CONTENT OF THE TEACHER’S MANUAL
I. Appendix to Isaiah 2:1-21: A Consideration of Isaiah 2:1-4
At certain points in the appendices Hebrew or Greek words are incorporated into the text. In order to retrieve these words it is necessary to download Teknia Hebrew and Teknia Greek. The facilitator may contact MINTS for free downloads of these fonts by clicking Biblical Language Fonts.
Note: All Scripture texts will appear in Comic Sans MS font; all extended quotations
from other authors will appear in Courier font.
II. ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS THAT ACCOMPANY THE LESSONS
III. FINAL EXAM (STUDENT AND FACILATOR COPIES)
IV. GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A BOOK REPORT AND AN ESSAY
Appendix to Isaiah 2:1-21
A Consideration of Isaiah 2:1-4
This is what Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem (verse 1)
· Isaiah will now make known the vision from God concerning the future of Zion: the glorious work that God will do for Judah and through Judah
· note: in the midst of discipline and chastening (1:2-9) and impending judgment upon the nation (1:20,24-ff.), there is a word of hope for the people of God
The time of the fulfillment of this vision is designated as the last days (verse 2)
· according to the New Testament, the last days (or, the latter days) began with the birth of Christ and reach their climax with His return in glory
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son… (Hebrews 1:1-2)
Christ was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. (1 Peter 1:20)
· thus, the attention of God’s people is focused on the future, …and this same perspective is continued in the New Testament (note Philippians 3:20)
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20)
What will God do for Judah in the last days? (verse 2b):
the mountain of Jehovah’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains
· the kingdom of God shall be revealed to be permanent, durable, unshakable, and everlasting
· concerning the kingdom of God, it is said of Abraham that he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:10)
… the God of heaven will establish a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be passed on to another people. It will break all those kingdoms into pieces and consume them, and it will stand forever. (Daniel 2:44)
…it shall be exalted above the hills
· the kingdom of God shall have the pre-eminence: Christ has already been exalted to that position at the right hand of God, and at His coming God’s kingdom shall be revealed in all of its pre-eminent glory
…and all nations shall flow to it
· the picture presented here is that of the Gentile nations, like a mighty river, flowing up to the mountain of God
· the picture portrays the miraculous work of God in bringing the Gentiles to saving faith in Jesus the Messiah (note Revelation 5:9-10)
…they sing a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the scroll and break the seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10You have made them into a kingdom and priests for our God, and they shall reign over the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10)
We are transported into the future to see and hear the miraculous work of God among the nations (verse 3a):
…many peoples will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; …
· there is the desire to come to the Lord, and a desire to have others join with them
…he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.
· there is, furthermore, a desire for instruction, and the desire to know God, and a desire to walk with Him in obedience and fellowship
What is the cause of this great “migration” of the nations unto the Lord? (verse 3b):
…the law (or, the instruction, the Hebrew word, hr2wTo) will go out from Zion, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem
· here is a reference to the going forth of the gospel following Pentecost (note Luke 24:46-47)
following His resurrection, the Lord Jesus declared to His disciples, This is what is written, The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:46-47)
Here is depicted the Lord’s peaceful rule over the nations (verse 4):
He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes among many peoples
· i.e.; the Lord is the Great King before whom the peoples come for arbitration and the settling of their disputes
they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks
· warfare will give way to peaceful co-existence among neighbors, each tending his own plot of land
nation shall not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any more
· in light of Isaiah 2:12-21., which speaks of the final judgment of God, and many other such passages in both the Old and the New Testaments, this present verse cannot be taken as a reference to universal world peace
· rather, it is a pictorial description of the peace and unity that is found within the body of Christ and that shall be fully realized in the kingdom of God as the redeemed of every nation live together in the peace and blessing of God (note Ephesians 2:14-18)
Christ is our peace, he is the one who made the two (i.e.; believing Jew and believing Gentile) become one and who destroyed the dividing wall which served as a barrier. With his flesh he destroyed the source of enmity 15by abolishing the law that consisted of commandments in the form of regulations. He did so in order that in himself he might create the two into one new man, thereby making peace; 16and that he might reconcile the two—in one body—unto God by the cross, having put the enmity to death by it. 17When he came, “he preached the message of peace” to you “who were far away (i.e.; the Gentiles) and peace to those who were near (i.e.; the Jews),” 18for through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Ephesians 2:14-18)
ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS THAT ACCOMPANY THE LESSONS
Background Information on Isaiah
1. Like any other historical book, the Book of Isaiah is written in strict chronological order, beginning with the prophet’s divine call to his ministry and culminating with a vision of the Lord’s eschatological kingdom. True or False
2. Chapters 1-39 predominantly, though not exclusively, deal with the period of Judah’s history during the eighth century B.C., the time in which Isaiah was carrying out his ministry. True or False
3. Which of the following topics is the primary focus of chapters 40-66?
a. The Conquest of Judah by the Babylonians
b. The Fall of Babylon
c. Judah’s Release from Their Babylonian Captivity
d. The Presentation of the Messiah as the Servant of the Lord
4. Match the kings listed below with the statements that describe their reigns.
a. He reigned during Judah’s Silver Age of splendor. Uzziah
b. His unbelief eventually brought judgment upon the nation of Judah. Ahaz
c. His trust in the Lord spared Judah in a time of severe national crisis. Hezekiah
5. According to Isaiah 6:8-13, what was the purpose of Isaiah’s ministry?
a. Isaiah was called to deliver the people from the spiritual hardening of their hearts.
b. Isaiah was called to caution the people against a self-hardening of their hearts.
c. Isaiah was called to create a judicial hardening in the hearts of the people.
