College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Isaiah 64 - Introduction
EXAMINATION
Chapter S SIXTY THROUGH SIXTY-SIX
DEFINITION
(Define the following words or phrases as they were discussed in the comments.)
1.
wealth of the nations
8.
covenant
2.
Spirit upon me
9.
married
3.
meek
10.
ensign
4.
liberty
11.
Edom
5.
year of Lord's favor
12.
Zion
6.
strangers
13.
swine's flesh
7.
priests
14.
new heavens and earth
MEMORIZATION
The _____ of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath _____ me to preach good tidings unto the _____; he hath sent me to _____ up the broken-hearted, to proclaim _____ to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are _____; to proclaim the year of Jehovah's _____, and the day of vengeance of our God; to _____ all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in _____, to given unto them a _____ for ashes, the oil of _____ for mourning, the garment of _____for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called _____ of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah that he may be _____. (Isaiah 61:1-3)
EXPLANATION
1.
Explain how Zion would be built by foreigners.
2.
Explain what the One anointed by the Lord was to declare.
3.
Explain the new name Zion was to receive.
4.
Explain the Holy Spirit's relationship to believers in the O.T.
5.
Explain why God said former things would not be remembered.
6.
Explain how God created a land in one day (brought forth at once a nation).
7.
Explain how people of Zion look upon dead bodies.
APPLICATION
(In its context every scripture has one meaningthe author's intended meaning. How may the following be applied in the believer's life?)
1.
Does Isaiah's prediction of the year of the Lord's favor at the coming of the Messiah apply to our understanding of biblical eschatology?
2.
Does Isaiah's symbolic use of Edom in chapter 63 contribute anything to present day understanding of the relation of Zion to the world?
3.
Does the impatient prayer of Zion in Chapter s 64-65 have any application to New Zion?
4.
How can we apply the statement, ... bless himself in the God truth. to our concept of God today?
5.
Does the symbolic use of new heaven and new earth in chapter 66 apply to our eschatological understanding of the O.T.?
6.
What is the main application concerning the nature of God from the book of Isaiah?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
TEXTS
1.
Biblia Hebraica, Rudolf Kittel, American Bible Society
2.
Koren, Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd.
LEXICONS
1.
Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon, Benjamin Davidson Bagster
2.
Langenscheidt Pocket Hebrew Dictionary, Karl Feyerabend, McGraw-Hill
3.
The English and Hebrew Bible Student's Concordance, Pick, Kregel Publishers
4.
Hebrew and English Lexicon, Gesenius, Eerdmans
5.
Hebrew and English Lexicon of the O.T., Brown, Driver, Briggs, Oxford
6.
Synonyms of the Old Testament, Girdlestone, Eerdmans
TRANSLATIONS
1.
King James Version
2.
American Standard Version, 1901
3.
Revised Standard Version, 1946-1952
4.
The Berkeley Version
5.
The New American Standard Version, 1960-1971
6.
Living Psalms and Proverbs with The Major Prophets, Paraphrased
7.
Four Prophets, Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, by J. B. Phillips
8.
Today's English Version, Good News Bible, 1976, pub. American Bible Society
COMMENTARIES
1.
The Book of Isaiah, Three Volumes, Edward J, Young, Eerdmans
2.
Exposition of Isaiah, Two Volumes, Herbert Carl Leupold, Baker
3.
Isaiah, John Peter Lange, Zondervan
4.
Isaiah, Two Volumes, Keil and Delitzsch, Eerdmans
5.
Class Notes on Isaiah, V. K. Allison
6.
Class Notes on Isaiah, Chester Williamson
7.
Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah, Joseph A. Alexander, Zondervan Classic Commentary Series
8.
I and II Kings, James E. Smith, pub, College Press
9.
Old Testament History, Smith and Wilbur Fields, pub. College Press
ENCYCLOPEDIAS
1.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Eerdmans
2.
Pictorial Bible Dictionary, Zondervan
3.
Handbook to The Bible, Eerdmans
4.
The International Jewish Encyclopedia, Isaacson and Wigoder, pub. Prentice-Hall
OTHER WORKS
1.
The Doctrine of The Prophets, Kirkpatrick, Zondervan
2.
Prophecy and The Church, Allis, Presbyterian and Reformed
3.
The Grammar of Prophecy, Girdlestone, Kragel
4.
New Testament Interpretations of Old Testament Prophecies, Bales, Harding
5.
Prophecy Interpreted, Milton, Augsburg
6.
The Divided Kingdom, Pfeiffer, Baker
7.
