Contributor: Esther Alajiki

INTRODUCTION
Last week explored God's desire for a harmonious relationship with His people and His desire for us to live holy and walk intimately with Him, He made us for companionship and we should hunger and thirst for Him. Today we will be looking at His comfort and assurance of salvation for Zion in Isaiah 51 and deliverance for Jerusalem in Chapter 52.

The first 7 verses reveal 3 promises for His people. The LORD here speaks to His people, but His people have had trouble listening to Him. So, three times in this chapter, the exhortation is given - Listen to Me. We have evidence of how God has dealt with His people and this gives us faith and guidance for His work in our lives – if we will listen to Him. God’s people were in a discouraging place. They felt defeated, and the prophet told them to look at God’s work in and through His people in days past. This should remind His people today that God does not need many people to do a great work. He can bless and increase one man alone. When we hear of what God has done and is doing in the lives of others, it can build our faith for God’s work in our own lives. God can do a lot with a little (Zech. 4:6-10) 1 Cor. 1:26 “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world”
It takes a great deal to shake off the Christian who has been eaten up with discouragement and unbelief. These two emotions are the masterstrokes of Satan. But, so long as the child of God maintains an attitude of praise and trust in the Lord, then he/she will not be hit by the devil’s arrows.

Promise #1: God Will Restore (51:1-3)
The three promises are delineated by the three calls for the people to listen to the Lord. Isaiah 51:1, 4, 7 all begin calling for the people to listen to what God has to say. “listen” (Shammah) in verse 1 and verse 7 are the same. The word means to listen in the sense of understanding, applying and obeying the Word of God, We must be comforted by looking at what God is able to restore. – consider what He did with Abraham. God is a covenant keeping God.
Zech. 4:6 -7 “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” Says the Lord of hosts.7‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!

Promise #2: God Will Teach The World (51:4-6)
God’s revelation and instructions would not be limited to the physical nation of Israel any longer. God’s faithfulness (righteousness) and salvation will extend to the entire world.
Those tied to the earth will be cast away, and even the earth will vanish away., When the LORD ultimately regathers, blesses, and saves Israel, He will also shine forth His justice to all the world – to Israel (My nation) and to all the nations.

Promise #3: God Will Give Lasting Salvation (51:7-8)
God is faithful to his people and he has promised salvation to those who know him. This world is temporal - don’t be temporal

A Prayer and Response (51:9-16) - A prayer to God (51:9-11) and a response from God (51:12-16). The call is for the arm of the Lord to be awaken. God’s power to be made manifest so “the ransomed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with singing.” God responds that there is no reason for His people to live in fear.
We will only live in fear continually every day if we forget the LORD. When we forget the LORD, we forget His tender love and care for us. “I have covered you with the shadow of My hand”. The phrase I have covered you with the shadow of My hand reminds us of how God covered Moses with His hand, as Moses hid in the rock and the LORD made His glory to pass before Moses (Exodus 33:17-23).

A wakeup call is directed right at Jerusalem. God’s people sometimes spiritually “fall asleep” and need to be awakened. A common picture of judgment in the Old Testament is the cup of God’s wrath or fury. The idea is that God gives a cup “full” of His wrath to those who are under judgment, and they must drink it. Here, God calls Jerusalem to remember that they have drunk at the hand of the LORD, the cup of His fury when they experienced God’s judgment through the Babylonians. This powerful image was in the mind of Jesus when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion. When He prayed, Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done (Luke 22:42), He had in mind the cup of God’s wrath He was about to drink – to the dregs – at the cross.

Romans 13:11-12 says, And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

There were none to give guidance to her children (vs.18) - That those who should have been her comforters were their own tormentors…..in spite of judgement, God is mindful of us and our children, He sees if the children are being taught or not
The judgment of God affects generations but God is merciful and compassionate, whatever the distresses of God's people may be, He will not disown His relation to them, even if they have they lost their interest in Him and in His promise.

They have fallen so low that no one mourns their affliction. That is, because of their sins, they have no friends. It is easier for men to look down on those who are reaping negative consequences for their choices than to have compassion on them. God, however, is not that way; although they have been under God's wrath, God will deliver the Jews. He has compassion on those who are afflicted, even if they are afflicted because of their sins.
This promise of deliverance is a specific prophecy concerning Babylon; the Babylonians who took the Jews captive were themselves overthrown by the Persians. As they took advantage of other's weaknesses, they would be made weak and lowly. This prophecy, then, is not to be extended to all believers. God delivered the Jews because of His covenant; this does not mean that He will deliver one from the consequences of one's sins. He may do so, but then again He may not.

Comfort #1: God’s Wrath Has Ended (51:17-23)
Thus says your Lord, the LORD, your God who pleads the cause of his people: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more; and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, who have said to you, ‘Bow down, that we may pass over’; and you have made your back like the ground and like the street for them to pass over.” (Isaiah 51:22–23 ESV)

The only escape that can be found from the wrath of God is in the mercy of God., when we look to the God of all comfort, only then are we able to have hope of mercy for our sinful condition.

The greater part of this chapter is on the same subject with the chapter before, concerning the deliverance of the Jews out of Babylon, which yet is applicable to the great salvation Christ has wrought out for us; but the last three verses are on the same subject with the following chapter, concerning the person of the Redeemer, his humiliation and exaltation.
God's people are stirred up to appear vigorous for their own deliverance- let them awake from their despondency, and pluck up their spirits, encourage themselves and one another – be hopeful - all will be well yet, don’t be discouraged, let go of doubt and distrust, take hold of God’s promises, look into the providences of God. There shall be a cleansing - the uncircumcised and the unclean sneaked in with their idolatrous customs in Ezra's time and Nehemiah's, the unclean crept in, they were soon by the vigilance and zeal of the magistrates expelled again, and care was taken that Jerusalem should be a holy city. Thus the gospel Jerusalem is purified by the blood of Christ and the grace of God, and made indeed a holy city.

There is a call to prepare for liberty - that the bands of their necks should be loosed, that they should not now be any longer oppressed, nay, that they should not be any more invaded –every band the enemy has put around lives will be destroyed. No invasion- keep close to God, and keep in with him, God will keep off, will keep out of the enemy; The gospel proclaims liberty to those who were bound with fears and makes it their duty to take hold of their liberty. Let those who have been weary and heavily laden under the burden of sin, finding relief in Christ, shake themselves from the dust of their doubts and fears and loose themselves from those bands; for, if the Son make them free, they shall be free indeed.

Here God says both got nothing by indulging in sins, Satan/world reproaches God when we partner with them. "Therefore, because my name is thus blasphemed, I will arise, and my people shall know my name, my name Jehovah." By this name He had made Himself known in delivering them out of Egypt, Ex. 6:3.

God will do something to vindicate His own honour, something for His great name; and His people, God would manifest His providence governs the world, and all the affairs of it, that it is He who speaks deliverance for them by the Word of His power, that it is He who speaks deliverance for them by the Word of His power. His Words will be fulfilled- Christ Himself brought these tidings first (Luke. 4:18, Heb. 2:3), and of Him the text speaks: How beautiful are His feet! His feet that were nailed to the cross, how beautiful upon Mount Calvary!
Those that bring the tidings of deliverance of the messiah ought to be welcomed with abundance of joy and thankfulness. the tidings of peace and salvation- good tidings of good- Let us be encouraged to proclaim the covenant Keeping God and His power to deliver.
There shall be illumination - when the LORD shall bring again Zion. They shall see an exact agreement and correspondence between the prophecy and the event, the promise and the performance; they shall see how they look one upon another eye to eye, and be satisfied that the same God spoke the one and did the other.
God's people will have the comfort of this salvation; and what is the matter of our rejoicing ought to be the matter of our thanksgiving

Chapter 52
Comfort #2: You Are Holy (52:1-10)
The second comfort is God decreeing that Zion is no longer polluted and defiled. This is a God-given holiness, not an intrinsic holiness. God is cleaning His people up from the mess of their sins and setting them free. God has no trouble setting His people free.

Go Out In Freedom (52:11-12)
The call is for His people to live in holiness. God has set you apart and purified you to belong to Him. The last thing we are to do is go back into our sinful ways that enslaved us. We have been purified and set apart to walk away from the ways of the world. Do not act like the world. Do not think like the world. Do not look like the world. The apostle Paul used this prophecy when he wrote to the Corinthians.

The Servant Exalted (52:13) (Philippians 2:5-11)
“Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.”
Are you God’s servant or you think only pastors and leaders are God’s servants - Christ qualified for it. Isaiah11:2 says: “And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,”
God exalted Him, because He humbled himself. Three words are used for this (v. 13): He shalt be exalted and extolled and be very high.

Jesus: He was buffeted, smitten on the cheek, and crowned with thorns, and hid not His face from shame and spitting. His face was foul with weeping, for He was a man of sorrows; He that really was fairer than the children of men had His face spoiled with the abuses that were done Him. Never was man used so barbarously; His form, when He took upon Him the form of a servant, was more mean and abject than that of any of the sons of men.
His cleansing blood will cleanse, purify blot our sins and iniquities they shall not open their mouths against Him, as they have done, to contradict and blaspheme His name no more – every knee and every tongue shall bow before Him

CONCLUSION
God goes to great lengths to get our attention. He wants to communicate to us His plans for the future. He wants us to patiently trust Him and rely on His faithfulness to His promises despite the bleakness of our present circumstances. He does not want us to be paralyzed by fear. Here God calls on His people 3 times to pay close attention and listen to His encouragement regarding the future. Remember Your Past – God has been faithful and will continue to fulfill all of His precious promises to those who are children of Abraham by faith
Anticipate Your Future – Ultimate Salvation and Righteousness are Coming
In the Present, Choose Faith, not Fear – Walk by Faith and proclaim the Righteousness of God — not intimidated by Fear, live in expectation of the Lord’s return

Contributor: Tobi Morakinyo

INTRODUCTION
Last week's study on Chapter 49 revealed the profound prophecy of the Servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ, and His divine mission. It unveiled God's unfailing love and His promise to restore Israel, offering a message of hope for both the nation of Israel and the world at large. As such, this chapter concludes with a promise of salvation and vindication for Israel. Today, our focus is on Isaiah 50, which centers around three broad themes: Israel's feelings of abandonment and God's response, the revelation of the Servant's obedience, His ability to speak comforting words, and the unshakable confidence He maintains even in the face of suffering.

• God response to Israel’s sense of abandonment (Verses 1 – 3)
"1Thus saith the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away. 2Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst. 3I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering."

