Isaiah 61:2 Who is speaking in Isaiah 61:1? The Spirit of God is on this anointed person, which means that he is a messiah or the Messiah. He is to “bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners” (Isa: 61:1, NRSV). Whom does that sound like? Compare Isaiah 42:1-7, … Continue reading –>
What is Isaiah 60.1-2 talking about? What principle do you see at work there that’s seen all through the Bible? What hope does it offer? In Isaiah 60.1-2, we are given a picture of God’s deliverance of His people, following the exile, expressed with the imagery of God’s creating light out of darkness and pointing forward … Continue reading –>
Isaiah 59:1-21 presents a startling picture of the problem of sin. Fortunately, the Bible also presents the hope of Redemption. To begin, the first question is, How many of us have sinned? The Bible is unequivocal: All of us have. Redemption, therefore, cannot be based on lack of sin; it must be based on forgiveness (Jer: … Continue reading –>
Isa: 59:1-21 In Isaiah 58:3 the people asked God: “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” (NRSV). In contrast, Isaiah 59:1 implies another question, something like: “Why do we call for the Lord’s hand to save us, but He does not? Why do we cry to Him, but He does … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Isa: 59:1-21; Isa: 59:15-21; Isaiah 61.2; Isaiah 61.1-11. Memory Text: “The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Isaiah 60:3). “We must learn in the school of Christ. Nothing but His righteousness can entitle us to one of the blessings of the covenant of grace. … Continue reading –>
Unequally Yoked By Chang Zeng-Mei I didn’t want to marry my husband because I was raised a Seventh-day Adventist and he belonged to another Christian denomination in southern Taiwan. But our parents wanted us to get married, and we had to obey them. So, I told my future husband, Wu Ming-Huang, “We can get married, … Continue reading –>
Further Study: “No one can practice real benevolence without self-denial. Only by a life of simplicity, self-denial, and close economy, is it possible for us to accomplish the work appointed us as Christ’s representatives. Pride and worldly ambition must be put out of our hearts. In all our work, the principle of unselfishness revealed in … Continue reading –>
Isaiah 58.13-14 Why does Isaiah discuss the Sabbath in Isaiah 58.13-14? What connection does this have with the Day of Atonement setting of the earlier verses? The yearly Day of Atonement was a Sabbath day. This special ceremonial Sabbath was like the weekly Sabbath in that all work of any kind was prohibited (Lev: 23:27-32). Therefore, as recognized by … Continue reading –>
Isa: 58:1-12 Ten days after trumpet blasts have reminded God’s people that the Lord is acclaimed as their King on the very Day of Atonement when their humility through self-denial is to affirm their loyalty to Him as King, the prophet lifts up his voice like a trumpet to declare that they are rebelling against … Continue reading –>
Isaiah 58:1-8 What is the “fast” referred to in Isaiah 58:3? This must be the fast of the Day of Atonement, the only fast commanded by God (Lev: 16:29, Leviticus 16:31; Lev: 23:27-32). This is confirmed in Isaiah 58:3 by the parallel expression “humble ourselves” (NRSV), which follows the terminology of Leviticus. Humbling/afflicting oneself referred to various forms of self-denial, including fasting (compare Ps: 35:13; … Continue reading –>
