Isaiah 13-20
Yahweh as Lord of the Nations
Just thought I'd warn you: these chapters are tough reading! It starts off with some horrific images:
- Infants dashed to pieces (13:16)
- young men slaughtered (13:18)
- goat-demons dancing (13:21)
It ends in chapter 20 with some shockingly graphic nudity.
In between are a number of "oracles" concerning the nations around Israel and Judah. One of the most helpful things to do this week might be to familiarize yourself with the political geography of the Ancient Near East. Read Dr. Bo Lim's commentary - it explains a lot! For those of you who missed Dr. Bo Lim's lecture at NCPC yesterday, here's a graphic that helps to put Isaiah in its historical and political context. "ANE" stands for "Ancient Near East."
Do some research about Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. Find out about the impact of their violent military campaigns. That's what is being described by Isaiah in these chapters. Sometimes God is working through the violence of these "big bullies" in order to bring judgment upon His people; at other times God is teaching these same bullies a lesson.
Give this reading your best shot, and hang in there! If you're looking for some hope-filled words in these chapters, they'll be hard to find. Here's my favorite phrase that I'm hanging on to: Isaiah 14:1 "But the Lord will have compassion."
Four Daily Readings
- Isaiah 13-14
- Isaiah 15-16
- Isaiah 17-18
- Isaiah 19-20
Immanuel Revisited
Isaiah 9-12
Four Daily Readings
Isaiah 9
Must Read Isaiah 9:1-7 > How do people (& you) walk in darkness? What kind of light does God bring? Isaiah 9: 8, 11, 14, 17 > Whoa! How do you make sense of God's actions?
Isaiah 10
Must Read Isaiah 10:1-4 > To quote verse 3, "what will you do on the day of punishment?" What gives you hope of being saved from punishment for your sins? Isaiah 10:20-23 > What does "remnant" mean?
Isaiah 11
Must Read Isaiah 11:1-9 > How does this vision of peace provide a contrast to the world today? Isaiah 11:12 > Ever felt like an outcast? How would it feel to be welcomed back?
Isaiah 12
Must Read Isaiah 12:1-6 > Write down the prayer in verses 1-2 and pray it to God regularly for the next few months.
I will praise you, Lord.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.
Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord God is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.
Remember!
This Sunday, October 21
11am at NCPC
Dr. Bo Lim presents
How to Read Isaiah
Sign up today!
Follow this link: www.northcreekpres.org/bibleclass
Isaiah 5-8: Fear Factor or Faith Factor?
Four Daily Readings: Full chapters (with "must read" verses and reflection questions)
Isaiah 5
Must Read > 5:18-24. Do
I recognize these sins in others? In myself? Do I ever reject the Lord’s
instruction or despise his word? (v.24)
Isaiah 6
Must Read > 6:8. Have
you ever said yes to God’s call? What
might keep you from saying what Isaiah said? (“Here I am; send me”)
Isaiah 7
Must Read > 7:10-17. Does
verse 14 sound familiar? What does this
verse mean for a Christian today? What
did it mean for God’s people in Isaiah’s day?
Isaiah 8
Must Read > 8:11-17. What
do people fear? Why might it be
important to fear the Lord most of all? Have you ever had to put your hope in
God even though it seemed like he was hiding his face from you?
Recap of Last Week: Isaiah 1-4
Uncomfortable Judgment, Hope for Salvation
It's hard to miss the theme of God's judgment, isn't it? Not the most inspirational scripture reading, but it's an important part of the reality of our relationship with God. It reflects who God is (well, God), who we are (loved, but also sinners), and why God had to send his Son Jesus to be our Savior. So much of reading Isaiah is about getting in touch with the larger story of God and God's people, especially further back in the history of that relationship before Jesus appeared on the scene. You and I (individually and together as the church) have a relationship with God, and it is defined by the same terms as we see it in Isaiah: love, rebellion, calling, sin, faithfulness, faithlessness, judgment, suffering, forgiveness, hope.
It's easy to miss some of the sins deserving God's judgment that are often overlooked by people reading Isaiah. Keep a count of the number of times in Isaiah that the people of Israel are judged because of how they have treated the vulnerable, powerless people in their society:
- 1:17 "Learn to do good; seek justice, rescure the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow."
- 1:23 "Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not defend the orphan, and the widow's cause does not come before them."
- 3:13-15 "The Lord rises to argue his case; he stands to judge the peoples. The Lord enters into judgment with the elders andprinces of his people; It is you who have devoured the vineyard; the spoil of the poor (that which was stolen from them) is in your houses. What did you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor? says the Lord God of hosts."
Because of the overwhelming weight of judgment in the first four chapters, it's also easy to miss some of the more hopeful words in all the Bible that we just read last week:
- 1:16-20 "Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord; though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow" (v. 18)
- 2:2-4 "Come, let us (the people of the world) go up to the mountain of the Lord...that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths" (v. 3)
- 4:2-6 "On that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious" (v. 2)
I say "Amen" to that, and with renewed hope I look forward to God's future. May God continue to bless you in reading Isaiah!
Pastor Kurt Helmcke
Week 2: October 1-7
Isaiah, chapters 1-4
Breaking it down...into four daily readings:
- Isaiah 1
- Isaiah 2
- Isaiah 3
- Isaiah 4
What to look for
Isaiah is about a city.
- "Besides God, who or what is the central focus of the book of Isaiah? Is it Isaiah the prophet? Is it the Messiah? Is it the Servant? Nope.... So who or what is the central character in the book of Isaiah? Jerusalem. Also known as Zion. The book of Isaiah is about a city." (Dr. Bo Lim)
Notice the contrast between corrupt Jerusalem and the future glory of Zion. What sins of the people are corrupting Jerusalem? How will this be different in God's future?
In Dr. Lim's commentary this week, be sure to read about the "Real Housewives of Zion." Vivid illustration!
Personal conviction of sin - the call to repentence is so strong in these first few chapters. Allow yourself to be called into some honest prayer.
Looking back
Isn't it amazing to think about how important Isaiah was to Jesus and the New Testament writers? This gives me fresh motivation to read it.
Favorite line from Dr. Lim:
- A friend of mine once wrote the following comment on Facebook explaining why students ought to take his course on Romans: “It’s just the most important book in the Bible!” I commented in half-jest, “I didn’t know you were teaching a course on Isaiah!”
Suggestions
Add your comments to this blog post. One person posted a comment to last week's post. Read the comment by clicking "comments." Let's at least quadruple that this week!
Listen to the podcast. If you've never listened to the podcast audio recording of the bible commentary, give it a try.
Announcement
Dr. Bo Lim will come to North Creek on Sunday, October 21!
More info here