The people of Israel, in exile in Babylon, were likening themselves to a divorced wife, feeling forgotten and forsaken by God. Their emotion resembled that of a child whose father and mother are separated or divorced – a profound sense of abandonment. It was also likened to one who is sold to a creditor, a feeling of disownment. The Lord intervened, interrupting this line of thinking. He questioned their feelings and asked rhetorically for evidence to justify their perception. He went on to mention that these feelings (of separation, abandonment, and disownment) were based on their disobedience, iniquities, and transgressions. Due to the consequent separation, they had not responded to the summons of the Lord, as revealed in verse 2 – when He came, no one was there, and when He called, there was no response. In verse 2b, God posed two more rhetorical questions to Israel to question their choice to remain at distance: "Is my hand shortened in any way that it cannot redeem? Or do I lack the power to deliver?" (See also Isa 59:1-2). He proceeded to remind them of some of His exploits in the days of their fore-fathers including the parting of the sea (Exo 14:21); and the plaque of darkness (Exo. 10:21-23) to affirm to them He is still mighty to save.

These verses have a direct application to us as contemporary Christians. At times, we may experience similar feelings of separation, abandonment, and disownment during challenging periods. We must always remember that as long as we maintain a covenant relationship with God, He will never abandon us according to Isaiah 49:16: "Can a woman forget her nursing child or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you! Behold, I have engraved you upon the palms of my hands; your walls are continually
before me" . However, in those moments, it is essential to conduct a thorough examination of our hearts and spirits to ensure there is no sin (Psalms 139:23-24). And even if sin is found, God reaches out with His unconditional love, drawing us back to His side.

Sin creates a gulf between God and His people, and the longer we delay in repenting, the wider that gulf becomes. Yet, from His side, He continues to call.

• The Obedience of the Servant of the LORD: The tongue and ear of the learned (Verses 4-5)
“4The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned. 5The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away.
It is interesting to observe that, having explored the cause and effect of Israel's negative emotions, the subsequent verses convey the words of the Servant of the LORD, the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, regarding His submission to the Lord GOD. The LORD God has endowed Him with the ability to speak wisely, offering timely words of comfort to those who are weary (see also Luke 4:18). He goes on to explain how this was achieved: (1) Through daily fellowship and a relationship characterized by attentive listening, similar to the learned. He speaks what He hears, as also revealed in John 12:49 -50: “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak”. Furthermore, this obedience is emphasized as He was not rebellious, which signifies a depth of compliance to GOD grand (see Philippians 2:5-11).

As Christians today, and especially as ministers, we can learn from this pattern. Active listening to God through an intimate relationship on a daily basis makes us effective instruments in God's hand. By seeking a deep and obedient relationship with God, we can better equip ourselves to offer words of encouragement and hope to those in need, just as Jesus did during His earthly ministry.

He who will speak with the tongue of the learned must learn to listen like the learned and obey what's heard.

• Marks of obedience of the Servant of the Lord, and confidence in the Lord God (Verses 6 – 9)
6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. 7 For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. 8 He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. 9 Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.

This prophecy details the Messiah's sufferings. We know Jesus was smitten on the back (Mark 15:15), on the face (Luke 22:63-65), and endured shame and spitting (Mark 15:19-20). Amid this suffering, humiliation, and pain, the Jesus exhibits unwavering confidence
in the help of the Lord GOD, similar to unshakable flint. His steadfastness rests on confident assurance in the ever-present Lord GOD and the certainty of divine assistance even amidst suffering.
As 21st-century Christians, this remains applicable—though not easy. We must retain our confidence in God amid trials, persecution, and temptations. Obedience may leave marks, not necessarily physical but as the "marks of the Lord Jesus," as Paul states in Galatians 6:17: "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus."

• The Servant of the LORD challenges all to submit to the LORD as He does (verses 10 – 11)
In these verses, the Messiah speaks to His people and challenges them to fear the LORD and obey His Servant. Having exemplified obedience, He challenges Israel and extends this challenge to us as citizens of the commonwealth of Israel, urging us to obey the Lord God even when we are being smitten, spat upon, and maltreated, while despising all shame in obedience to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In verse 10, He addresses two groups of people: the first group consists of those who fear the LORD and obey the voice of the Servant, and the second group includes those who walk in darkness. Regardless, His admonishment was: trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon your God. In verse 11, this is a prophecy of the judgment that will befall those orchestrating strange fire amidst God's people.

CONCLUSION
This study emphasizes God's desire for a harmonious relationship with His people. While He does not condone sin, His will is that none should perish, but all should come to repentance. We have also learned that one who wishes to speak with the wisdom of the learned must learn to actively listen to God as the learned do and obey what is heard. Lastly, we've observed, as the Servant of the Lord modelled, that we must not be rebellious in regard to Kingdom principles, but rather live in obedience, even during challenging and difficult circumstances, some of which may leave their marks upon us. May God's grace and empowerment be upon us in Jesus' name.

Contributor: Ngozi Roberts

INTRODUCTION Chapter 48
In this chapter we are encouraged to recognize the dominion and power of God, who even in our disobedience, extends His mercy and promises redemption. It challenges us to re-examine our faithfulness, to trust in God's plan and promises, and to move away from spiritual 'Babylon', which is a symbol of everything that that keeps us from achieving God's plan and purpose for our lives.
The Reproach of the Israelites and God’s Sovereignty (48:1-8) The Jews prided themselves with respecting Jerusalem, temple, respecting Jehovah as their God. Yet God criticised them for living a superficial devotion. There was no holiness in their lives. They was no sincerity in their religion. They were not obedient to God's Word. In the prophecy God reveals to them how He foreknew them and that they were born into sin, therefore disobedience was in their nature, so sin follows them natural. Reminds us of the scripture

Psalm 51:5 KJV “Behold, I was shaped in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me”.

ASV “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me”

In verse 1 the emphasis that was placed on the refence to the Jews was so evident that He wanted them to pay attention to Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. So, He calls them repeatedly by what they pride themselves as and went on to point that though they claim to be all these, yet they do not obey Him in truth and do not follow Him in righteousness! The Israelites received so many promises and blessings, yet God says there is no Genuity to their relationship with Him.
As we go along its important that we think about ourselves in this journey, are we the type that showcases ourselves as over righteous ones, holier than thou Christians yet our hearts are far away from Him? Food for thought!

God declares His foreknowledge and the power to fulfil prophecies, letting them know how well He knows them. Emphasizing that He had foretold events before they occurred to prevent the Israelites from attributing them to false Gods. He points out their obstinacy and their refusal to listen to His commands. Confirming to them that he knew them from their womb that they were rebels, sinners and wicked. He emphasised on His works, giving them irrefutable evidence of His foreknowledge and power. So that they will not think that it came from their idols. In other words, letting them know that those things He said He will do came to pass.

Mercy for His Name’s Sake Vs 9-15 The Israelites had no defence for themselves on why God should spare them, nothing to plead with God, why He should have mercy. God was so unhappy with them, yet, He decides to contain His anger and show mercy. He rather chose to refine Israel and refrained from destroying them. This is not the kind of refinery that is used for silver or gold but the kind of refinery that goes through affliction. It is called furnace of affliction. Why would He do such a thing? He says it is for His own sake. So that His name will not be polluted, and no one take His glory. God will not share His glory with false idols or anyone for that matter. Interestingly, He allows affliction to come to the life of His people for the same reason He shows mercy! And that is for His name’s sake! To show forth his glory! Amazing!

So after having revealed how sinful they were, God revealed the reason He showed mercy or deferred His anger which is because He wants to bring glory to himself. Note we all did not deserve God sending his Son to die for us but it’s because He showed us mercy why? Because it exhibited His glory. He is the centre of the universe. So, He has the right to say that He does it for His glory so when we consider his greatness then we understand why. When we look at God’s work in us, our family members, our neighbours, the universe we see His glory!

One lesson we ought to learn from this is that there are times when God allows us His children to go through challenges and afflictions and he does these for our own good and for His glory. It is true that most people who are in the right path with God today would have gone through a lot of afflictions. When such people look back, they would understand why God took them through such affliction. He would mould us and allow us to go through the furnace so that we become fit for the purpose which He has ear marked for us. It is comforting to Gods people that God will secure His own honour. Hence, it is all for His glory! God went on to emphasize in Vs 12-13 why He can do whatever He likes. He lays out His right to do so.

I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.

In other words, no one can make this kind of claim except me your God! So, they ought to listen to Him, the God that loves them. For them to know that He is being a God that can make and unmake He declares he will raise a man that He loves that will deal with the Babylonians and Chaldeans and set the Jews free. This man turns out to be Cyrus an unbeliever! He says He loves this Pegan king! Why? Because God said He has called him and will make his way prosperous. That reminds us of how God used Pharoah as a tool to showcase His glory and set the children of Israel free. So, it is Gods prerogative who to use to bless anyone. It might be an unbeliever or believer, it’s all up to Him as long as His children are set free from whatever bondage. He can use anybody!

Gods’ Guidance and call to leave Babylon and Trust in Him
Vs 16 – 22
The Spirit of the Lord is declared, emphasizing the idea of God's direction and help for His people. In the prophecy the Lord declares and reminds them that He is the Lord that teaches them things that is good for them. The God that leads them in the way they should go for prosperity and peace. Just as He still does even till now for example in 2nd Corinthians 6:14-18 teaches us not to be unequally yoke with unbelievers and it is just for our own good! He does these things so we can benefit for them.

In Vs 18-19 He continues to stress to the Jews that if they had paid attention to His commandments, they would have been revived, would have been at peace. God laments on all the blessings and benefits that they would have received if they have paid attention and adhered to his commands. This is also true for us even now. When we pay attention and attend to His commands in obedience, we will surely reap the blessings from His promises.

The prophecy declares to them of their release from captivity and how joyous it will be. They will be so free to declare and express their freedom and joy to the ends of the earth telling them how their God had delivered them from bondage. This is like our experience when we get born again and how free we feel that we want to tell anyone that cares to listen. He likens this event to the time He set the Children of Israel free from Egypt and how he led them through the wilderness and caused waters to flow from the rock and was always with them. He will always take care of those that walk in obedience to Him. Note that the chapter ended with a note of warning that there is no peace for the wicked i.e., the unbeliever.

Chapter 49
Gods Servant: A light and Salvation to the Nations
Isaiah 49 shows God’s enduring love and promise to His people. It teaches us that, in the midst of trials and tribulations, God's promise of salvation and restoration remains sure. His plans for us are of prosperity and not of hopelessness and His love is unshakeable. Let this be an inspiration of hope for everyone facing life's challenges today.

