 Isaiah 1 - 22 Questions and Answers |
| Q. Did Isaiah speak words directly quoted from God? | A. Isaiah 1:2 = Yes. |
| Q. When was Isaiah written? | A. Isaiah 1 (Notes) 800 BC |
| Q. How far from God did the Israelites wander at this time? | A. Isaiah 1:3 = They didn't know God anymore. |
| Q. What comparison did God make to drive his point home? |
A. Isaiah 1:3 = God said that even dumb animals knew who owned them, but not Israel. Note: It wasn't that hard to follow God at that time! But the Israelites couldn't keep up the consistency. That's us, God's sheep, forgetting who we are. Thank God for the Holy Spirit, who helps us focus! |
| Q. Do people return to God if He does miracles? | A. Isaiah 1:3 = Not consistently! |
| Q. What is the nature of our sin? |
A. Isaiah 1:3 = 1) We don't understand what God should mean to us 2) We sin as a nation 3) So we're loaded down with a burden of guilt. 4) We are evil 5) We are corrupt children who walk away from the Lord. 6) We despise God 7) We cut ourselves off from His help Note 1: People who turn children, who are searching for meaning in life are the worst! The rest, sadly, is true of us. But look now at the order of events here: 1) We see God the wrong way 2) So we sin 3) which makes us feel guilty 4) We bring others into our miserable state. 5) End up despising God (who doesn't seem real anymore) 6) We cut ourselves off from God's help. Note 2: This is the state of every godless person. Think about their dilemma when you do evangelism. |
| Q.What are the consequences of this behaviorial pattern? | A. Isaiah 1:5 = God intervenes and punishes rebels in this pattern. |
| Q. Does God just throw lightning bolts? | A. Isaiah 1:5 = No way! God reasons with us, points out the effects of our sins and asks us to return to Him. |
| Q. Why wasn't Israel wiped out at this time? | A. Isaiah 1:9 = God spared a few by His mercy. |
| Q. Why did Isaiah want his leaders to read God's Word? |
A. Isaiah 1:10 = To see what always happened to Israel when they turned from God. Note: Disaster is a reality. We do it to ourselves when we rely only on ourselves. Don't take God's records of history lighty. These events will happen again and again until Jesus comes again! |
| Q. What happendd to Old Testament routines of worship, sacrifices and lawss at this time? |
A. Isaiah 1:11-15 = It was done with a massive tolerance for even murderous sin. God was disgusted. Note: Are we really that way? Being so wrong as to think we're following God, but really on the road to hell? Yes! |
| Q. Did God have a clear path for the Israelites to turn on? |
A. Isaiah 1:16 = Yes. 1) God wanted them to repent 2) Turn from sin 3) Give up evil ways 4) Learn to do good 5) Seek justice 6) Help the oppressed 7) Defend the orphan 8) Fight for the rights of widows. Note: If you do good, fill your life with all these things, you will have no more time left for evil, thus, guilt will vanish from your life. This is not a burdensome lifestyle! It is life! |
| Q. Is God willing to reason it all out with someone who has trouble understanding His Ways? | A. Isaiah 1:18 = Yes! |
| Q. What are God's points? |
A. Isaiah 1:18 = 1) God removes all the states of any sin 2) He makes us clean as snow, no matter how guilty I am 3) But you have to obey Him (reason that out -- God is a good and loving and gentle Father) 4) You have to give God permission to help you 5) God will give you plenty for the asking 6) But God won't wait forever for you! |
| Q. Does God love a godly nation? | A. Isaiah 1:21-23 = Yes. |
| Q. What are the traits of a godly nation gone wrong? |
A. Isaiah 1:21-12 = 1) Many false gods 2) No justice or mercy in the courts or streets 3) The nation's streets are filled with murderers 4) The nation is worthless (having no point) 5) The nation is a wishy-washy copy of God's genuine city. 6) It has rebellious leaders who are companions of thieves 7) Leaders take bribes 8) No one is defending orphans and widows. |
| Q. Will God finally judge these peoples? | A. Isaiah 1:24 = Oh yes. He'll treat us like enemies--or friends. |
| Q. How is that? |
