This week we
will continue the study of the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament.
The message of comfort continues with a pronouncement of judgment on Babylon and her trust in magic, spells and astrology in the last chapter. With this message, the Lord confronts Judah with the implications of foretelling them of such “new things” that have yet to happen:
48:1-6—The Follies of Judah—While Babylon is wicked, the Lord reminds Judah that they are really no better:
(1) Who are they to God? (48:1; see 43:1 as well)
(2) How phony is their religion? (48:1-2)
(3) What should they have learned from their past history or encounters with God? Can you think of any examples? (48:3)
(4) What was God’s purpose of giving them prophecies in the past? Was God’s purpose served?
48:7-11—The Consequences of Their Treachery
(5) What has already happened as they had ignored their past encounters with God? (48:9-10)
(6) What are the “new things” told by God in the last chapter?
(7) Why does God still choose to tell them “new things”? (48:11)
48:12-22—Call to Repentance
(8) In calling them to come near and listen, what does God remind them of in vv. 12-13 and why?
(9) What are the “new things” being reiterated here in vv. 14-15?
(10) Why should they come and listen? (v. 17)
(11) What if they had chosen to listen before? (vv. 18-19)
(12) How should they repent now? (v. 20) Why? (v. 22)
(13) What is being promised in vv. 20-21?
(14) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
The “servant” introduced in chapter 42:1ff is now the theme of this segment from chapter 49 to chapter 57. The description and work of this servant is far beyond that of Cyrus who is used to defeat and punish Babylon. As we shall find out, while He is identified with Israel (49:3), His character and origin certainly transcend that of the sinful Israel and can only refer to Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
49:1-4—The Self-Introduction of the “Servant”
(1) To whom is this message addressed? Why? (v. 1)
(2) V. 1 does not speak to the origin of the servant, but rather His mission — how He is called. How then is v.1 fulfilled in Jesus Christ? (Matt. 1:21)
(3) V. 2 speaks of both His ministry and how God would protect Him:
a. In what ways is Jesus like a sharpened sword and a polished arrow? (Heb. 4:12)
b. Can you recall instances where God protected Him? (e.g. Matt. 2:12ff)
(4) While Israel has failed to display God’s splendor, this “servant” will do so in Israel’s behalf: How has Christ brought glory to God? (Jn. 17:4)
(5) How does v. 4. speak to the reception of Jesus by the people and His ultimate triumph? (see Jn. 1:5; Acts 2:24, 36)
49:5-7—The Mission of the “Servant”
(6) What is the two-fold mission of the servant? (vv. 5-6)
(7) What will be the outcome of His two-fold mission? (v. 7)
49:8-12—The Restoration of Israel
(8) The restoration of Israel is announced with the “year of Jubilee” in mind (see Lev. 25:8ff) in which (mortgaged) property will be returned and slaves will be set free:
a. In what way is true freedom achieved through Christ? (Jn. 8:36)
b. What does it mean that He will be made a covenant for the people? (Matt. 26:28)
(9) While the restoration of Israel appears to be spoken of in physical terms, what might the spiritual reality portrayed by vv. 9-12 be?
49:13-21—Answering the Doubters (I)
(10) As great as this news is to Israel, why would they have doubts? (v. 14, v. 21)
(11) How does the Lord answer them? (vv. 15-16)
(12) How might you apply God’s answer to yourself?
(13) In a nutshell, what kind of promise is given in vv. 18-21?
49:22-26—Answering the Doubters (II)
(14) What is the second question asked by the doubters? (v. 24)
(15) How does the Lord answer them?