God's Servant’s Mission (Verses 1-6)
In the previous chapter the prophecy was about a deliverer that will deliver the children of Israel from the Babylonians. The deliverer was to bring them back to their homeland. However, in this chapter there is another deliverer that is being talked about, the Servant of the Lord, likely a representation of Christ, declaring His God-given mission. He is to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. He is to be a light not just for Israel but also for the Gentiles (the non-Israelites), revealing God’s salvation to the all the nations.

God's Promise & Assurance to Israel & all Nations (Verses 7- 21)
The Father is the Lord sending His Son as Redeemer and Saviour to all. Even though the people He came to save condemned Him, yet He submitted Himself for our salvation. Christ therefore brought mercy that released us from the curse of the law and renewing grace that released us from the dominion of sin. Note, wherever God brings His people no evil shall befall them. Those who follow divine guidance closely may expect divine comfort even though there are difficulties in the way, yet the grace of God will carry us over them and make even the mountain become a way.
God assures the forsaken Israel of restoration, portraying a time when even kings will bow to them. Nations are going to flock to Israel to acknowledge that their God is good He promises to answer their prayers, provide for them, and comfort them. Let us therefore rejoice because God will have compassion on His own because of his covenant.

In anguish, Zion feels forgotten by God. However, God reassures Zion, likening His love for them to a mother's love for her child. God has a tender affection for his church and people, if a mother cannot forget her babies, how much more God. As long as we have scriptural evidence that we belong to his redeemed flock, we ought to be sure that He will never forsake us. Therefore, let us make our calling and election sure and rejoice in the hope and glory of God. Zion is described as afflicted widow, bereaved of her children, but is reassured that numbers of children shall flock to her, and she is guaranteed that they will come to be a comfort to her. God says he will bring back their children. They would have thought the children are no more, but He will bring them home from all places and it’s going to be a great time of rejoicing. He also promises their land will be too small to accommodate their children, which indicates a prosperous future. This suggests times when the church is few in number, yet we are reassured that the desolation shall not last for ever and God will repair them. That is why we ought to remember to deal caringly and carefully with our converts and new beginners in church.

The Gathering of Israel (Verses 22-26)
God affirms He will make the nations, to return His people from all corners of the earth. He also vows to contend with those who oppose His people and even though His people entered the net of the evil one by right, yet He declares that He will set them free as the lawful captives shall be delivered. God declares that he will save our children even if they are in the hands of the enemy. This will make them know that He is the mighty one of Israel. Note that we are the bride of Christ and joint heirs to his kingdom as though we were lawful captives to the justice of God, yet we were delivered by a price of unspeakable value. So, this chapter concludes with a promise of salvation and vindication for Israel.

CONCLUSION
Isaiah 48 is a reminder of God's steadfast commitment to His people, despite their persistent disobedience. God admonish the Israelites for their obstinacy, reaffirms His sovereignty and authority, reveals His divine foreknowledge, and calls them back to Himself, promising deliverance from Babylonian captivity. The chapter gives insight to our human weakness, God's patience, and the power of redemption.
So, 3 things to learn here, firstly, God due to the obstinacy of the children of Israel re-iterates the fact that he is a God that declares a thing and it comes to pass. Secondly God is a God that can have mercy. He can defer his anger and instead mould us through the furnace of affliction so as to come out fit for His purpose and thirdly, there is no peace for the wicked. Those that chose not to obey the commands of God will not enjoy Gods kind of peace.
Chapter 49 reveals the profound prophecy of the Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ and His divine mission. God's unfailing love and his promise to restore Israel was revealed and it offers a message of hope for both the nation of Israel and the world at large. So, this chapter concludes with a promise of salvation and vindication for Israel.

Contrinutor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION
Today’s study of Chapter 47 concerns the fall of Babylon, personified as a woman, referred to as "the virgin daughter of Babylon", "daughter of the Chaldeans", no longer to be called "the Lady of Kingdoms" or "a Lady for ever". God’s punishment of Babylon was a righteous one that no one can condemn. Although as we have seen through the scriptures, God often permits wicked kings and nations to prevail against His people; but those who cruelly oppress His people will be punished. Today’s study also serves as a warning to us today against the sin of pride.

Verses 1-3: Babylon, represented as a woman, is humbled.
“Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called Tender and delicate. Take the millstones and grind meal. Remove your veil, Take off the skirt, Uncover the thigh, Pass through the rivers. Your nakedness shall be uncovered, Yes, your shame will be seen; I will take vengeance, And I will not arbitrate with a man.”

The prophet Isaiah pictures proud Babylon as a humiliated woman, who shall no more be called tender and delicate. Stripped of her fine clothing and forced to march into a foreign land (pass through the rivers). The humiliation God will impose on Babylon is exactly the humiliation she put upon Judah and Jerusalem. God’s decision to humble Babylon, was Him taking vengeance that no one can talk Him out of. Rev.17:5-6 says:
“5 There was a name written on her forehead which had a secret meaning. It said, “The big and powerful Babylon, mother of all women who sell the use of their bodies and mother of everything sinful of the earth.” 6 I looked at the woman. She was drunk with the blood of God’s people and those who had been killed for telling about Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered very much.”
Sin may look pleasant on the outside but it’s always destructive. Those who trust in the way of sin will be shamed when the pleasant exterior crumbles.

Verse 4: The LORD of hosts is glorified.
“As for our Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel.”

As for our Redeemer: Seemingly, Isaiah cannot help himself – when he sees how God will take vengeance on this enemy of God’s people, he praises God and boasts in his Redeemer.

Verses 5-7:Why God will humble Babylon.
“Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; For you shall no longer be called The Lady of Kingdoms. I was angry with My people; I have profaned My inheritance, And given them into your hand. You showed them no mercy; On the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily. And you said, ‘I shall be a lady forever,’ So that you did not take these things to heart, Nor remember the latter end of them.”

Babylon thought that she conquered Judah and Jerusalem through her own power. But she really conquered them because God was angry with His people, and therefore used Babylon
as an instrument of His work. God says, “You didn’t know that I had given them into your hand.”
As an instrument in God’s hand, Babylon enforced their wickedness in their attack on God’s people. Even though God allowed it and used it, they still should have shown mercy to God’s people. We are always safe when we take the path of mercy.
And you said, “I shall be a lady forever”: Babylon was blind, Babylon was cruel, and now Babylon is shown to be proud and presumptuous. For all these reasons, God promised to humble Babylon.

Verses 8-9:Why sudden humiliation comes to Babylon.
“Therefore hear this now, you who are given to pleasures, Who dwell securely, Who say in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, Nor shall I know the loss of children’; But these two things shall come to you In a moment, in one day: The loss of children, and widowhood. They shall come upon you in their fullness Because of the multitude of your sorceries, For the great abundance of your enchantments.”

In these verses, God brings the first charge against Babylon. But it is a charge that applies to anyone and everyone today: those who are given to pleasures, who have a false sense of security and who say in their hearts ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, Nor shall I know the loss of children’ Because pride goes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). Proverbs 27:1 also warns us not to boast about tomorrow.

Babylon was famous as a founding place and breeding ground for occult arts and practices. This was the basis of the second charge God brought against them. For the multitude of their sorceries and their enchantments.

Verses 10-11: Babylon is rebuked for her pride and arrogance.
“For you have trusted in your wickedness; You have said, ‘No one sees me’; Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; And you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me.’ Therefore evil shall come upon you; You shall not know from where it arises. And trouble shall fall upon you; You will not be able to put it off. And desolation shall come upon you suddenly, Which you shall not know.”
You have trusted in your wickedness: Proud sinners usually trust in their wickedness and schemes to cover the tracks of their previous sin. They are clever, but their wisdom in wickedness has warped them Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you. Proverbs 21:7 says: “The violence of the wicked will destroy them, Because they refuse to do justice.”
Therefore evil shall come upon you: And it did for Babylon, the near fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy occurred when Babylon was suddenly conquered in one night when they believed all was safe and secure (as recorded in Daniel 5). The far fulfilment is seen in Revelation 18:1-24. Emphasis on verses 7-8
“Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit enthroned as queen. I am not a widow; I will never mourn.’ 8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”

The rebuke of Babylon’s pride is a simple fulfillment of a principle repeated three times in the Scripture: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5).
1 Corinthians 10:11 says:
“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come”
We are therefore admonished to steer clear of pride because it sets us on a collision course with the Almighty!

Verses 12-15: A challenge to the stargazers and sorcerers of Babylon.
“Stand now with your enchantments And the multitude of your sorceries, In which you have labored from your youth—Perhaps you will be able to profit, Perhaps you will prevail. You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels; Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, And the monthly prognosticators Stand up and save you From what shall come upon you. Behold, they shall be as stubble, The fire shall burn them; They shall not deliver themselves From the power of the flame; It shall not be a coal to be warmed by, Nor a fire to sit before! Thus shall they be to you With whom you have labored, Your merchants from your youth; They shall wander each one to his quarter. No one shall save you.”

God challenged the sorcerers of Babylon to save the people from His judgment. After all, if they had real spiritual power, they should be able to. But their weakness in the face of the Lord’s judgment would be exposed.

CONCLUSION
There is an ultimate judgment that the whole world must face. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment (Heb. 9:27). Unfortunately, many people underestimate the blazing strength of God’s judgment! It is the same tragic thinking we see in our days among those who joke about going to hell. The Bible talks about the power of the flame; not like coal to be warmed by, nor a fire to sit before!
The final sentence in this chapter is quite a sobering one. This is true for all who will not find their salvation in the LORD; if you will not look to Him and be saved, then certainly no one shall save you.
Revelation 18:15 says “The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn”
Revelation 18:17 says “. . . Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.”
There are many people in the world today, agents of Satan with evil agendas instigating a rebellion against God by justifying insolence, and encouraging all manner of defiance. They call it different names and identify it with different themes: freedom of speech, freedom of expression, inclusion and diversity, etc. They have become blinded to the truth given to different levels of depravity and foolishness. Some of them have now identified themselves as animals. But one day God’s judgment will come down on those deserving of it, and when it does, everyone will steer clear! We know better not to join forces with ignorant fools (Psalms 14:1) because according to Proverbs 11:21a “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished:”

Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION
Today’s study of chapters 45 and 46 is a continuation of chapter 44 and of the prophesy about king Cyrus. In the conclusion of last week’s study, we learnt that God chose Cyrus long before he was born because God saw in him that he will certainly do what was asked of him. “he will certainly do as I say. He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’; he will say, ‘Restore the Temple.’” (vs28). And we closed with this question: “Can God see that in us?” The royal proclamations of Cyrus fulfilling these prophecies can be found in Ezra 1:2 and 2 Chronicles 36:23. In today’s two-part study titled “Proof of God's Sovereignty” we will further investigate the purpose of God’s choosing of Cyrus, as well as His salvation plan.

