Questions

Scriptural Reflection
Isaiah 1:1–31

This week we will begin the study of the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament.

Introduction to Isaiah:

The name Isaiah means either “the Lord saves” or “the Lord is Savior” and this very much encapsulates the theme of this most often quoted OT book by the NT writers. The vision of the prophet covers some 50 years, from the death of Uzziah (739 B.C.) until the end of the reign of Hezekiah (686 B.C.). In spite of works of modern critics on its unity, it is clear that the original transmitters of the book saw it as one work authored by the prophet Isaiah as evidenced from the first of several portions of Isaiah found in Qumran, referred to as IQIs^a, dating to ca. 125-100 B.C., and its reference by the book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) in 190 B.C.

The first part of Isaiah, i.e. from ch.1 – ch. 39 sets its background against the lifetime of the prophet from 739-701 B.C. when Assyria as a world power resurged in its greatness,  and, laying directly in its path of expansion, was Israel and Judah who had enjoyed a time of peace and prosperity that they had not known since the time of Solomon (from roughly 810-750 B.C.). A bit earlier, God had raised up Amos and Hosea to minister to the north, rebuking their complacency, compounded by its idolatry, adultery and injustice. Isaiah was raised up by God with his likely royal blood to minister to Judah, whose spiritual complacency was worse as they felt superior spiritually to their “godless” neighbor. But words of warning and prophecy by Isaiah extend beyond the fate of God’s people, but to that of the nations.

The second part of Isaiah, i.e. from ch. 40 – ch. 57 is a section distinctly marked by hope and is highlighted by messages that depict the greatness and transcendence of God and the famous Suffering Servant.

The final part of Isaiah i.e. from ch. 58 – ch. 66 looks forward to the time when God will create new heavens and a new earth.

This great book displays marvelously the wonder and character of God, exposes the sins of humanity and the world and delivers a powerful message of grace in redemption that, together with the rest of the book, “contains more prophecies about the Messiah than any other books in the Old Testament”, including the birth of Christ, His ministry, His death and His future reign. St. Augustine called this book, the “Fifth Gospel”.

Due to the length of the book, we shall not be able to reflect on a verse-by-verse basis as we usually do; rather, we shall meditate reflectively based on the main teachings of each section for devotional purposes. However, this should not deter you from pursuing the study of each chapter in greater details outside of our time of devotion.

The calling of Isaiah as a prophet is recorded in chapter 6; we shall take the position of Calvin in treating the writing of the entire book chronologically, assuming that his formal calling came subsequent to the first five chapters of “vision”:

(1) Just imagine that even before he might be recognized as a professional prophet, Isaiah opened his ministry as a young man with this opening salvo. As you read the entirety of this chapter, consider the following:

a. What kind of a spiritual condition is being depicted under this relatively good king, Uzziah?

b. How shocking would this message be to the king and the people of Judah?

(2) The lament of God (1:2-4):

a. Why does God invoke heaven and earth as His witness?

b. What does the comparison of the nation to an ox and a donkey seek to reveal?

(3) The sorry state of Judah (1:5-9): Although it would be some 140 odds years later that Judah would bear the full wrath of Babylon, the threats of Assyria had already inflicted enough destruction on Judah:

a. Why would God lament over their plight as injuries to their head, heart, foot and sole?

b. While comparing them to Gomorrah, how does God show mercy to them?

(4) The sins exposed (1:10-17):

a. What in essence are the sins being exposed in vv. 10-15?

b. According to vv. 16-17, what made such a sin of religious hypocrisy even more wicked?

c. What is the important message to you?

(5) A message of grace (1:18-20):

a. Do you think the invitation to reason is based on grace? Why or why not?

b. Where does their hope lie ultimately?