A. 1saiah 1:25 = God will intervene! 1) God will melt us down and skim off our slag, removing all our impurities 2) Appoint good judges and wise counselors as we had before 3) and preserve us before men. Note: This is what it is like being in God's loving hands. Do you know how hot metal has to get before the slag will separate? Don't wait to repent until your suffering is that great! Just turn back to God, willingly, humbly, and start again right now. It's good to be God's child! |
| Q. What does God want for Jerusalem? | A. Isaiah 1:26 = Purity and faithfulness to God before all. |
| Q. Why won't God give up on His people? |
A. Isaiah 1:27 = God is just and righteous, therefore, even the few who repent will be redeemed. Note: God doesn't care what you did, He cares about repentance. |
| Q. Why will God destroy some people? |
A. Isaiah 1:28 = They refuse to acknowledge the Lord. Note: There is a wonderful place and life after this one. Did you know that people who hate God here would only hate Him there? That is why they won't be there! |
| Q. Will these hateful people have guilt and shame for their deeds? | A. Isaiah 1:29-31 = Yes. Every sin will be remembered in shame. |
| Q. Is sin hot? |
A. Isaiah 1:31 = Yes. Sin is the spark that sets the sinners' straw on fire -- no one will be able to dowse these flames! Note: Their sins are fire -- the people are straw. Sin consumes people. Sin murders the people who do it. |
| Q. Will Jerusalem be a great, godly city again? | A. Isaiah 2:2 = Yes. In the last days. The Lord will Himself teach from the Temple. |
| Q. Will the Word of the Lord extend to the world? | A. Isaiah 2:2-3 = Yes. People will come and go from everywhere. The Lord will settle international disputes! World peace will come! |
| Q. Did Isaiah get excited about this vision? | A. Isaiah 2:5 = Yes! He hoped it would convince Israel to repent. |
| Q. Can't God just ignore our sins? | A. Isaiah 2:9 = No! |
| Q. What happened to Israel as a result of godless alliances? |
A. Isaiah 2:6 = They sinned just like their allies. Note: Never think you are beyond being polluted by someone else's sin. Evangelize, but don't let these sinners into your inner circle of friends. Keep your distance or else get in trouble. Sheep are senseless and walk in, oblivious to danger. You are one too! |
| Q. What makes people repent? | A. Isaiah 2:9 = Being brought down low, humbled by God. |
| Q. Why does God need to bring us down low? | A. Isaiah 2:11 = So only He can be exalted. Only God actually belongs in that place of honor. |
| Q. Why should we put our trust only in God and not people? |
A. Isaiah 2:22 = People are frail as breath. How can they be of help to anyone? Note: I know a gal who is happy or sad, depending on her list of friends. She crosses people off as they disappoint her, add them back on as they please her. But these friends of hers are unaffected by her grading scales, nor can they help being merely hiuman. I hope you don't play such games. It really takes your trust away from God, the only one who matters. I don't see God's name on her list, but it is really God who she gets upset with, isn't it? The devil laughs at her immaturity and is pleased with her wasted time. The sin prevalent is of playing God. She sits in judgment of people, spending no real time with God Himself. Is He too much competition? |
| Q. What kind of people are falsely praised in a godless society? |
A. Isaiah 3:2 = Their false 1) Heroes 2) Soldiers 3) Judges 4) Prophets 5) Diviners 6) Elders 7) Army officers 8) Honorable citizens 9) Advisors 10) Skilled magicians |
| Q. What happens when children rule? | A. Isaiah 3:4 = Anarchy. |
| Q. What is anarchy? |
A. Isaiah 3:5 = 1) People take advantage of one another 2) Fights happen 3) Young people revolt against authority 4) Nobodies sneer at honorable people 5) Anybody qualifies as a leader 6) But people will refuse because they don't want to get involved because of their state of poverty. 7) People speak out against the Lord and refuse to obey Him, so they lie in a ruined city. |
| Q. What about guilt? | A. Isaiah 3:9 = They have plenty of guilt, but it doesn't stop them. |
