ISAIAH: GOD CONTROLS THE NATIONS GOD PROMISES COMFORT TO HIS PEOPLE ISAIAH CHAPTER S 40 TO 48 _NORMAN HILLYER_ CHAPTER 43 Chapter 42 reminded the people from Israel that they had totally neglected to obey God’s instructions. Their punishment was that they would be prisoners in Babylon. For ma... [ Continue Reading ]
In Israel’s culture, to call someone by name was more than a convenient method to refer to that person. It meant to establish a close relationship with them. So God can say, ‘You are mine.’ His people belong to him by *covenant.... [ Continue Reading ]
The *Lord is still able to save his people from dangerous situations. Centuries before, he helped them ‘to cross deep waters’ (the Red Sea; see Exodus chapter 14). And he helped them across a full river (the river called Jordan, when it was in flood; see Joshua chapter 3). • All the people needed t... [ Continue Reading ]
God reminds his people that he has saved them from their enemies in the past. He rescued them from Egypt (see Exodus 3:15). He rescued them from foreign countries like Cush and Seba (see Isaiah 11:11-12).... [ Continue Reading ]
The reason for the *Lord’s action is because he has a special love for his special people. ISRAEL IS THE *LORD’S WITNESS IN THE WORLD V8 God says: ‘Bring here the people who are blind. They are blind although their eyes are able to see. Bring here the people who are deaf. They are deaf although t... [ Continue Reading ]
These verses again use the picture in words of a court of law, as in Isaiah 41:1-20.... [ Continue Reading ]
The *Lord tells people that believe in other gods to provide evidence of their gods’ knowledge about future events.... [ Continue Reading ]
The people from Israel are the *Lord’s witnesses. They know that he alone has saved his people in the past. He alone can save them in the future. He alone has total control of their situation. ESCAPE FROM BABYLON V14 This is what the *Lord says. (He is the Holy God of Israel. He is your Rescuer.)... [ Continue Reading ]
God again tells the people from Israel that he will rescue them from enemies.... [ Continue Reading ]
God’s people are witnesses to how he rescued their families from Egypt in the past (see Exodus chapter 14; Psalms 77:19-20).... [ Continue Reading ]
And in the future God’s people will be witnesses of his action to rescue them again. This time he will rescue them from Babylon.... [ Continue Reading ]
On both occasions the *Lord shows his authority over both nature and *human beings. ISRAEL HAS NEGLECTED TO OBEY GOD V22 ‘But you, my own people, have not given me honour. In fact, you people from Israel have become tired of my service. V23 It was not for me that you burned sheep on my *altar as g... [ Continue Reading ]
In their hearts, the people did not have a right relationship with God.... [ Continue Reading ]
It was not *sacrifices that God wanted. God intended *sacrifices to be a sign of new hearts and new lives. But the people did not have the right attitude about God’s service. So their actions in the *Temple did not please God. In fact, their actions offended him.... [ Continue Reading ]
But the *Lord continued to consider Israel to be his special people. For that reason, he had completely forgiven them.... [ Continue Reading ]
The *Lord had made Israel his special people. But they complained that the *Lord had now left them (see Isaiah 40:27). He had allowed an enemy to *seize his special people.... [ Continue Reading ]
Your ‘first relative’ could possibly be Adam (see Genesis chapter 3). Or Abraham (see Genesis 12:18 and Genesis 20:9). But more probably the reference is to Jacob (see Genesis 46:3-7; Hosea 12:2-4). ‘Jacob’ was the original name of ‘Israel’ (see Genesis 35:10). • However, Ezekiel uses a similar pi... [ Continue Reading ]
The people from Israel refused to obey God. And the result was that they suffered a severe punishment. In 586 *BC, the powerful *Babylonian army destroyed *Jerusalem. The army took away most of the inhabitants to be prisoners in Babylon. LORD ~ God’s personal name in the Bible. In the original langu... [ Continue Reading ]