Questions

Scriptural Reflection
Isaiah 9:1–21

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

It is helpful to remember that the background of this famous Messiah promise in 9:6 is based on the reminder by the Lord to the prophet not to follow the way of his people (8:11), and to caution the people not to consult mediums and spiritists, lest they fall into utter spiritual darkness and fearful gloom (8:19-22). Sandwiched between these warnings, is a promise that God will be their sanctuary, and yet to the unbelieving house of Israel, He will be a stone that causes men to stumble (8:14).

9:1-7—The Promise of the birth of the Messiah

(1) History tells us that Israel did not listen to the warnings of God, and plunged themselves not only into literal destruction (Israel in 721 B.C. and Judah in 586 B.C.), but also into utter spiritual darkness, with the destruction of God’s temple — a sign that God has departed from them. “Nevertheless”, this will not be their final fate. The lands of Zebulun and Naphtali mark the northern parts of Israel which always bore the brunt of a northern invasion and had turned into a land of “Gentiles”— a melting pot of Jews, Canaanites, Arameans, Hittites and Mesopotamians.

a. What does it mean that these people (of Galilee) would see a “great light”? (see Matt. 4:14)

b. How does this promise contrast the previous picture that (i) only a small remnant would survive (4:2), (ii) the land would be devastated (7:23), and (iii) they would be plundered by their enemies (8:4)?

(2) The joy is now expressed in terms of (i) the breaking of their yoke and burdens—a reminder of the slavery in Egypt, and (ii) the deliverance by Gideon (Jdg. 7) from the 7 year domination by Midian—with only a small army (just like their remnant) and by a hero in Gideon:

a. What kind of joy is being promised?

b. What kind of a picture is being depicted in v. 5?

(3) The reason is given in vv. 6-7:

a. Why is this “Savior” called a child and a son? (Lk. 2:7; Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 4:9)

b. What kind of a responsibility or power will He assume?

1. According to v. 7, list all the unusual features of His government.
2. What kind of a government can this be?

c. What does His name signify as to who He really is? Consider each of the following:

1. Wonderful (Jdg. 13:18)
2. Counsellor (Isa. 11:2)
3. Mighty God (El gibbor with El being God; also Deut. 10:17; Jer. 32:18; Neh. 9:32; Ps. 24:8)
4. Everlasting Father
5. Prince of Peace (Mic. 5:5; Eph. 2:14)

(4) How does this prophecy point to the “man-God” character of the Messiah?

(5) How does this passage affirm the truth about “Trinity”?

9:8-21—Continuing sin, continuing judgment

(6) Stubborn pride in spite of judgment (9:8-12)

a. What kind of sin is being depicted?

b. How does king Hoshea’s action illustrate such an attitude? (2 Ki. 17:3-4)

c. What is the judgment pronounced?

(7) The cancerous sin of the leader (9:13-17)

a. How does the Lord depict the sin of the leaders?

b. Delitzsch suggests that the image is intended to compare the fawning flattery of these prophets to the wagging tail of a dog, conveying Isaiah’s contempt for the godless leaders: What do you think?

c. What is the impact of their sin on the nation?

(8) The fire of destruction (9:18-21)

a. The destruction is like fire: Is it the consequence of human sin or the wrath of God? How so?

b. What horrific judgment is being depicted of God’s people in vv. 20-21?

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

Scriptural Reflection
Isaiah 10:1–19

10:1-4 Continuous sin of Israel—Here, Isaiah continues the theme that “Yet for all this, His anger is not turned away”, to highlight the stubborn sin of Israel which invites continuous wrath of God:

(1) What kind of further wickedness is being highlighted in God’s people?

(2) What will their punishment be?

10:5-19—Assyria, the instrument will also be punished

(3) What do verses 5-6 imply in answering the following?

a. Who actually caused the pagan world power, Assyria, to be so powerful?

b. For what purpose did God use them?