| Q. What else is anarchy? | A. Isaiah 3:9 = 8) Sinning openly like Sodom. No shame. |
| Q. What should my attitude be toward such a one? | A. Isaiah 3:9 = I should feel terrible for them. |
| Q. Why? | A. Isaiah 3:9 = They bring about their own destruction! |
| Q. What happens to the believers in such anarchy? | A. Isaiah 3:10 = They are fine. Rewards await God's beloved. |
| Q. Will God judge sinful people? | A. Isaiah 3:11 = Yes. They earned it! |
| Q. What else is anarchy? |
A. Isaiah 3:12 = 9) Children oppress believers 10) Women ruling over these evil children 11) It all looks okay through the sinners' eyes, but leads to destruction. |
| Q. How does anarchy appear? | A. Isaiah 3:12 = Like a pretty garden path, only seeming to go to good places. |
| Q. What is God to us? |
A. Isaiah 3:13 = A great prosecuting attorney, presenting His case against His own people. Note: Because they knew better! |
| Q. Who gets judged first and so on? |
A. Isaiah 3:14 = 1) Leaders and princes for ruining their lands, God's vineyard and walking all over the poor 2) Rich and beautiful women who seduce men will be made ugly and shamed 3) 4:1 = Men will die in battle. There will be seven women for every man and they will fight over him. |
| Q. Will all be better after that time? | A. Isaiah 4:2 = Yes. God has determined who will survive. |
| Q. So who will survive? | A. Isaiah 4:3 = Those whose names God wrote down. |
| Q. What is God's goal for Jerusalem? | A. Isaiah 4:3 = To be filled with holy people. |
| Q. What do women need to be cleansed from? | A. Isaiah 4:4 = Moral filth. |
| Q. What does God use to cleanse His people? | A. Isaiah 4:4 = A spirit of judgment that burns like fire. |
| Q. There will be a time of protection in Jerusalem. What will it be like? |
A. Isaiah 4:5-6 = 1)God providing shade for all who assemble there 2) A canopy of smoke and cloud throughout the day 3) Clouds of fire by night, covering the glorious land 4) A shelter from daytime heat 5) A hiding place from storm and rain. |
| Q. Did Israel fall short of God's will? | A. Isaiah 5:7 = Yes! |
| Q. How did God intervene with Israel up to this time? |
A. Isaiah 5:1-6 = God was the farmer who created a people for Himself -- a vineyard. 2) God did all the labor, plowing, clearing stones and planting 3) Expecting gratefulness and a loving response for His trouble and love 4) But the people were wild and sour 5) God did His part; the people didn't respond 6) So God destroyed it 7) And let the remnant grow wild. |
| Q. What does God think of people who buy up land and live alone on it, rendering the poor homeless? | A. Isaiah 5:8 = They will be destroyed; the land sterile. |
| Q. And what does God think of rich people who've forgotten how they got there? | A. Isaiah 5:11-12 = Disaster is coming. |
| Q. When justice comes, what is happening? | A. Isaiah 5:16 = The holiness of God is displayed! |
| Q. When human wisdom says God's Word is wrong or old fashioned, or opposite of right, what will happen to those who tote this kind of foolishness? |
A. Isaiah 5:20 = Destruction. God is always right. Note: Line up your thoughts within the boundaries God has set. It is sinful to let your mind stray and call it wisdom. |
| Q. What opposites do man declare are true? |
A. Isaiah 5:20 = 1) Saying evil is good 2) Dark is light 3) Bitter is sweet 4) Sweet is bitter. Note: 1) About evil = 1) God has stated clearly what evil is. Believe it! 2) God has said evil things happen in the dark. 3) We are to get over any and all bitterness 4) It is not sweet to be bitter. Bitterness wastes your life and time. |
| Q. Can people believe in their human wisdom confidently, all the while being fools? | A. Isaiah 5:21 = Yes. If wisdom is not based on God's Word, it is not wise. |
| Q. What does God think of proud drinkers who can hold lots of booze? | A. Isaiah 5:22 = Destruction is coming. |
| Q. What are the consequences of rejecting God's Word? | A. Isaiah 5:24 = Rejecters of God's Word die by their own hands. Only God's Word sustains life. God's anger burns against these folks and captivity is next to come to them. |
