NancyinBelize

Q1. (Isaiah 56:3-8) What is the significance of God's welcome of believing and ethical foreigners and eunuchs to full status in his temple? God recognizes that we all are sinners. It's easy to fall into an attitude of self-righteousness. The attitude that God wants from his people is humility before him. There is a concept of holiness. We don't want to defile or ship, the church, or our fellowship with sin...Our God is holy. So we think that certain people don't belong in the church. David Wilkersen would say that the church is on Gods path if it is full of dinners. What are the implications of that for the church? The church people need to go out into the highways and byways to invite people into the church.. It's risky, and probably uncomfortable but God has told us to do it. The church has to get over the self-centered focus of what's good for "me". Who does your congregation tend to exclude from its fellowship -- if not explicitly, then by emphasis and focus? Our church is Deaf. We accept all kinds of deaf people...those who are poor, do drugs, those who have sexual addictions, and we have 4 former prostitutes...but...it us hard for us to mingle with hearing people who don't use sign language...and we tend to provide interpretation, but don't talk to them much. What could you do about this? Several of us need to try to visualize what including hearing people would look like and then share that vision with God and then with the congregation.

When I was a late teen (18 or so), I walked away from the church because of this issue ...( later returned with humble confession) but it was this question...How could Jesus take on the sins of the whole world past present and future. Sins that were not even committed yet? What kind of God requires a human sacrifice to be made so that people can be forgiven? These questions are real and honest. To actually reach some of the youth who like to think things through for themselves we need to search for our own hearts for real answers to these questions. We need to let them work through the questions and reach the truth vs. telling them the answers. The telling really turns many people off to The Lord. God usually (always) speaks in the language that the people will understand. The Old Testament taught that an offering must be made for our sins...that the sins are transferred to the offering and it becomes the substitute. It suffers instead of us. This was pretty much understood from pagan and Jewish ceremony. A lamb was not valued enough to take on such a weighty sin as the sins of the world. What would be valuable enough to offer as a sacrifice...only the son, Jesus, God himself. How does it work past present and future? It was Real but represented something symbolic. God offered himself so that all of his children could be forgiven...so that never again would there need to be a sacrifice. The sacrifice of Jesus shows the nature of God. He is one who desires above all else that we fellowship with Him and become one either him both here on earth as well as in Paradise.

First, thank you to Dr. Wilson for presenting a very balanced view of scripture. Yes yes yes I am convinced Jesus is Lord, but the question asked was: is the suffering servant presented in Isaiah 53, Jesus? Or Israel....as in the other servant songs. Because I know God is bigger than the questions, I am not afraid to consider something other than what the mainstream Christian concept is. The passage very accurately describes the suffering Jesus endured. There are so many similarities that it gives me goose bumps. However there are a few parts that don't fit ...verse 2 and 3.. People turn their faces from the servant , do not show him respect, yet Jesus ' ministry was full of respect ie feeding 5000, Palm Sunday, as well as ridicule. Second "difficulty" it seems the disciple attributed the servant song to Jesus AFTER he died but not during his ministry.. See Mark 9:31 to 32. They were shocked each time He explained that he would suffer and die. Third what about the studied Jews ? I had to wonder why they would not be immediately convinced that Jesus was the fulfillment of this prophecy. They knew the passage, certainly. What scales covered their eyes to miss the parallel? I looked up a Jewish interpretation of Isaiah 53 in Google. It didn't convince me that the passage was about Israel's suffering in Babylon...but that is the Jewish perspective. That this passage along either the other servant songs is about the exile. Having considered the alternatives with an open mind I am still convinced with goosebumps that this passage found in Isaiah 53 refers to the role and suffering of the Messiah.

What does the promise mean that no weapon formed against you shall succeed? Dear Friends, all have said that God will protect us...and he will. But...the reality is that the persecuted church in the New Testament and the persecuted church today is...sometimes their weapons do succeed at killing even the most faithful. When I left home to be a missionary 9 years ago, my mother cried. I said, "Don't worry. God will protect me." My mother replied through tears, " God didn't protect Jim Elliot!" So as saints who walk by faith, we who try to spread the Gospel under threat, trust that our reward is in Heaven and nothing can separate us from the love of a God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:38). Surely there are others doing this study who know "their weapons" are real and fully functional. How do you reply to this question?

