Introduction
There has been a theme throughout Isaiah concerning God’s Word. Beginnings with 55:6-11 we’ll look at several passages in Isaiah on this topic as we ponder what God’s Word actually means to us individually and how it is applied.
There has been a theme throughout Isaiah concerning God’s Word. Beginnings with 55:6-11 we’ll look at several passages in Isaiah on this topic as we ponder what God’s Word actually means to us individually and how it is applied.
Q: How would you summarize the theme of these verses?
A: The nature of the Lord’s will is; that is, what He plans to accomplish.
Q: If the theme is to understand what God is doing, how is this done? That is, how do we find out what He is doing?
A: Verse 6 says to “Seek the Lord while He may be found…call upon Him while He is near.”
Application: How does one seek the Lord and call upon Him? (verse 7 provides part of the answer).
Q: What is the message of verses 8 & 9?
A: The message is quite clear: We do not think like God. His thoughts and plans are radically different from our own and must be learned.
Application: How are His thoughts and plans learned? Share experiences or insights from the Word that demonstrate that God’s way of doing things is different from our own. Be as specific as possible. Begin with little things like what you do first thing in the morning, to how you relate to your family, to what you do for an occupation, to how you use your free time.
Q: What is the key concept to verses 10-11, and how will this happen?
A: That God’s Word will be accomplished. It will happen because God will make it happen. And what will happen will be the fulfillment of His Word.
“Even from eternity I am He,
And there is none who can deliver out of My hand;
I act and who can reverse it?”
― Isaiah 43:13
Q: What is the point of this verse?
A: That the word that is being taught, preached, prophesied is not God’s Word, but man’s. It’s a call to turn from following one’s own word to following God’s.
Q: Of all things made, what will continue to remain forever, and why?
A: God’s Word because it contains God’s voice which communicates His will which will always be accomplished.
Q: What is the meaning of clearing and smoothing and so on n v.3-4?
A: It represents each person removing the personal obstacles of unbelief and disobedience in their life so that they may properly heed God’s call, His Word. It’s not strictly about knowledge, but obedience.
Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For,
‘All flesh is like grass,
And all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
And the flower falls off,
But the word of the Lord endures forever.’
And this is the word which was preached to you.
― 1 Peter 1:22-25
Application: What, then, ought we to do with God’s Word and how should it impact our lives? Be specific in terms of the amount of energy that ought to go into our investment into God’s Word.
Q: In 57:15, what does it mean to be “contrite and lowly of spirit”?
A: “Contrite” means to be sincerely remorseful. It implies that the worshipper is aware of his or her sin and willing to acknowledge its presence and its wrongness. To be “lowly in spirit” is simply to be humble rather than proud.
Q: What does God promise to do for those who are contrite and low in spirit? What section of the NT does this verse remind you of?
A: God promises to revive the contrite and lowly in spirit. To revive means to give new life to. This verse reminds us of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.
Q: In 66:1-2, what is the response to God’s Word for someone who is “humble and contrite of spirit,” and why?
A: He or she “trembles” at God’s Word. Someone who trembles at God’s Word is someone who sees God’s Word as the voice of the Lord Himself.
Application: Discuss the significance of the statement, “God’s Word, the Bible, is literally God’s voice, and it is no different to us than hearing God speak directly through an OT prophet, Jesus, or a NT apostle.” After discussing this a little, name some specific ways in which God’s Word can be given a higher level of respect in our lives (such as not putting other books on top of your Bible). That is, what kinds of things, activities, behaviors ought we to adopt as we elevate the importance of God’s Word?
Q: What’s the common theme in these?
A: God positively regards those who have rid themselves of pride and have come to rely upon God’s Word as the source of their satisfaction. Application: How will the discussion of God’s Word personally alter your approach to God’s Word?