Exile and Return, Pfeiffer, Baker
8.
Israel and The Nations, Bruce, Eerdmans
9.
The Method and Message of Jewish Apocalyptic, D. S. Russell, pub. The Westminster Press
10.
History of The Jews, Heindrich Graetz, pub. The Jewish Pub. Soc. of America
11.
The Eternal Spirit, C. C. Crawford, pub. College Press
LIBERTY IS NOT LICENSE
INTRODUCTION
Bob Iverson tells of the man who went to one of the new style worship services in which a rock and roll record was being played at ear-shattering levels (Rolling Stones now hold Guinness record of decibels 120. SST Concorde is 130 decibels at take off). When he asked the young man in charge why such noise, the youth replied that this was an expression of doing one's own thing. The older man, then, did his own thing by getting out his pocket knife and destroying the amplifier.
This illustrates the human problem of knowing and practicing freedom or liberty.
I.
NO SUCH THING AS ABSOLUTE FREEDOM FOR MAN
II.
TRUE FREEDOM
A.
Is when human beings recognize their limitation and obligations
B.
Is always relative and relational. It is relative to the will of the Absolute Creator and in relation to knowing and abiding in His will and fellowship with other human beings.
C.
True freedom is:
1.
Legacy
2.
Not license
3.
Liability
DISCUSSION
I.
LIBERTY IS OUR LEGACY
A.
Christ came to free mankind.
1.
Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not continue in the house forever; the son continues forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:34-36
2.
If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. John 8:31
3.
The most important freedom Christ gives is freedom from falsehood. He reveals the real, abiding, saving, edifying TRUTH about who God is, who man is and how life is to be lived. You SEE, THE DEVIL LIED TO EVE AND ADAM ABOUT THAT AND HAS DECEIVED MOST OF MANKIND SINCE.. MAN ACTS ACCORDING TO WHAT HE BELIEVES. WHEN THE DEVIL DECEIVED MAN INTO BELIEVING AND DOING A LIE, HE ENSLAVED MAN WITH GUILT, FEAR AND SELFISHNESS.
B.
The real hindrance to true freedom is not God's Law (His Will) BUT GUILT, FEAR AND SELFISHNESS.
1.
These are the elements Satan uses to keep men in bondage (Hebrews 2:5-18) etc.
2.
Freedom comes only by faith in Christ's atonement, His priesthood, and His Lordship.
C.
Christ frees us from sin.
1.
Sin is lawlessness.
2.
The devil's subtle lie is that freedom is found in rebellion. that we cannot really be free if we are going to let God tell us what is right or wrong.
What most people do not realize is that if we don-'t let God tell us then we let the devil tell us! And he lies. You see, man, limited to this world cannot determine right or wrong, reality or unreality, for that has its basis in what is beyond our finite existenceonly supernatural sources know ultimate truth.
3.
Christ frees us from the slavery of lawlessness.
4.
If you want an example of the slavery of lawlessness read Romans 1:18-32.
5.
He also frees us from the guilt and penalty of sin.
D.
Christ frees us from fear.
1.
It is through guilt and the fear of death and the judgment the devil keeps men enslaved to him.
2.
Christ paid our penalty, died and rose again and we who are in covenant relationship with Him do not fear death.
3.
We are not driven by a motive of fear of failure to keep God's law. that is a never-ending, never attaining bondage.
4.
We are forgiven, freed, adopted sons and now serve willingly from love.
5.
By faith the law of love is transformed into the love of law and almost in proportion as the law is loved, it ceases to be felt as law at all, but privilege and blessing!
6.
THE LOVE OF GOD MASTERS THE CHRISTIAN, AND THE MASTERY OF LOVE IS FOUND TO BE PERFECT LIBERTY.
E.
Christ frees us from inordinate love of self.
1.
L. H. Marshall in his, The Challenge of N.T. Ethics, says, Jesus attributes all moral evil to the self-will that knows not the rule of God, page 31.
2.
Selfishness enslaves us. We become incapable of growth; we become unteachable, impenetrable, unloving.
3.
Selfishness destroys creativeness, the ability to appreciate and enjoy.
4.
The selfish person imprisons himself, fetters himself, hinders himself more than any man who has ever been imprisoned in any concentration camp.
II.
LIBERTY IS NOT LICENSE.
A.
God has objectively, judicially and propositionally freed me.
God has emotionally, willingly loved me when I was unlovely. and He did it in such a way that it breaks my rebellious heart. and I love Him.
1.
Loving Him is not something I can produce without an adequate cause. We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).