Sometimes my prayers begin with thanks, acknowledging God's power in my life. What Hezekiah did and what Jesus did in the Lord's Prayer reminds us before we even begin of God's sovereignty, He is ruler and creator of the universe. In praising God and acknowledging that He is the one God, we give testimony to our faith ...that Yahweh has the power and authority to solve our problems.

Thank you Dr. Wilson for this clear explanation and references to 2nd Kings. In my own reading of the passage I had only a surface understanding Q1. Etc. I don't feel the need to repeat what the others have said so well but I will answer the last part of the question: How can we apply this principle to our own lives? I pastor a church in an area where Satan has a strong foothold. Last week I learned that one of the young men who was a Bible teacher and adept at memorizing scripture, was fired from his job because of persistent drunkeness. Another man who was at one time full of the Spirit and taught biblical wisdom with clarity and God's direction...has for a month now been "too tired to come to church". another woman, a cornerstone lied about being sick and not coming to church. I wonder what to do. Am I doing something wrong? I don't think so....except this: I must totally lay the battle before The Lord. I can visit and talk and be lied to...but the battle is the Lord's .

I seek The Lord with all my heart, but...sometimes the frustration of the moment gets to me and I get caught up in the moment instead of seeking God. Two days ago I tried to help Edgar get a passport so he could go to Mexico for surgery. We went to the passport office to get the nec. papers. We ran around town getting the necessary photos, signatures, and letters of recommendation. Then copied all as stated on the passport list. This took me away from work for a full 5 hours. Breathless we arrived at the passport office to find they rejected the papers because there was liquid paper (white out) on two of them. They also rejected one of the recommendations bcuz of a sentence in it. Also in the process two of the photos got smeared with ink that the signer used on the back. Argh! A whole day's work was wasted. It was so frustrating and I got angry..not with Edgar, or immigration bcuz you can't get angry with them and get what you need. I wasn't angry with God. I was just so angry that I had given a day's work to do something that resulted in nothing. Plus I was going to have to spend the money to make copies again, get new photos. I was going to have to go back and ask the doctor to write the letter again and probably pay him a second time. Sigh. If I was trusting God, if I was seeking him and listening to the way I should go I could have been a good example for Edgar instead of a crazy, frustrated, person. But I thank God for this lesson about getting caught up in the frustration of the moment. We did the whole thing again the next day, paid everything all over again, and turned in the papers...which were accepted. Ranting doesn't help...it's not the way God wants his servants to act. I need to seek The Lord in the midst of the overwhelming difficult moments.

..Q1. (Isaiah 28) How are we humans able to justify and deceive ourselves so easily? I become deceived when I get caught up in the moment. The stress or perceived immediate need takes over my ability to make wise choices or Godly choices. Why do we hold onto lies that guide our lives? I think the lie I hear from my parishioners most often is : " I'm only human." Another rationalization is "It's hard" to follow God and obey him. As if being " hard" is an excuse for not trying or Why do people stumble over Christ, the tested foundation stone, and his righteous standards? Because you have a choice : to follow Jesus or to hack out you own path. Many people prefer to "have it their way." How can we help people come to the truth? People come to the truth when the Spirit of God convicts them. They have to be open to listening to Gods voice inside of them. We can pray for them, model our best attempts at righteousness, show them God's word, and walk with them.

What a fellowship, what a joy divine, Leaning on the everlasting arms; What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, Leaning on the everlasting arms. Refrain: Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms. Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, Leaning on the everlasting arms; Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day, Leaning on the everlasting arms. What have I to dread, what have I to fear, Leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, Leaning on the everlasting arms. Isn't it amazing how many songs are based on this theme of trusting Jesus to carry us through the hard times? Yet it is hard to do. Some of the problem in actually staying in God's peace instead of getting anxious and resolving the aproblem or just fretting about it. Jesus isn't like a trick pony that does what the ringleader asks with the click of a finger. Jesus walks with us like the cloud in the desert walked with the Hebrew people. Jesus is here but we want him to DO SOMETHING to relieve our stress or pain. All we have to do to find that peace in the storm is "fix our eyes on him"... Like Peter when he stepped out of the boat. Unfortunately most of us, and me most certainly, are more like Peter when he was walking on water and then ....looked away from the Lord. My fear, my desire to fix the problem ASAP, my nature is to do something instead of "lean" on Jesus. That does not mean the best corse of action is to never do anything.....but rather trust Jesus, look to him, seek an answer in his face. AND refuse to panic or give into fear. All of this is a good lesson for me.

