Lesson 3 The Coming Storm pt. 2 (ISAIAH 24–31)
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From the Commentary
The name Jerusalem means “city of peace,” but throughout its history it has been associated more with conflict than with peace. Even today, Jerusalem is a focal point for concern in the Middle East. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” admonished the psalmist (Ps. 122:6). Why pray for Jerusalem? Why not pray for London or Moscow or Rome? Because when there is true peace in Jerusalem, there will be peace in the whole world (Isa. 52:7; 66:12); so we had better take the psalmist’s words to heart.
1. Isaiah 28–31 is filled with warnings or “woes” that focus primarily on Jerusalem, but there are also promises of restoration and glory. Why do you think Isaiah’s message is written this way? How do the promises of hope relate to the warnings?
From the Commentary
Pride and drunkenness were not Judah’s only sins; they also mocked God’s prophet and rejected God’s Word (Isa. 28:9–13). Verses 9–10 are the words of the drunken prophets and priests as they ridiculed Isaiah. “He talks to us as though we were little children,” they said. “He keeps saying the same things over and over again and uses the vocabulary of a child. There is certainly no need to take anything he says seriously!”
2. Why did Isaiah’s detractors ridicule him? What methods did they use to try and derail his message? What role did “intellectual pride” play in the way the drunken prophets and priests challenged Isaiah? How is this like or unlike the way people tend to ridicule believers today?
From the Commentary
Why were the people of Jerusalem so ignorant of what was going on? Their hearts were far from God (Isa. 29:13). They went through the outward forms of worship and faithfully kept the annual feasts (v. 1; 1:10ff.), but it was not a true worship of God (Matt. 15:1–9). Going to the temple was the popular thing to do, but most of the people did not take their worship seriously. Therefore, God sent a “spiritual blindness” and stupor on His people so that they could not understand their own law.
3. Why would God “blind” His people to the law? In what ways are today’s believers often ignorant of what’s going on? What are the “outward forms of worship” people practice today that aren’t a true worship of God?
From the Commentary
In Isaiah 31, Isaiah summarizes what he’s already been telling the people. Indeed, he was teaching them “line upon line; here a little, and there a little” (28:10), and yet they were not getting the message.Their faith was in men, not in God. They trusted in the legs of horses and the wheels of chariots, not in the hand of the Lord.
4. Why did the people have such a hard time comprehending what Isaiah was saying? What obstacles kept them from understanding? What are some of the obstacles to understanding God’s purpose today?
5. How do Isaiah’s proclamations of woe and warning against the people of God affect the way you perceive the God of the Old Testament? What do you think would be a healthy way to respond to a God who proclaims woe and warning, not just comfort?
6. The people of Isaiah’s time hoped for a repeat of their exodus experience—a grand event to save them from their enemies. What sorts of “exodus” events do you hope for in your life? How has God swept in and saved you from enemies?
7. What clues tell you when you’re far from God? How does your distance from God affect the manner in which you respond to Him? What are some practical ways you can move closer to God so you can hear His message for you?