Isa 46:1-13 NASB Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over; Their images are consigned to the beasts and the cattle. The things that you carry are burdensome, A load for the weary beast. (2) They stooped over, they have bowed down together; They could not rescue the burden, But have themselves gone into captivity. (3) “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been borne by Me from birth And have been carried from the womb; (4) Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you and I will deliver you. (5) “To whom would you liken Me And make Me equal and compare Me, That we would be alike? (6) “Those who lavish gold from the purse And weigh silver on the scale Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; They bow down, indeed they worship it. (7) “They lift it upon the shoulder and carry it; They set it in its place and it stands there. It does not move from its place. Though one may cry to it, it cannot answer; It cannot deliver him from his distress. (8) “Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors. (9) “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, (10) Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’; (11) Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it. (12) “Listen to Me, you stubborn-minded, Who are far from righteousness. (13) “I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off; And My salvation will not delay. And I will grant salvation in Zion, And My glory for Israel.

• What do you see of the Babylonian idols in verses 1-2?
  • Bel is another name for ba’al, the chief god of Babylonians and nebo was his scribe.
  • What have these idols done for the Babylonians during this Persian siege?
• What the relationship between Israel and God (verses 3-4)?
  • Who are the ones that God is speaking of?
  • Who bore them? Who carried them since they came from the womb? How long is God carrying them? Who is saving them? How does this apply to you?
• What is an idol? How would you craft an idol that is like God? (verses 5-7)
  • In what ways do we try to depict God in our lives (symbols, definitions, expectations)?
• How is God different? (verses 8-13)
  • Author of history (v. 8-9) (Mat 1:17)
  • Author of the future (v. 10-11)
  • Giver of righteousness and salvation (v. 12-13) (Luke 1:30-33)
• What deeper understanding do you have about God now that you may not have had before?

ISAIAH 47

Isa 47:1-7 NASB “Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no longer be called tender and delicate. (2) “Take the millstones and grind meal. Remove your veil, strip off the skirt, Uncover the leg, cross the rivers. (3) “Your nakedness will be uncovered, Your shame also will be exposed; I will take vengeance and will not spare a man.” (4) Our Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel. (5) “Sit silently, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, For you will no longer be called The queen of kingdoms. (6) “I was angry with My people, I profaned My heritage And gave them into your hand. You did not show mercy to them, On the aged you made your yoke very heavy. (7) \”Yet you said, ‘I will be a queen forever.’ These things you did not consider Nor remember the outcome of them.

• What is God revealing to the Babylonians (Chaldeans)?
• What is meant by verse 4? Why is it here?
• What is God revealing about His motive for causing Babylon to suffer? (verses 6-7)
• Does this mean that God wasn’t in control of the situation? Why is God angry with Babylon?

Isa 47:8-15 NASB “Now, then, hear this, you sensual one, Who dwells securely, Who says in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one besides me. I will not sit as a widow, Nor know loss of children.’ (9) “But these two things will come on you suddenly in one day: Loss of children and widowhood. They will come on you in full measure In spite of your many sorceries, In spite of the great power of your spells. (10) “You felt secure in your wickedness and said, ‘No one sees me,’ Your wisdom and your knowledge, they have deluded you; For you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one besides me.’ (11) “But evil will come on you Which you will not know how to charm away; And disaster will fall on you For which you cannot atone; And destruction about which you do not know Will come on you suddenly. (12) “Stand fast now in your spells And in your many sorceries With which you have labored from your youth; Perhaps you will be able to profit, Perhaps you may cause trembling. (13) “You are wearied with your many counsels; Let now the astrologers, Those who prophesy by the stars, Those who predict by the new moons, Stand up and save you from what will come upon you. (14) “Behold, they have become like stubble, Fire burns them; They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame; There will be no coal to warm by Nor a fire to sit before! (15) “So have those become to you with whom you have labored, Who have trafficked with you from your youth; Each has wandered in his own way; There is none to save you.

• Verse 8: What statement in there reveals their true attitude?
• Verse 9: What will happen in a single day? How does this address their attitude in verse 8?
• What phrases in verse 10 is the indicator and justification that we may use for sin?
• What power does Babylon have against God’s judgment? (verses 11-13) What does that teach us about God’s power of conviction in our lives?
• What do you see in God’s attitude in verses 12-13?
• How does God bring the proud into humility?

