ISAIAH CHAPTERS 36-39
Lesson 4 Week of September 9th, 2018 /
- We begin the lesson by focusing on the Sunday message. After meditating on the message, share one way the sermon shaped your thinking this week.
- Review: the book of Isaiah can be divided into three main sections. They are: 1. Prophetic Condemnation (chapters 1-35), 2. Historic Contribution (chapters 36-39), and 3. Prophetic Consolation (chapters 40-66). We’ve spent the past three weeks studying the first section (chapters 1-35). What is Isaiah’s main purpose in writing these first thirty-five chapters?
- What are some key points from these chapters that have impacted you the most?
- Chapters 36-39 have been called a “historical parenthesis.” Chapters 36-37 deal with God’s miraculous deliverance of His people during the Assyrian invasion of Judah in 701 B.C. Chapters 38-39 discuss King Hezekiah, his pride, his healing, and the prophecy of Babylonian captivity. Read 36:1-3 and describe the opening scene.
- In the speech in 36:4-20, an Assyrian leader, attempting to obtain surrender, attacks and discredits nearly everything the Jewish nation holds dear. What does this leader want (36:8)?
- What are the four things the nation was “relying on” that he tries to undermine (36:5-7)?
- Who does he claim is “on the Assyrian’s side” (36:10)?
- If this man were speaking to you today, what people or things might he say “you rely or depend on” rather than God?
- Read 36:13-16. If you were King Hezekiah, what challenges from the Assyrians would be your concern?
- How does Hezekiah actually respond (36:21, 37:1, 14-20)?
- Give your analysis of his prayer in verses 14-20 and tell how you might use features of this prayer in your own prayer life.
- In 37:21-35, God answered Hezekiah’s prayer by assuring him that Israel would be delivered (37:22, 29, 33-34). What are some recent examples from your life where you saw God answer your prayers in specific ways?
- In chapters 36-37, Hezekiah was a “man of faith,” but in chapters 38-39, he was a “man of pride.” This account is also recorded in 2 Kings 20 and took place prior to the events of chapters 36-37. Read 38:1-8 and summarize this dramatic narrative.
- What does Hezekiah write in response to his miraculous recovery (38:9-20)?
- What most interested you in his “song of thanksgiving?”
- In chapter 39, an envoy comes from Babylon, allegedly to honor Hezekiah’s recovery. In reality, they come to spy on his treasury. What do you think motivated Hezekiah in his response (39:2)?
- How might you be tempted to do the same thing, and when would you be most vulnerable to this reaction? What can be done to avoid this response?