GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP | 恩道堂

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 30

Theme                  : Do not Go Down to Egypt

Warning not to Trust Egypt (1-17). God had commanded the Jews in Deuteronomy 17:16 not to return to Egypt. Egypt stands for things of this world that attracts people but will enslave and destroy them. God does not want the Jews to trust in Egypt for protection, but to trust God alone. If the Jews trust Egypt, their loyalty will be with Egypt and their idols, not with God. If Israel does not trust in God, but in Egypt, they will surely be defeated and captured. By disobeying God, they will receive the very punishment they sought to avoid.

Compassion of God (18-33). God promises that even if this generation of Israel, and subsequent generations, disobey God, God will punish them, but God will continue to keep His promise to have compassion on Israel and deliver her from spiritual death one day. Israel will see their Messiah, the Teacher, face to face in the Messianic Kingdom. God again mentions He will defeat the Assyrians and their king, which are foreshadows of end times antichrist and his army.

Praying the Scripture

1. God loves us and wants us to love Him by obeying His commandments, just as He loves the Jews and wants them to love Him by obeying His commandments. God’s law is a path to spiritual well-being. God’s law cannot save us because we cannot be perfect or earn righteousness from the law. We can only be saved by Jesus’ sacrifice. But God’s law is still relevant to us as a guide to lead us to spiritual well-being and safety. The law also shows us how to please our God for the purpose of thanking Him, not trying to save ourselves. Even though the Mosaic Law is no longer binding to Christians, for it was given to the nation of Israel not to the church, however, the principles in the Mosaic Law is still applicable to us. Sabbath is not binding, but the principle of resting for one day and to worship God on your rest day is good and should be followed. Pray that God will give you wisdom and desire to obey Him more and more.

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 29

Theme                  : Siege of Jerusalem and Liberation

Siege of Jerusalem (1-8). Ariel means Lion of God, referring to Jerusalem. In the end times, Jerusalem will be sieged and leveled, but later on, the surrounding nations that will have attacked Jerusalem will be destroy itself. Again, this is a repeated theme in the OT. It agrees with Zechariah 12:2, “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah.”

No One Listens (9-16). God predicts that the nation of Israel will not listen to God until the end times. They will continue to pay lip service to God, but their hearts will be far from Him. Jesus applied this prediction to the Pharisees of His day (Matt. 15:7-9). Every generation of Jews will worship God with empty rituals until Christ comes back. They sin because they think they can hide their sins from God.

Future Glory (17-24). The spiritual blindness of Israel will be healed in the future. There will be a huge reversal of Israel’s condition because they will truly worship God and be in awe of Him. All the wicked people of Israel will perish but those who trust God will remain.

Praying the Scripture

1. God understands everything about us, even more than we understand ourselves. Before a word is formed on our lips, God already knows what we will say (Ps. 139:4). Do not try to hide anything from God, but rather examine your hearts and see if you are hiding any sins from God. Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” Pray that you will be honest with God and ask Him to forgive your sins and ask God to change your sinful desires.

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 28

Theme                  : Jesus the Cornerstone

Drunken People (1-13). The people were enslaved by alcohol. It was a crown of shame, but they thought it was a crown of glory. When Jesus appears, He will show them His true crown of glory in righteousness. Even the priests, the teachers of the Torah, were often drunk. They even taught the people while drunk. Because of this, God will speak to the nation in foreign tongues. This is fulfilled in the early days of the church (1 Cor. 14:21-22). The gift of tongues is to show unbelievers of the true of the gospel. When an unbeliever hears a foreigner, who has never learned his language, preaching the gospel in his own language, he will know that this message is from God.

Jesus the Cornerstone (14-29). God will deliver Israel through Jesus, the cornerstone. Those who reject Him will be crushed. Those who trust in Him will be saved. It is Jesus who will annul the covenant of death that Israel will sign with the antichrist (Daniel 9:27). God’s plan may look strange to the Jews, but it is the best way. Just as God teaches farmers the best way to farm, so Jews must trust God that this is the best way to redeem Israel and the world.

Praying the Scripture

1. It is important to trust in God’s plan. He is all-wise, which means He knows how to accomplish something, i.e. redemption of Israel and the world, in the best way. Do not be arrogant and think God’s plan for the world is wrong or that He does not know how to run His world. Pray that you will trust God when you do not fully understand His way. For His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). God is far superior in intellect and morality when compared to lowly and sinful humans.

