Lesson #09

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ISAIAH 9
LESSON #09
A NATION’S RELATIONSHIP TO GOD

• MEMORY VERSE: ISA 9:6

• A PROPHECY GIVEN DURING THE DARK DAYS OF EVIL KING AHAZ.

• READ ISA 9:1-7 THE HOPE OF ISRAEL
  • THE CONFOUNDING TRANSLATION OF VERSE 1

• VERSE ONE HAS UNDERGONE SEVERAL INTERPRETIVE TRANSLATIONS. IN FACT, TWO OPPOSING TRANSLATIONS ARE PUT FORWARD. HOWEVER, RATHER THAN TO THINK OF IT AS A CONFOUNDING PROBLEM, WE CAN SEE THE TRANSLATION PROBLEM AS A MARVELOUS TOOL BY GOD TO ACCURATELY PREDICT A DOUBLE FULFILLMENT. BOTH TRANSLATIONS ARE LOGICALLY POSSIBLE BECAUSE THE HEBREW IS SIGNIFICANTLY AMBIGUOUS..
  • #1 TRANSLATION: “…AND AFTERWARD DID MORE GRIEVOUSLY AFLICT HER BY WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND JORDAN, IN GALILEE OF THE NATIONS.”
  • #2 TRANSLATION: “…BUT IN THE LATTER TIME HATH HE MADE IT GLORIOUS, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE NATIONS.”
• EXPLANATION OF VERSE 1
  • #1 TRANSLATION SPEAKS OF AFLICTION AND DESTRUCTION IN THE SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA OF GALILEE.

• THE FULFILLMENT OCCURRED WHEN ASSYRIA CONQUERED THE NORTHERN KINGDOM. THE AREA OF GALLILEE WAS ESPECIALLY RAVISHED.
  • THEREFORE TRANSLATION #1 IS THE FIRST NEAR-FUTURE FULFILLMENT.

• #2 TRANSLATION SPEAKS OF A TIME OF GLORIOUS BLESSING ON THE AREA OF GALILEE OF THE NATIONS (GENTILES).
  • THE FULFILLMENT OCCURED WHEN JESUS CAME THE FIRST TIME AND ESTABLISHED THE HEADQUARTERS OF HIS MINISTRY IN GALILEE.

• JESUS DID NOT MAKE HIS HEADQUARTERS IN RELIGIOUS JERUSALEM BECAUSE IT WAS CONTROLLED PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY BY DEAD, ORTHODOX JUDAISM.
• JESUS DID NOT MAKE HIS HEADQUARTERS IN NAZARETH WHERE HE GREW UP BECAUSE THEY REJECTED HIM.

• JESUS’ MINISTRY WAS LOCATED ON THE SEA OF GALILEE IN CAPERNAUM. NAZARETH WAS IN THE TERRITORY BELONGING TO THE TRIBE OF ZEBULUN. CAPERNAUM WAS IN THE TERRITORY BELONGING TO NAPHTALI.

• READ MAT 4:12-16

• THEREFORE, THE TRANSLATION #2 IS THE SECOND DISTANT FUTURE FULFILLMENT ABOUT THE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST WHO WOULD BRING THE ULTIMATE LIGHT TO THE NATION (2).

• WHAT HAPPENS TO A NATION THAT TRUSTS GOD?
  • THEY WALK IN THE LIGHT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.
  • THEY REJOICE IN A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST FROM THE LAND.
  • THEY TRIUMPH OVER ENEMIES.

 

• WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT JESUS CHRIST?
• HE WOULD COME TO THIS EARTH AS A BABY( 6)
• THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD’S KINGDOM WILL BE ON HIS SHOULDERS.
• HE WILL HAVE MANY NAMES THAT EXPRESS HIS CHARACTER:(6)
• HE IS ETERNAL. (7)
• HE WILL INHERIT DAVID’S THRONE (7)
• HE WILL RULE WITH PERFECT JUSTICE (7)
• HE WILL BUILD UP HIS KINGDOM AND DESTROY HIS ENEMIES

• THE NAMES WE DISCOVER FOR CHRIST IN THIS CHAPTER:
  • A CHILD
  • A SON
  • WONDERFUL
    • HE MEETS EVERY NEED THAT MAN COULD POSSIBLY FACE
  • COUNSELOR
    • WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH OF GOD RESTING IN HIM, HE LEADS US INTO THE LIGHT.
  • THE MIGHTY GOD
    • THIS NAME TELLS US THAT JESUS, THE SON, IS EQUAL WITH GOD, THE FATHER
  • THE EVERLASTING FATHER
    • WHEN WE SEE AND UNDERSTAND JESUS, WE SEE AND UNDERSTAND GOD.
  • THE PRINCE OF PEACE
    • HIS KINGDOM ON EARTH WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY UNIVERSAL PEACE FOR 1000 YEARS.
  • LORD OF HOSTS
    • HE HAS AN ANGELIC ARMY.