(4) How did Assyria see herself differently from God? (v. 7)

(5) Apart from seeing the kings of Jerusalem and Samaria as the same as the kings of other nations (i.e. just as conquerable), how did Assyria view the God of Jerusalem and Samaria? Why? (vv. 8-11)

(6) How do the leaders of the world view our Lord Jesus Christ in general when it comes to the running of their own country and in dealing with international affairs?

(7) Using the terms below, how does the Lord describe the pride of the heart of Assyria in vv. 13-14?

a. Their strength

b. Their wisdom

c. The ease with which they defeated other nations

(8) What is the vital mistake in their pride according to v. 15?

a. In other words, what have they failed to recognize?

b. Why?

(9) How does the Lord depict their destruction in 10:16, 18, and 19?

(10) Who is the Light of Israel? (10:17)

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

Scriptural Reflection
Isaiah 10:20–11:9

“In that day” usually refers to then End-times, “the Day of the Lord”:

10:20-23—The Hope of the Remnant

(1) What change will take place to the remnant in the last days?

(2) If only a remnant is preserved in Israel, does that  contradict God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 22:17-18? Why or why not?

(3) While this is a glorious promise for the future, what will happen in the immediate future? (10:21) Why?

10:24-34—The Destruction of Assyria

(4) What images does the Lord use to describe their conditions under the threat of Assyrian in v. 27?

(5) What are the historical incidents that God uses to give them hope of deliverance in v. 26? (see Jdg. 7:23-25; Exod. 14:21ff)

(6) As much as deliverance is promised, God still shows them the horrific threat of the attack by Assyria on Jerusalem in vv. 28-32—Aiath, Migron, Micmash etc. were all towns along the path of attack, near Jerusalem—

a. What promise is given in vv. 33-34? (Note: Assyria is compared to the forest in 10:19 and to Lebanon in Ezek. 31:3.)

b. Historically, while Assyria did destroy Israel (whereas Judah and Jerusalem survived its attack in 701 B.C.), Assyria was eventually overpowered by Babylon in 609-5 B.C. What does this say about biblical prophecies? (see Note below)

11:1-9—The Root of this glorious hope

(7) In continuing the message of hope for the remnant, what is the significance of referring to the Messiah as “a shoot” coming out of the “stump of Jesse”—the father of David? (2 Sam. 7:12-16)

(8) How will the Messiah be different from any earthly king of Israel? Consider these aspects:

a. In terms of His life (11:2)

b. In terms of His administration (11:3-4)

c. In terms of life within His kingdom (11:5-9)

d. Why will there be such differences?

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

Note:

While the precise details of the Assyrian attack on Jerusalem differ between secular history and Isaiah’s prophecy, it only proves that Isaiah did not prophecy after the fact. Furthermore, how accurate were Sennacherib’s annals is also open to question. Edward Young agrees with Delitzsch:

“What the prophet here predicts has, when properly interpreted, been all literally fulfilled. The Assyrians did come from the north with the storm-steps of a conqueror, and the cities named were really exposed to the dangers and terrors of war. And this was what the prophet depicted, looking as he did from a divine eminence, and drawing from the heart of the divine counsels, and then painting the future with colors which were but the broken lights of those counsels as they existed in his own mind.”
(Young, 374, K&D, 179)

Scriptural Reflection
Isaiah 11:10–12:6

11:10-16—The setting up of the Messiah’s Kingdom

(1) The Messiah, the Root of Jesse will be “raised as a banner” (11:10, 12). How does it correspond to the salvation through Christ Jesus? (Jn. 3:14-15; 12:32)

a. Two types of people will be drawn to the Messiah. Who are they (vv. 10-12)?

b. How does Paul interpret these two groups of people in Romans 11:25-27?

c. Why is His place called the place of rest?