2. All things are lawful, including wine, but not all things are beneficial (1 Cor. 10:23). The Jews abused their freedom and became enslaved by wine. Examine yourself and pray that you do not let anything enslave you, even good things like school, family, job or children. All things must be handled according to God’s word and never let anything replace God in your heart. Your highest joy must be from contentment in God.

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 27

Theme                  : Redemption of Israel

God promises to redeem Israel by destroying Israel’s enemies as symbolized by Leviathan, a well-known monster in the minds of readers, as analogy of evil. In the restored Messianic Kingdom, Israel will bear fruit of righteousness in the world and fulfill God’s intended role for her as described in Exodus 19:6, “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” In the end times, God will gather His people from the land of Assyria (modern day Syria and Iraq) and Egypt because they will have been defeated and enslaved (v.13). This is a repeated theme in the Bible. Daniel 9:27 says the antichrist will break his covenant with Israel and attack it. Jesus warned end times Jews to flee to the mountain to escape (Matt. 24:16).

Praying the Scripture

1. It is sad that Jews and the world must be punished for their sins in order to wake them up. They are stubborn and will not listen to God until God punishes them. Pray that we would be quick to repent and not be stubborn, lest we be disciplined by God for our evil ways.

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 26

Theme                  : Israel Sings a Song

After Jesus establishes His Messianic Kingdom, the Jews will praise God for their salvation through Jesus. They will acknowledge God is faithful. He is an everlasting rock for those who trust in Him. In the Messianic Kingdom, Jesus will enlarge the border of Israel to fulfill His promise to Abraham (Gen. 15:18-20). The OT believers, including Abraham, will be resurrected and join Jesus to rule the world (v. 19). God will fulfill His promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their chosen descendants to possess the promised land forever. But before the Messianic Kingdom can commence, God will first bring judgement on their oppressors but God will pass by the Jews (v. 20), just as God passed by them in Egypt. Their sins will be covered by Jesus; therefore they will be graciously passed by.

Praying the Scripture

1. God is the God of the living, not the dead. In the Messianic Kingdom, God will fulfill all His promises to Abraham and his seed. We, Christians, will also be in this glorious kingdom through faith because we have been grafted into this blessing through our faith in Jesus (Rom. 11:17). Give thanks for God’s amazing salvation. He has graciously included you in His glorious Kingdom. Pray that you will live for God out of thankfulness, not out of pride, personal gain, or guilt.

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 25

Theme                  : God will Abolish Death Forever

This chapter describes what the world will be like when Jesus sets up His Messianic Kingdom. When He establishes His kingdom on earth, He will level the pompous pride of wicked cities, but He will be a refuge for the poor (i.e. humble and lowly) and the distressed who are persecuted, oppressed by wickedness of the world. In the second phase/stage of the Messianic Kingdom, in the new heavens and new earth, God will abolish death and sin forever in the Messianic Kingdom (Rev. 20:14). He will wipe all our tears away. This agrees with Revelation 21:4. Again, it is prophesized that Moab (modern Jordan) will be judged. It is a clear and repeated theme in the OT for God to judge Israel’s surrounding nations, like Moab, in the end times.

Praying the Scripture

1. Just as a woman must go through birth pains in order to give birth to a wonderful new life, so the world must experience the pain of God’s judgment before it gives birth to a new world (Mark 13:8; Matt. 18:7). Every believer should have a strong longing for Jesus’ return and with Him, a glorious new world order. Pray that the imminent return of Jesus is seriously real to you and that you will live in reverent fear and joy to see this glorious new world.

用经文祷告

1. 如妇女必须经历产痛才能迎接一个新生命似的，世界也要经历神审判的痛苦才能看到一个新世界（可13:8；太18:7）。每一位信徒当强烈期待耶稣的归来，渴望与祂同在，盼望荣耀新世界的制度。祷告你会非常认真地看待耶稣即将到来这件事，能在虔诚的敬畏和喜乐中度日，盼这个荣耀的新世界。

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 24

Theme                  : Judgement on the Whole Earth

Punishment on Mankind (1-20). This chapter is about end times judgement on the whole earth. It agrees with God’s promised judgement on the earth in Revelation (Rev. 9:15). The whole earth will be devastated and many will be killed because of their sins. We see that even after God punishes them, they still will not repent but will continue to curse God (Rev. 9:20).