• READ ISA 9:8-21 THE STRETCHED OUT HAND
  • THESE VERSES WERE FULFILLED THE FIRST TIME WHEN ASSYRIA CAME INTO THE NORTHERN KINGDOM AND TOOK THEM CAPTIVE TO BABYLON IN 772 BC. THE SECOND FULFILLMENT LOOKS FORWARD IN TIME TO THE GREAT TRIBULATION.
    • GOD SENT A WARNING TO THEM (8)
      • NOTICE THE USE OF THE NAME JACOB.(8) WHENEVER GOD’S PEOPLE ARE REBELLIOUS DECEIVERS, THEY ARE CALLED JACOB BECAUSE THAT WAS JACOB’S NATURE BEFORE GOD GOT HOLD OF HIM IN GENESIS.
      • “THE BRICKS ARE FALLEN DOWN,…THE SYCAMORES ARE CUT DOWN” (10)
        • IT TOOK 13 YEARS OF DESTRUCTION FROM THE TIME OF AN INITIAL BATTLE WITH SYRIA UNTIL THE FINAL FALL OF THE CAPITAL OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM, SAMARIA TO ASSYRIA. IN THESE 13 YEARS THE PEOPLE OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM STILL DID NOT BELIEVE GOD WOULD ALLOW THEM TO BE OVERRUN.
      • THE PHRASE “THE STRETCHED OUT HAND” OF GOD IS REFERED TO 3 TIMES IN THIS SECTION. (12, 17, 21)
        • IT IS A PROPHETIC WAY OF SAYING, GOD WILL JUDGE.
  • DISCUSSION:

  WHAT HAPPENS TO A NATION THAT LEAVES GOD OUT?

  • GOD WILL REMOVE HIS PROTECTION AND BLESSING.
  • THEY CAN EXPECT JUDGMENT AND DEFEAT AT THE HANDS OF THEIR ENEMIES.

• THE WAG THE DOG SCENARIO (A NATION WITHOUT DIRECTION) (14-15)
  • GOD WILL REMOVE THE HEAD AND THE TAIL FROM THE NATION, “THE BRANCH AND THE RUSH”.
    • THE BRANCH AND THE RUSH REPRESENT A PROVERBIAL SAYING MEANING THE HIGH AND THE LOW IN SOCIETY.
      • THE HEAD REPRESENTS THE LYING GOVERNMENT LEADERS.
      • THE TAIL REPRESENTS THE LYING FALSE PROPHETS.
• GOD WILL REMOVE THE WISDOM FROM LEADERSHIP BEFORE BRINGING FURTHER CHASTISEMENT.
  • THEREFORE, WE COULD SAY THERE IS A GRADUAL SLIDE INTO JUDGMENT INTO WHICH A NATION FALLS.
    • THE SLIDE BEGINS WITH PEOPLE’S WORLD VIEW.
    • WE WILL TALK MORE IN DETAIL IN OUR NEXT LESSON ABOUT THE CHANGE IN SOCIETY’S WORLD VIEW.

• APPLICATION:
  • THE FLOW OF THIS CHAPTER TELLS US PROPHETICALLY THAT CHRIST WILL COME WHEN THE POLITICAL TIMES ARE AT THEIR DARKEST POINT. NO NATION WAS CLOSE TO GOD, NEITHER FOLLOWED THE WISDOM OF GOD. ISRAEL HAD BECOME LIKE ALL THE OTHER NATIONS. THEY DID NOT SEEK GOD OR HIS WORD.
    • IT IS IN THE DARKEST HOURS OF LIFE THAT MANY PEOPLE LOOK UP TO GOD FOR FORGIVENESS, HELP, GUIDANCE, AND RESTORATION.
    • THE PROPHECY OF CHRIST’S COMING IN VERSE 6 ES RELEVANT TO EVERYONE WHO NEEDS CHRIST TO TAKE CONTROL OF HIS LIFE.

HOMEWORK
ISAIAH 10:1-4
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• APPLICATION OF ISA 9
  • WHAT ASPECTS OF JESUS CHRIST DID YOU LEARN IN CHAPTER 9 THAT WERE NEW TO YOU?

• WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL THIS KNOWLEDGE MAKE IN YOUR LIFE FROM THIS DAY FORWARD?

• PREPARATION FOR ISA 10:1-4
  • READ ISA 10:1-4
    • THIS SECTION IS STILL PART OF THE PROPHECY IN CHAPTER 9. NOTICE THE PHRASE “HIS HAND IS STRETCHED OUT STILL. (4)
      • WHAT ASPECTS OF ISRAEL’S SOCIETY DID GOD DISLIKE?

• WHAT ASPECTS OF OUR SOCIETY DOES GOD DISLIKE?
• MAKE A LIST OF THINGS THAT YOU THINK ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF SOCIETY:

• MAKE A LIST OF ASPECTS THAT YOU THINK ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE:

MEMORY VERSE: PROVERBS 4:23