(last updated 9/16/06)ISAIAH
The Prophets in General:
Now we come to a major section of the Bible called the Prophets. These fit into the Bible timeline back in Kings and Chronicles; these prophets lived during the times of the divided kingdom.
Compare the way God speaks to Israel with the way He speaks to the church. Do we have the same kind of warnings, of language? In Rev. 2-3, we have several warnings to repent, and a reminder of how He will discipline if they don’t. But we don’t have the scathing denunciation that Israel often gets, the warnings of wrath to come. We, on the other hand, are admonished to act like mature men, not like spiritual babies. Israel is called sinful, corrupt, unfaithful, etc. The church is without spot or wrinkle; it is the body of Christ.
Here is more evidence that the church and Israel are two different entities, and that during the Tribulation, God has a different plan for each. The bride, as a chaste virgin awaiting her wedding, does not need purified or chastised; Israel, the unfaithful wife, does. During the Tribulation God pours out His wrath on the sinful world, brings judgment and correction on Israel, and prepares Israel for a national change of heart, for at the end of the Tribulation Israel will finally recognize Christ as their Messiah.
The Prophets make a strong case for the Bible as the Word of God. In many cases we are told this is specifically the word of the Lord, in quotes, coming through the mouths and pens of these men. (Inspiration is defined in II Pet. 1:21.) If they are man’s words and not God’s, these men are lying, are evil, and are misleading people. If they are not lying, these ARE God’s words. There is no in-between position.
In the historical accounts, we read what Israel was doing, and what the kings and priests were doing. God held the kings and priests responsible for the spiritual leadership of the people. We read a little bit about what some of the prophets did and said. Now we have the full text of their messages. What was the main problem in Israel and Judah? Is. 2:8, 40:19, 42:17. Is this a problem for us in our culture? What does the New Testament say about idolatry? Col. 3:5, Eph. 5:5. Is THIS a problem in our culture? Is this a problem for Christians? Our culture is based on materialism, consumerism, commercialism, greed; we see the corruption it causes. When God pours out His wrath during the Tribulation, this is one of the things He judges, according to Rev. 18.
True vs. false prophets: read Deut. 18:18-22. The purpose of a prophet was to give God’s message--what He expects of people, what He will do if they obey, what He will do if they don’t. The primary purpose was not to foretell the future, as in divination, which was forbidden; however, that was the means of determining if he was a true or false prophet. Those who falsely predicted short-term future events failed the test, and were to be put to death, 20. Today many call themselves prophets and have foretold events that didn’t happen, and set dates that turned out to be false, but aren’t put to death. They continue their “ministry” and gullible people still follow them. “Prophets” today seem more interested in new “truth” (if there is such a thing) rather than drawing people back to God. If there IS such a thing as “new truth”, what does that tell us about the Bible?
Fulfilled prophecy is one of the greatest evidences that the Bible IS God’s Word, proving the Bible is true. The way Bible critics try to get around it is to claim that Old Testament books had to really have been written much later than believed; they have no historical proof, no manuscript evidence, just the belief that it COULDN’T have been written before things happened. Mathematically, for every prediction, there is a 50/50 chance of it being right or wrong, and every element added to that prediction cuts it in half again. Christ’s first coming literally fulfilled over 300 predictions. (By the way, this is another reason why we believe in the literal fulfillment of the promises about Christ’s second coming as given in Daniel and Revelation. Why would THOSE prophecies be fulfilled in a vague, allegorical way, when the rest have been fulfilled right down to the exact detail?)
The Bible is about knowing God, how we can’t because our sins have separated us from God, and how God made a way for us to be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The prophets spoke often of the Messiah, His virgin birth, life, death, resurrection, second coming, millenial kingdom, and what He and His ministry would be like, so that everyone would be able to recognize Him when He appeared. This is why we see so many Old Testament quotes in the Gospels, telling us that here is the fulfillment of Scripture.
The primary message of the prophets was to people in their time. However, many Bible prophecies deal with the future, and many deal with both at the same time, such as Dan. 11. There is a situation in the near future that fulfills it, or partly fulfills it, but it also refers to a future, greater, complete fulfillment.
ISAIAH
3 sections: CH 1-39 stress law and judgment; 36-39 are written in a prose (story) style, giving a historical narrative about King Hezekiah; and 40-66 stress grace and salvation. Critics say this indicates three writers. Jesus and the New Testament writers quote from all parts and attribute them to Isaiah; could they have been mistaken or lying?