| Q. How does God call pagan nations to destroy His wayward Israeli nation? | A. Isaiah 5:26 = God whistles for destroyers from the ends of the earth. |
| Q. Do Israel's enemies have an especially passionate fire to destroy them? | A. Isaiah 5:28-30 = Yes. |
| Q. How many wings do seraphim angels have? | A. Isaiah 6:2 = Six! |
| Q. Why do they need six wings? | A. Isaiah 6:2 = Seraphim angels are created to wait on God; one pair wings to cover their faces, one pair to cover their feet and one pair for flying (what a picture!) |
| Q. Do seraphim sing? | A. Isaiah 6:3 = Yes. They continually sing, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty! The whole earth is filled with His glory!" They sing in a great chorus. |
| Q. What is the effect of their song? | A. Isaiah 6:4 = The Temple shakes in its foundation when they sing; the entire santuary fills with smoke! |
| Q. Isaiah witnessed this spectacular sight? | A. Isaiah 6:1 = Yes. |
| Q. How did Isaiah respond to this sight? | A. Isaiah 6:5 = He was certain he would die, because who sees God and lives? |
| Q. What did Isaiah feel in the wake of this sight? |
A. Isaiah 6:5 = He felt unworthy, as though his sins remained unconfessed. Note: I have dreamt of being taken up into God's presence. I felt exactly this way. I saw golden glory all around; I could hardly catch my breath. The sensation was of being caught up in a mighty wind. And I felt so sinful and unworthy! |
| Q. How did Isaiah survive this sight? | A. Isaiah 6:6-7 = An angel touched his lips with a burning coal and his sins were forgiven; his guilt removed. |
| Q. Did Isaiah feel better then? | A. Isaiah 6:8 = Yes. He volunteered as God's messenger to His people. |
| Q. What was the message? | A. Isaiah 6:9 = God was going to blind the Israelites in their understanding. |
| Q. How? | A. Isaiah 6:10 = They would have hardened hearts, closed ears and shut eyes. |
| Q. Why? | A. Isaiah 6:10 = So they wouldn't turn to God for healing. |
| Q. So Israel was supposed to be a wasteland as a result of their blindness? | A. Isaiah 6:11-13 = Yes. Only a stump would remain and carry with it a seed that would grow again. |
| Q. Did God offer protection to godly folks at this time? |
A. Isaiah 7:9 = Yes. "If you want Me to protect you, learn to believe what I say." Note: Learn to believe? Read God's Word; if God could perform so many righteous acts, you will learn that He does what He says. In learning and meditating on God's perfect track record, believe what He says! It is easier to trust God with your problems when you have all He has done for His children in your heart. Don't wait until something happens to read about Him! |
| Q. What was the capitol of Aram in Isaiah's time? | A. Isaiah 7:8 = Damascus. |
| Q. What was the capitol of Israel in Isaiah's time? | A. Samaria. |
| Q. Was the virgin birth of Jesus prophesied specifically in the Book of Isaiah? | A. Isaiah 7:14-16 = Yes. Isaiah prophesied of the virgin birth of their Savior to King Ahaz. |
| Q. When were God's people divided into two groups, Israel and Judah? | A. Isaiah 7:17 = When Solomon died. All of Israel was called Solomon's empire before this happened. |
| Q. Did Isaiah prophesy about all Israel's destruction? | A. Isaiah 7:18-25 = Yes. Isaiah prophesied to Ahaz's family, descendants of David. |
| Q. How was Aram and Israel's fate sealed? | A. Isaiah 8:1-4 = Isaiah wrote the prophesy, then impregnated his wife and she had a son. His name was the prophesy. Berore the child could say "mama," Assyria would destroy Samaria, Israel's capitol, and Damascus, Aram's capitol. |
| Q. Did God's people in Judah see God as harsh? | A. Isaiah 8:6-7 = God was always gentle with Judah in the south, but they saw the prophecy of destruction of Israel in the north as a joy. Israel had been beating up on Judah. But not even God sees His wrath as a joy. He punished Judah for imagining erroneously that God's wrath dispensed on any people was a joyous thing for Him. |
| Q. Can we ever win a battle that God decides the outcome of, which will not be in our favor? |