(2) The restoration of Israel and Judah as one nation is promised. This includes the following:

a. The vanishing of jealousy and hostility between the two (v. 13)—How could this be possible? (Eph. 2:15-16)

b. Victory over their neighboring enemies (v. 14)—How does this speak to the present threat Israel faces from their neighboring nations?

c. A greater miracle than the drying up of the Red Sea (vv. 15-16)—How will this “second-time” delivery (11:11) differ from their Exodus from Egypt? (See also Rev. 16:12 for the drying up of the Euphrates.)

12:1-6—Thanksgiving Song of Salvation

(3) Judging from the contents of the song, how different will this scene “in that day” be from some of those previously mentioned (e.g. 3:7, 18)?

(4) The song is in two parts:

a. Part I (vv. 1-3):

1. Who are the recipients of salvation?
2. How long has God’s anger been on His people (of Israel and Judah) as far as you can tell?
3. How will they be “comforted”? (see 40:1-2)
4. What will they learn about God eventually?
5. Where can they draw the water of salvation from? (Jn. 7:37-38)

b. Part II (vv. 4-6):

1. To whom should the people of Zion proclaim the name of the Lord? (v. 4)
2. Why? (v. 5)
3. What great things has the Lord done for the people of Zion and the world? (Jn. 3:16)

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

Scriptural Reflection
Isaiah 13:1–22

The song of thanksgiving aptly brings the section on “Immanuel” to a close, and now the prophet turns his focus on the “trustworthiness of the Lord”. While the message of chapters 7-12 is in response to Ahaz’ trust in Assyria which leads to destruction, the message of chapters 36-39 shows an opposite response by Hezekiah whose trust in the Lord means the destruction of Assyria. Sandwiched between these two messages is the revelation concerning who is really the Lord of all nations on earth:

Chs. 13-23: The fate of all nations is in God’s hand

Chs. 24-27: God is the Sovereign Lord of history

Chs. 28-33: Trusting in nations (men) = foolishness

Chs. 34-35: Trusting in nations = a desert; trusting in God = a garden

We shall reflect on the “oracle” concerning Babylon of chapters 13 and 14 as a unit:

13:2-5—God gathers His army

(1) What is the purpose of gathering an army? (13:2, 5)

(2) Where are they from?

(3) While the army is not named (yet), they are of an earthly origin: Why then are they called “my holy ones”? (Note: "holy" means being set apart for a purpose.)

(4) What will be the scope of destruction?

13:6-16—The Day of the Lord

(5) While the Day of the Lord in chapter 12 is a time to celebrate, here it called for “wailing”. Why?

(6) Day of terror (vv. 7-8): How will any human face this day? Why?

(7) Why will there be such a day (vv. 9, 11)?

(8) How will the heavens react to this Day? (v. 10) Why? (v. 13)

(9) What will be the effect on human life? (vv. 12, 15-16)

(10) Given the above description, what will you call this Day?

13:17-22—The punishment of human pride—See today’s meditative reflection on the choice of Babylon as the representative of human pride against God:

(11) How did Nebuchadnezzar look upon his own kingdom and achievement? (See Dan. 4:28-30)

(12) How long did the Babylonian empire last? (Jer. 25:12; 29:10)

(13) How did it end and by whom? (Dan. 5:30-31)

(14) How does Isaiah predict the devastating consequence of God’s punishment of this “prized jewel” of the ancient world? (vv. 20-22)? (see Note below)

(15) What is the message of this prophecy?

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

Note:

“Desolation is the result of the judgment, but the situation herein described did not immediately take place. Cyrus left the walls and the city of Babylon itself still standing. Later, in 518 BC the walls were destroyed. Then Xerxes ruined the temple of Belus. As Selucia rose, so Babylon declined, and in Strabo’s time (Strabo was a Greek historian toward the end of the 1^st century before Christ) Babylon was a desert of which he says, ‘a great desert is the great city’…and Pausanius (1^st century AD Greek traveler) says there is nothing there but a wall.”
(Young, volume I, 427)

Scriptural Reflection
Isaiah 14:1–23

The predicted downfall of Babylon is now viewed in the light of God’s salvation:

14:1-8—The universal nature of Israel’s deliverance

(1) Most commentators translate 14:1 beginning with “for”, which is in the original: How then is the punishment of “Babylon” an expression of God’s compassion on Jacob?