(6) Their reality of sins and punishment (1:21-31):

a. What are the sins being highlighted once again (vv. 21-23)?

b. What punishment will they face (vv. 24-25)?

c. What is the ultimate purpose of God’s punishment (vv. 26-27)?

d. Shame will be the result of turning to idols (depicted by sacred oaks and gardens): When read together with vv. 10-14, what kind of religious apostasy is being depicted?

(7) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Scriptural Reflection
Isaiah 2:1–22

The first message of rebuke and punishment of Judah is immediately followed by a grand vision of “the last days” that include the reign of peace by the Lord (2:2-5); the humbling of the house of Jacob (2:6-11) and the dreadful appearance of the Lord (2:12-21).

(1) The reign of the Lord (2:2-5): The future of the worship of the Lord by all nations is being prophesied:

a. What is the result of such a world-wide worship of the Lord?

b. What will be the basis of “world-peace”?

c. Since this is a vision concerning “Judah and Jerusalem” (2:1), what role will they play in this glorious future? (2:5)

(2) The humbling of the house of Jacob (2:6-11):

a. What sin is being highlighted, especially by the idea of “fullness”?

b. How will they eventually learn that such “fullness” cannot be trusted?

(3) The Day of the Lord (2:12-21):

a. Vv. 12-18 is mixture of figures and realities:

1. What is its main message?
2. Do you sense that this message applies beyond the house of Jacob? Why?

b. Vv. 19-21:

1. How is the splendor of God depicted?
2. How are men humbled?

(4) Why does this vision end with an exhortation not to trust in man (2:22)?

(5) How relevant was the message to Judah, as they were going through a political transition with the (impending) death of King Uzziah and the threat of a resurging Assyria?

(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Scriptural Reflection
Isaiah 3:1–4:6

After the initial thunder of lament and rebuke, followed by the dreadful announcement of the Day of the Lord, the prophetic vision turns to the present reality of the sins of the nations. In this chapter, the sins of the leaders and the ‘women” of Zion are exposed:

(1) Sins of the leaders (3:1-15):

a. Who will be taken away? (vv. 2-3)

b. Why is the taking away of leaders mentioned together with supply and support? (v. 2)

c. What will be the curse of poor leadership (vv. 4-7)?

d. What were the sins of the leaders (vv. 8-15)?

e. What will be the exception? (v. 10)

f. What is the importance of framing this accusation within a court setting? (vv. 13-15)

(2) The sins of the women (3:16 - 4:1):

a. Why were the women singled out?

b. While wearing perfume and ornaments are in themselves not a sin, where then do their sins lie?

c. Do you think this rebuke is purely metaphorical as some scholars opine? Why or why not?

d. How does 4:1 depict the horrible consequence of God’s judgment on the nation?

(3) A most glorious hope (4:2-6): It will be wrong to assume that the message of hope only appears from chapter 40 onward. Here is an example of a most glorious hope prophesied in the midst of utter destruction:

a. God has promised the survival of a remnant:

1. What will they be called and why?
2. How will they be cleansed?
3. Why would their names be recorded? (Mal. 3:16)
4. The presence of God is promised in 2:5: What do the symbols of cloud and fire remind you of? (Num. 14:14)
5. All this is preceded by the introduction of “the Branch of the Lord”, why? (See Isa. 11:1; Zech. 3:8; 6:12)

b. How does this speak to the mercy of God in the midst of His wrath?

(4) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?

Scriptural Reflection
Isaiah 5:1–29

These first messages preceding the formal call of Isaiah end with a poetic expression of God’s relationship with His people as one between the husbandman and His vineyard:

(1) The parable of the vineyard (5:1-7):

a. What does the depiction by Isaiah of God as “the beloved” of whom he sings reveal about the prophet?

b. What does a husbandman desire in the planting of a vineyard?

c. How does it express God’s desire for Jerusalem?

d. What normally does a husbandman have to put into the planting of a vineyard?

e. What has God put into His relationship with Jerusalem?

f. What did He get at the end? Why?

g. What consequence will the vineyard face?

h. What does this parable serve to illustrate?

