippians 1:6, Romans 8:28-38)?
2. What are some of the greatest fears you have in this world?  Who/What do you tend to fear the most?
3. How do those things or those people compare to the power, glory, justice, and sovereignty of God?  Who is their fight truly against?  If God has us in His righteous right hand, who will be on the side of victory in eternity?

Today’s passage: Isaiah 40

Helpful thoughts:

• A voice cries in the wilderness.
  • John 1:19-23
• The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
  • Israel’s hope was never that it was going to succeed on it’s own.  God’s promises will be fulfilled because God is God.
• Whenever we try to make God look appealing, we fail to do Him justice.  In truth, He is far more powerful, righteous, loving, just, gracious and merciful than we can fathom.  We don’t need to make him attractive to people, we need to point people to who He really is.

Questions to consider:

1. How many attributes of God are mentioned and/or defined in this passage?  What do we learn about God?
2. How does studying/meditating on the greatness of God correct our perspective on world events and social interactions?  If we spend a majority of our efforts focusing on what’s wrong in the world or on “powerful” people who should fix it, what will we miss?  What will we miss out on?
3.  If we put all our hope in ourselves, or in possessions, or in other people, what will happen?  What will be true of those who wait (Hope) in the Lord?