Isa: 8:11-15 In his first inaugural address, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt told a nation disheartened by the Great Depression: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” — U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. (March 4, 1933). Isaiah’s message to depressed people is: “We have nothing to fear when we fear God Himself.” God … Continue reading –>
Isaiah 8:1-10 Can you imagine playing a ball game with Isaiah’s second boy? By the time you could say “Maher-shalal-hash-baz, throw me the ball!” it would be too late. But even longer than his name is its meaning: “swift is booty, speedy is prey” or “speed the spoil, hasten the plunder.” The message of the name … Continue reading –>
Isaiah 7:17-25 Read the above verses. What is the Lord saying that will happen to the land? Why should we not be surprised at this outcome? “Invitation upon invitation was sent to erring Israel to return to their allegiance to Jehovah. Tender were the pleadings of the prophets; and as they stood before the people, earnestly … Continue reading –>
In Isaiah 7:14-16, Immanuel is a sign linked to the specific dilemma of Ahaz: Before the child Immanuel would be old enough to decide between different kinds of food, “the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted” (Isa: 7:16, NRSV). This refers to the land and kings of Syria and northern Israel (see … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Isa: 7:14-16, Isa: 7:17-25, Isa: 8:1-10, Isa: 8:11-15, Isa: 8:16-22. Memory Text: “I will wait on the LORD, who hides His face from the house of Jacob; and I will hope in Him” (Isaiah 8:17). At a burning building in New York City’s Harlem, a blind girl was perched on the fourth-floor window. The firemen … Continue reading –>
Floating Red Book By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission Toroni Kumar Tripura was thrilled to receive a Bible with a beautiful red cover in his remote village in southeast Bangladesh. The Bible arrived as a reward for completing a series of Bible lessons by mail. But Toroni had to be careful. His father served as a … Continue reading –>
Further Study: “‘His name shall be called Immanuel, … God with us.’ ‘The light of the knowledge of the glory of God’ is seen ‘in the face of Jesus Christ.’ From the days of eternity the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father; He was ‘the image of God,’ the image of His greatness … Continue reading –>
Isa: 7:14 Like the name of Isaiah’s children (Shear-jashub, “a remnant shall return,” and Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which means “swift is booty, speedy is prey”), the name of Immanuel has a meaning. It is literally “with us God.” But the commonly accepted translation “God with us” misses something important. As with other Hebrew names of this kind … Continue reading –>
Isa: 7:14 An offer of a sign as “deep as Sheol or high as heaven” (Isa: 7:11, NRSV) did not move Ahaz. So, when God says He Himself will come up with a sign (Isa: 7:14), we expect it to have breathtaking dimensions that only the divine imagination could devise (compare Isa: 55:9, 1 Cor: 2:9). Surprise! The sign is a … Continue reading –>
Isa: 7:10-13 Ahaz did not respond to Isaiah’s call for faith. So, God mercifully gave the king another chance, telling him to ask for a sign that was “deep as Sheol or high as heaven” (Isa: 7:11, NRSV). Here is one of the greatest invitations to faith ever given to a human being. Unlike lotteries or … Continue reading –>
