Today’s passage: Isaiah 35

Helpful thoughts:

• When John the Baptist was in prison and discouraged, Christ instructed his disciples, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.  And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:2-6)
• Ransomed means to “obtain the release of a prisoner by making a payment demanded.”
• Redeemed means to “gain or regain possession of something in exchange for payment.”
  • The “ransomed of the Lord” and the “redeemed” are going to walk in “the Way of Holiness” and see the glory  and majesty of God.

Questions to consider:

1. How many things can you find that will no longer be a problem in the time described in this chapter?
2. Who will be able to enjoy that day and enjoy God in His glory?  Why are we able to look forward to that day?  What/Who has made it happen?
3. How does this passage give us reason for great humility AND great confidence?

Today’s passage: Isaiah 34

Helpful thoughts:

• According to the formula of previous prophecies in Isaiah, chapters 34 and 35 could be considered one unit.
  • Chapter 34 describes the judgment.
  • Chapter 35 describes the future restoration.
• If a person were to think God was a passive grandpa/Santa Claus figure, this passage (And others like it) should correct that.  Man is in bitter hostility with God (Whether man admits it or not) and justice will be served.
• Edom (Verses 5-6 – Bozrah was a city in Edom) serves as an example, a people that God has devoted to destruction.

Questions to consider:

1. Why do we tend to avoid discussion of judgment and God’s wrath?  What do we lose (To our detriment) by attempting to ignore or soften the justice of God?
2. How does a passage like this magnify Christ’s sacrifice on the cross?  Are you a Christian because you are a good person or because you were spared?  (1 Peter 3:18)

Today’s passage: Isaiah 33

Helpful thoughts:

• The destroyer in verses 1-2 could be Assyria or any other nation that God would defeat in the end.
• The LORD is the only one who can perfectly fulfill the duties of the judicial, legislative and executive branches of government (Verse 22).
• It’s possible the shipping terms in this passage refer to an inability for anyone to continue to wage war against God’s people once the LORD dwells with them.
  • Zion’s cords cannot be broken (Verse 20).  The enemies cords hang loose (Verse 23).

Questions to consider:

1. What is ironic of Assyria being called “Destroyer” (Or any other who would oppose God)?
2. What will come of what God’s enemies considered their strength (Verses 11-12)?
3. What will be true of all who dwell in Zion (Verse 24)?  What will be done about their sin?  What makes this forgiveness possible?

Today’s passage: Isaiah 32:9-20

Helpful thoughts:

• In many previous chapters, God has rebuked the leaders and people of Judah for trusting in Egypt for their protection instead of turning in faith to Him.  Now, the Lord speaks specifically to the women.  Their leadership had told them they were going to be fine.  The king had given them reason to rest.  But instead of resting under their crooked leadership, they needed to be mourning instead.
  • The reason for lamenting had already come.
    • They were not to lament only when they were defeated by an enemy.
    • They were to lament the failure of their leaders and nation to trust in God.
• God’s righteous rule will bring peace, justice, quietness, security and rest.

Questions to consider:

1. Why does lamenting exist?  What is happening around us (or inside of us) that causes us to lament?
2. What would these women have been wise to do after hearing the opinions of the leaders (“We’re just fine, Egypt will save us”) and the Word of God (“You’re leaders are wrong, turn to me”)?  Which “disagreements” between God and the world might you be struggling to reconcile in your heart?
3. In what ways did Christ’s sacrifice on the cross provide you with peace, justice, quietness, security, and rest?

Today’s passage: Isaiah 32:1-8

Helpful thoughts:

• The descriptions of this king, these leaders and this kingdom are not the way things are today.  This prophecy is given to draw our attention to the way things will be, to long for that day, and to seek to live now in light of that kingdom.
• Some leaders gather people together to receive service.  Godly leaders serve those gathered under their leadership.
• Even if the world defines good as evil and evil as good, foolishness is still foolishness.  People do not define good and evil.  We can attempt to disagree, but we cannot change what is true.

Questions to consider:

1. If verses 3-5 are characteristic of the future, what is true about things today?
2. If the world calls a noble person a fool, what is that person?  Is he/she still noble?  Why or why not?
3. If the reign of the King of righteousness is like streams of water in a dry place and like shade in a weary land, where should we go today when we need a shelter from the storm?

Today’s passage: Isaiah 31

Helpful thoughts:

• They could have argued whether Egypt was stronger than Assyria, comparing horses, chariots, troops, and weapons.  God’s strength is not measured by man’s standards.
  • Verse 3 – “The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit.”
• 1 Corinthians 1:23 – “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.”
  • Verse 6 – “Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted.”
• Assyria was going to be defeated by a force that was not of man, by a Rock that will never pass away.

