January 20, 2016 Bible Study – Isaiah 44:1-28

Wednesday’s Bible study was Isaiah 44:1-28.  It is Mary’s birthday.  I am blessed to have her by my side as we walk through this life, together.

1. What is the main point of this passage? In verses 1 through 5, God declares His love to His chosen people, the children of Israel, and foretells of a time when He will pour out His Spirit on His people.  He declares many will proclaim, “I am the LORD’s.”  In verses 6 through 11, God tells us to be afraid of what is coming.  He challenges the world to present their gods fashioned by mere men and compare them to Him.  These idolaters will come to fear Almighty God when they face His judgment.  God describes the foolishness of idolatry in verses 12 through 17.  He states with one chunk of wood, man warms himself.  With another from the same tree, man uses the wood to cook his food, and with a third piece man falls down and worships it as if it had power to save.  Sin makes people stupid.  God expounds on man’s stupid behavior over a block of wood in verses 18 through 20.  He closes men’s eyes so they remain stupid.  In verses 21 through 23, God reminds His people He created us and He is the only One who can remove our sins.  Finally, in verses 24 through 28 God declares the most remarkable portion of the prophecy.  He proclaims Jerusalem will be rebuilt before it was destroyed.  Furthermore, He will command king Cyrus to order the rebuilding project hundreds of years before Cyrus was born.
2. What does God reveal about Himself?  He knows what will happen and who will perform particular actions at any given time in the future.  As Creator, He has authority over all physical properties: time, space, and matter.  He governs all spiritual issues, too.
3. What insights can I apply to my life? As I see end times events approaching like an invading army, I must remind myself, God has everything under control.  As the Sovereign Kind of the Universe, He has total authority to spend my life anyway He purposes.
4. How can I use this passage to honor God?  I must allow God to cleanse me of all unrighteousness so that I might be a useful instrument in His hand.
5. Where is God working in my life today?  I choose to be a blessing to my wife for her birthday is today.  I want to bless her on all of her un-birthdays, too.

Thanks for reading and praying.