Now if I could only learn how to stop double posting by accident. Very sorry!

This is a terrific question. Most of the answers above described the metaphor but not what it symbolizes. All of the descriptions of a feast to celebrate God's victory and Christ's coronation (above)..a wedding feast are still describing the image the metaphor presents. Yet, Pastor Ralph asked, if it is NOT truly about food , what does the feast represent? I think Humblejon (above) nailed it when he said, "we will hunger and thirst no more (spiritually)." The feast represents our fellowship with God and Jesus....being able to see them face to face, and talk with them! Drinking in their presence and devouring every word they say will be a feast.

Q1. (Isaiah 24) What is the reason that Yahweh will devastate the earth ? Our forgiving and living Father has given us numerous warnings...we were created to live holy lives in fellowship with Him..but we stubbornly disobey and do not follow his laws...we ignore God and elevate self. Why do we feel so threatened by this kind of prophecy? We wonder...am I forgiven? Will I be saved...and what about my friends, daughter, people I care about....what about people I font even know but represent the varied human existence. Lord I eagerly look forward to eternal life...but I also don't want anyone left behind. Why is this kind of prophecy important to forming faithful disciples who "fear the Lord"? I'd prefer to make disciple out of love for God, rather than fear of destruction. But...they go hand n hand....the salvation brought by Jesus death on the cross is a salvation from destruction. There's no getting around the "hell issue" as much as I would like to skip that. In what way does the glitter and glory of man (1 John 2:15-17) contradict this kind of prophecy I saw. TV ad for a new Gallaxy. Seems someone comes out with a new, better, faster smart phone every 6 months and millions of people rush to toss their old one and get the new one. Thirsting for the things of this world misalign our priorities, mess up our Kingdom financial management plan, and make us obsessed with novelty.

One good thing about chiming in late is the rest of you guys so thoroughly answer the questions, i get to just say "Amen" :-) I just want to add to the question..."Why will there be peace?" When the earth is filled with the knowledge of God we become ONE....no longer individuals seeking our own needs, but we will realize how God is in us and we are in God. God is in us and we are in each other. We are connected by a spiritual bond and the presence of God. This means we cannot kill or hurt our neighbors because we see the grace of God in them. The disciple John elaborated on this concept in 1 John 4: " Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born again because of what God has done. That person knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."

I love this passage! My sister and I always have a fond memory of singing the section of Handel's Messiah where these words are used. it plays in my head through the Christmas holiday. I love it. Handel was really inspired when he wrote that. Amazing music that catches the grandeur and majesty of the Son of God. So....c) Which of these saving attributes do you need most in your life right now? Oh I need them ALL! Thank you Jesus for being wonderful counselor, Almighty God, everlasting Father, and prince of peace. Hallelujah!

Ok Guys...here's my take on this. Isaiah and the Psalms say that IF we trust in the Lord and depend on him, turn to him and worship him alone, he will be our jehovah Jireh, our protector and provider. Isaiah and the Psalms also say that if we choose to worship other Gods and not love God with our whole hearts (1st commandment), God will remove this hedge of protection and provision. This hedge of protection and provision is a rock, God is our Rock. But when we fail to worship, trust and love him, the wall of protection comes down and we find we are stumbling around trying to provide for ourselves and protect ourselves...stumbling over this wall of protection that God had put around us. Trapped and ensnared is a metaphor for not being able to find our way out of the situation. We make a decision and we are stuck not only with the consequences but what choices remain as a result of a poor decision. Ahaz chose to join hands with Assyia. After doing that and Assyria's destruction of Syria and Israel, Ahaz was stuck...with fewer choices and could not have a "do-over" at that point. Why do people stumble over a God that is righteous and wants to take care of them? That's exactly what God lamented."Israel why to you want to be beaten all of the time? "( Isaiah 1:5). It's foolish, stubborn, illogical, etc. BUT God gave us free will and allows us to choose. God has never been a God that forces His people to love him. He knows that is not love. So we have to choose to Love God. That means we have to choose to reject all other "loves" (self, idols, money, success, pride, independence, etc.) This is hard for most people to do. "They know that God's commands are right. They know that those who do evil things should die.But they continue to do those very things." (Romans 1:32)

