Good Morning Siblings!
Today’s readings are Isaiah 31 -35 Deep Diving Bible Study
I’m excited and grateful to have a dear friend and brother, Wayne Scott, provide notes for today. I know you’ll enjoy Wayne’s insight ❤️
Wayne’s Rabbit Trails
Before we start, I’d like to share a short word of encouragement. If you’re like me, with each reading of the Bible the pieces start to fit together more and the “Ah-ha!” moments seem to come to pass more frequently. Isaiah has certainly been one of those books for me. Stay encouraged! Each time I open my Bible I see a sticky-note with a prayer that I picked up from somewhere else a while back.
It reads, “Lord, as I study Your Word, help me to be willing to accept and admit that I may be wrong and accept that You are always right. Amen.”
Now, for today’s readings, I’d like to share a direct quote from Christy. Just the other day she wrote, “I’m looking forward to the comments. There is so much meat on these bones that it takes a group of Believers hashing it out to be able to even come close to getting it all off the bone and onto our plate!” So, with that in mind, I’m just going to share a couple of things that popped out at me and then step back and glean from this special group of Believers that we have in our Front Porch Facebook group.
?We begin Chapter 31 with Isaiah calling out (again) those who would advocate for an alliance with Egypt, rather than to trust in YHWH.
Isa 31:3 “The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together.”
We’ve seen this repeating pattern SO many times now; looking to the world for security and protection versus having trust YHWH. I’ll confess, I’ve been guilty of this so many times. It’s far easier to have trust when things are going well in life. It’s when I’m in the valleys, when trials come when I find how strong my trust muscles really are. Oh, I’m going to put these additional verses from Scripture to memory:
And those who know Your name put their trust in You,
for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. Psalm 9:10
He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. Psalm 112:7
?Word Study-Fun
Isa 31:5 “Like flying birds so the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it; He will pass over and rescue it.”
When I was reading these passages, the words “pass over” kind of jumped off of the page. So, I checked Biblehub to see Hebrew word usage. I found other verses that use the same word. There, I found it used in Exodus 12:13 during the night of the Passover.
Exodus 12:13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you]live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
I really like to encourage others to look up the words in the Hebrew and the Greek. We don’t have to become fluent in the languages, but with just a little practice we can learn to spot repeat usages of the words to gain a deeper understanding of the words on the page. Sometimes, for whatever reasons, translators will use English words that may not be as clear to communicate the intent of the verses as does the original Hebrew word meaning. Applications like Biblehub and Blue Letter Bible are really nice tools to enhance our study.
?Chapter 32 prophecy of a righteous king.
Commentators often point this prophecy to the reign of Hezekiah and also to the coming reign of Messiah. Hezekiah served during the time of Isaiah and he did what was right in YHWH’s eyes (2 Kings 18:3). The prophecy of Messiah certainly comes to mind in Isaiah 32:15, essentially as described in Acts 2:33. Of course, this is just one of many throughout the book!
Isa 32:15 Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field is considered as a forest.
?Chapters 33 and 34 points towards end-time visions. Going to leave those alone today to spend a little time in Chapter 35.
?Chapter 35 The Way of Holiness
After these prophetic visions of tribulation and destruction comes Chapter 35. I have spent some considerable time parked in this chapter lately. It is full of hope of Messiah’s return! There are lots of scriptural references from all parts of the Bible. I’ll leave those as rabbit trail fun for you all. With that, I just want to leave these verses for you all. Wow, this is peaceful.
Isa 35:8-10 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it.It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Folks, do you feel as encouraged as I do when you read this? The promise of things to come. Amen! But, there’s something else; one more rabbit trail that I want to share.
In verse 8, we see “the Way of Holiness”. As I said before, I love to dig into the word definitions. I know the word “Holiness” used here. The Hebrew word is “qodesh”, which means “apartness; sacredness”. That immediately took me to Paul’s words in Romans 12:1-2.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2
“Holy and acceptable to God”….The word, “holy” used here (in the Greek) is “hagios”, which means “sacred; holy” and its usage “set apart by (or for) God, holy, sacred”.
Paul and Isaiah are describing holiness in the same manner. Paul is giving us instruction for our present journey as sojourners and Isaiah is giving us a glimpse of the rewards yet to come. YHWH is the potter and we are the clay. It’s far better to be molded by Him than it is to be conformed to this world. I don’t know about you, but I’m keeping my eye on the promise to come. I have no problem being a lump of clay, set-apart for YHWH’s purposes. It’s all part of the preparation for the promise.
Test everything, hold tight to what is good.~ 1 Thess 5:21
We are saved by Grace alone: Obedience is not the root of our salvation, it is the fruit!
May YHWH bless the reading of His Word!
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