(2) Why will Israel bring their enemies (Gentiles) into their homeland and even “unite” with them? (Even Peter had a problem with this — see Acts 10:28.)

(3) In this unity, why would Gentiles become Israel’s servants? See which of the following explanations makes more sense to you and why?

a. K&D: “to be ruled by the people of God is the true happiness of the nations, and to allow themselves to be so ruled is true liberty” (K&D, 199); or

b. Young: “Israel will not serve them, but they will serve her, and through her will serve God…Through Christ the heathen are being spiritually subdued; that is to say, through Christ working by means of His ministers and missionaries, they are being subdued.” (Young, Volume I, 434)

(4) Peace on earth (vv. 5-8) is achieved for these reasons:

a. The oppressor and his fury have ended:

1. How oppressive was the oppressor?

b. The Lord has broken his power (rod and scepter)

1. While God used the Medes to bring down Babylon, how does God bring down the rod and scepter of Satan?

c. Rest and peace is expressed through the song of the trees of Lebanon:

1. How does this song depict the restored nation of Israel?
2. How does it also depict a human race restored to God?

(5) vv. 9-23—Turmoil in hell

a. Why would “sheol” tremble at the coming of Babylon? (vv. 9-11) Why was it so unexpected?

b. Some commentators opine that vv. 12-17 is describing Satan; it could be the case, but the satanic nature of human pride is unquestionable. With this in mind, consider the following:

1. How great was the Babylonian empire once? (vv. 12, 16-17)
2. What pride was expressed by Nebuchadnezzar that resembled such arrogance as of vv. 13-14? (See Dan. 3:15; 4:30)
3. What pride was being expressed by the builders of the Tower of Babel? (Gen. 11:1-5)
4. Can you think of any modern-day expressions of human pride that resemble such arrogance?

c. Being the epitome of human pride, Babylon will suffer a disgraceful end that includes these things:

1. not even having a tomb (v. 19);
2. suffering not a natural death (v. 19);
   
3. even the corpse is trampled upon (v. 19);
4. family name erased from human memory (v. 20);
5. no offspring to inherit land (v. 21): since no Babylonian king is known to have suffered such a death, how should we take this curse? (vv. 22-23)

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

Scriptural Reflection
Isaiah 14:24–15:9

Following the prophecy about the destruction of Babylon (as representative of human pride and rejection against God), Isaiah prophesies against Assyria:

14:24-27—Judgment on Assyria

(1) Look up Jeremiah 50:18-19 to see why the judgment on Babylon is followed by that on Assyria.

(2) While the Babylonians would be destroyed by the Medes, where would the Assyrians be crushed? (v. 25)

(3) How did it come to pass? (See 2 Ki. 19:35-37 and  Isa. 37:33-38)

(4) How would this fulfillment speak to the history of the world, past, present and future? (vv. 26-27)

14:29-32—Judgment on the Philistines

(5) Read 2 Chronicles 28:18 to get a sense of the background to this oracle against the Philistines.

(6) How wicked was Ahaz (see 2 Chr. 28:1-4, 22-25)?

(7) Why then should the rejoicing of the Philistines deserve punishment? (v. 32)

(8) Why was the death of Ahaz a turning point for the nation? (2 Chr. 29:1-2)

15:1-9—Judgment on Moab

(9) What would mark the downfall of Ar, Moab’s capital and Kir, Moab’s chief fortress? (v. 1)

(10) What is the repeated motif throughout the description of the destruction across the various cities of Moab? (vv. 2-5)

(11) Why would the prophet join in and cry? (v. 5)

(12) Moab was Judah’s south-east neighbor and was a nation that did not worship the Lord. Consider these questions:

a. What would such an oracle serve to warn Judah against?

b. What would such an oracle mean to Moab?

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