(16) What does the realization of this promise mean to “all mankind”? (v. 26)
(17) How should this great salvation of God brought through His Servant be greeted? (v. 13)
(18) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Chapter 50—The One Who Answers the Call — As God continues to introduce His servant through whom salvation will be brought to Israel (and the world), He points out that Israel should be held responsible for their own demise:
50:1-3—Israel Did Not Answer the Call of God:
(1) What two analogies does the Lord use to point out His broken relationship with Israel? (v. 1)
(2) If God has not severed His tie with Israel, who is responsible for their plight? (v. 1)
(3) In fact, God did not desert them. He had come to them and He had called them. How did Israel respond to God’s offer of help? (v. 2)
(4) Do they have any excuse? Why or why not? (vv. 2-3)
50:4-11—The “Servant” Answers the Call of God
(5) Consider that Israel was not there when God came, nor listened to His call.
a. How different is this “Servant” in these respects? (vv. 4-5)
b. What is the meaning of a “well-instructed (or disciplined) tongue"?
(6) Why would this “Servant” have to suffer beating and mocking?
(7) How would He face such sufferings? (v. 6)
(8) Why? (vv. 7-9)
(9) How has Christ fulfilled this prophecy? (Mk. 15:16-20; Phil. 2:6-11)
(10) How does the servant achieve His victory? (vv. 7-9)
(11) How should those who walk in the dark, (i.e. those who recognize their sinful condition) and those who light their own fires, (i.e. those who trust in their own righteousness) respond to the words of the servant? Why? (vv. 10-11)
Chapter 51—Everlasting Salvation
51:1-3—Good News to Those in Zion Who Repent
(12) If they seek the Lord and pursue righteousness, how will they fulfill the promise of God to Abraham and Sarah? (Gen. 22:17)
(13) How will Zion be comforted? (v. 3)
51:4-16—God’s Salvation
(14) How special is this salvation which is on its way (vv. 4-6):
a.Who will the recipients be? Just Israel?
b. And how different will it be from Israel’s past deliverance? (v. 6)
(15) They should not be afraid of their enemies (vv. 7-16):
a. Whom does the Lord call upon not to be afraid? (v. 7)
b. What contrast does the Lord use to assure them? (v. 8)
c. What past example does the Lord give to remind them of His power? (vv. 9-11. Note that Rahab is used to refer to Egypt; see 30:7.)
d. As it is, they are indeed afraid of “mere mortals” (v. 12): What is the reason for their fear? (v. 13)
e. As God gives them further assurances of their salvation, apart from reiterating the destruction of their “mere-mortal” enemies, what role will Israel play in the creation of the “new heaven and the new earth” and how? (v. 16)
(16) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
The message of comfort continues and this time Jerusalem is called to “Awake, awake!”
51:17-23—The Cup of Wrath — The wrath of God is often depicted as a “cup”. While it is mostly used of God’s judgment of the nations, here Jerusalem is the first to taste it:
(1) What is the result of having to drink God’s cup of wrath? (51:17-20)
(2) While commentators have a hard time understanding what exactly “these double calamities” refers to, see 40:2 to get a sense of what God might have in mind.
(3) Since Jerusalem is so drunk, how could she awake? (vv. 21-23)
Chapter 52—The message of comfort continues with the good news that God has “redeemed Jerusalem” (52:9) and His plan of redemption is made clearer and clearer through the emergence of His “Suffering Servant” described in the latter part of this chapter and the next:
52:1-6—Awake, O Zion
(4) In calling Zion to shake off her dust, what condition does the Lord find Zion in? (v. 2)
(5) Instead of being covered with dust, Jerusalem will clothe herself in her beautiful garments. What is the mark of her beauty? (v. 1)
(6) In describing the plight of the daughters of Zion, the Lord likens them as being sold “for nothing”:
a. What does He mean?
b. In a sense, the Lord gets nothing in return when Zion sold herself, but He does get something in return. What is it according to the end of v.5?
(7) Since Zion lies in dust, as good as dead, how then could she awake herself? (v. 6)
52:7-12—The Good News of Salvation — The good news of redemption is introduced in v. 6 by referring to “that day” and the announcement that “Here I am” (NASB).
(8) How does v. 7 echo the announcement in 40:9 and what additional information is given here about this good news?
