Isaiah
January, February, March 2021
Want to learn more about Isaiah? Use these Bible Studies for personal devotion, group Bible studies, or teaching a church class. Below are links to the lessons in this 13-part series.
Lesson 1: Crisis of Identity (Isaiah 1)
Have you ever been in a courtroom while a trial was
taking place? If you watch a criminal trial, you will see that the
first thing the prosecutor does after the jury is selected is to
explain the charges against the accused. The defense can then
explain its side of the case or wait until after the prosecutor puts
on the state's evidence. Isaiah starts out his book like he is a
prosecutor laying out his case to a jury. Jurors, let's jump in and
find out what this case is all about!
Lesson 2: Crisis of Leadership (Isaiah 6)
Do you like change? Most people fear change because it
brings uncertainty. When it comes to the basics, there has been
little change in my life. I've lived in the same house for over 20
years, been married to the same wife for almost 30 years, had the
same job for almost 30 years, and have been a member of the same
local church for about 25 years. That is a lot of "sameness." But in
the last three years my two immediate bosses have changed. While
that change was taking place, I had some anxiety about the leadership
at work. Outside of the basics, my life is one of constant change. I
litigate cases for a living. The judge is "the boss" in the case, and
since I have cases all over the country, I'm always before a
different judge in a different court. That can create some real
anxiety. This week our lesson starts out with changing leadership,
let's dive into our study of Isaiah!
Lesson 3: When Your World Is Falling Apart (Isaiah 7)
Think about what causes you the most worry. Is it
something bad that already happened? Or, is it something bad that you
think might happen? I find that most of my worry is about things that
might happen in the future. If you find that you turn "molehills into
mountains" this lesson is for you. If you are not sure where to turn
in times of trouble, this lesson is for you. Let's jump in!
Lesson 4: The Hard Way (Isaiah 8)
Let's review. King Ahaz of Judah finds that his enemies
(Syria and Israel) have shown up, armed and dangerous, at his front
door step. He could rely on God for help, but he does not. Instead,
he bribes the King of Assyria to attack Syria and Israel. What does
Ahaz use for bribe money? The valuables from God's temple and palace
money. Instead of relying on God, he relies on money and other
humans. Is it a smart move? Let's jump into our lesson and find out!
Lesson 5: Noble Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9 & 11)
Last week's lesson ended on a very dark note. We saw that life goes poorly for those who do not rely on God. First, bad things happen. Then those without God become angry and blame God for the bad things. When they continue to look away from God life brings them to a point of "utter darkness." That doesn't sound like the direction I want my life to take. There is another journey we can take instead. Let's dive into the Bible and discover that path!
Lesson 6: Playing God
(Isaiah 13 & 14)
Do some people really irritate you? As I’ve gotten older, I’m less irritated by people who are unintentionally irritating. Why is that? In my youth I learned a lesson about pride and irritation. After my wife and I were married, she got a job as a church school teacher. The chairman of the church board invited us to dinner. Almost immediately I was annoyed by our host. Why? Because he was a "Mr. Know-it-all." His pride of opinion rubbed me the wrong way until I realized the reason I was so annoyed was that I too had strong opinions. In my former church we devoted part of the worship service to prayer requests and praises. I was often in charge of this and I found, to my great irritation, that some members used this time to give a mini-sermon rather than a prayer request or a praise. Arghh! Then I realized, "I love to teach and preach and tell people how they should live!" We notice our sins in other people. Maturity has helped me see this. Our lesson this week is about pride. Let's jump into a very relevant study and see if we can mature!
Lesson 7: Defeat of the Assyrians (Isaiah 36 & 37)
Our study this week involves one of my favorite stories in the Bible. King Ahaz dies and King Hezekiah, who loved the true God, is now on the throne of Judah. The problem is, as you will recall, that Ahaz had made a deal with the Assyrians. The Assyrians decided they would not simply take Ahaz's bribe money, they would take his whole country! Do you have impossible problems? Has your father or mother created difficulties in life for you? Hezekiah is our "poster child" for dealing with serious difficulties. Let's plunge into his story to learn how a master handles impossible problems!
Lesson 8: Comfort My People (Isaiah 40)
The mother of one of my academy friends just died. My Mom died over twenty years ago. Long before Mom died she disappeared into the dark world of Alzheimer's. What a blessing to have a mother for an additional twenty plus years! I will never forget the love and comfort that Mom gave me. I like to avoid sick people so I will stay well. Not my Mom. When I was sick, she was there to try to make the sickness as comfortable as possible. This week God our Father, the One who has been disciplining His people, now shows us His "God our Mother" face as He turns to comfort His people. At the same time, we see the “God our Judge” face. Let's charge into our lesson!
Lesson 9: To Serve and to Save (Isaiah 43 & 44)
Each week we see the progress of God's people as He leads them on a journey back to Him. So far, the passage has been pretty rough. But God's people seem to be coming out of the difficult areas into more normal life. What should we consider to be "normal life?" How can we know when God is with us? How do we even know that God exists? Let's dive into the lesson and find out!
Lesson 10: Doing the Unthinkable (Isaiah 50-53)
Ever feel helpless? Ever feel hopeless? Ever wish someone would help you? Do you try to get help when you feel like that? Who do you call? In our lesson today we learn that we are helpless and hopeless without God. Not only is God willing to help us, but the extent to which He has already helped us is, frankly, unthinkable. Let's take a journey into God's incredible love for hopeless humans!
Lesson 11: Waging Love (Isaiah 58)
What does God expect of you when dealing with others? Is it possible to attend church each week, know the Bible, and yet as a practical matter utterly fail to follow God? How do we "wage love" in our everyday life? Is "tough love" a way to wage love? Let's jump into our lesson and find out what Isaiah has to say!
Lesson 12: Desire of Nations (Isaiah 59-62)
Are you troubled about the things you read in the newspapers and see on television? Freedom of worship and freedom of speech are under an increasingly severe attack. Is there any end to the problem of sin in sight? If there is, what is it? Looking down the long ages of earth's history, Isaiah reveals God's ultimate solution to the sin problem. Let's dive into our study and find out about God's plans!
Lesson 13: Rebirth of Planet Earth
(Isaiah 65 & 66)
We have come to the end of our study of Isaiah. Isaiah knows how to make a great ending to his book! He ends with a picture of God's final judgment and the reward of the righteous in the earth made new. Let's plunge into our study of Isaiah 65 and 66 and learn about our future!