Interestingly, there are 66 books in the Bible, and 66 chapters in Isaiah. How many books are in the Old Testament? In the New Testament? How many chapters in the law & judgment section of Isaiah? How many in the grace & salvation section?
Secular sources say that Isaiah was sawn in two; tradition says it was under King Manesseh. Heb. 11 mentions those who were sawn in two, yet none are specified in the Bible; it could be.
Up till now as we are reading through the Bible, our knowledge of God is mostly gained through examining how He worked in the lives of people, with a few instances of His direct words and actions. Often, we have to figure out or interpret from these stories, information about God. But now, we have God directly revealing Himself to us! That makes this major section of Scripture very exciting and personal!
Chapter 1
1 A vision suggests that perhaps Isaiah saw and heard somehow. Mentally, spiritually? Or perhaps he was physically carried into the presence of God?
Who is being addressed? Not just Israel. All the world is asked to listen and agree with God’s judgment on Israel; implies that anyone and everyone would agree.
Many of the prophets begin by giving the setting--which kings and kingdom. Israel, the northern kingdom, will soon by taken captive by Assyria. Judah is rapidly approaching the same fate.
2-3 Begins with “Listen.” Who is now speaking? The quotation mark isn’t until 3. Who is now speaking? Watch this; Isaiah is speaking unless there are quotation marks. And sometimes the quotes indicate that other people are speaking.
4 Let's talk for a minute about a common misconception of the term "God's people" or "God's chosen nation." Many think this must mean that all Jews were saved. Can this be possible? Can anyone be saved merely because they are born into a certain family or bloodline? The Bible makes it clear that each individual must personally believe in order to have salvation. The fact that Israel is God's chosen nation goes back to Gen. 12:1-3, or what is called the Abrahamic Covenant. God promised to make a special nation from his descendants because of Abraham's faith, Gen. 15:6 (read all 15). How will all the earth be blessed through Abraham's seed, 12:3? Who would eventually be born of his bloodline? Who was first promised in Gen. 3:15? Which of Abraham's sons was the chosen line, 17:21? Which of his sons was in the chosen line, 26:1-5? Which of his 12 sons was in the chosen line, 49:10? The Old Testament traces this promise through a particular family that was chosen to be the means of God eventually sending Jesus Christ to be born as a man. They were the ones He used to reveal Himself to men, through the promises, the Law, and eventually through Christ. Rom. 9:4-5. But this does NOT mean that all Jews were saved simply because they were born Jews. The Old Testament stories make it clear that many did NOT truly believe; they obeyed outwardly because of pride or fear of consequences, but not from a true heart that has repented of sin.
So far, this sounds like a people who have turned completely AWAY from God. But keep reading……
5 Changes from "they" to "you"; addressing Israel. Watch for this wording in the Epistles, where "we," "us" and "you" generally refer to believers, the church, and "they" and "them" generally refer to the other group--unbelievers. Understanding this will clarify many passages for us.
7-9 Why is their land like this?
8 Who is the daughter of Zion? What is Zion?
9 "Survivors" is "remnant" in the KJV. Isaiah will refer again to the faithful remnant. The Bible teaches that there is always a faithful remnant. Is a remnant a small piece or a large piece? Unbelievers will always greatly outnumber true believers. The Bible never teaches that eventually believers will gradually fill the earth, although some teach this.
10 Is God actually speaking to Sodom and Gomorrah? He is speaking to Judah (Israel), but 9 LIKENS them to Sodom and Gomorrah. God uses figurative language; so does Jesus, in the Gospels.
11-20 God speaks. Have these people totally abandoned Him? What is going on then? In this chapter there is no mention of their mixing true worship with idol worship. The problem is, they are so wicked, their worship is false, outward. Does God accept it as worship? Do sacrifices themselves have the power to remove sin, regardless of your heart, if you are being a hypocrite? Does keeping the Sabbath, etc., mean anything to God if your heart is not right? CAN Israel even truly leave God? The unfaithful wife is still under the marriage covenant, just as Israel is under the covenant God has made with her; leaving Him or dissolving the covenant is not an option.