2.
Jesus commanded His disciples to love others as He loved them. Perfect love has its origin and reproduction in the divine Lover.
3.
Our love is a rebounda reactiona response.
4.
Love is both a motive and a force operating on the human will.
5.
Love moves a person to want to do something.
B.
The love of Christ constrains me, but constrains me from what or to do what?
1.
Love is not self-defining.
2.
Even in the Garden of Edenin innocence, man's liberty and freedom could only be enjoyed and expressed within divine guidelines.
Before man had ever been deceived by falsehood, God told man what to do to love his Creator.
3.
The creaturely nature of man forbids absolute license.
4.
God must be allowed to tell us how to love and what to love.
C.
Liberty is not self-defining.
1.
C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, page 39:
What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could -be like gods-'could set up on their own as if they had created themselvesbe their own mastersinvent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God. The reason why it can never succeed is this. God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about His will.
2.
Anything God forbids He does so to free us from anything which is not His nature.
Anything God commands He does so to create in us the divine nature.
D.
Liberty is found in order. God is order. Our lives must operate within order and discipline.
1.
An ancient writer of Athens illustrated the consequences of license and disorder this way:
A farmer, not wishing to take the time and effort to sort his harvest, threw into his granary barley and wheat and peas together. But then, when he wanted barley bread or wheat bread or pea soup, he had to pick them grain by grain, instead of having them separately stored and easily accessible.
2.
In 1776 George Mason wrote this statement into the Virginia Declaration of Rights: ... the blessings of liberty can (not) be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue, and by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.
Edmund Burke, British statesman 1727-1797, said: (Liberty) cannot exist unless a controlling power on the will and appetite is placed somewhere; and the less there is within, the more there must be of it without.
4.
Discipline is not antagonistic to liberty. License is not proof of freedom. The test of the greatness of liberty is the extent to which we can obey self-imposed law.
5.
As Christians we are free to move responsibly within an orbit as wide as the revealed will of an all-knowing, all-loving, all-true, all-holy God.
A study in 1968, entitled Studies in Self-Esteem, of young men from homes where parents demanded high standards of behavior and performance and where firm discipline was a fact. findings. suggest. the development of independence and self-reliance is fostered by a well-structured, demanding environment rather than by largely unlimited permissiveness and freedom to explore in an unfocused way. (See Education In America, by G. Charles Roche, III, pub. Fee, p. 142.)
III.
LIBERTY IS LIABILITY.
A.
Booker T. Washington, in his book, Up From Slavery, describes the scenes among the blacks on the night of the proclamation of their freedom. There was no sleep that night.. All was excitement.. Early in the morning we were all sent for. The proclamation was read and we were told that we were free and could go when and where we pleased.. There was great rejoicing, followed by wild scenes of ecstasy. But the wild ecstasy did not last long.. The great responsibility of being free seemed to take possession of them.. Now that they were liberated, they found possession of freedom to be much more serious business than they had anticipated.
B.
Freedom is never free! There is always a price that those who would possess it must pay. The price of freedom is responsibility. Those who demand freedom but are not willing to pay this price, seek, not freedom, but license.
C.
One man illustrates it as like the fundamental law of economics: There is no such thing as a free lunch. there are no moral bargains in freedom. Liberty has a priceit is responsibility.
1.
A generation of young adults fed existentialism in education, art, and modern rock music, pursues the self-defeating course of aspiring to freedom while seeking to evade responsibility.
D.
Liberty demands self-mastery.
During a Fritz Kreisler concert, a young violinist sat enthralled. -Ohhh,-' she sighed, -what I would give to have such finger dexterity, such mastery, such freedom!-' Later she told the incomparable Kreisler that she would give her life to play as he did. The violinist looked at her compassionately, then said, -But, my dear, I did.-'
E.
The man who has not accepted the liability and paid the price to discipline himself has narrowed his freedom. A man who cannot deny himself, cannot choose.
More advance in rank in USN, more libertybut more responsibility.
More Christian maturity, more libertybut more responsibility.
F.
Liberty is a capacity, a potentiality.
1.
We are freed by Christ to make possible the reaching of that capacity, that potentiality for which we were made. that beautifully free, purposeful, harmonious person, Christ demonstrated in the flesh it was possible to be!
2.
Liberty is in being. not in things or circumstances!
3.
The difference between a baby making random movements in his crib and the beautiful balance and coordination of a Willie Mays or Jack Nicklaus is the discipline and self-mastery and growth it takes to reach the potential.
4.