ISAIAH 48

Isa 48:1-8 NASB “Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are named Israel And who came forth from the loins of Judah, Who swear by the name of the LORD And invoke the God of Israel, But not in truth nor in righteousness. (2) “For they call themselves after the holy city And lean on the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is His name. (3) “I declared the former things long ago And they went forth from My mouth, and I proclaimed them. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. (4) “Because I know that you are obstinate, And your neck is an iron sinew And your forehead bronze, (5) Therefore I declared them to you long ago, Before they took place I proclaimed them to you, So that you would not say, ‘My idol has done them, And my graven image and my molten image have commanded them.’ (6) “You have heard; look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? I proclaim to you new things from this time, Even hidden things which you have not known. (7) “They are created now and not long ago; And before today you have not heard them, So that you will not say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’ (8) “You have not heard, you have not known. Even from long ago your ear has not been open, Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously; And you have been called a rebel from birth.

• NOTE: verse 4: “neck is an iron sinew” – The metaphor is taken from oxen when they make their neck stiff, and refuse to submit it to the yoke. “forehead bronze” – A brow of brass is an image of insensibility, or obstinacy (Jer 6:28 NASB All of them are stubbornly rebellious, Going about as a talebearer. They are bronze and iron; They, all of them, are corrupt.)
• Who is God addressing? What does it mean to invoke the God of Israel but not in truth nor in righteousness?
• Why did God give prophecy to His people? Who did He intend to teach with prophecy? What did he intend to teach?
• If all this is true, then why did God choose the Jews to be His people?

Isa 48:9-22 NASB “For the sake of My name I delay My wrath, And for My praise I restrain it for you, In order not to cut you off. (10) “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. (11) “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another. (12) “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last. (13) “Surely My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together. (14) “Assemble, all of you, and listen! Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; he will carry out His good pleasure on Babylon, And His arm will be against the Chaldeans. (15) “I, even I, have spoken; indeed I have called him, I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful. (16) “Come near to Me, listen to this: From the first I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit.” (17) Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go. (18) “If only you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your well-being would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. (19) “Your descendants would have been like the sand, And your offspring like its grains; Their name would never be cut off or destroyed from My presence.” (20) Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Declare with the sound of joyful shouting, proclaim this, Send it out to the end of the earth; Say, “The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob.” (21) They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts. He made the water flow out of the rock for them; He split the rock and the water gushed forth. (22) “There is no peace for the wicked,” says the LORD.

• Why does God delay his wrath (verses 9-11)?
• How does God describe Himself (verses 12-13)?
• Who is God speaking about in verses 14-15? What does God say about the significance of using this “him”?
• What do you read in verse 16? Compare with these other translations. What differences do you see?
  • Isa 48:16 GNB \”Now come close to me and hear what I say. From the beginning I have spoken openly and have always made my words come true.” (Now the Sovereign LORD has given me his power and sent me.)
  • Isa 48:16 AMP Come near to me and listen to this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it happened, I was there. And now the Lord God has sent His Spirit in and with me.
  • Isa 48:16 GW Come here. Listen to this: From the beginning I have spoken nothing in private. From the time it took place, I was there. Now the Almighty LORD has sent me and his Spirit.
  • Isa 48:16 KJV Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret3 from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.
  • Isa 48:16 NIV “Come near me and listen to this: “From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret; at the time it happens, I am there.” And now the Sovereign Lord has sent me, with his Spirit.
• What emotion do you see in verses 18-19? What does that tell you about God?
• What is Israel to proclaim as they are fleeing Babylon? Why? What are we to proclaim when we are freed from bondage in our life? Why?
• Why does God add verse 21 after He frees His people? What is he doing with this verse? What does that reveal to you about God?
• Who is God speaking to in verse 22? Why?

THEME

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

APPLICATIONS

REFERENCES

Mat 1:17 NASB So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.*

Luk 1:30-33 NASB The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. (31) “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. (32) “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; (33) and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

First Division	Second Division	Third Division
Abraham	David	Josias
Isaac	Solomon	Jechonias
Jacob	Roboam	Salathiel
Judas	Abia	Zorobabel
Phares	Asa	Abiud
Esrom	Josaphat	Eliakim
Aram	Joram	Azor
Aminadab	Ozias	Sadoc
Naasson	Joatham	Achim
Salmon	Achaz	Eliud
Boaz	Ezekias	Eleazar
Obed	Manasses	Matthan
Jesse	Amon	Jacob
David	Josias	Joseph
14	14	14