What application is here for New Testament Christians? Even though the church is never mentioned in the Old Testament, we learn much about God--His character (which the Bible says never changes), what He wants from His people, how He feels about things. Can our worship be mostly outward? Can unbelievers outwardly appear to act like believers? Is God after certain outward actions, or is He after a change in our hearts? Can a true believer ever be separated from God? Some say yes, but study Rom. 8:31-39, John 10:28-29, 18:9, I John 5:12-13 (actually, ALL of I John). If eternal life can be lost, or come and go, then it is not ETERNAL. The Bible does not teach that the indwelling Holy Spirit comes and goes; in the Old Testament He did, not indwelling believers, but coming upon them temporarily for power for a time, or for some particular task.
15 What is taught here about prayer?
16-18 God calls them to repentance.
19-20 If you – but if -- God basically repeats in a nutshell the Mosaic covenant. Ever since the giving of the Law, this has been the arrangement. We do not find this type of covenant in the New Testament for the church. Many Christians mistakenly believe we are still under this arrangement because they do not see that God deals differently in different times (dispensations) with different groups of people. Many try to interpret events in the world and in their lives in this manner.
21 What is the faithful city? Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, the southern kingdom.
God has told them how He feels, He has told them what to do. Now, in 24-26, He tells them what HE will do. He knows they will not do v19 but instead will do v20. This section is an example of a prophecy that has both a near and a far fulfillment. What would that be? The Babylonian captivity followed by a return to their land; and later, the Tribulation, followed by the Millenium. How is dross removed by lye, how is alloy removed? Fire; judgment. God’s judgment is not to “get back” at them; it is to purify, it is for their good. Why does God discipline the New Testament Christian? Heb. 12:5-11. Why does God "prune" in our lives? John 15:1-5. What does the gardener put on his plants to help them to grow? Does it smell good? Why--what is it? Don't pruning and fertilizer explain much of what feels and smells bad in our daily lives? So should we ask God to remove those situations, to make them stop? If not, how might we pray instead?
27-31 What is Zion? These verses seem to apply more to the end time than the captivity: sinners crushed, come to an end, burn, none to quench. Oaks and gardens would be a reference to the places where they indulged in idolatry. An application to us might be that if we haven’t chosen to put God first, we may be embarrassed at the judgment seat of Christ when we have to give account of our deeds--the things we desired and spent our time and effort on.
We have looked at quite a bit of detail in this chapter because this chapter presents in a nutshell what the entire book is about--God’s judgment on Israel.
Chapter 2
This chapter also presents in a nutshell the rest of the message of the prophets--the final outcome of things. This chapter presents events that have not yet happened.
2 “In the last days” is what is called a technical term that refers to the end times. There are several other similar terms that mean the same thing: the last day, in that day, in those days, the day, that day, the day of the Lord. This will be an important clue in understanding prophecy. We also see it in 11, 17, 20. So does it refer to the Tribulation, or the Millenium? Look at this chapter and see which is being talked about—it’s both! That is another important thing to notice about these terms. The day of the Lord begins with the Tribulation and goes on through the Millenium. It is not talking about one 24-hour day, such as the actual day Christ returns. As far as the immediate aspect of these prophecies, the day of the Lord or “that day” probably refers to a day of judgment.
2-3 What important information do we learn about what will happen in the last days? Israel will be the centerpiece of the earth. Where in Israel in particular? Christ will rule His kingdom from Jerusalem. What will Israel be like spiritually? So do you think 2-4 are talking about the Tribulation, or the Millenium?
5-on Then the tone gets negative. 6-8 tells why God abandoned His people. When the last days come, do you really think the land of Israel will be full of horses and chariots? What might this be saying? Military power. Also false religion, humanism.
6 God’s judgment will fall on Israel. The entire nation, the house of Jacob.
10 What does this tell us about the last days? What two things about God will be revealed during this time? (also in 21)
11 What particular sin is mentioned?
12 Reinforces the fact of judgment in the last days, so we know for sure this section is talking about the Tribulation. Again, what sin is mentioned?
13 Does God have something against tall trees? Because that literal meaning does not seem logical, we consider whether these trees could be symbolic of something. Compare Judges 9:8-15. God’s judgment during the Tribulation will fall not only on Israel, but on all the nations. In applying a literal interpretation, we let the words tell us when symbolism is being used. Since trees used as symbols here, they may be used as symbols elsewhere in the Bible, such as Mt. 3:10, 21:19, Luke 6:44, Rom. 11:17-24, and possibly Rev. 7:1.