PART 1: CHAPTER 45:1-25
Verses 1-3 God’s Calling And Mission For Cyrus.
From these verses, we learn a couple of things that would naturally give birth to questions. Questions such as:

• Why would God call Cyrus His anointed?
He was not even born yet, and would later be born into a heathen nation and not brought up to know God. Yet, God called him His anointed.

• Why did God make him so powerful?
To crush the strength of mighty kings. The MSG says God gave him . . . “the task of taming the nations, of terrifying their kings—He gave him free rein, no restrictions:”

• Why did God choose to go ahead of him clear the way for him?
Again the MSG says: “I’ll go ahead of you, clearing and paving the road. I’ll break down bronze city gates, smash padlocks, kick down barred entrances. I’ll lead you to buried treasures, secret caches of valuables— Confirmations that it is, in fact, I, God, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name”

Verses 4-7 The Purpose Behind Cyrus’ Calling
Verse 4 kicks off by saying “For Jacob My servant’s sake”
It was not because Cyrus was the smartest or most talented or strongest man available. It wasn’t Cyrus that moved God to act, but the condition and cry of His people. It was for their sake.
The MSG says “It’s because of my dear servant Jacob, Israel my chosen, That I’ve singled you out, called you by name, and given you this privileged work. And you don’t even know me!”

Amazing that although Cyrus didn’t even know the LORD, yet God could anoint him, guide him, bless him, and use him. How much more should God be able to do through those who have at least a mustard seed’s worth of faith in Him. Proverbs 21:1 says, The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. God can work in and through others in very unexpected ways.

In most religions of Isaiah’s day, it was believed that a god would do nothing for a person unless one gave something to that god, usually a sacrifice or promise of offerings. The Lord, however, is not like that. He dispenses His grace and favor on whoever He pleases. It is not determined by what one promises Him.
Verse 6 says: “That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me”
This verse was fulfilled in Ezra 1:1-3. That passage shows how when Cyrus made his proclamation allowing the people of God to return to the Promised Land, that he acknowledged to the whole world the greatness and uniqueness of the LORD God of Israel.

Verses 8-10 The Foolishness of Resisting Our Creator.
Verse 8 shows us that salvation and righteousness always spring up together. When God brings salvation to a life, He also brings righteousness to that life.
In verses 9-10, we see that while God desires everyone to be saved, not all people accept His righteousness. Questioning God’s creation is to make oneself God’s judge, telling Him what He should or should not have created. Humans have no right to critique their Creator.

Verses 11-21 The Almighty is the God of All Creation
Repeatedly through chapter 44 and in these verses, God emphasizes His place as Creator. By sheer repetition, Isaiah virtually pounds it into our awareness – that God is our Creator, and we have obligations to Him as our Creator. And when we seek for God with all of our heart, we will find Him. Jeremiah 29:13 says, and you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Hebrews 11:6 says, he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

As Creator, He can choose to do as He pleases! How He fashioned His plan for the salvation of Israel and ultimately the world is not what anyone could have fathomed. Cyrus, did not conceive any of the ideas or strategies on his own. It was God who raised him (vs 13). It goes to show that we cannot stereotype God. His ways are incapable of being investigated, analyzed, or scrutinized; they are mysterious and unfathomable. The ultimate truth is that knowing God as Creator isn’t an option, or a matter for debates. When we reject God as Creator, we reject the God of the Bible, and serve a god of our own imagination. (Romans 1:18-20) As the LORD declares His own greatness, faithfulness, and saving power, it naturally contrasts with the foolish idols of the nation – which must be carried, instead of being able to carry the one who worships them.

Verses 22-25 Look to God and be Saved.
These verses of scripture portray a simple but powerful message that reveals God’s plan of salvation.
•It shows the simplicity of salvation: all we must do is look. “One can read many bookson theology which expound all kinds of things in an attempt to show how man canreach God, but these theories are far from the truth.
•It shows the focus of salvation: we must look to God, and never to ourselves or toanything else of man. “Look unto ME, is His Word, which means looking away fromthe church because that will save nobody; away from the preacher because he candisappoint and disillusion you; away from all outward form and ceremony. You mustlook off from all this to the throne and there, in your heart, see the risen, reigning LordJesus Christ.”
•It shows the love behind salvation: God pleads with man, “Look to Me.”
•It shows the assurance of salvation: and be saved.
•It shows the extent of God’s saving love: all you ends of the earth!

PART 2: CHAPTER 46:1 -13
In this Chapter, Isaiah exposes the inability of the main Babylonian gods to protect their city from an inevitable coming attack. He also writes about the power and majesty of God, as well as His worthiness of worship.

Verses 1 -7: The One True God
These verses are like a continuation from last week’s study of chapter 44:18-20. In verse 1, reference is made to Bel and Nebo. Names of Marduk and Nabu, the two principal gods in the Babylonian pantheon. “Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low;”
From these verses we can make out two great contrasts:
• The people who make idols have to carry those idols themselves; but God carries His people. (vs 3&4)
• The people who make idols have to use their skills to make the idol look pretty; but God has made His people fearfully and wonderfully; in His image and likeness!

Verses 8 -13: God Displays His Majesty
In a similar manner to the way in which God asked Job to account for himself (Job 38:1–3), In verses 8–10, God summons the subjects of Isaiah’s prophecy to give a full account for themselves: “Remember this, and show yourselves men; recall to mind, O you transgressors” (vs 8).

Interestingly, in verse 9 God goes further to say: “Remember the former things of old.”
It was a call for His people to review the track record of His dealings with mankind and conclude that He is God, despite their present captivity.
In this passage God declares the following:
(1) that He alone is God; (vs 9)
(2) that there is none like Him; (vs 9)
(3) that He determines the end from the beginning; (vs 10)
(4) that He establishes all that takes place; (vs 10)
(5) that His divine counsel is sufficient and sure; (vs 11)
(6) that His good will is always accomplished. (vs 11)

CONCLUSION
In verses 11–13 God speaks of His future work, which would entail the overthrow of Babylon, which Isaiah has been prophesying about. God, through the prophet Isaiah declared saying that I will be: “calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed, I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.”
This bird of prey referred to here, was Cyrus, the leader of the Medo-Persian empire (Isa. 45:1), who would capture Babylon in 539 BC (Dan. 5) the fulfilment of the prophecy we studied last week, which was more than 150 years after the writing of this prophecy. God can choose to use anyone; that is why He is sovereign. In Ezra 1:2 the Lord instructed Cyrus, giving him the responsibility to build a temple in Jerusalem.
In verses 12–13 God describes the recipient of the prophecy as “stubborn-hearted” and “far from righteousness.” Next, God affirms that His righteousness and salvation is “near, it shall not be far off; my salvation shall not delay” (vs 13).
Ultimately, this refers to justification by faith alone in the promised Messiah. (Eph. 2:8-9)

Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION
Today’s study covers two chapters of the book of Isaiah – chapters 43 and 44. Isaiah 43 is one of the high-point chapters in all of the Old Testament, as here in this chapter, God makes it clear that the reason for the creation, salvation, and deliverance of Israel did not arise from something within the nation itself, but from God’s own sovereign choice of Israel as a people to worship Him. The same applies to us today. It was not because of anything we did that He chose to call us His own. Isaiah 44 sheds light on the confusion which permeated the societies of biblical times as well our societies today. The foolishness of idolatry; where people attribute power to, and worship gods that they have made by themselves. But in all, God continues to be gracious and faithful to His promises.

PART 1: ISAIAH 43:1-28
Verses 1-7: God’s Deliverance
This is a unique part of Scripture, as here God spoke through Isaiah to those who would be captive in Babylon some 100 years after the writing of this book. Note God begins this chapter by referring to Himself as the one “who created you . . . who formed you, O Israel” (Isa. 43:1).

• Verse 1
God’s declaration to Israel is one that is two-fold. The first outcome was to humble the proud and the second was to comfort the humble, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine.” (Paraphrased).
The same declaration goes out to you and I today.

• Verses 2–4
God graciously promised to be with His people in their trials—whether it be deep waters or raging fires, God would protect Israel and consequently, you and I. The rivers will not overwhelm us, neither will we be scorched or burnt by the flames of the fire of life’s challenges. This is an everlasting and comforting promise we must always fall back to.

• Verses 5–7
God encouraged His people not to be afraid, as He promised to gather them from all places—north, south, east, and west. This promise has dual fulfilment. Firstly, it promises Israel’s return from exile back home to Palestine on the one hand while on the other, it represents God gathering His people to Himself at the end of the age.
Verse 7 is a key verse in this chapter, here God says, “Everyone who is called by My Name,
Whom I have created for My glory.” When God says “Everyone” He means “Everyone”!

Verses 8–21 God’s Character
In these verses, God reminded His people that His deliverance and redemption is not unusual but is in accord with His character.

• Verse 8
God calls Israel to testify about His past deliverance, as well as about His future salvation. Because God delivers His people, the blind can see and the deaf can hear. Of course, spiritually speaking, this happens in salvation (Isa. 42:7, 18), and was even physically manifest in Jesus’ gospel ministry (Luke 7:22). Furthermore, as Isaiah had previously recorded, this will happen again when Christ returns (Isa. 29:18; 35:5; 42:7).

• Verse 9
God calls the nations to testify about the inability of their own gods to deliver them.

• Verses 10-13
Here we see God using thirteen personal pronouns to highlight His sovereign power. As He calls His people to testify about the nature of His holy character.
o ““But you are my witnesses, . . . You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. . . .” vs 10
o “I, yes I, am the Lord, . . . vs 11
o “First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. . . You are witnesses that I am the only God,” vs 12
o “From eternity to eternity I am God.
o No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.”

Verses 14–21: The Lord’s Promise of Victory
God again describes the future deliverance of His people as well as His own holy character.

• Verses 14–15
These verses refer to the fulfilment of a near prophecy. Here, God reveals that He would soon cause the Babylonians to become fugitives. Surely, this was both surprising and encouraging to the Israelites who were themselves exiles in Babylon.

