BSF Study Questions Isaiah Lesson 26, Day 5 Isaiah 59:16-21

Summary of passage:  The Lord saw there was no one to intervene for the people and was appalled.  So God used his own arm to bring salvation and righteousness, putting on a breastplate and helmet (reminds me of Ephesians 6:10-17).  He will come like a pent-up flood and will repay his enemies according to what they have done.  Men will fear the name of the Lord and revere His glory.  The Redeemer will come to those who repent of their sins.  The Lord’s covenant is with the people as His Spirit is upon them and His words He put in their mouths will not depart throughout the generations.

Questions:

10a)  There was no one, no man to intervene on Israel’s behalf–to show them the way back to God.

b)  Those needing redemption:  are lost and blind in the dark, rebellious, treacherous, liars, violent, evil, and have turned their backs on God.  The Redeemer:  just, righteous, truthful, honest, wears the helmet of salvation, will bring retribution to his foes, will come like a flood with the breath of the Lord behind Him.

11)  The Redeemer will come to those who repent of their sins and God’s spirit and words will never depart from them or their descendants forever

12)  Isaiah 51:16:  I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand…”

Matthew 4:4:  ”‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Luke 4:1:  ”Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan…”

Matthew 3:16:  ”Jesus was baptized…and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.”

Conclusions:  Sometimes I wish I could come like a pent-up flood with the breath of the Lord behind me. Or at least live as such.

I scoured the Internet for a good 45 minutes looking for verses for Question 12.  I found a lot of implied fulfillments such as Luke 22:20, which did not satisfy me.  I was looking specifically for where the Bible says Jesus is the Spirit and God has put words in Jesus’s mouth and was pretty unsuccessful.  Let me know what you all found!

I did find this website.  Fascinating stuff about the fulfillment of Messianic prophecies with a chart that gives the OT prophecy next to the NT fulfillment:

http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/messiah.htm

BSF Study Questions Isaiah Lesson 26, Day 4 Isaiah 59:1-15

Summary of passage:  The Israelites wonder if God does not hear them and is unable to save them.  Isaiah explains it is their iniquities (sin) that has separated them from God and why He does not hear and does not save.  For the Israelites have:  lied, slandered, killed, ignored justice, done evil, ruin, destruction, and walked crooked paths.  Therefore, justice and righteousness are far away.  They search for the light but instead stumble along in the darkness.  They carry their sins with them; they rebel and turn their backs on God; they oppress, revolt, and lie.  So God does not grant justice, deliverance, nor righteousness because of the Israelites constant sins.

Questions:

8a)  It was important because why believe in God if you think He doesn’t hear and is helpless to help you?  The Israelites were the problem.  Sin separated them from God and before Jesus came in Isaiah’s time, you were constantly separated from God because as soon as you atoned, you sinned again.  It was important to understand who God was, who man was, and the relationship between the two at the time.

b)  Violence, murder, lies, slander, no justice, no truth, inherently evil, did evil, evil thoughts, ruin, destruction, walked crooked paths.  Sin originated with Adam and Eve, the Devil before that.  The sin originated in them.

9a)  Justice is driven back, righteousness stands at a distance, no truth.  We cannot see His light so we are blind and like the dead.  We growl and moan.  Justice and deliverance are no where to be found.  Ultimately, they are forever separated from God.

b)  Justice requires truth and honest.  To tell the truth affords justice.  You cannot be righteous without justice and the truth.  Revelation 19:11  ”I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.  With justice he judges and makes war.”

Conclusions:  It’s amazing the Israelites still believed in God.  I can’t imagine constantly having to atone for all of my sins.  It seems tedious and ultimately depressing and fruitless.  Why atone when you’d just sin again?  It’s a good thing there wasn’t TV back then because if the Israelites had known of the prosperity of places such as Rome and other European opulence, they might have left Israel similar to those who flock to America.

The references in 8a were useful for background knowledge; not so much to answer the question.

This passage is depressing.  Sin was forever with the people; therefore, justice and righteousness were forever far away.  Why continue following God’s laws if you’ll never receive the good parts?  Why continue striving if the goal is unattainable?  So, I can understand some of the Israelites frustrations.