14 So if the trees of 13 are symbolic, might the mountains be also? Symbolic of what? All these things (trees, mountains, towers, walls) seem to represent various degrees of power, nations of every sort. Again, if mountains are used as symbols here, they may be used as symbols elsewhere in the Bible, such as Mt. 17:20, possibly Is. 40:4, Rev. 6:14.
17 What is mentioned again that God is going to judge at that time? What are we learning about God? How should we apply that knowledge to ourselves? Do you see that even though the church is not in the Old Testament, that increasing our understanding of what God is like should have a major impact on how we as Christians think and live?
19-21 Men hiding at that time in rocks and caves; where else do we find this? Read Rev. 6:15-16.
22 In contrast to the terror and splendor of the Lord, what is the conclusion about man? (No self-esteem movement justified here!) So does the world really revolve around ME? Is my Christian life even about ME? If not, then who IS it about? We need to keep our priorities straight. Our culture is so SELF-oriented that this thinking is quite prevalent among Christians.
These two chapters sum up the basic message of the prophets, which we will see elaborated on in more detail.
Do we find any hint here that the church will also be targeted for judgment? The church was not yet in existence, and the prophets did not know about it. We will find that the church comes into existence following Israel’s rejection of God, when God temporarily stops dealing with Israel; the church will be removed from the earth before God once again begins to deal with Israel at the beginning of the seven years of tribulation. I Thes. 4:14-18, 5:9-11, II Thes. 2:7-9, Rev. 3:10. We are living in that in-between time now. When will the church age end and God once again begin dealing with Israel? Read Romans 11:25. (Look at 26-29 also.)
Chapter 3
Is this another prophecy, or is it still dealing with the same matter and the same period of time? Clues: 7, 18, 4:1, 4:2, 5:30, and we will find other clues from here through CH5 that this all deals with the day of the Lord. CH6 begins with comments that indicate another vision.
1-7 Bad stuff that will happen in Israel at that time.
8-9 This is why.
4-5, 12 Hints about their rulers at that time. Rulers of Israel itself, or the Antichrist or other powers in the global government that the Bible tells us will be in place at the time of the Tribulation?
13-15 God holds the rulers of Israel guilty. Why? Compare James 3:1. So we see that God holds people accountable according to how much they know, how much light they have. The more light you have received, the greater your responsibility in God's eyes. Mt. 11:21-24, Luke 12:45-48, 20:45-47.
16-24 What does God accuse the Jewish women of in 16? Details of fashion; its great importance, commercialism (just watch the TV ads!). Do Christian women today engage in this type of thinking or behavior? What does God think about it? Do we need to change our thinking or behavior?
Chapter 4
1 Seems to go with 3:25-26. Many Israeli men will die in battle, women will greatly outnumber.
2-6 The positive aspect, the outcome of this judgment.
2 Survivors; we know that many Jews will be killed, or will die in battle.
4 Again, what is one of the main purposes of the Tribulation?
5-6 Where else have we read about such a cloud? Ex. 13:21, 24:16, Num. 14:10, Ez. 10:4.
Chapter 5
1-6 A story about someone and his vineyard.
7 What is it really about? What does the vineyard represent here? We find elsewhere in the Bible that the vineyard also represents Israel; if we notice Bible symbols, we find that the Bible uses them consistently, and we don't have to guess at the meanings of symbols. The Bible interprets itself, so we need to get in the habit of comparing Scripture with Scripture. Now we might go back to 3:13-15 and see what God is saying to those elders and princes of Israel.
2 What did God expect from Israel? Fruit. What is fruit? (7) What else does the Bible tell us that fruit is? Gal. 5:22-23. Where do we read about vines and fruit in connection with believers in Christ? Read John 15:1-5. The church is never described as a vine or a vineyard; we are branches. Read Rom. 11:17-24. What does this tell us about ourselves as branches? We are grafted in. God’s original plan (ideal will) centered around His chosen people, Israel; their sin resulted in "Plan B," the church, us (not that God was caught off guard and had to make a new plan--He knew all along what people would do and what He would do). The church was not the main thing, but many today believe that it now is. 11:20 warns us not to be proud of our position as grafted branches.
5 What is God going to do to Israel?
8-23 More about reasons for what God is going to do to them. What specifically in 12? In 13? In 15?
18-19 Scoffers. Compare Mt. 12:38-39, II Pet. 3:3-4.