A. Isaiah 8:10 = No. God always decides who will win. Note: No matter what is happening inyour life, God will always win. No enemy has a chance! |
| Q. Why do we get discouraged? | A. Isaiah 8:11 = We begin to think like unbelievers. We make our enemies out to be bigger than they really are (v.12). |
| Q. Are we really just fearing man when we get discouraged? | A. Isaiah 8:12-13 = Yes! |
| Q. Can we fear God and man at the same time? |
A. Isaiah 8:13-14 = No. "Do not fear anything except the Lord Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear Him, you need fear nothing else. He will keep you safe." Note: I learned a valuable lesson this week. My car has been crying noisily for a new fuel filter for a month now, while my husband's car has fading brakes and squealing belts. There has been no time to make repairs, so we swapped cars; I chose the vehicle least likely to break down and drove it for the last week. The weekend sent husband and son on a shuttle flight to the city to shop for a good car for our son, as his car has bit the dust. On the way out the driveway (in the safer car), the squealing began and both men jumped in their seats. "What's that?" hubby sputters. "Oh, it's been doing that all week," I reply. Hubby orders me back up the driveway and grabs a wrench, tightening an almost broken belt, while chastising himself for forgetting that he had to install an old belt 2 months ago when the other one broke off on the highway. He had intended to replace it when he got home, but forgot. We got to the airport a few miles away and I made it safely home again, uneasy about driving his car now too. They were back in the evening and called for a ride. I hesitated. "Which car should I take?" Long pause. "Take your car, honey." With fear and intrepidation, I got in my car and began driving through the blackness of the night toward the airport. Contemplating on the last few months, the only reason we both hadn't broken down was because God was looking after us in our ignorance. With full knowledge of the condition of my car, the engine light now blinking like crazy, it was harder to trust the odds. I told God that I knew that my life was always in His hands, and now I really knew that it was. Take me to the airport and home in one piece. After that, I didn't feel the road, the purr of the engine, anything. I was totally in God's hands! The car made it to the airport and back home safely. The next day, my car was up on blocks, the gas tank pulled, the fuel filter inside taken out. There are several gas hoses to this fuel system. Two had fallen off, the rest were cracked and broken all the way through. I thought I had full knowledge of my circumstances, but it turns out I was at God's mercy for even more of my driving life. I think I trust God when I ask Him to keep me safe out there, but the details of what it takes to keep us safe are taken for granted. And they still are. The truth is, we are all at God's mercy for all the unknowns, all the odds, all the time. Recognizing how vulnerable we are is all God asks of us. I will be meditating on this for a long time! "Faith is the assurance of things to come; the conviction of things not yet seen." I am assured of all God has for me; I'm convicted of His care in the things I cannot see. |
| Q. Why do the Israelites not understand that Messiah came? | A. Isaiah 8:14 = God blinded them from their Savior because of their neglect of God. |
| Q. What does this mean? | A. Isaiah 8:14 = Instead of accepting God, they'd trip over Him without noticing; He became a trap that entangles them and some won't recover from it. (Jesus showed the scriptures, but they only got more confused). |
| Q. This was all prophesied 800 years before Jesus' birth? |
A. Yes! Note: People in rebellion cannot just read the Scriptures and understand, unless they humble themselves before God. The attitude of these Israelites was of purely ignoring God, then misrepresenting His character, making God out to be some bodyguard or playground bully to non-Israelites. God hated that! They were supposed to set the example for the world. God is awesome and powerful and maker of everything known; loving all and wanting all's friendship. Don't misrepresent God. If you study the Bible to know God, you will begin to see this magnificent love. You'll wonder how you ever thought God was a bully! |