Walk in the Light of the Lord
Isaiah 2:1-21
1. In verses 2-4 (printed below) the Lord gives Isaiah a revelation of "the last days." (Note: According to the New Testament, "the last days" began with the birth of Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2) and culminate with His return in glory.) What does Isaiah see happening in this period known as "the last days" (i.e.; this period which is the New Testament era?)
In the last days the mountain of Jehovah's temple will be established as chief among the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow to it. (3) Many peoples will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths—for the law will go out from Zion, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem. (4) He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes among many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any more. (Isaiah 2:2-4)
In the last days all nations shall flow to "the mountain of the Jehovah's temple." The Gentile nations, like a mighty river, are pictured as miraculously flowing upward to the mountain of God. Here is a picture of God's miraculous work of bringing the Gentile nations to faith in Christ and into the kingdom of God, which is especially the work of the Holy Spirit in this present New Testament era. In verse 3 we are transported from the time of the prophet Isaiah into the future to see and hear this miraculous work of God as it takes place among the Gentile nations: "Come, let us go up to...the house of the God of Jacob." Here is the desire to come to the Lord and to have others join with them in coming. "He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths." Here is the desire to know the Lord and the commitment to walk with Him in fellowship and obedience.
2. As he witnesses this future scene of the Gentile nations coming to the Lord, what does Isaiah exhort Israel to do? Why is this ironic? See Isaiah 2:5 (printed below)
O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of Jehovah. (Isaiah 2:5)
In verse 5, as he witnesses this future scene of the Gentile nations coming to the Lord, Isaiah exhorts his own people, Israel, "Come, let us walk in the light of Jehovah!" Isaiah is calling upon his own people to imitate these new converts in their zeal to know God and serve Him! It is ironic that the people of God must be admonished to imitate the godly example of the heathen converts; and, as we shall see, be exhorted to stop imitating the ungodly example of their pagan neighbors (verses 6b-8).
3. List some of the sins Isaiah accuses Israel of practicing. See Isaiah 2:6 and 8 (printed below)
You have forsaken your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of the customs of the East and practice divination like the Philistines. They clasp hands with the children of foreigners, making covenants with them...(8) And their land is full of idols. They bow down to the work of their own hands, they bow down to what their fingers have made. (Isaiah 2:6,8)
In verse 6a Israel is described as being filled with "the customs of the east"—a reference to the pagan customs and practices imported from the East; the very place Abraham had been called to forsake in order to follow the Lord into the Promised Land. The succeeding verses further describe the conduct, outlook and lifestyle of Judah. They "practice divination like the Philistines;" Israel had come to look to soothsayers for guidance instead of looking to the Lord their God and His Word (note Isaiah 8:19). "They clasp hands with the children of foreigners, making covenants with them;" they were forming binding relationships and covenants with those who were strangers to the Lord and His covenant. "Their land is full of idols;" rather than destroying the idols of the pagan nations who possessed the land before them, as they had been commanded to do (Exodus 34:12-14), Israel embraced the pagan religion of their neighbors.
4. What does verse 7 (printed below) tell us about Israel at this time in their history? (Note: The chapters of Isaiah do not follow a chronological sequence; some chapters, such as chapter two, describe the state of Israel prior to the Lord's judgment, other chapters describe their plight in the days of His righteous judgment.)
Their land is full of silver and gold, there is no end to their treasures. Their land also is full of war horses, neither is there any numbering of their chariots. (Isaiah 2:7)
Verse 7 tells us, "their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures." At this particular time in its history, Israel was a nation that was experiencing a superabundance of prosperity, and that prosperity was turning them into materialists who loved the things of this present world and was suffocating their spiritual life. Furthermore, "their land also is full of war horses, neither is there any numbering of their chariots." These people had come to place their confidence in military might; what is described here is the ancient version of a vast build up of armaments.
5. In verses 10-21 (printed below) Isaiah describes the coming Day of the Lord. What are some of the characteristics of that great day? Note especially verses 11-12 and 17-18.
Go among the rocks, and hide yourself in the dust, from the terror of Jehovah and from the glory of his majesty. (11) The arrogant looks of man will be brought low, and the lofty pride of men will be humbled, and Jehovah alone will be exalted on that day. (12) Jehovah of hosts has a day in store for all that is proud and arrogant, for all that is exalted—and they will be humbled. (13) Jehovah of hosts has a day in store for all the cedars of Lebanon that are tall and lofty, and for all the oaks of Bashan; (14) for all the towering mountains, and all the high hills; (15) for every lofty tower, and every fortified wall; (16) for all the merchant ships that sail to Tarshish, and every stately vessel. (17) The arrogance of man shall be brought low, and the pride of man shall be humbled; and Jehovah alone shall be exalted on that day—(18) and the idols will totally disappear. (19) Men will flee to the caves in the rocks and to the holes in the ground from the terror of Jehovah and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to mightily shake the earth. (20) On that day men will throw away to the rodents and to the bats their idols of silver and their idols of gold that they made to worship, (21) in order to flee to the caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from the terror of Jehovah and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to mightily shake the earth. (Isaiah 2:10-21)