24 Will this judgment happen gradually over time? Compare v27, also Rev. 1:1.
25 It almost sounds like this all could be said of mankind in general, but who is He talking about?
26 This verse says what will come swiftly? Other nations; God will use other nations to bring about this judgment on Israel. Described in 26-30. 28, will there be horses and chariots? Like what and what? Which indicates what?
God used wicked men to discipline Israel. Might He do that in our lives? When people do things to us that are not right, should we automatically assume that this CANNOT be what God's wants to be happening in our lives? On the one hand, does God want people to sin or to hurt others? But does He stop anyone from sinning if they choose to? But can He USE that sinful action to fit into His purposes? Compare II Sam. 24; God's plan was to punish Israel. How did He bring about that punishment? Through David's sin. Was God responsible for David's sin? Obviously not. In fact, compare the parallel account in I Chron. 21:1. So who was behind David's sin? God, Satan, or David? All three! BUT--David was the one who sinned, and he knew it, 24:10. God planned that David's sinful actions would actually bring about His own purposes. If you look around you, you can see this same process happening all the time. God's ideal will is that we not sin; but He permits us to sin, so we call the things that He permits to happen, His permissive will. We see these two concepts a lot in the Bible, and understanding this can help us to make sense of our lives.
30 And just to be sure we remember the time Isaiah is talking about, he reminds us; when? A couple other clues: the darkness of 30 and the great earthquake of 25 sounds like Rev. 6:12.
Chapter 6
1 Apparently the first five chapters were all one vision. Now we have another dated vision.
2 What are seraphim? Where else do we read about them? Only here! Strong's: fiery serpent, seraph. From: burning, the copper color. Several Hebrew words related to seraph, all have to do with burning, fiery. So they have six wings, and are found in the presence of the Lord as He is sitting on His throne. Angels in the Bible do not have wings; when they appear on earth, they are described as men, or men dressed in white shining garments. The popular picture of angels with wings is reinforced by Christmas cards and flannelgraph stories, but these should not be our source for biblical truth. Also, in the Bible angels are never female. So if someone believes that today they have seen an angel and it is female or has wings, they have either imagined it, are lying, or have seen a Satanic deception (demons are fallen angels--Satan's favorite tactic is deception).
The beings described in Ez. 1 have no name but have four faces and four wings and human hands beneath their wings (6-8). These are also in connection with the Lord in heaven and His glory.
Cherubim (or cherub) are mentioned frequently. Strong's: of uncertain derivation, a cherub or imaginary figure. Gen. 3:24, Ez. 10; v21 tells us they have four wings and four faces, with human hands beneath their wings. One on each end of mercy seat, of gold. I Kings 6, two made of olive wood in the inner sanctuary of the temple, 10 cubits high, wings of five cubits, wingspan of 20 cubits II Chron. 3. These carvings all sound like they had two wings.
Rev. 4:6-8 are described as seraphim but called living creatures; KJV, beasts. KJV also uses "beast" to talk about the Antichrist. Different words in Strong's: angel/beast: animal, live thing. Antichrist/beast: dangerous animal, venomous wild beast. Interesting that Satan is an angel, angels are good and evil. Same word.
3 What is one things the angels do in heaven?
4 Have we heard of this smoke elsewhere? Ex. 19:18, Rev. 15:8.
5 What is Isaiah’s response when he is confronted with the holy God? Others in the Bible have a similar reaction. What does this tell us about reports of near-death experiences, where people supposedly meet Jesus and hug Him and have sweet little conversations with Him? They don’t match the biblical accounts at all! Jesus is not our buddy. What does this tell us about how we should come into God’s presence, so to speak, in prayer? Did this man actually see God?
The Bible says no man has seen God. Compare John 1:18 to Gen. 18:22, Ex. 33:11, Judges 6:14-15, I Tim. 6:16, and I John 4:12. Is the Bible contradicting itself? Remember that God is a Trinity: John 4:24 tells us what about the Father? The Holy Spirit is obviously spirit also. According to this verse, when God appeared on earth as a man, He appeared as the Son, the Christ. His human name was Jesus. In the Old Testament, He also appeared, not as Jesus but as the pre-incarnate Christ. (Incarnate = in the flesh.) He appeared as the Angel of the Lord, who can be identified as God in many passages. See Gen. 22:11-18 and Judges 6:22. So whenever the Bible speaks of someone seeing God, they obviously saw God the Son, not God the Father.