(2) Six woes of “sour grapes” (5:8-23):

a. What is the 1^st woe (5:8-10):

1. Can you draw a parallel with today’s unchecked greed in our society?
2. What will the punishment be?

b. What is the 2^nd woe (5:11-17)?

1. Can a life of pleasure coexist with a life of regard for the deeds of the Lord? Why or why not?
2. What will the punishment be for the leaders and the people?
3. Why would God mete out such punishment?

c. What is the 3^rd woe (5:18-19)?

1. What depiction of their wickedness is meant by the use of (tiny, less visible) cords and (huge, visible) cart ropes?
2. How and why do these people mock the Lord?

d. What is the 4^th woe (5:20)?

1. Can you draw a parallel with today’s secular society?

e. What is the 5^th woe (5:21)?

1. Why is such a sin so wicked?

f. What is the 6^th woe (5:22-23)?

1. What has such drinking to do with bribery?

(3) The horrific judgment (5:24-30):

a. What kind of consequence is depicted by v. 24 and what are the reasons given?

b. What is the immediate punishment as God’s anger burns against them (v. 25)?

c. Why is it not enough? What will the Lord use to inflict even more severe punishment?

1. This punishment was fulfilled by the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. (see 2 Ki. 25):

1. How fitting was his invasion in the fulfillment of this prophecy?

2. As Isaiah refers to the “distant nations", in what ways do you think it refers to a time still in the future? Why?

(4) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Scriptural Reflection
Isaiah 6:1–13

Now Isaiah tells us the awesome experience leading to his calling:

(1) What is the significance of the timing of this official calling?

(2) Why did the call need to take place in such an epiphany?

a. Where does the Lord reveal Himself?

b. How does He reveal Himself?

c. Why do the seraphs who serve Him need the following?

1. Wings that cover their faces
2. Wings that cover their feet
3. Wings that fly

d. Why do they have to call to one another?

1. What does the three-fold “holy” signify?
2. What does the praise that “the whole earth is full of His glory” signify?

e. What happens at the sound of their voices and what does it signify?

(3) At such a sight, the normal reaction of a human is to worship:

a. Why then was Isaiah’s immediate reaction the consciousness and confession of his sin?

b. Why was he particularly convicted of the sin of “unclean lips”?

c. Why did he think that he was “ruined”?

(4) At his confession, one of the seraphs took away his sin with a live coal from the altar:

a. What does the altar have to do with atonement?

b. What was the spiritual significance of his forgiveness by the touching of the live coal?

(5) Why did the Lord choose to call him only after his confession?

(6) Why did he respond so readily?

(7) The call by the Lord was most puzzling:

a. What did the Lord specifically ask Isaiah to do?

b. If the people were not to hear and see, what was the purpose of his mission?

c. V. 10 is a subject of much controversy:

1. Can Isaiah or his message really “make” the heart of the people calloused, ears dulled and eyes closed?
2. What really causes it?

(8) Isaiah’s concern was not so much the apparent futility of his mission but the ultimate fate of his people: What was God’s answer to his question in essence?

(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Scriptural Reflection
Isaiah 7:1–25

After taking up the call of the Lord, Isaiah was thrust into action within chapters 7-39 united around the theme of trust, spelling out the truth that their trust in the nations will result in desolation (ch. 34), while their trust in God will lead to abundance (ch. 35).

Chapters 7-12 is a unit dealing with the combined threats of Syria and Israel to Judah in which king Ahaz chose to trust his worst enemy, Assyria. This unit also opens to the grand revelation of God’s salvation through “Immanuel”.

7:1-9—The counsel to trust:

(2) Read 2 Kings 16:5-18 to get a sense of the historical background to this encounter between king Ahaz and Isaiah: Isaiah makes clear that the combined force of Aram and Israel “could not overpower” Jerusalem.