| Q. What did Isaiah do in response to getting these prophesies from God? | A. Isaiah 8:16-17 = He trusted God and declared Him to be his only hope. Isaiah knew that somehow, God would still love His people through the coming days. |
| Q. Did the people accept the prophesy? | A. Isaiah 8:18-19 = No. They consulted with mediums and psychics. |
| Q. If we want to know the future, can we ask God? | A. Isaiah 8:19-20 = Yes. But the answers you seek are already recorded in the Bible. |
| Q. How does a person become confused? |
A. Isaiah 8:19-22 = 1) He goes to a bogus source for his facts 2) Which takes him out from God's covering of protection 3) He gets led away as a captive, weary and hungry 4) Which leads him to resent king and God for his plight 5) Everyone around him is also getting in trouble 6) His trouble worsens. |
| Q. Can there ever be an end to his darkness? |
A. Isaiah 9:1 = Yes! God will always intervene. For Israel, every weapon will be burned. Note: No one is beyond God's favor until He says he is. |
| Q. Will God guarantee His intervention? | A. Isaiah 9:7 = Yes. God is the epitome of passionate commitment! |
| Q. What was Israel's problem? | A. Isaiah 9:16 = The leaders were hypocrites; the people followed suit. Even widows and orphans! |
| Q. How does God view Israel's enemy, Assyria? |
A. Isaiah 10:5 = As a whip in His hand or a club. Note: And the Assyrian king didn't realize that God had sent him to destroy Israel. He thought he was powerful, so after he was finished with Israel, God punished him for being so proud and arrogant. |
| Q. How does God demonstrate His divine role in the Assyrian king's victories? |
A. Isaiah 10:15 = God calls the Assyrians enemy tools that He uses. God is ax-wielder, user of the saw, holder of the whip, walker of the cane. Note: All discipline from our heavenly Father is meant to get our attention. When you are in trouble, look at it as God getting your undivided attention. He ultimately is in control and the discipline is for your benefit. Look at the patience and endurance you are learning! So don't blow your testimony in trial! Show someone else, by example, how to go through it with a proper perspective. This is a powerful time! When the trial is finally over, you will be able to see it as God's hand in your life. You grew!(v.20). |
| Q. Why did God send the Assyrians to destroy Israel? | A. Isaiah 10:20 = Because the Israelites depended on them over God. |
| Q. Who survived? | A. Isaiah 10:21 = Only a remnant. |
| Q. What happened to the survivors? | A. Isaiah 10:24-25 = They were in short-term slavery to the Assyrians, after which time God destroyed the Assyrians. |
| Q. What ended Israel's slavery to the Assyrians? | A. Isaiah 10:25 = God's anger toward Israel ended. |
| Q. And through it all, did God try to give Israel a proper perspective? |
A. Isaiah 10:33-34 = Yes. God told them to look at how His mighty power consumed their enemies. He gave them reason to love Him and trust Him for their lives. Note: Look and see God rescue you! Do you trust Him yet? Let God's Word remind you every day who is really in charge. God won't let up on you until you let Him be Father. You will be so happy on that day! But we live in human bodies and are bound to fail to see this phenomenon again and again. God knows that! Remember: read your Bible, let God do His work in you, mature you and heat you up to purify you. It is important to know that it is God working it all out, no matter how big the enemy before you seems right now. The trial will end! |
| Q. This remnant of Israel remaining, what did God call it? | A. Isaiah 11:1 = A stump of David's family. |
| Q. What happened to this stump? | A. Isaiah 11:1 = A shoot grew out of it. A New Branch, bearing fruit from the old root. |
| Q. What would be different about this branch? |