Hi all, Ahaz ignored Isaiah's prophesy that Israel and Syria will not attack because he was more afraid of Assyria. He may have been thinking., "Thanks Isaiah, Im glad they are not attacking, but what about Assyria? !!" So he did what he saw was a wise political move, he agreed to submit to Assyria's rule. His thinking: better a slave than dead. Maybe God will save us after a while... He has been scorned for not having faith in God. This is true, but... I would say that the reason he could not just sit around and "wait and see" because he did not have faith in Isaiah's prophecy. Ahaz hadn't heard from God. It was Isaiah who spoke for God. Ahaz probably had a dozen or more "advisors" who were coming up with various plans and the chief among those plans was to kow-tow to Assyria and make friends. Ahaz didn't trust Isaiah's words as much as the other advice which made more sense to him because he, Ahaz, did not seek the Lord for himself. We cannot let other people seek God for us. We cannot rely only on the word of God through another. If Ahaz had humbled himself, prayed and waited on God, he would have heard (conjecture, but I believe) Ahaz would have heard from God a message that confirmed Isaiah's prophecy. He then would have had to choose to obey God or his advisors. Because Ahaz did not seek God, Isaiah's prophecy was just one of many voices of "wisdom" that he was weighing. We need to humble ourselves, seek God and listen to his words....then obey. This is what Ahaz failed to do. Why didn't Ahaz seek God like King David had? Because Ahaz thought it was enough to have Isaiah do this for him. Big boo-boo.

Is there any hope? Yes, for us who preach, we must never give up hope that some of our words will penetrate the hearts of our listeners. We can choose to dwell on what discourages us or cling to the glimmers of hope that we occasionally see in the people we love in our flock. Every Sunday I see cause for both discouragement and hope. I'd rather affirm the work of the Pirit than the discouragement sent by the Devil. Secondly, I am encouraged to know that it is the Spirit of God that convicts people...not my magic words...so I cling to Hope knowing that God's Spirit can make a difference even in the hardest hearts. Our congregation has people who are prostitutes, some who use prostitutes, and several addicted to alcohol...the Spirit of God has made a radical transformation in these hard hearts...some days more than others.i continue to hope. That's our job.

Again Ivory Eagle answered just as I would have, so I won't repeat it. I'll just add this: Pastor Wilson said This isn't about you and your limited time. This is about your God and his gracious willingness to use you in his great purposes during your lifetime.. amen. I'm a missionary of 8 years and people commend me for giving up...luxury, my house, my car, my extended family...etc. and I never had much of a response except to say that if they listen, God is calling them too. But this comment from Pastor Wilson is much better and so true. Thank you. Our church sings the song mentioned in its melancholy minor key. I would live to see it sung jubilantly...somehow.

Amen Ivory Eagle. I agree. My addition to this conversation: God is commanding Isaiah to proclaim his judgement on Judah. If any old Joe tells you what will happen in the future we take it with a grain of salt. God let Isaiah see this peek of Heaven to affirm for Isaiah that it is the I AM who sends him. It is the creator, redeemer, beginning and end who is proclaiming the future. In treet terms, God is showing Isaiah his "cred". What a magnificent vision! I praise God that it is all true.

You all have responded well. I will just address the question about the meaning of the parable. Isaiah warns Judah that God will allow them to be destroyed.He has nurtured and protected them but they have failed to love the Lord their God with all their hearts...the first and most important commandment. Although this prophecy of impending destruction was meant for Judah, it teaches us about God's character...which is constant. If God warned and did allow Judah to be destroyed because they were arrogant and ignored the poor, we would be wise to understand that God is likely to do this to us as well

You all have responded well. I will just address the question about the meaning of the parable. Isaiah warns Judah that God will allow them to be destroyed.He has nurtured and protected them but they have failed to love the Lord their God with all their hearts...the first and most important commandment. Although this prophecy of impending destruction was meant for Judah, it teaches us about God's character...which is constant. If God warned and did allow Judah to be destroyed because they were arrogant and ignored the poor, we would be wise to understand that God is likely to do this to us as well

You all have responded well. I will just address the question about the meaning of the parable. Isaiah warns Judah that God will allow them to be destroyed.He has nurtured and protected them but they have failed to love the Lord their God with all their hearts...the first and most important commandment. Although this prophecy of impending destruction was meant for Judah, it teaches us about God's character...which is constant. If God warned and did allow Judah to be destroyed because they were arrogant and ignored the poor, we would be wise to understand that God is likely to do this to us as well