BSF Study Questions Isaiah Lesson 26, Day 3 Isaiah 58

Summary of passage:  Here.

Questions:

5a)  The Sabbath was a day set aside by God to honor His Creations–Earth and everything upon it.  You shall get all of your work done in 6 days and rest on the 7th.  Thus, the Lord blessed it and made it holy.  The Sabbath was to be the sign of God’s everlasting covenant with His people.  Anyone who desecrated it was to be put to death.  If you delight in the Sabbath and keep it holy by not going your own way or doing as you please, then you will find joy in the Lord and feast on the inheritance of your father, Jacob.

b)  Matthew 12:1-12:  The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.  It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

Mark 2:27-28; John 5:10:  The Sabbath was made for man so the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.  Jesus healed on the Sabbath and told the man to do work i.e carry his mat.

John 9:14:  Jesus healed a blind man on the Sabbath.

c)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Galatians 4:10 means to me that any day can be the Sabbath and probably should be. Colossians 2:16-17 means to me that you should not be judged by your activities on the Sabbath as in OT times, which were rituals put in place anticipating Jesus’s coming.  Now, the reality is Christ and if you accept Him, no one should judge you except God.  Jesus has put everything right with God for us.

Jesus made God’s law of keeping the Sabbath holy void.  Now, instead, we are to carry our rest in God in our hearts through the gift of the Holy Spirit, which dwells inside each of us.

To answer the question:  I’m not for sure what BSF is getting at here.  In my view, the list of things to do and avoid in Isaiah is now void if we have Jesus in our hearts (the Holy Spirit).  My attitude toward the Sabbath is my attitude every day as listed above:  live my life as Christ-like as possible, seeking God at every opportunity, and listening for prompts to share the Gospel with those around me. That’s not to negate the good works Isaiah says:  share your food, help the poor, etc.  I think those are now just examples of what Christ would do and therefore what we should do–examples of good deeds to help your fellow man.

6)  You will find joy in the Lord.  He will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.  Your light will break forth and your healing. Righteousness and the Lord shall be with you.  Then when you call out to the Lord (with your heart in the right place), He will answer:  Here am I.

7)  Personal Question.  My answer:  The definition of delight:  a high degree of gratification, joy; something that gives great pleasure.

Yes, God gives me great pleasure.  Most days.  Sometimes I feel far away or my mind is caught up in human problems but when I do turn to God in those moments it is a true delight for He will speak to me if I listen and comfort me as I pour my heart out to Him.  Even when I’m doing good in life my time in the mornings with God is life-giving and nurturing and makes my days so much more fulfilling.  I do this daily in the morning when the kids are sleeping.

Conclusions:  I liked how BSF broke this up into what the Old Testament says about the Sabbath versus how this changed when Jesus came in the New Testament.

I wish BSF would have us read the whole passages like this quote below from Mark, which is just below Mark 2:27-28.  It gives the whole picture of the circumstances of Jesus’s healing and I think gives us a greater understanding.  It’s not a whole lot more to read.  My only conclusion is BSF just wants us to answer on those listed verses but if the goal here is to understand the word better I think we need more of the word.

Mark 3:4  ”Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” Jesus asked the Pharisees.  I think this makes it clear good works on the Sabbath is acceptable.  But more than that, aren’t we called to do good works every day, not just the Sabbath?  Are we ever supposed to do evil or kill (kill unlawfully kill not kill a cow for meat)?

So, I will be curious to see where BSF is taking this one.  If they say everything is acceptable or only good works.  My belief from Day 2 is since God dwells in our hearts every day should be like the Sabbath: we go about our days, living like Jesus did, reading His word and praying, and sharing the Good News with others. Nothing should be condemned solely based on which day of the week this occurs (except of course sin–which is virtually every day).  For me, I sin every day.

I found this article on the Old Testament definition of the Sabbath versus the New Testament definition, curiously as I was researching Day 1:

http://www.gci.org/law/chr-sab3

BSF Study Questions Isaiah Lesson 26, Day 2 Isaiah 58

Summary of passage:  God directs Isaiah to shout out to His people, the house of Jacob, their sins.  Day after day they seek me (God) and are eager to know His ways as if they were a righteous and law-abiding nation.  They ask for just decisions and for God to be near.