• Verses 16–21
Next God through the prophet Isaiah, speaks about the future deliverance of His people at the end of the age. Just as He had delivered Israel from the Egyptians by making a path through the Red Sea, so God will rescue His people from their enemies by making a path through the barren desert of the fallen world. God refers to this deliverance as “a new thing” (Verse 19). “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
Three times between verses 19 & 20, God notes that the rescue of His people will be like rivers in the desert or water in the wilderness.

Verses 22–28: God’s Plea
After writing about Israel’s future deliverance and His own character, in these verses, God reminds the nation that their history was one of abandoning Him. Implicitly, God was calling His people to trust in Him, while at the same time reminding the nation that their own history was full of sin.

• Verses 22–24
God noted the while He had not burdened the nation with religious requirements, they had burdened Him with sin.

• Verse 25
God again taught the people salvation was both of Him and for Him, writing, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake” (Ps. 106:8).

• Verses 26-27
God invited Israel—likely with sarcasm—to state their case before Him. Because the nation was guilty of sin and unable to defend herself. “Let us review the situation together,
and you can present your case to prove your innocence.” If this was written in our age, there would have been three smiley faces (😊😊😊😊😊😊) following. Because there was no way they could have defended themselves. Their sin had been from the very beginning (vs 27). Even our righteousness is as a filthy rag before Him. (Isaiah 64:6) But thank God for Jesus! (1 Cor. 1:30, Rom. 5:19; 10:4; 2 Cor. 5:21)

• Verse 28
God declared that, apart from their trust in Him, He would “give Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.

PART 2: ISAIAH 44:1-28
In this chapter, God continues to address Israel with grace despite their sins. This chapter also sheds light on the confusion which permeated the societies of biblical times as well our societies today. Where people erroneously attribute the power to perform a task to the tool instead of the one who uses the tool; leading to the rise of idol worshipping.
A good example of this is the way many handle money. Money is a tool to exchange for goods and services. It serves a purpose and is neither good nor evil in any way. But when people see that it can get them things, they begin to elevate it above its proper place and attribute power to it when, in fact, the power still resides in a person to use the money.

Verses 1-5: The Almighty’s Patience

• Verses 1-2
Even though the Jews as a nation have sinned, God promises them grace. When a society falls away from God, if there is a faithful remnant, God may show grace instead of judgment (Genesis 18:22-33). Additionally, if God sees that in the future one will repent, He will patiently withhold judgment to give one time to repent (2 Peter 3:9). This holds true of both nations and individuals. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

• Verses 3-5
Seeing that the children of the present day Jews would repent, God promises blessings and restoration. This is a direct counter prophecy to the end of chapter 43. God will punish the fathers for their sins yet bless the children for their faith. Such a refreshing promise:

“For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. 4 They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank. 5 Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the Lord.’ Others will say, ‘I am a descendant of Jacob.’ Some will write the Lord’s name on their hands and will take the name of Israel as their own.”

Verses 6-20: The Foolishness of Idols

• Verse 6
Here, both the King of Israel (God) and the Redeemer and Lord of hosts, (Jesus), make this declaration. (See I Sam. 8:7, Josh.7:13-15, and Rev.1:11). Even though the two are speaking, they, plus the Holy Spirit, are one God (Deut. 6:4). I believe this goes to emphasize the potency of this promise.

• Verses 7-8
God is saying that He does not need anyone’s help to perform His will, since from the beginning of time He has appointed all things. This is not a verse in opposition to free will; God, seeing what choices people will make, appoints certain things to ensure that His plans are carried out despite man’s rebellion. This verse is similar to chapter 41 where God challenges the false gods to defend themselves by declaring the future, a task they cannot perform but should be able to if they were gods. Because God’s prophecies have been fulfilled in the past, one can trust that whatever God says about the future will come to pass.

• Verses 9-11
In the time of trouble, rather than seeking refuge in the Almighty God, those who believe and seek refuge in false gods will be ashamed. “Who but a fool would make his own god
. . .?” Vs 10a. Idol worshippers know in their subconscious that their gods are their creation and cannot help them. (See Romans 1:18-23.)

•Verses 12-20
In these verses, God exposes the foolishness of idol worshippers. And the folly of the creation of their own gods. How the remnant from the wood they used to roast their meat for instance all of a sudden become a god they bow down to worship. Verse 18-19 say: “Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think. The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, “Why, it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god?” However, unfortunately, they cannot bring themselves to ask: “ “Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?” (vs 20)

Verses 21-28: Restoration for Jerusalem

•Verses 21-22
Having entered into a covenant relationship with God, Israel will not be forgotten by Him. Anyone who has become a child of God has this same promise. Once we receive forgiveness from God, we become beloved children. God will beckon on us to return when we stray. A person who has strayed does not have to be saved again but instead is to return to the Lord.

•Verse 23
Redemption is a cause for praise, for the one who is saved, for those who are already saved, for the angels, and even for creation itself. (Luke 15:10)

•Verses 24-28
In an amazing promise of grace, God declares His sovereign power, His superiority over the wicked, His faithfulness to His servants, and a very specific prophecy of Jerusalem’s restoration. God mentioned Cyrus by name many years before he was born and about 160 years before he conquered Babylon. History tells us that in Daniel’s time, he took over Babylon by digging tunnels and diverting the great river Euphrates into lakes and his army walked into Babylon unhindered and invaded the city as king Belteshazzar partied with the gold and silverware taken from the temple of God. In Daniel 5:5, the king saw the writing on the wall that predicted his end. Verse 27 is exactly how Cyrus conquered Babylon.

CONCLUSION
God promises good to those who endure chastisement. Because it is those He loves, He chastises. (Hebrews 12:6) Sometimes, we also suffer for righteousness sake. But if we are faithful to God, He will restore us at the end. The story of Job is an example. (See also Matthew 10:22 and James 1:12). Cyrus, referred to in verse 28 was the king of Persia who conquered Babylon and freed the Jews after their seventy years of captivity (2 Chro. 36:20-23). God saw in him that he will certainly do what is asked of him. “ he will certainly do as I say. He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’; he will say, ‘Restore the Temple.’” (vs28). God saw the same in Abraham (Genesis 18:19) “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” Can God see that in us?

Parts of this study was culled from:
https://redeemedmind.com/2021/04/02/redemption-of-gods-people-isaiah-43/
https://www.melissabeaty.com/devotionals/bible-study-isaiah-441-28

Contributor: Adewale Abiona

INTRODUCTION
As we continue in our study of the book of Isaiah, looking at chapter 41 and 42 which bring some hope about God sending help to Israel to deliver them from their great difficulty of their exiled from their land and their exposure to all sorts of practises and false religions and false gods in those Gentile nations to which they were exiled. The nations that cared not for the true God or for His ways. So, in previous chapters, Isaiah prophesied, and he warned them of the dangers and the snares that would come their way. But the 2 chapter we are looking at today, he wrote to give them hope that someone is coming, someone who could right the wrongs and establish righteousness and justice in this earth.

Chapter 41 God's care for His people Israel in raising up Cyrus to be their deliverer.
This chapter is intended both for the conviction of idolaters and for the consolation of all God's faithful worshippers.

2 Things From This Chapter
A. God by the prophet shows the folly of those that worshipped idols. God especially challenges the idol worshipper and their idol to a contest for knowledge or power with Him either (v. 1-9; 21-24).

B. He encourages his faithful ones to trust in him, with an assurance that he would make them victorious and bring about a happy change of their affairs (v. 10-20; 25-29).

Isaiah 41:1-9
(2 Chronicles 36:1-14 Gives us catalogues of Kings after kings doing evil in the sight of the Lord (vs 14-15) and the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, but they mocked the messengers of God. Therefore, He brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew them in their numbers (vs 17-20) And them that had escaped from the sword carried away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia, (vs 21) to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.(70years)

Remember Daniel’s Prayer for His People in Daniel 9:1-3. It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians.2During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the LORD, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.[3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes. (Jeremiah 25:11-12, 29:10) “If my people who are called by my name….”

Verses 1 - 9
This is a challenge to the worshippers and admirers of idols to "Keep silence before God because their argument is baseless and void of the truth. Let them come say what they have to say, in about their idols; let them speak freely (vs:21), let us come near together to judgment.
The enemies of God's church are permitted to say and do their best for the support of their unrighteous cause. He that seat in heaven laughs at them, and the daughter of Zion despises them, because the truth and will prevail. Similar experience is found in 1 Kings 18:24-40. . Why? The Lord that is strong and mighty… will defeat them.

The fear of the greatness both of Abraham that was a convert from idolatry, and of the people of Israel drive them to their old gods for protection, but also made new ones, Deu. 32:17. So
they gather to make war. Sinners thus animate and quicken one another in the ways of sin and make so much noise that believers do become worried and sometimes terrified but the Word of the Lord in verses 8-9 stress the fact that we have been chosen by God, we are the seed of Abraham his friend and though we may have been scattered among the heathen, but He will fetch us from the ends of the earth.

He had not yet cast them away, though they had often provoked him, and therefore he would not now abandon them. What God has done for his people, and what he has further engaged to do, should encourage them to always trust in him.
In Gods defence, He reminded them of how their fathers worshipped idols (Jos. 24:2, 3) and how Abraham the righteous man raised up from the east to become God’s friend. Gen. 12:2. He called him follow Him with an implicit faith; for he went out, not knowing whither he went, but whom he followed, Heb. 11:8.
He empowered Abraham so much that nations bowed before him Gen. 23:6.
God is the first and the last. He’s unchangeable and eternal.

• That He has made Israel His own and in whom He will be glorified. As Elijah prayed in 1 Kings. 18:36, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel”.
• That it is He who will raise up Cyrus from the east. It is spoken of according to the language of prophecy as a thing of the past, as if it were already done because it will surely be done in its season.

God will raise him up in righteousness (so it may be read, in chapter. 45:13), will call him to his foot, make what use of him He pleases, and make him victorious over the nations that oppose his coming to the crown, and give him success in all his wars; and he shall be a type of Christ, who is righteousness itself, the Lord our righteousness, whom God will, in the fullness of time, raise up and make victorious over the powers of darkness; so that he shall spoil them and make a show of them openly.