5-8 The Bible teaches that because of God’s holiness and our sinfulness, our sin must be dealt with first if we wish to come into God’s presence. We must first recognize our sinfulness. The closer we get to God, the more we recognize our sinfulness. Some Christians actually think they do not sin. I John 1:8-10 speaks to this issue.
8 Do you see the Trinity implied? What is Isaiah’s response, after his sin has been dealt with?
9-10 Who is “this people”? What do you make of God’s comments here? We can almost hear the sarcasm. Doesn’t He want people to repent? The more people listen without responding, the duller their hearing gets. It’s like when He hardened Pharoah’s heart; He does it, and we do it--free will and sovereignty, all at the same time. First Pharoah hardened his own heart; then later it is stated that God hardened it. He is going to judge them; they will not hear or see or repent; it is THEIR choice, and He will see that they do it. He will bring out what is in people’s hearts. God does not blind anyone’s eyes who wants to see; those with eyes to see will see, and those who are blind will not see. It is God's desire that all would see, I Tim. 2:4.
13 A remnant will remain of God’s people.
Chapter 7
What important prophecy do we find in this chapter? The virgin birth of the Messiah, 14. So we have the circumstance in which this prophecy was given.
Ahaz, the wicked king of Judah, has been threatened by the king of Syria and the king of Israel. God sends Isaiah to reassure him that it will not come to pass. He also says that Israel’s days are numbered.
10-11 To strengthen Ahaz and Judah’s faith, God wants to give them a sign, a short-term prophecy, that they will be able to see come to pass.
12 Ahaz refuses to ask for one; he disobeys God.
13-16 God gives one anyway. Controversy: is it talking about a young woman or a virgin? The word can be translated either way; must consider the context. Keep in mind that this prophecy, like many, has a short-term AND a long-term fulfillment.
Mt. 1:18-23 tells us three times that Mary was a virgin, that she conceived by the Holy Spirit, and that this virgin birth was the fulfillment of Is. 7:14. What about the short-term prophecy, something that would be recognizable to Ahaz and his nation? Isaiah is giving a timetable till the 2 kings’ lands are forsaken. Whether it is meant as virgin or young woman, the idea is that she will conceive and bear a son (9 months), his name will be Immanuel, and by the time he can tell right from wrong (a couple of years), this will take place; in just a few years the alliance would be broken.
Jesus was never called Immanuel, so does He really fulfill this prophecy?? Yes; what does Immanuel mean? God with us. The Messiah, the one born of a virgin, would be God in the flesh, divine. He is the only one who has ever fulfilled that prophecy.
18 When enemy nations came against Israel, did they just decide to come, on their own? This is a trick question! Yes, they did; they operated under their own free will. But we are told that their free-will actions are also under God's sovereign control. How should this make us feel when we see what is going on in the world, or in our lives? Are things that seem out of control, really out of control? So do we need to fear or be anxious?
20 Shaving the hair brought humiliation in those days.
“In that day” used several times. A time of judgment on the land of Israel; pictures a greater judgment in the future. 17, such days as have never come…
Chapter 8
3-4 God is using Isaiah’s son to mark a timetable in His judgment on the nations--about a year. 18, his children are for signs from the Lord.
5-8 Warns of coming invasion by Assyria. Likens the invasion to water flowing.
9-10 No matter what the nations devise, God’s plan cannot be thwarted. He is sovereign--the Bible makes this so clear. How should this fact affect our thinking about God, about our lives, about prayer?
11-14 How was Isaiah to act and feel? In contrast, how would Israel and Judah act? What should be our approach to life? What if our friends or family see things differently, even make fun of our beliefs? What if we see other Christians around us speaking or acting in a way that dishonors God? We are not to allow ourselves to get sucked into wrong things or attitudes that are going on around us.
19 What were the Jews doing? How does God feel about occult practices? Compare Deut. 18:9-12.
20 "The law and the testimony" is God's Word; how much of God's Word did they have in those days? The five books of Moses. Rather than consult occult forms of knowledge, what does God want us to do? And how do we consult God? In His Word. We hear God's voice, what God has to say to us, by reading His Word; we speak to God in prayer. This is the way God has designed that we can have a two-way conversation with Him. Some think they hear God's voice by clearing their minds and listening for a voice; we cannot know that whatever we think we hear is really what God has to say. Only in God's Word can we know without a doubt what God is saying. Beware of opening yourself to subjective influences and calling it "God's voice."