Q2. (Isaiah 2:1-5) What does this prophecy of the future Jerusalem tell us about God's plan for the Gentiles? About God's plan for the Jews? About spiritual hunger? About peace? It is remarkable that Isaiah predicted that God's message of salvation included the Gentiles and all of the world. (Not just the jews, the chosen people?) I can imagine the jews were not thrilled to hear this. But it is brilliant. God is not exclusive, he loves all people. What a tremendous, merciful, loving God we serve. I've heard jokes about Catholics, or Baptists or _________(insert denomination here) being shocked to see other people in Heaven. The Jews during Isaiah's time would have balked at the idea of those "horrible Assyrians"in Heaven....NEVER! Isaiah's message is God's vision for the world. "When it is perfect... this is what it will look like: everyone will hunger for God's word, there will be peace among nations and people, everyone will flock to worship God, Jerusalem will be revered as the place God's Law is taught." Did the jews think that this vision was "perfect"? maybe not...maybe they wanted all of the enemies wiped out so they could reign supreme,.but in God's vision of perfection, He reigns supreme and ALL of the people would be saved, Jews, Gentiles, and even heathen Assyrians. Praise God! There is no one like him! There is no other God with this vision that is inclusive and based on peace and righteousness, mercy and forgiveness.

In what way are the people of Judah confused about their identity? They don't know who their father is. Imagine having children who forgot who raised them, cared for them when they were sick, listened to then, provided for them. How could Judah forget? How distressing to God that must be! In 1:24 Isaiah reminds them , "the Lord is the Mighty One of Israel. The Lord is Supreme and rules over all" What are the consequences of forgetting our identity in God's family? We are on our own...without God's care and provision. We put our trust in something that has no power to really help us. Maybe it is independence, or logic, or some "wise person", or "common sense". What injustices are they doing? They are cheating in the marketplace (watering wine etc.), their officials are accepting bribes, they're killing people, they are neglecting the poor (particularly orphans and widows.) It's interesting that Isaiah says the people are "loaded down with guilt" yet it does not cause them to change...they continue sinning more and more. As a pastor I see this happen alot. The grasp of sin, the habits and the neglect to Love God with all your heart, reserving love for God for Sunday morning only...causes so much guilt ....yet for some reason..it's easier to live with guilt than submitting to God's authority. In verses18 -20 God argues that Judah's behavior is unreasonable. Why? It seems unreasonable to continue with behaviors that result in harm to yourself (verses 5 -9). It's unreasonable to turn to other gods who are not able to help, when your loving Father repeats that if they obey He will provide and protect. He has proven himself forgiving and faithful...but they have forgotten him and turn to the god of self-reliance.

I'm a missionary. Where I live prostitution is legal. Many women make money this way to support their children. Many men like to frequent the bars to drink a few beers because they "deserve it after a long week of work" and enjoy "meeting girls". One husband I know approves of his wife's prostitution because she brings in money. He's currently jobless. She even entertains men in their home. So clearly prostitution is part of the culture here. Because prostitution is part of this culture, is it culturally acceptable in God's eyes? NO. Can I preach the Gospel and not preach against prostitution? Can i preach the Gospel without mentioning that sexual immorality is a sin? The center of the Gospel is God's grace through Jesus death on the cross. Yes....but somewhere in the process of explaining God's vision for a Kingdom there needs to be included God's vision for the rules for His society. I doubt anyone reading this would advocate that as a missionary I should just preach grace and tell people sexual morality is ok because it is part of your culure, Yet the issue is always: where do you draw the line? It was Biblically clear to the Jews that the converts needed to be circumcised. They could point to mandates and laws given by God. It was Biblically clear to the early Christian missionaries that covering your body is modest. The Indians or Africans, in order to follow scripture needed to cover themselves. with 20:20 Hindsight we can see that we destroyed their "culture" and traded it for an Anglicized Christian one. But i understand those early missionaries' thought process. Modesty, is part of the Word that we learn from Paul. I understand why they taught it. We always pick and choose from the Bible (even New Testament) what we will follow as God's commands and what we think is "not applicable". 1 Timothy 2:9 says, "I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes." There are few churches that teach this principle. I'm not advocating that women today have to follow this. My point: If we are honest, choosing what we think is important and what we can ignore and let people go ahead and do "because it is cultural" is a very slippery slope. To the courageous missionaries of old, Thank you for risking your lives to share the Gospel with people who had never heard. We all make mistakes and some are only revealed years later with new revelations.