Verses 10-20
The scope of these verses is to silence the fears and encourage believers of God's support in challenges; that they should serve God faithfully through patience and comfort of the hope these verses bring. It is also addressed to Israel as a single person, that it might the more easily and readily be accommodated and applied by every Israelite indeed to himself.
It is against the mind of God that his people should be a fearful, so he assures us

• That we should depend upon His presence with us as our God, and a God all-sufficient in the difficult times" Ps. 48:10.
• That God will strengthen our hands, that is, He will help us " Ps. 73:23.
• That He will silence our fears by Saying unto us, Fear not. He has said it again and again in his word and has there provided sovereign antidotes against fear: but he will go further; he will by his Spirit say it to our hearts, and make us to hear it, and so will help us.
• That believers will become a terror to those who were now a terror to them, and power will change hand.

Verses 14-16
We may be little, so weak, and so defenceless, despised and trampled on by everybody, forced to creep even into the earth for safety; but we must not wonder that a believer has become a worm, Ps. 22:6. The helper of the helpless is coming to our aid.
The need of the needy shall be meet.

• God Himself will be nigh unto them, in all that which they call upon Him for.
• They shall have a constant supply of fresh water,
• They shall have a pleasant shade to screen them from the scorching heat of the sun
• They shall see and acknowledge the hand of God, His power and His favour.

Verses 21-24
The Lord, by the prophet, repeats the challenge to idolaters to prove that their idols are gods, and worthy of their adoration. To bring proofs of their knowledge and power, let us see what they can inform us of, and what they can do.
They can tell us nothing that we did not know before, so ignorant are they. They cannot declare the former things, or what shall happen.
They can do nothing that we cannot do ourselves, so impotent are they." He challenges them to do either good or evil, good to their friends or evil to their enemies: "Let them do, if they can, anything extraordinary, that people will admire and be affected with.
A servant is at liberty to choose his master, but a man is not at liberty to choose his God. He that chooses any other than the true God chooses an abomination; his choosing it makes it so.

Verses 25-29
God here produces proof that He is the true God, and that there is none besides Him

• His irresistible power will appear shortly in the raising up of Cyrus and making him a type of Christ (v. 25): He will raise him up from the north and from the rising of the sun.

Cyrus by his father was a Mede, by his mother a Persian; and his army consisted of Medes, whose country lay north, and Persians, whose country lay east, from Babylon. God will raise him up to great power, and he shall come against Babylon with ends of his own to serve.
God has an infallible foresight. He would not only do this, but by his prophet, foretell it. None of all the false gods or idols had foretold, or could foresee, this work of wonder

2 Chronicles 36:22-23
"22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 23 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the LORD his God be with him and let him go up!"

CHAPTER 42 - GOD'S SOLUTION TO THE EMPTINESS IN THE GENTILE NATIONS
We know that these verses speak of Christ, for the book of Mt. 12:17-21 tells us expressly that in him this prophecy was fulfilled.
 

Isaiah 42:1 "Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations."
God says 'Behold My Servant' Who is this?

'Behold' means to look intently, to fix your gaze. It also means to consider and to perceive. This is what whole Christian life is really based around this 'Beholding'. The Christian life begins with this looking unto Jesus. It's what John the Baptist said when he first saw Jesus - 'Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. But the Christian life doesn't just begin there. Every aspect of coming into what God has for us is a new beholding of His Son - the Servant, the Messiah. The New Testament says that we are changed as we behold in a mirror the glory of the Lord. So as we look at the glory of Jesus Christ through His nature and character, who He was then and who He is now and who He is in us, well that is how we are actually changed.

The world is looking for answers but unfortunately in many wrong and different directions. But only a few are following God's command to 'Behold His Servant'. Now if we were to Behold Jesus Christ we would see someone totally unique... someone who came to do the will
of God 100% of the time - twenty four seven. You know the first thing we learn in Isaiah about this one, this Messiah, is that it says 'Behold My Servant'. Jesus was a servant. He was a bond Servant of the Father. He only did and said that which came from the Father and He could not be distracted from this. He couldn't be distracted by praise, by fear or by temptation. And we see here in Isaiah that it gives God's testimony of His servant. He says: 'He is my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him.'
What delights God's heart is when we delight in doing His will. When we make it our aim to want to be pleasing to Him... When we offer ourselves (even when we are broken and fell unworthy in many regards), when we offer into His hand all that we are, to be used and to make something of - that is what delights Him. Jesus Christ offered Himself up 100% and that delighted the heart and soul of God.

Isaiah 42:2 "He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street."

Now this is not saying that He was not going to speak! We know that Jesus did. He did go around teaching, instructing, and helping people. What this is trying to bring out is that He was the ultimate non-showman! In contrast to the Pharisees, Jesus Christ did not need to be noticed, or recognised. He never put on a show!

Matthew 12:15-21 'But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, and warned them not to tell who He was. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: "BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN; MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES. "HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS. "A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY. "AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE."

So Matthew quoted the passage that we are looking at today - Isaiah 42:1-4. So firstly he knew that this passage was about Jesus. But he also knew that it was fulfilled in the fact that Jesus warned people to actually not say who He was! He was not there to be a showman, to whip up a crowd or anything like that. He never, ever drew attention to Himself, put on a show or tried to entertain or please the masses. He was there solely to do the will of God. Full stop! The man who comes to do the will of God doesn't have to resort to fleshly efforts to please the crowd. Jesus gave the Word that God the Father had placed on His heart and He did not ever try to please the crowd. But look at what we have got today... the surveying of non-Christians to see if the church service is right for them. It's just a load of nonsense. Let's go back to the book of Isaiah and look at verse 3.

Isaiah 42:3 "A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.

Another reason why that this Servant was unique is the type of people that He ministered to. Verse three speaks about 'bruised reeds and smouldering wicks'. Jesus Christ did not come just looking for perfect reeds. He came looking for those who knew of their need for Him. Nor did He come looking for those that were already burning brightly. [6] What this marvellous passage in Isaiah 42 is telling us that a lot of us are like broken and bruised reeds or we are like a dimly burning wick that is just giving of a tiny bit of smoke and a little bit of light... but Jesus isn't going to extinguish us or throw us away!

This world is actually leaving more and more people battered and bruised and with little light. All of us feel this way at times. Maybe you do today? There are some problems in this life that
only Jesus can deal with. But thank the Lord that God has sent One to this world, to live, to minister, to die and to be raised again so that He can come into our hearts and grant us the hope, strength and encouragement that we need. He is not one that will ever turn His back on us.

Isaiah 42:4 "He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law."

This verse says that He will not be disheartened or crushed. It is the same Hebrew word that is in verse 3 where it is translated 'bruised'. It basically means, cracked, broken, bruised, crushed, or discouraged. What it is saying is that there will never, ever come a time when Jesus Christ says, 'I have had it with you, you've blown it too many times'. There will never, ever come a time when Jesus will just give up. He will not be disheartened, or crushed until He has established justice in this earth. Praise the Lord that this is His ministry as our High Priest as well. He will ever intercede for us. This is the one who has said that He will never leave or forsake us. That's God's servant, that's the One who God asks us to behold. And God is in the business of restoring damaged reeds so that we can make some pretty good music again. The Bible says that we 'have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be from God and not from us.' So yes, that means that we will be battered from time to time. We will be bruised; we will be cracked but that is actually God's will. Why? So that something of God's character, something of God's life can come forth through our life.

CONCLUSION
Chapter 41 may be summed up in those words of Elijah, "21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word." 1 Kings 18:21

God examined the philosophies of the nations and is presenting a case against the Gentile nations. What God was doing in this whole chapter is surveying the entire religious and spiritual thought and actions of these Gentile nations and He was seeing if there was any merit to it.

Basically, God's assessment of the best that these nations could offer - It's wind and its emptiness! And if God were to survey the Gentile nations today what would He find? He would find the New Age, He'd find atheism, He would find evolution, materialism, humanism... and He would say they are simply chasing after the wind and emptiness - and nothing to it! There is nothing that can help the soul of man in any of that... ultimately it is simply emptiness. So that's the background..
And this leads us into chapter 42 where we have God's answer to the emptiness . We have got something that does amount to something, a better promise, a better covenant, a High Priest.

Jesus Christ is God's absolute unique 100% Servant. He is unique in His commitment. He is unique in His compassion. Has wasn't attracted to people who looked like they had life working just as they had planned. He wasn't attracted to the perfect looking reeds down by the river side. What attracted Him to those that He ministered to and spent time with. They were battered reeds and smouldering wicks... many of whom society had totally given up on! But praise God that He is also unique in His endurance. Jesus Christ will not give up, He will not back down, He will not change plans, He will not be discouraged until He has established justice in this earth. And that is what He will do. That is what we long for. That is what we hope for. There is a day coming when this earth is going to be transformed by the coming again of the Messiah and the setting up of His Kingdom where justice will reign from one end of the earth to the other. That is the hope that we have and that is what we look for... but until that day we need to behold the Servant of God. We need to behold Jesus Christ. We need to behold His character. We need to turn our eyes and look into His face and to see who He is in us and through us. Amen.

Contributor: Dolapo Olaoye

INTRODUCTION
In the last bible study, we started to look at “Hezekiah’s healing”. In that study, we learnt there is always a need for prayer, that prayers that come from the heart passionately connects to God’s heart, we learnt that God delights in answering prayers and that once we receive answers to prayers, we should not forget to be thankful. This week’s study will be in two parts. In the first part, Chapter 39, we see how Hezekiah seemed to lose his values on the accounts of “show off”, while the second part, Chapter 40, we see a change of tone with God promising comfort.

PART 1:
Isaiah 39 vs.1-8
Verse 1-2: Hezekiah’s Vanity
At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 And Hezekiah was pleased with them and showed them the house of his treasures the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

When Hezekiah received the letter from the king of Assyria, he handled the threat by spreading it before the Lord in the house of the Lord. But when he now receives a letter from Babylon (a flattering letter), AND a present with it, Hezekiah acts very differently.
Hezekiah’s illness gave the Babylonian king an excuse to send representatives to Hezekiah and
Hezekiah taken in by the flattery of Babylon, he trusted these ambassadors. Hezekiah’s faith, which had been strengthened through his miraculous recovery from death, soon weakened. He was proud of the prosperity he had brought to his kingdom, and he jumped at the opportunity to impress Babylon. He therefore gladly showed his willingness to cooperate.
We have need to watch over our own spirits when we are showing our friends our possessions, what we have done and what we have gotten. We must always remember it is not by our might or our merit that we have purchased or obtained any wealth. When we look upon our enjoyments, and have occasion to speak of them, it must be with humble acknowledgments of our own unworthiness and thankful acknowledgments of God's goodness.