Chapter 9
1-2 In what way would God later make it glorious? When is "later on"? A prophecy of the Messiah. Compare Mt. 4:15-16. What light is referred to here? Compare John 1:1-13.
6-7 Who is the subject of these verses? This is an amazing Old Testament picture of Christ. He is not only a son to Mary and Joseph, He is God's Son. Government: when will that happen? At His first coming? The Old Testament prophets didn’t see that there would be two comings, that not all this would be fulfilled at once.
We have the Trinity here: we will be given a son, a child, and he will be called the Eternal Counselor; we are told that who is the Counselor in John 14-16? He is the mighty God, equal with the Father, and He is eternal. This told them that the Messiah would be divine, both God and man. This implies the virgin birth; a baby that is 100% human cannot be God in the flesh. His kingdom will be eternal, will be characterized by peace. Some believe the kingdom is only a spiritual kingdom, where Christ rules in the hearts of believers. The word "government" makes it clear that the kingdom will also be earthly and physical, ruling on the throne of David from Jerusalem.
Then three paragraphs directed to Israel, telling what God will do to them because of their pride and arrogance, 9, each ending with the same two lines. Even though God brings these judgments, His anger isn’t quenched, because they don’t repent. When WILL His anger turn away? At the end of the Tribulation, because at that point they DO repent. Zech. 12:10.
Chapter 10
1-4 This seems to belong to CH9, ends with same two lines.
5-7 An extremely important truth regarding God’s sovereignty, how He works out His purposes. He uses the ungodly, and the evil events we see. They all fit into His plan. But He does not MAKE them against their will. They think they are doing what they are doing, for their own purposes. God uses them to bring His punishment and discipline on His own people. This will be true of the Antichrist in the Tribulation, and it is true of Satan himself.
12 And after He has allowed them to do their wicked thing, for His purposes, what will He do? Punish them for doing it! As the Righteous Judge, He cannot punish them unless they are actually responsible for what they have done, so we know that He has not MADE them against their will. We are comforted by the knowledge that God WILL deal with those who have done us wrong; we may not see it, and it may not even happen in this life, but in eternity. However, we should not wish eternal punishment on the worst of sinners; what does Mt. 5:44 say to do instead? Does it say "love" or "like"? What is the difference? God's kind of love is not based on whether or not someone is lovable. "Agape" love is concerned with the other person's well-being, with their needs. We are told to love others as we love ourselves; we see that our needs are met. We make sure we eat when we are hungry, sleep when we are tired, and put on clothes when we are cold. Luke 10:27-37 illustrates what it means to love others.
As we read through the Prophets, notice how often pride and arrogance are mentioned as the prevailing sin God is judging. Can we infer from that that this is the sin that is pervasive throughout all mankind? Do we ever have a problem with it? Might it be our problem and we are not even aware that it is?
13-14 I, I, I… MY hand, MY wisdom…
15 They are the axe/saw/club/rod, but His hand is wielding it. This gives us some real insight into how God works in and through people's lives, both believers and unbelievers.
17-19 More evidence that trees often symbolize nations, power. Trees, forest, thorns, briars, garden. God deals this way with whoever opposes His plan and His people.
20 "In that day." Up to this verse, God has been speaking of Assyria and the immediate situation, but now we have a clue that this prophecy also has a future implication. Again, only a remnant will return to God following judgment by the hand of the wicked.
25 Again, this wicked nation is merely an instrument in God’s hand, and then it too will be judged.
27 "In that day." Refers to the future as well as Assyria. The yoke will be removed from the nation Israel.
28-32 Traces the march from the north, to Jerusalem. At that time Assyria was the enemy from the north. End time prophecy often refers to the power from the north, whoever that may be at that time. The situation with Assyria at that time pictures the end time situation.
33-34 Either we conclude that God dislikes trees and wants them cut down, or we can conclude that these often picture powers and nations. "Tall" and "lofty" probably are a reference to pride and arrogance. This is why, when we read in Rev. about 1/3 of the trees burnt up, we are justified in wondering if it is literal trees OR symbolic of nations and powers--or both.
We see in these prophecies that at the same time, God is speaking to them of their present condition, judgment to come from wicked enemies, and God’s final deliverance, while He is also saying that in the distant future, this is His plan for Israel. This is an amazing evidence that the Bible could not possibly be written by mere men. God is not through with Israel, and we will find much evidence for this fact in the books of prophecy.
Copyright 2006 Jan Young