A. Isaiah 11:2 = The Spirit of the Lord would rest upon Him -- the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, Counsel and Might. Note: Kind of like Solomon, who was granted wisdom by God. |
| Q. What else would this branch be known as? | A. Isaiah 11:2 = The Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. |
| Q. What would be totally different about this branch? | A. Isaiah 11:3 = This Branch would delight in obeying the Lord. |
| Q. What does it mean to obey the Lord? |
A. Isaiah 11:3 = 1) Not judging by appearance, false evidence or hearsay 2) To defend the poor and exploited 3) To rule against the wicked and destroying them with the breath of God's mouth (the Word) 4) To be clothed in fairness and truthfulness. Note: What an act to follow! Obedience to God and leadership in truth begins with loving those God loves and fighting passionately His enemies. And the attitude we have is fairness and truthfulness. |
| Q. A picture of the day when Messiah rules the earth? | A. Isaiah 11:6 = Yes. In 800 years, Messiah would be born (and Jesus was His name). But more prophecy is yet to be fulfilled in this passage. |
| Q. What? | A. Isaiah 11:6 = There will be a taming of wildlife; when it will be safe for children to lead the once fiercest of animals. Even lions will be vegetarians. Snakes' tamed and their poison removed. The world will overflow with believers -- all mankind, not just Israel, will love God. |
| Q. Really? | A. Isaiah 11:10 = Yes. "In that day, the heir to David's throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to Him, for the land where He lives will be a glorious place." |
| Q. And what of Israel, God's people? | A. Isaiah 11:11 = God will bring back, for the second time, a remnant of His people from all over the world. |
| Q. Do God's people, Israel, like coastlands? | A. Isaiah 11:11 = Yes. God mentions coastlands as major gathering places to rally them from. |
| Q. What does God call the fighting between Israel and Judah? | A. Isaiah 11:13 = A result of jealousy between them. It will finally end! |
| Q. Will God part the Red Sea again? | A. Isaiah 11:15 = Yes, and He also will make the Euphrates River into seven streams that can easily be crossed. |
| Q. Why this time? | A. Isaiah 11:16 = So all God's remnants of believers could make a beeline to David's throne in Jerusalem. |
| Q. In all our history, will the result of all these events finally birth a proper attitude toward God? | A. Isaiah 12:1-6 = Yes! There will be singing of praises to God, recognizing His forgiveness, His comfort, His salvation, trusting Him and not being afraid, a clear understanding that God is our strength and song, who also became our salvation. |
| Q. What made our salvation is so huge and unfathomable. Does God mean it to be? |
A. Isaiah 12:3-6 = Yes! "With joy, you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation." Note: Ponder that cross on Golgotha. This all comes about, the salvation of all who believe, in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Are you bored today? Ponder the Cross and be overwhelmed with gratitude once again! |
| Q. Why do we sing to the Lord? |
A. Isaiah 12:5-6 = Singing tells the world of God and His awesome love for us. Note: Always be a grateful believer. Sing to God, thanking Him. Instead of wallowing in your plight, sing to Him! |
| Q. Will God bring punishment on the whole world one day? | A. Isaiah 13:11 = Yes! |
| Q. What is good to remember about powerful enemies? | A. Isaiah 14:10 = Compared to God, they are just as weak as any human! |
| Q. Who ultimately drives our enemies to turn against us? | A. Isaiah 14:16-17 = The one who fell from heaven, declaring equality with God -- Satan. |
| Q. Does God protect the poor of His people during a war? |
A. Isaiah 14:30 = Yes. And feeds them too! (14:32). Note: God makes His people rich and poor. In war, they all become poor when they are defeated. But God protects them because He is Father. |
| Q. Does God take pleasure in judging the nations? |