Verse 3-4: Isaiah reproves Hezekiah
3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” So, Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a far country, from Babylon.” 4 And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So, Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”

Isaiah already knew the answer to these questions he was asking Hezekiah here. We could say that his questions were guided by God to give Hezekiah the opportunity to answer honestly (which he did) and perhaps to see his error himself as he speaks of it (which he apparently did not) but instead, Hezekiah was proud to tell Isaiah all about it (small boy like me got the attention of a big man).
Hezekiah’s pride and extravagant ego have made him blind to anything else that was happening at the time. Let’s practice to always observe! Observe before acting, and observe after acting.

Verse 5-7: The Word of the LORD to Hezekiah through Isaiah.
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the LORD. 7 ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

Hezekiah kept thinking his display of wealth would impress the Babylonians however, what that display did was show the Babylonians what Hezekiah had, and what was available in their camp to be taken away. Which did happen under a different king, year after, but it did happen - the kings of Babylon did come and take it all away. Worse than taking the material things of the kings of Judah, the king of Babylon would also take the sons of the king of Judah — his true riches.

Verse 8: King Hezekiah’s Response
8 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “At least there will be peace and truth in my days.”

A very disappointing sad state of heart and response from a king (shows himself to be almost the exact opposite of an “others-cantered” person). God declares judgment coming, and all his reaction was with relief stating that at least it will not happen in his lifetime, and he won’t have to deal with it although he exposed them to such. All he cares about is his own personal comfort and success.
Hezekiah was certainly a godly king without a doubt in the beginning, and overall, his reign was one of outstanding godliness. Yet Hezekiah did not finish well (his beginning was much better than his end). The extra gift of years of life God gave him did not make him a better or more godly man.

Conclusion
Time or age doesn’t necessarily make us any better. Consider that time does nothing but pass away. We sometimes say, “time will tell,” “time will heal,” or “time will bring out the potential in me.” But time will do nothing of the sort! Time will only come and go. It is only how we use time that matters. Hezekiah didn’t make good use of the extra time the LORD gave him.

PART 2:
Isaiah 40 vs.1-31
This chapter begins with a change of tone (softer). Instead of wrath, God is promising comfort. Where do we find comfort when life is overwhelming? How do you handle the news that you are being laid off? How do you deal with moments when your children live in rebellion? How do you fight depression and loneliness? This chapter provides the “comfort” needed in such moments. We’ve all experienced times in our lives when we struggled to maintain a godly character (for example that moment Hezekiah had in chapter 39) in the midst of a godless culture. This chapter however reminds us that God desires his people to have comfort. The chapter also provides us with method of giving comfort to others.

Verse 1-11: The promised Comfort for Zion
“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. 2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD’s hand Double for all her sins.” 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; 5 The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” 6 The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” 9 O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” 10 Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. 11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.

A message of comfort, pardon and tenderness follow the ending of Jerusalem's warfare and the pardoning of her iniquity.
In the first verse, “Comfort” is repeated as a form of emotional intensity. It also includes the phrase “says your God” which indicates that this is a command. Something else we see in this first verse is the word “my people” and “your God”. God has not cast them off - He is still their God. Just as a loving father will discipline his children, so God disciplines those He loves but it doesn’t mean He still won’t bring them “comfort”! These verses can be used to lift those who are downcast and troubled – it’s the Word of God to those who have lost hope. It’s not the time for anyone to give up but rather time for those weak in faith to be strengthened.

The second verse reminds us that true comfort comes from knowing God and His Word, and if we are in need of encouragement, we are not to go to “modern prophets” who are better characterized as “motivational speakers” who only make you feel better about yourself but rather we must turn to God.

Verse three then goes on to tell us that across the wilderness and desert the way of the Lord is to be prepared, and His glory will be revealed to all. Jesus is the ultimate Comforter, the coming King whose glory was revealed in the manger of Bethlehem, and throughout His life. He is our Comforter. He is the King who is coming to deliver His people from their enemies. Encouraging us to prepare ye the way of the Lord. Zion is commanded to shout the good tidings that the Lord God comes to rule with might and to tend His flock like a shepherd. God’s might is not to be underestimated, and His presence brings joy and blessing to His children.

Verse 12-17:
12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance? 13Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has taught Him? 14With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding? 15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, And are counted as the small dust on the scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing. 16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering. 17 All nations before Him are as nothing, And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.

Who Measured Heaven and Earth? The heavens, earth, seas, is lands, and nations are as nothing when compared with God. Compared to the nations, God has so much more wisdom and resources. The point and reminder here is that no one can measure the amount of blessings God is able to give out by His hand because it is so vast. There is no amount of blessing you can offer to appease God, even if one uses up all the wood in the earth’s greatest forest as “burnt offering” still won’t be enough! So the least we can do is offer Him what He asks (praise, or taking comfort as the case may be).

Verse 18-26:
18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? 19 The workman molds an image, The goldsmith overspreads it with gold, And the silversmith casts silver chains. 20Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution Chooses a tree that will not rot; He seeks for himself a skillful workman To prepare a carved image that will not totter. 21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. 23 He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless. 24 Scarcely shall they be planted, Scarcely shall they be sown, Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, When He will also blow on them, And they will wither, And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble. 25 “To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.

There isn’t anybody like God - No person or image can be a likeness of God in ALL this Earth. Visualise this for a minute: God siting above the earth and spreads out the heavens like a tent seeing all of us here on earth as grasshoppers. So, who do you even want to dare compare the Holy One to? He who created the stars and calls them by name. God is so superior to humanity that man is like a tiny little insect in His sight. God is sovereign over all creation, even the princes and rulers of man (the toughest of them all). To compare God’s power and authority to any created work is great foolishness.

Verse 27-31
27Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

An everlasting Creator THAT’s who God is. He is the in-comparable Lord of the heavens and earth. He does not overlook the faint and exhausted, but everyone who wait for Him will be renewed to fly like eagles and to keep running “life” without getting tired. God calls out to the Jews, reminding them that He will never change, will not cease to be, and will not be stooped down to the level of human understanding. It is pointless to say that one has hidden oneself from the Lord and that He will not judge us for our actions. God is just, holy and sees ALL - These facts will never change.

Those who foolishly believe they have escaped God’s judgment will be stripped of their strength and fall, but those who believe in God and trust in His ways have been promised to have everlasting strength and renewal. On the earth, God performs this through the indwelling of the Holy Ghost who gives believers the strength to press on towards the goal of serving God even when your physical strength has run out. After death, we (believers) will all have everlasting life and a glorified body that will never tire. The sinner, however, has none of this! So let’s keep going because our end goal has been revealed and Glorious as it is – it’s worth the push.

Conclusion
Even as we speak here now, some are here, low and dry! Tired and weary!! You are really feeling the weight and wondering what's happened to God’s promises. You have called out to God and it seems like you are not getting any answer. Today, I would like to encourage and remind you that God IS the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth and YOU are His reward. Your sin has been paid for so stop downsizing yourself because of sins you have already confessed, and He has forgiven you for! You've received double grace. You're His people, He is your God and you need to start trusting in Him again today.

Contributor: Esther Alajiki

INTRODUCTION
Hezekiah was the first king since David to keep the Lord's commandments, He restored right worship for the people, and the honor of God as the True God. But in this chapter, we learn that he became gravely ill and was at the point of death and God had decided that He would use the situation to call him home. But Hezekiah appealed to the Lord, he called on the Lord to remember his service onto Him. Philippians 4:18c implies that our faithful services are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. Exodus 23:25 tells us that when we serve the Lord, He will bless our bread and water and take sickness away from our midst. Cornelius’s account in Acts 10:1-4 tells us that service rendered to God goes up to Him as a memorial and in today’s study which is in two parts, we see that within the confines of God’s prerogative, we can “cash in on it” just like Hezekiah did.

PART 1 VERSE DISCUSSION (Isaiah 38 Amplified Bible (1 – 9) Message Bible (9 – 22).)

Verse 1: God Speaks to His Children
In those days Hezekiah [king of Judah] became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said, “For the LORD says this, ‘Set your house in order and prepare a will, for you shall die; you will not live.’ (2 Kings 20:1-11)

God sent His prophet to Hezekiah. He sends His word to His children, we are not to walk in darkness concerning any area of our lives. from comparing 2 Kings 18:2 with 2 Kings 20:6, Hezekiah was around 39/40 years old when he got his death sentence.

Verses 2 -3: Be Honest With God
“Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, (3) and said, “Please, O LORD, just remember how I have walked before You in faithfulness and truth, and with a whole heart [absolutely devoted to You], and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept greatly.”

He did not hold on to the prophet to seek solution. When faced with difficult situations, what do we do? Hezekiah had trusted God to deliver His people from an invading army but his personal situation was overwhelming for him. When trouble comes, instead of blaming God in frustration be honest with God. Trust for divine intervention.

Verses 4 – 6: God Answers His Children
“Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying, (5)“Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘For the LORD, the God of David your father says this, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; listen carefully, I will add fifteen years to your life. (6) I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city [Jerusalem].”

God re-sends His prophet back to Hezekiah. God delivered on a personal and a national level. He gave 2 gifts to Hezekiah - an extended life and knowing how many years’ left

Verses 7 – 8: God Can Alter the Natural Course of Nature
“This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that He has spoken: (8) Listen carefully, I will turn the shadow on the stairway [denoting the time of day] ten steps backward, the shadow on the stairway (sundial) of Ahaz.” And the sunlight went ten steps backward on the stairway where it had [previously] gone down.”

Did God make the earth go back in its orbit? Did He spin the earth backwards while still keeping gravity intact? Do not focus on rationalizing how God would perform miracles, recognize and celebrate His power and interventions. You may not know how, you may not know when but He’ll do it again.

Verses 9 – 15: Honesty and Simplicity in God’s Presence
“This is what Hezekiah king of Judah wrote after he’d been sick and then recovered from his sickness “In the very prime of life I have to leave. Whatever time I have left is spent in death’s waiting room. No more glimpses of God in the land of the living, No more meetings with my neighbours, no more rubbing shoulders with friends. This body I inhabit is taken down and packed away like a camper’s tent. Like a weaver, I’ve rolled up the carpet of my life as God cuts me free of the loom And at day’s end sweeps up the scraps and pieces. I cry for help until morning. Like a lion, God pummels and pounds me, relentlessly finishing me off. I squawk like a doomed hen, moan like a dove. My eyes ache from looking up for help: “Master, I’m in trouble! Get me out of this!” But what’s the use? God himself gave me the word. He’s done it to me. I can’t sleep— I’m that upset, that troubled.” [MSG]

Hezekiah expressed himself as he felt- no fancy words. He was grieved and expressed his grief to God.