(9) What will this salvation mean to Zion in particular? (vv. 8-9)
(10) In the bringing about of this redemption, what does the baring of His holy arm mean?
(11) What should they do in response to this good news, especially those who serve the Lord in the temple? (v. 11; refer to 48:20 as well)
(12) Again is this good news just for Jerusalem and her people? (v. 10)
52:13-15—The Suffering Servant
(13) If this “Servant” who will bring about salvation to all will be highly exalted (v. 13), why would many be appalled at Him? (v. 14)
(14) What insight does v. 14 give us about our Lord Jesus when He was on the cross?
(15) What would Christ sprinkle from the cross and on whom? (v. 15; see 1 Pet. 1:1-2)
(16) How does Christ shut the mouths of the kings of the world?
(17) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
This is the clearest depiction of how the “Suffering Servant” will bring about redemption for all mankind, and as you read carefully, you can see how it is fully fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ:
53:1-3—Who Has Believed Our Message?
(1) God’s plan of redemption is certainly a manifestation of His might (symbolized by “the arm of the Lord”). If God is to manifest His might and power through His servant, what normally would one expect to see? Why?
(2) However, the appearance of this “Servant”, this Messiah and Savior is quite unexpected (v. 2):
a. What do a tender shoot and a root out of dry ground depict of Christ’s appearance?
b. What would such an appearance do to Him?
(3) Even if He has no beauty nor majesty to attract us:
a. Why is He despised and rejected?
b. To what extent?
(4) His life is marked by “suffering” and “pain”:
a. What kinds of suffering has Christ gone through?
b. What kinds of pain has Christ endured?
53:4-6—All for Our Sake
(5) In describing His suffering and pain:
a. What does the prophet highlight in v. 5?
b. How is it fulfilled literally in Jesus Christ?
(6) Why does the prophet say that His suffering and pain are ours? (v. 4)
(7) Why would we consider such as punishment by God? (Matt. 27:43)
(8) What does it mean that He was pierced and crushed for our transgressions and our iniquities? (v. 5)
(9) How then has such punishment brought us peace? (Col. 1:20)
(10) How are we healed by His wounds (referring to the stripes Christ suffered)?
53:7-10a—Submission to Death
(11) How did Christ face oppression and affliction? (v. 7, see Matt. 26:62, 63; 27:14) Why?
(12) What would all these sufferings and afflictions culminate to and why? (v. 8)
(13) According to v. 9, how would this Suffering Servant be buried? (see Matt. 27:57-61)
(14) We know that our Lord Jesus cried out to His Father while on the cross (Matt. 27:46), and there was no answer from heaven. What insight does v. 10 give us in this respect?
53:10b-12—It is Finished!
(15) In what sense is the death of this Servant “an offering for sin”? (see Heb. 10:5ff)
(16) What His death will result in:
a. Having offspring: Who are the offspring? (v. 10)
b. The will of God will prosper in His hand: Can you recall some of the many comforts spoken of since chapter 40? (They all will come to fruition because of Christ’s atoning death.)
c. He will be the Victor (v. 12): How does Philippians 2:9-11 describe the victory of Christ?
(17) The chapter ends with one final prophecy about the Servant’s suffering: What is it and how was it fulfilled by Jesus Christ? (Lk. 23:34)
(18) At the end of our study of this chapter, can you not believe that Jesus is this Suffering Servant? Why or why not?
(19) May we pause and offer a prayer of adoration and thanksgiving to our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who was slain!
Chapter 54 continues with the message of comfort, using two analogies:
54:1-10—The Barren Woman
(1) Why is Israel compared to a barren woman? (1 Sam. 1:11; Lk. 1:24-25)
(2) What is the message of comfort and hope in vv. 2-3?
(3) Apart from the analogy of a barren woman, what is Israel also likened to? (v. 6)
(4) What is it like being abandoned by God? (vv. 4, 6)
(5) Who is God? (v. 5) Why then does He call Himself Israel’s husband?