Questions to consider:

1. What kinds of earthly strengths do you sometimes “wish” God had for you?  What are your “horses and chariots” that you wish God would provide for your security?
2. What things do you turn to for those “horses and chariots” when God doesn’t appear to be providing the way you want?
3. What truths about God help you to cast all those idols away?  Why is Jesus better?

Today’s passage: Isaiah 30:18-33

Helpful thoughts:

• Because the people of Judah refused to wait on the Lord, the Lord would wait to show them grace…
  • …But He will show grace and mercy.  And when He does, there will be a people who wait upon Him.
• In your Bible, the “Teacher” in verse 20 is spelled with a capital T.  This indicates that God Himself will be the teacher.
• The description of the false idols being destroyed accentuates their cheapness.  They aren’t even pure gold or silver.  They are merely covered in silver or gold.
• Judah will eventually be free from the threat of Assyria (And all other nations), and they will have no one but God to thank for it.

Questions to consider:

1. What do we need before we will begin to wait for God and trust in Him?  Why is God alone to be exalted?
2. When you feel like you are stuck between a “rock and a hard place,” why is trusting in the Lord and following Him always the right decision?
3. How are we also reminded in this passage about what comes of those who reject and oppose God?  When the hard decisions we must make involve potentially siding with people who are opposed to God (You are either for Him or against Him. – Matthew 12:30), is there any way to remain neutral?

Today’s passage: Isaiah 30:8-17

Helpful thoughts:

• People’s willingness to listen and respond in obedience is not a prerequisite for speaking the truth in love.
• 2 Timothy 4:1-5
• God promises His people that, in repentance, they will find rest, peace, strength, freedom.  Instead, they pursued all of those things elsewhere…and found none of them.

Questions to consider:

1. What is the danger of trying to “read” your audience (Friends, neighbors, etc.) so much so that you only speak what you believe to be appealing and desirable to them?
2. If the way you have learned of God has been taught through the grid of appealing to people’s natural desires (“Speak to us smooth things”), why would turning away from God not seem like that big of a deal?
3. Why does “escaping God” or choosing not to turn to Him ever look like freedom or strength?
4. What will the person who considers themselves “free” and “strong” because they have turned away from God always find out?

Today’s passage: Isaiah 30:1-7

Helpful thoughts:

• Judah was in distress because they had turned away from the Lord.  And, in their increasing distress, they turned to…the Egyptians.
  • This decision makes sense in that Judah had long been in the habit of turning to others beside God.  This wasn’t a new direction.  Judah was being consistent in their rebellion.
• Judah’s trust in Egypt will prove to be useless and bring them more shame.
• God compares Egypt to an ancient near east legend, “Rahab”, who was a fictional sea monster.  God calls Egypt a powerful creature, who will do nothing.  Egypt will provide no help to Judah.

Questions to consider:

1. Had Judah been in the habit of turning to the Lord and worshiping Him in sincerity, where would they have turned when the Assyrians were preparing to attack?  How does our daily walk and worship prepare us for the surprises we face in life?
2. Judah’s decision to turn to Egypt would have been considered “normal”.  What has the world, in our day, been turning to in it’s distress?  Is it working?
3. How could all of the powerful people and/or the nations (Or alliances) in the world today be compared to a fictional powerful force?  Who holds the power and will never fail to accomplish His perfect sovereign will?

Today’s passage: Isaiah 29

Helpful thoughts:

• There will be an army ready to conquer Jerusalem, and seemingly out of nowhere, they will fail.
  • This may have been fulfilled in Isaiah 37:36-37, or perhaps looking forward to later times.
• There will be worshipers of God in Israel, and it will be God’s doing.
• Religious exercises are pointless when the heart of the worshiper is turned “upside down”.
  • God looks at the heart.
  • Man tends to make God the one who serves us!
  • When Christianity starts to mimic idolatry (i.e. Do this ritual, expect that payback), the exchange has already occurred.

Questions to consider:

1. The idea of turning things upside down, is written after the explanation of having words but not being able to read them (Verses 11-12).  How does the idea that God exists to give me what I want make it hard for me to understand the Bible when I read it?  If the Bible is boring to you and confusing, where might the problem lie?
2. Is God confused by our modern day culture?  Why does He know more about the way things are than we do?  Why would it be wrong to put God in a category with “Ancient gods”?
3. If we were the potters and God was the clay, what would He be like?  How many versions of god would there be?  How important is it to learn who He is and what He is like?  Why do we tend to reshape or redefine God?