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"Big Guns": Isaiah

10/23/2016

 
Isaiah wrote to God's people seven to eight centuries before Christ, during the tumult of the Mesopotamian empires of Assyria, then Babylon.  Egypt was trying to regain former glory, and the smaller nation states between the larger empires were squabbling for power and influence within their own region - including the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
Israel eventually succumbed to the Assyrians in 722 BC, then Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem was inflicted by the Babylonians in 587 BC.
Isaiah saw it all coming and loudly called on God's people in both kingdoms of Israel and Judah to humble themselves before the LORD their God, and to stop trusting in themselves and their own cleverness - outworked in treaties with other super-powers that ultimately betrayed them.
Isaiah is full of poetic literature and beautiful language that is often translated well into our English Bibles from the Hebrew. Indeed, many scholars have said that Isaiah is the 'Shakespeare of the Old Testament'. Vivid word pictures, stories and yes, prophetic visions of future events, are all arrayed throughout the book to inspire, comfort and fortify the people of God who face distress and disaster.
Too often they did not want to hear it because they lived in prosperous and seemingly secure times.
They believed they were immune from the machinations of global politics because they were the offspring of Abraham, the descendants of David and Solomon sat on the throne, and the LORD their God would protect them.
But... they forgot the covenant the LORD had forged with them through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and David. They willingly turned to other gods, idols and 'detestable practices' (that still make me feel sick when I read them).
Isiah warned and called them back to covenant faithfulness. But the people, including the kings and religious leaders insisted that they knew better. The outcome smashed all their pretence.
Isaiah did not leave it at that though. He used his skill for story-telling and heeding God's voice to tell of future events, including One who would come and usher in God's kingdom in more powerful ways than His people could imagine. He told of God's future rule where every nation would recognise the LORD their God and sovereign over all, and His peace would be established in hearts, minds and governments.
This wold not be achieved by military enforcement, nor by violent bloodshed - except that of God the Son Himself, the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52-53).
If you take the time to read Isaiah, you will be rewarded with beauty and marvelous story. But you will be challenged about your own place with the LORD, your own sense of security, your expectation of continued prosperity and safety. The answer is given by God who remains faithful, even when His people turn away from Him, who never stops calling us by name to return to Him and receive security, peace and life that can never be taken by this world.
Isaiah's words should resonate within the Church today, in the light of God;s great Easter work in the death and resurrection of Jesus. I pray you will take the challenge to read Isaiah and be lifted up by the LORD your God.

The Four 'Big Guns' of the Hebrew Scriptures

10/22/2016

 
The four Old Testament (Hebrew or Jewish) prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel can be daunting. In fact, I know many Christians who have barely read any of them because they feel like they will never understand what they read.
Which is a real shame.
In these four comprehensive books we find rich literature, deep roots into the mind of God, and amidst the blood, sweat and tears, relief and comfort for all who are in despair.
The problem for Western Christians in 2016 is that we may think we are oppressed or unheard, we have little concept of war, persecution and despair. So we might read these prophets and be horrified by the 'Word of the LORD' and His actions against people of different nations. In context though, for God's people who had been under attack (physically and spiritually) for generations, even centuries, such words were a reminder that the LORD their God had not forgotten, and would act mightily to redeem them from the horror.
In August 2016 we heard from each of these four Big Guns each Sunday in turn. On this page we will consider a summary of what we found, in the outline of:
  1. Who were they talking to?
  2. What did they say?
  3. How did God's people hear it later through Christ and the New Testament?
  4. Then finally - what do we learn from this writer today?
I hope this is as helpful to you as many of our Sunday morning members found it.
Steve

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