(6) What has prompted Him to call back Israel? (vv. 7-8)
(7) What example does the Lord use to assure Israel of this promise? (v. 9)
(8) What imagery does He invoke to assure Israel of the certainty of this comfort? (v. 10)
54:11-17—The Afflicted City
(9) Perhaps an afflicted city is not so much an analogy but a reality. However, what imagery does it conjure in God’s promise of rebuilding in vv. 11-12? What does this rebuilt city point to? (Rev. 21:15-21)
(10) What will be their heritage in the New Jerusalem? (vv. 13-14)
(11) How will they be vindicated? (vv. 15, 17)
(12) How has God’s attitude toward them changed? (v. 16)
Chapter 55—Invitation to the Thirsty
(13) What had Israel sought in order to satisfy their thirst and hunger before? Why has it left them dissatisfied?
(14) What is the invitation now? (v. 1)
a. For Israel to come to eat and drink, what needs to happen first?
b. Why would it not cost them anything?
c. How is it fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ? (Jn. 6:35)
(15) What does the action of coming to eat and drink entail? (vv. 6-7)
(16) As God asks them to forsake their ways and their thoughts and embrace His, God compares their thoughts and ways to His:
a. In what ways are God’s ways and thoughts different from theirs?
b. In what ways are God’s ways and thoughts higher than theirs (and ours)?
(17) How can they be sure of God’s offer of pardon in v. 7? (vv. 10-11)
(18) What is the sign given by the Lord for this eternal salvation? (vv. 12-13, contrast it with what Paul says in Rom. 8:21-22)
(19) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Chapter 56—Salvation for All—What might be implicit is now made explicit and that is, salvation is offered to all, not just Israel:
56:1-2—The Preparation for Salvation
(1) How does the Lord admonish Israel in vv. 1-2?
(2) What is the reason given?
(3) Is it not “work-righteousness”?
a. How similar is this call to the call for repentance by John the Baptist? (see Matt. 3:2 and Lk. 3:10-14)
b. What role does John’s preaching play? (Lk. 3:4-6)
56:3-8—Salvation for All
(4) Why are eunuchs and foreigners excluded from the assembly of God according to the Law of Moses? (Deut. 23:1-8)
(5) In the future, what are the common criteria used for acceptance to the assembly of God?
a. What are specified for the eunuch? (v. 4)
b. What are specified for the foreigners, i.e. Gentiles? (v. 6)
c. Are these criteria any different for the Jews? (vv. 1-2)
(6) What are the blessings accorded to the believing eunuchs? (v. 5)
(7) What are the blessings accorded to the believing Gentiles? (v. 7)
(8) What kind of a place does the Lord desire His temple to be? (v. 7; also see Matt. 21:13)
(9) Given this passage, especially v. 8, why then would even the Jewish Christians in the time of Peter reject Gentiles? (see Acts 11:1ff, and especially the reluctant comment by Jewish Christians in 11:18)
56:9-12—The Blindness of the Leaders
(10) The leaders (especially priests and prophets) are supposed to be watchmen who warn, and shepherds who lead:
a. In likening the watchmen as mute dogs, what kind of spiritual condition is being depicted by the Lord?
b. What kind of shepherds are these leaders?
c. What judgment will come from the Lord? (v. 9)
Chapter 57 will conclude the message of comfort which begins at chapter 40.
57:1-13—Lashing at Wanton Idolatry
(11) How bad is the spiritual situation of Israel as depicted by vv. 1-2?
(12) Wanton idol worship is being vividly described in vv. 3-10:
a. By what names does the Lord call them? (vv. 3-5)
b. Of all these wanton idol worship practices, what might be the most despicable?
(13) What might be the reason that they choose to stick to their idol worship (v. 10) and not turn to God (v. 11)?
(14) How will the Lord deal with them and their idols? (vv. 12-13)
(15) What will result if they choose to repent? (v. 13)
(16) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?