Verses 16 – 20: Always Give God the Glory
“O Master, these are the conditions in which people live, and yes, in these very conditions my spirit is still alive— fully recovered with a fresh infusion of life! It seems it was good for me to go through all those troubles. Throughout them all you held tight to my lifeline. You never let me tumble over the edge into nothing. But my sins you let go of, threw them over your shoulder—good riddance! The dead don’t thank you, and choirs don’t sing praises from the morgue. Those buried six feet under don’t witness to your faithful ways. It’s the living—live men, live women—who thank you, just as I’m doing right now. Parents give their children full reports on your faithful ways. God saves and will save me. As fiddles and mandolins strike up the tunes, We’ll sing, oh we’ll sing, sing, for the rest of our lives in the Sanctuary of God.”

In response to God’s miracle, Hezekiah writes a song of praise, give Him praise for His daily mercies, Let God and others know how thankful you are. Shifted to the correct perspective of his illness, Hezekiah writes that his sins had caused his bitterness, not God. The Lord is interested in life and healing as the dead cannot be a witness of a living God and one of the privileges of man is to praise God while on earth. Hezekiah promised to praise God and teach the next generation about Him. 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.

Verses 21 - 22
“Isaiah had said, “Prepare a poultice of figs and put it on the boil so he may recover.” Hezekiah had said, “What is my cue that it’s all right to enter again the Sanctuary of God?”
The Lord already knew the remedy, and He provided a sign to Hezekiah because the king had wanted proof that Isaiah spoke truthfully.

PART 2 SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
A Need for Prayer - When Hezekiah received his sentence, he had no heir. He chose to appeal to God in prayer. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James. 5:15-16). For us could be a situation or a challenge. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

A Heart of Prayer - Notice the heart Hezekiah exhibited when he prayed. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, he poured his heart out to the Lord. Prayer that truly touches the heart of God and changes things comes from a heart that is passionately dependent on God. Luke 22:42 yet not my will, but yours be done.”

An Answer to Prayer - God delights in answering the fervent prayers of the righteous - Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find” (Matthew 7:7) If you remain in Me and My Words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:7)

A response to answered prayer – thankfulness in receiving, faithfulness in stewarding, humility in responding. Psalm 34.

CONCLUSION
Hezekiah knew when to “turn his face to the wall” and pray to the Lord. He knew God well enough to hold on to Him and appeal to God’s justice and mercy, and present his case before the throne. Whenever we face whatever we deem to be the greatest challenge, the deepest valley, an impossible situation of life, seemingly hard and impenetrable walls we must turn to God. God heard Hezekiah’s cry, changed his death sentence, and added fifteen years to his life! Furthermore, God responded to Hezekiah beyond what he actually prayed for. This is a reminder of Ephesians 3:20: Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all we ask or think. God even set aside the astronomical laws to give a sign to Hezekiah!
In the face of unpleasant circumstances, you can “turn your face to the wall” and get through to God boldly and without shame, because you are anchored in His love, His word, and His blood bought redemption! God is ready to pour out His compassion, ready to bare His strong arm of deliverance in response to your prayer and loves praise in response to His goodness.

“14Inasmuch then as we [believers] have a great High Priest who has [already ascended and] passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith and cling tenaciously to our absolute trust in Him as Saviour]. 15For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. 16Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment]”. Heb. 4: 14 -16. [AMP]

Contributor: Peter Folikwe

INTRODUCTION
Assyria from our recent study was the super power of the world at this time: conquering many nations. Amongst nations conquered was northern Israel and the target of the Assyrians was to conquer the southern part of Israel called Judah.
During David and Solomon’s reigns, Israel was a single nation, later spilt into two during the reign of Rehoboam. The Northern part maintained its identity as Israel, but the south was named Judah. Hezekiah was the King of Judah at the time of Assyria’s invasion. In Chapter 36, we see Assyria evade the fortified cities surrounding Jerusalem, the capital of Judah. Judah had shut the gate of its capital Jerusalem to protect its inhabitants and the king. The Assyrians laid siege and their king Sennacherib wrote a threat letter to Hezekiah, demanding a wilful surrender. By way of repetition of the questions posed at last week’s study: Can God be trusted? Is He strong enough, is He good enough, to deliver us? Will He be faithful to keep His promises? In today’s study we will see from this chapter how the Hezekiah reacted to the threat and how God responded in His power and splendour.

Verse 1                                                                                                                   

“When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and went into the Temple of the Lord.” [NLT]

Just like Hezekiah, some challenging times overwhelmingly make us helpless and fearful, but our response to the threat/challenge makes all the difference. He tore his clothes as a sign of morning. He wore sackcloth as a sign of humility/helplessness. In those days the trend was offer prayers in the house of the Lord. Today our body is the temple of the Lord. We don’t need a special location for prayers.

Verses 2-3                                                                                                                 

“And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the court secretary, and the leading priests, all dressed in burlap, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. They told him, “This is what King Hezekiah says: Today is a day of trouble, insults, and disgrace. It is like when a child is ready to be born, but the mother has no strength to deliver the baby.” [NLT]

Imagine the description of the problem: a woman in labour unable to deliver the baby. It’s a case between life and death. Besides seeking the face of God, Hezekiah sent for the Prophet Isiah to pray for the nation against the Assyrian assault. When in trouble or challenges of life, it is wise to deploy a two-prawn approach to addressing the problem: Seeking the face of God and asking your friends to pray for you. Apostle Paul in 2Thess 3:1 requested for prayers from the brethren. Jesus in Matt 18:19 reiterated the power in prayers of agreement. Hezekiah recognized the value of prayers.

Verses 5-7
“5 After King Hezekiah’s officials delivered the king’s message to Isaiah, 6 the prophet replied, “Say to your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against me from the Assyrian king’s messengers. 7 Listen! I myself will move against him,[a] and the king will receive a message that he is needed at home. So he will return to his land, where I will have him killed with a sword.’” [NLT]

Isaiah, a true prophet of God (not like the fake prophets), after seeking the face of God, debunked the threat of Sennacherib delivered through Rabshakeh – his General.

Verses 10-13
‘This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah. Don’t let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria. You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different? Have the gods of other nations rescued them—such nations as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Tel-assar? My predecessors destroyed them all! What happened to the king of Hamath and the king of Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?

Rabshakeh reels out a credential presentation of Sennacherib’s conquest. These are voices the enemy uses to intimidate and destabilise its victims. Here the enemy warns that the people of Judah should not trust their king. Secondly that their God cannot save them either.

Verses 14-20
‘After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God. “It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God.’

Hezekiah spread this letter of sorrow before the Lord in His temple. He knows the true God he serves. Many who run to God when in trouble are not in right standing with God. The prayer of the sinner the Bible says is an abomination.

Prov 15:8 “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.”

Some, when they run to their gods they get no answer, just like the nations overrun by the Assyrians. Furthermore, their god were burnt together with their covens. In V20, Hezekiah charged God to glorify Himself. The real trust for our prayer should be to bring glory to God.

Verses 21-22
 “Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you prayed about King Sennacherib of Assyria, the Lord has spoken this word against him: “The virgin daughter of Zion despises you and laughs at you. The daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head in derision as you flee.”‬‬ [NLT]‬‬‬‬

‭‭This testifies that when we are confronted by overwhelming life’s trials and we seek the face of God in prayers, He hears us and respond appropriately. Particularly when the name of the Lord is disdained, the culprit will have himself to blame.‬‬‬‬‬‬
 

Verses 23-26 God Responds
“Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice, And lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel. By your servants you have reproached the Lord, And said, ‘By the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, To the limits of Lebanon; I will cut down its tall cedars And its choice cypress trees; I will enter its farthest height, To its fruitful forest. I have dug and drunk water, And with the soles of my feet I have dried up All the brooks of defense.’ “Did you not hear long ago How I made it, From ancient times that I formed it? Now I have brought it to pass, That you should be For crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins.”[NKJV]
God clearly stating that He permitted the Assyrians to possess all the have, because He created all things and gives to whom He pleases. Sennacherib is making an empty boast. IsaiahThe Lord says in 37:29 NLT “And because of your raging against me and your arrogance, which I have heard for myself, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. I will make you return by the same road on which you came.”

God says I will put my hook in Sennacherib’s nose and my bit in his mouth. Scary I must say! The nose and the mouth are critical organs that supply nourishment to the body - air and water. A man may survive without water for a while but, if he loses breath for more than 5-7mins he is a goner.

Verses 30-32
“This shall be a sign to you: You shall eat this year such as grows of itself, And the second year what springs from the same; Also in the third year sow and reap, Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah Shall again take root downward, And bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, And those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” [NKJV]

Usually during a siege, the farmlands are destroyed by the intruder.
God here promised to give a sign of their deliverance that for two seasons they will harvest their crops without planting.

Verses 33-35
“And this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: “‘His armies will not enter Jerusalem. They will not even shoot an arrow at it. They will not march outside its gates with their shields nor build banks of earth against its walls. The king will return to his own country by the same road on which he came. He will not enter this city,’ says the Lord. ‘For my own honour and for the sake of my servant David, I will defend this city and protect it.’””[ NLT]

God is Covenant Keeper, not a Covenant Breaker.
God pronounced that He will defend Judah against the onslaught of Assyria for His name sake. God is ever faithful to keep His covenant, a covenant He had with David, years before.
Each time we are oppressed, repressed or depressed by those who assume undue authority over us, rather than become confrontational, let’s remember our covenant keeping God who fights our battles.

Verses 36-37
“That night the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and returned to his own land. He went home to his capital of Nineveh and stayed there.” [NLT]

In one night, an angel of God killed 185 thousand soldiers of the Assyrians. The survivors woke up to see many of their colleagues slain without fighting a war. Quite terrifying.
No surprise that king Sennacherib took to his heels and fled. This is what is called ‘a victory without a fight’. Psalms 20:7 AMP says: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, But we will remember and trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

CONCLUSION
Finally, in Isaiah 37:38 PAM “It came to pass as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat [in Armenia]. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.”

The gods of Sennacherib could not save him from the swords of his own sons.
Zechariah 2:8 AMP says, “For thus says the Lord of hosts, “After glory He has sent Me against the nations which plunder you—for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.”

If only many in privileged positions of authority today can understand how ephemeral such powers and authority that come with such positions are, they will use such for the good of mankind. May the Lord help us to focus our gaze on the eternal, and not on the temporal.