Punishment on Angels (21-23). God promises to punish the fallen angels, including satan. They are responsible also for the corruption of the world. God will lock up satan and his angels in a prison for many days and then punish them after many days. Many days is referring to the Millennial Kingdom, when satan will be bounded for one thousand years (Rev. 20:2) and then he will be released for a short time and be punished in the lake of fire and Sulphur (Rev. 20:7-10).

Praying the Scripture

1. We must remember that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 18:32). We should not take pleasure either. We should be like Isaiah, who was sadden by these judgements (v. 16). When God killed everyone on earth with the flood, except for Noah and his family, He had no pleasure in it. The sins of the people were grieving each other and also God, so God put an end to it. The purpose for judging the whole world is to end their sinful actions, to punish them, and also to restore the whole world. After God judges the evil angels and evil mankind, He will reconcile all things, restore all through to Himself through Jesus (Col. 1:20; Eph. 1:10). There will be no more abortion, human sacrifice, terrorism, sex trafficking and other grievous sins on earth. All will worship God through Jesus, to the praise of His glorious name!

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 23

Theme                  : Oracle on Tyre and Sidon

Tyre and Sidon were Phoenician port cities that were well known in the ancient times. They were powerful and rich through commerce, similar to Singapore and Venice. Their wealth caused them to be extremely materialistic and prideful. Therefore, God promises to judge them and humble them. These cities were attacked numerous times. Tyre was completely leveled by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.

Praying the Scripture

1. Wealth and money can be very dangerous to one’s soul if one is enslaved by it. 1 Timothy 6:10 states, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” In order to overcome this sinful tendency, one must not forget that we can only be satisfied through a relationship with God (1 Tim. 6:17). Any substitution is a leaking cistern or cup. Also, we must share our wealth and be rich in good works. This is true life and joy because this is God’s character and way, which is perfectly demonstrated through Jesus’ life and sacrifice. Pray that you will be like Christ and truly agree that Jesus’ characteristics are truly great and worthy of our worship and imitation.

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 22

Theme                  : Oracle Concerning Jerusalem

Rebuke for Celebration (1-14). Israel celebrated a miraculous victory over their enemies. This occasion is probably referring to the miraculous victory over the Assyrians in Isaiah 36-37 because Shebna and Eliakim are also mentioned there. God rebukes the Jews because they should have been mourning over their sins. They nearly died because of God’s judgement on their sins. They should not rejoice but should repent and find everlasting salvation in God’s mercy.

Rebuke for Lack of Servant Leadership (15-25). Shebna, second in command of Judah, tried to immortalize himself by building a grand tomb for himself. For this arrogance, God will judge him. He will not be immortalized, but will died in a foreign country in shame. God punishes the sinful leader in order to correct the people also. Pride trickles down from the top.

Praying the Scripture

1. Proverb 27:2 states, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” Matthew 23:12 states, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Pray that you will be truly humble by not praising yourself and by thinking of others as more important than yourself (Phil. 2:3).

2. If you have not repented of your sins, do not rejoice, but mourn and cry out to God for mercy and to change your heart. Do not celebrate until God changes your heart. Ecclesiastes 7:3, “Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.”

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 21

Theme                  : Concerning Babylon, Dumah and Arabia

Fall of Babylon (1-10). God prophesies the defeat of Babylon by Elam and Media, which allied with Persia to defeat Babylon. This is exactly what happened in history. Fallen, fallen is Babylon alludes to the end times Babylon in Revelation 18:2, which is a source of wickedness in the world. It is also mentioned in Zechariah 5:11.

Fall of Dumah and Arabia (11-17). Dumah is part of Arabia. God also predicts the defeat of these two regions.

Praying the Scripture

1. Through these judgements we know that God will justly deal with all evil doers in the world. He will eventually enter into judgement with all people and render a fair verdict. Our God will vindicate His justice. In life, when we have issues, we can seek justice through acceptable legal means such police or the courts, but if there is no civil justice, then we can leave it to God who will vindicate in the end. Do not take revenge through personal means, such as an eye for an eye. That principle is not for individuals but for the civil government. Romans 12:19, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Pray that God will help you to trust in His providence and justice, and never become bitter or vengeful.