Yet the people ask, “Why have we fasted and humbled ourselves if you (God) have not noticed?”

God answers, “You do as you please and exploit your workers.  You quarrel and strike each other.  You cannot fast as you do today and expect to be heard.”  In essence, the people’s hearts were not God’s heart.  They fasted for wrong reasons and with evil hearts.

God asks, “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen where you bow your head and lie on sackcloth and ashes?  Is this acceptable to the Lord?”  The answer is No.  God reveals the fast He desires:

“To loose the chains of injustice, set the oppressed free, and break every yoke. To share your food with the hungry and provide the poor with shelter. To clothe the naked and not abandon your relatives.”

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, your healing will appear, you will be righteous with the glory of the Lord at your rear.

Then when you call I will answer: Here am I.  [So when you fast with a heart of God, He will answer.]  Your light will rise in the darkness if you do away with oppression, malicious talk, and satisfy the needs of the oppressed.

The Lord will guide you always and satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and strengthen you.  You will be a well-watered garden whose waters never fail.  You will rebuild and build up things.

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and doing what you please on God’s holy day then you will find joy in the Lord and He will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and feast on the inheritance of Jacob.

Questions:

3a)  The Israelites fasted, sought God day after day, seemed eager to know His ways, portrayed righteousness and obedience.

b)  They sought to please themselves.  On the day of the fasting, they did as they pleased and exploited all their workers.  They quarreled and hit each other.  They fasted without their heart on God.  They went through the motions of bowing their heads and putting on sackcloth and ashes but still their heart remained aloof.

c)  He did not answer their prayers and He told them what fasting He has chosen:  to see the oppressed free and break every yoke, to share your food with the hungry and provide shelter to the wanderer, to clothe the naked, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood.  Only then will He say:  Here am I.

d)  Personal Question.  My answer:  I’m working on praising God more in prayer and praying more for others.  When I feel far away from Him, I tend to pray less so I’m working on praying no matter what mood I am in.  Sometimes I do pray and my heart is not in it (mainly because my brain is elsewhere, dwelling on something I should have let go which I haven’t yet or on future events) but I feel it’s better than not praying at all and in time God will turn my mind and heart to Him again as long as I am seeking.

4a)  The purpose was to make atonement to God for your sins and to cleanse yourself of sins so you will be clean before the Lord.  The attitude was strict:  it must be on the tenth day of the seventh month and the people must fast (deny themselves) and not do any work. Everyone had to do this–whether native Israelites or foreigners living amongst them who did not necessarily believe in the Lord.  This was to be the Sabbath, the day of rest and to be a lasting ordinance.

b)  God desires an authentic fast:  one where we obeyed His commands and were eager to know Him.  We are to set the oppressed free, share with others what God has given us, and follow His will, not ours.  We are to do what pleases God, not ourselves.  And only then when we call will He answer.

c)  Donate to the poor or serve in soup kitchens.  Find charities that work with the poor and support them.  Help your relatives when they are on hard times (this could also be members of the church or Christian body as your own flesh and blood since we are all the body of Christ).  Give to your church to help your sisters and brothers who are struggling.  God ultimately wants our heart to lie where His does–which is with those struggling.

Conclusions:  God is so good!  This was EXACTLY what I needed to hear in this time in my life.  ”The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.”  So, no matter where I go, I will have no fear or inhibitions because God is guiding me and He will satisfy my needs in that place.  He will build things, which I constantly see in my work.

If I honor God by not doing my own thing or going my own way, then I will be filled with joy in the Lord, ride on the heights of the land, and feast on the inheritance of Jacob.

What better message right now in my life than one of Hope.  I think this is my favorite message in the Bible for I know I can’t live without it.

End note:  We are no longer required to do no work on the Sabbath since we now find rest in Jesus.  This was only required before Jesus died for us.  Hebrews 4 explains it best.  We enter a Sabbath-rest:  ”There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.” Hebrews 4:9 which is not necessarily on Sundays.  Or we are free to not technically “rest” at all.  But I think most Christians rest with God through prayer and in His word–essentially in God since His spirit now dwells in us.  See also Colossians 2:16-17 and Galatians 4:9-11