Rebels since Conception
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Isaiah
44. An
expository study of Isaiah, chapter 48
I am
more convinced every day that Christians need to come under the influence of
expository teaching of the Bible. Once again, I invite anyone, who chances to
read this article, to join us in this verse-by-verse study of the book of
Isaiah. I am learning and I am sure that you will learn, as well.
Jacob and Israel
One
thing that we must do in an expository study is to define the terms that are
used. Generally, the people in Bible times understood these terms, but often,
we might look in a very different way than that, which was intended by the
inspired writers. We dare not interpret them in “our way”! For example, Isaiah
in verse 1 addresses the house of Jacob.
Early in the book, in chapter seven, we read about the house of David and
saw that this phrase referred to the descendants of David. Simply then, the house of Jacob refers, in a natural
and general sense, to the descendants of Jacob.
However,
when Isaiah writes, “who are called by
the name of Israel”, he is being more specific and spiritual. This clause
reminds us of a crisis experience in Jacob’s life, when God worked a
transformation in him and called him by a new name, which meant prince of God. His name is included in
Israel’s. God expects that Jacob’s descendants be a transformed and spiritual
people, representing His own nature. There is another term that requires an
explanation… who came from the waters of
Judah. This is more specific yet and denotes a fountain, as a source from
which waters flow.
The
southern kingdom took its name from Judah to distinguish itself from the
northern tribes. Their people intended to be more loyal and faithful to
Jehovah, the ones “who swear by the name
of the Lord and confess the God of Israel.” It is the ministry of Isaiah to
uncover superficial claims and discover the heart. Their confession, he writes,
is “not in truth or right”. These two
necessary qualities… truth and
righteousness… must be present in order for a claim to be genuine.
Bel and Nebo Fall
Labels:
Isaiah
43. An
expository study of Isaiah, chapter 46-47
Chapter 46
A good portion
of the earlier chapters of Isaiah had to do with Assyrian history and prophecy.
Several of the last chapters project into the future and concern Babylon and
its downfall at the hand of Cyrus of Persia. Babylon’s idolatrous religion had
an effect upon the world of its day and some of its aspects live on to our day.
The Romans associated Bel to Jupiter and Nebo to Mercury.
Bel and Nebo are
Babylonian gods. Bel is an alternate spelling of Baal and we know the part that
Baal played among the Israelites. Baal-worship reached into Phoenicia and we
studied about its influence upon Queen Jezebel, wife of Ahab, the king of
northern Israel. Nebo is found in the root of some of the names of Babylon’s
kings, including Nebuchadnezzar. Bel is also: Bel-shazzar, the king, but also
Nebuchadnezzar named Daniel after the name of his god… Bel-teshazzar (Dn.4:8).
A point that is
made in the first verse is that the images of these gods are a burden to the people
and to the beasts that have to carry them. They cannot defend the city and they
do not escape the invasion of Persia, but the idols are carried away, along
with the people, who worshipped them (v.1-2). The defeat of Babylon was a
defeat of its gods. They did not bear the people, but are carried on the backs
of beasts of burden. I noticed this comment in Wikipedia, concerning a
superstitious action by the father of Bel-shazzar: “Nabonidus had ordered cult statues from outlying
Babylonian cities to be brought into the capital.”
Sovereign Lord Over All
Labels:
Isaiah
42. An
expository study of Isaiah, chapter 45
 |
| Cyrus the Great |
Isaiah’s
ministry, by a powerful inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has given to readers for
2,700 years, around the globe, clear insights into the nature of God. From the
day of his divine calling, he came to know the Holy One of Israel and that has
been his emphasis throughout the book. He also powerfully portrays Him as
Sovereign Lord over all the earth.
Cyrus and sovereign choice
I repeat what we
learned in the last chapter; God named Cyrus over 150 years before he was
born. If you are a child of God, you probably are aware of the fact that God
had His hand upon your life before you knew Him. Did you know that He has
worked in past generations to bring you into being? Ah, the Bible teaches us that
“he chose us in him before the
foundation of the world…” (Eph.1:4). No wonder Jesus knew the little man’s
name, when He saw him in the tree. “Zacchaeus,”
He called. He even knew the name of another little man… the rabid,
hate-inspired Pharisee on his way to Damascus to wreak havoc with the church.
He shouted to him from the blazing glory of His presence, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” A few verses later, we
see that Christ had chosen him: “He is a
chosen instrument of mine” Jesus taught us that He calls His own sheep by
name.
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