A. Isaiah 15:5 = No. God knows their tears and hears them all cry. "My heart weeps for Moab." Note: How can a good God bring such terrible judgment on people? Because in all of it, they still choose their idols over Him!(16:12). There is but one God, creator of every person, yet not every person will acknowledge that. They know they must acknowledge Something, so they make idols. What idols have you noticed make poor substitutes for God? Whatever you spend most of your time in, whatever you line up your standards with, is your idol. |
| Q. What characterizes Messiah's reign? | A. Isaiah 16:5 = It is established by love. Messiah is a faithful King, always doing what is just and right. |
| Q. Even Israel will share in all this coming destruction? | A. Isaiah 17:4-6 = Yes. There is an order: First, Babylon, then Assyria, then Moab, then Israel. |
| Q. Why all of these nations? | A. Isaiah 17:7 = All turned away from God. All the suffering makes them turn back to God. "Then at last, the people will think of their Creator and have respect for the Holy One of Israel." |
| Q. Ethiopia was known for its tall, smooth-skinned warriors -- a totally pagan people. They warred infamously. What will happen to Ethiopia? | A. Isaiah 18:7 = They will pay tribute to the Lord in Jerusalem. They will be defeated in battle by the Lord. |
| Q. Egypt was known for their idol worship. What will happen to it? |
A. Isaiah 19 = 1) Famine 2) A spirit of foolishness will fall on all its counselors so they will make it worse. 3) Fear of Israel on all people 4) Five cities will worship God 5) Revival 6) It all begins with a mighty display of supernatural stuff -- these folks crave this stuff, and God will be the star. "Look! The Lord is advancing against Egypt, riding on a swift cloud. The idols of Egypt tremble. The hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear." (19:1). |
| Q. How will God introduce Himself to Egypt? | A. Isaiah 19:22 = God will strike them "in a way that will bring healing, for the Egyptians will turn to the Lord and He will listen to their pleas and heal them." |
| Q. What will be the relationship between Israel, Egypt and Assyria? |
A. Isaiah 19:23-24 = Allies, blessed because they align themselves with Israel. Note: When a nation aligns itself with Israel, that nation is blessed by God. (Remember that Egy7pt is Esau and Israel is Jacob -- the twin brothers, sons of Isaac and Rebecca.) |
| Q. Did Isaiah ever do extreme demonstrations at God's command? | A. Isaiah 20:1-6 = Yes. Isaiah walked around naked for three years, demonstrating the coming slavery and humiliation for Egypt and Ethiopia. |
| Q. What is the purpose of all this activity? All this suffering for Israel? For all? |
A. Isaiah 22:11-14 = To get them to ask God to save them; to quit operating on their own steam so feverishly and instead repent, trust only in God for their lives. However hard they worked, it would be for nothing. "... because you never asked God for help." Note: God is sovereign. What will happen is a done deal. But we can ask God for help in all the details of our lives. Don't forget that God is eager to rescue you! Repent before you ask for help! Repent for forgetting that God is always in control. Step back and let Him lead. |
| Q. What does God do with slackers who know better? |
A. Isaiah 22:14 = Slackers don't repent, God doesn't forgive -- judgment happens. Note: Take your life seriously, my brethren in Christ. It takes faith to believe God for what He says, but so much is planned for you and God takes care of each of us separately, eager that you follow through. There is no satisfying substitute for living each new day for God. Begin with repentance and walk closely with God as you take new steps at work and at play. Honor God and you won't fear the day He moves into your view! |
| Q. What else was Israel guilty of? |
A. Isaiah 22:15-25 = Luxuriating in the blessings given by God, enjoying prestige, but not acknowledging God in any of it. Note: Rich folks do this a lot. All their riches come from God, as Solomon pointed out. There is joy in hard work and satisfaction when you recognize it. Humility is knowing that God can also take it away. |