(3) How did the king and his people react to the news of the impending threat? (v. 2)

(4) Now the Lord sent the prophet and his son to deliver a message to the king:

a. What did the Lord ask Ahaz to do? (v. 4)

b. How did the Lord describe the two invading kings?

c. Why should king Ahaz not be afraid? (v. 7)

(5) Three more reasons are added so that the king need not be afraid (vv. 8-9): What are they?

7:10-15—The giving of a sign

(6) Why did the Lord offer to give the king a sign?

(7) Was his refusal pleasing to the Lord (include in your judgment the subsequent action he took according to history)? Why or why not?

(8) Why did Isaiah say his pretense of not wanting a sign was really trying the patience of God?

(9) Why did the Lord choose to give a sign anyway? What was this sign about, according to Matthew 1:23? (See Note below)

7:16-25—The unbelieving fate of Judah

(10) As we know from 2 Kings 16, king Ahaz chose  to trust in Assyria, and not the Lord: What would be, in essence, the consequence of his choice?

(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Note:

It is futile to argue whether the word “virgin” in its original Hebrew means a married woman or a virgin since Matthew 1:23 serves as its best commentary (not to mention the fact that “the word is never used of a married woman in the OT”— see TNICOT, 210). However, this sign likely has a dual focus — one points to the birth of the Messiah in the distant future; another is rooted in Ahaz’s own time likely referring to the son of Isaiah (Mather-Shalal-Hash-Baz in chapter 8) whose birth was definitely known to the king and served as a sign that “by the time the child has reached an age of official accountability, both of the threatening powers will have ceased to exist” (ibid, 214).

Scriptural Reflection
Isaiah 8:1–22

8:1-8—The child a sign

(1) To reinforce the prophecy that “the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste” (7:16), God told Isaiah to do the following:

-Write the words Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz on a large scroll (or wood) and have it witnessed by two prominent figures

-Name his new born by that name signifying “speeding to the plunder, hurrying to the spoil”, i.e. the swift destruction of Damascus and Samaria that took place in 732 B.C. (it was likely within a year of the child’s birth)

a. Why did the Lord make such a prophetic declaration so formal?

b. What might be the significance of using Isaiah’s son as such a sign?

(2) What does the comparison of the gentle stream of Shiloah with the mighty Euphrates of Assyria seek to highlight? (Note: Shiloah was likely the little brook which runs between the south-western slope of Moriah and the south-eastern slope of Mount Zion — a symbol of the Davidic reign enthroned upon Zion — see K&D, 151.)

(3) The rejoicing in v. 6 likely refers to Judah rejoicing over the retreat of the two kings because of Assyrian intervention:

a. What will their rejoicing turn into?

b. While Judah would also bear the wrath of Assyria, how different would their fate be from Israel? (Note: up to the neck means near-death, but not death itself)

c. What is the reason for their rescue, according to the end of v. 8?

8:9-10—Deliverance of “Immanuel”

(4) “O Immanuel” and “for God is with us” serve as an “inclusio”:

a. As much as the nations would invade Judah, who is the one calling them to war?

b. As much as the nations might think they’re acting on their own and with their own plans, would they succeed? Why or why not?

8:11-15—A word of warning to the prophet

(5) What did the people dread?

(6) Whom should they dread and why?

(7) Why did the Lord have to caution the prophet “not to follow the way of this people”?

(8) In what ways would God be both a “sanctuary” and a “stumbling stone”? (See 1 Pet. 2:4-8)

8:16-22—The role of the prophet

(9) It appears that Isaiah understood the “sealed up” nature of this prophecy which will have to wait for the arrival of the Messiah — the Immanuel — to unfold its meaning; therefore he will wait and in the meantime continue to exhort the people:

a. What does he understand as his role and that of his children? (v. 18)

b. How should the prophets (and for that matter, the servants of God) differ from the mediums? (vv. 19-20)

c. What if the servants of the Lord do not preach faithfully according to the law and the testimony? (vv. 21-22)

(10) What is the main message to you today? How may you apply it to your life?