The difference between a show-off, infantile, immature church of Christ in Corinth, and one that truly serves and-' ministers and reflects the gospel of Christ, is the discipline and self-mastery those Christians would exercise in the liberties Paul declared they had as Christians.
5.
Liberty is not license.
Paul wrote: All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but I will not be enslaved by anything.
All things are lawful, but not all things build up. True liberty is having self-mastery to do what is right and good when we don-'t feel like it!
Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to edify him. For Christ did not please himself.
How DID CHRIST, THE FREEST, MOST LIBERATED PERSON EVER TO LIVE UPON THIS EARTH, KNOW SUCH LIBERTY? He found it surrendering self to the will of the Father as revealed in God's Word.
Liberty cannot survive in a vacuum. Jesus illustrated this with His parable of the unclean spirit who returns to his house to find it swept and put in order, but empty, and goes and gets seven other spirits more evil than himself and re-occupies the liberated, but empty, dwelling place!
CHRIST HAS LIBERATED US for SERVICE. HE HAS LIBERATED us TO LIBERATE OTHERS. LIBERTY IS NOT JUST TO ENJOY. IT IS TO USE! AND TO USE FOR HIS GLORY! LIBERTY IS NOT SELF-INDULGENCE, BUT SERVICE.
A famous poet once said, I have on my table a violin string. It is free, I twist one end of it and it responds. It is free. But it is not free to do what a violin string is supposed to doto produce beautiful music. So I take it, fix it in my violin and tighten it until it is taut. Only then is it free to be a violin string.
Each of us is free, if we choose, to be an untightened, unhampered piece of violin string and flop around or lie around and produce nothing. Or we are free, if we choose, to be tightened, constrained and tuned by the will of the Master and only then are we free to be what He can make us and produce what we were made to produce.
SPECIAL STUDY
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES
by Ron Fisher Great Lakes Bible College
INTRODUCTION:
There is a wealth of teaching in the Bible with respect to the person and work of the Holy Spirit. He is said to do what only persons can do. He can speak, teach, search, reveal, lead, and forbid (1 Timothy 4:1; John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Acts 16:6-7). He has the faculties of a person-mind, knowledge, affection, and will (Romans 8:27; 1 Corinthians 2:11; Romans 15:30; 1 Corinthians 12:11). He is shown to have the attributes of God. He is eternal (Hebrews 9:14). He knows what God knows (1 Corinthians 2:10-11). He exerts God's power (Luke 1:35). He is everywhere present as God is (Psalms 139:7-10). He is the Spirit of holiness (Romans 1:4). We have every right to conclude, therefore, that a Bible study of the Holy Spirit is most valuable and essential.
A.
THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKED THE WORKS OF GOD IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES.
1.
He was present and active in the creation of the universe (Genesis 1:2).
2.
He shared in creating man in the Godhead's image (Genesis 1:26; Job 33:4).
3.
He exerted power as from God (Judges 14:6; Micah 3:8).
4.
He convicted men of sin and tried to turn them back to God (Genesis 6:3).
5.
He cooperated in confounding arrogant men at the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:7).
B.
THE HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERED AND GUIDED GOD'S LEADERS.
1.
During the very unsettled times covered by the book of Judges, God gave assistance to several judges with the presence of His Spirit.
a.
God sent His Spirit upon Gideon, encouraging him to rally the tribes of Israel against the Midianites and the Amalekites (Judges 6:33-35).
b.
God's Spirit enabled Jephthah to defeat the sons of Ammon (Judges 11:29-33).
c.
God's Spirit empowered Samson to slay a lion and to slay thirty men (Judges 14:6; Judges 14:19).
d.
God's spirit was strong in Samson to prepare him to slay 1,000 Philistines (Judges 15:14).
2.
Though Jehovah did not want Israel to have a king, when granting them their wish, He assisted Saul and David by bestowing His Spirit upon them.
a.
When Saul was anointed by Samuel as Israel's first king, the Spirit came upon him to lead him in prophesying (1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 10:6; 1 Samuel 10:10).
b.
Once Saul was rejected by Jehovah, David was selected as Saul's successor. As the Spirit came upon David, He deserted Saul (1 Samuel 16:12-14).
3.
The Holy Spirit's most extensive work of all in Old Testament times is found with respect to God's prophets.
a.
Moses expressed the selfless, open-hearted wish that all of God's people could be prophets under the guidance of His Spirit (Numbers 11:29).
b.
When one understands the Old Testament's concept that the prophet must speak for and represent God to man exactly (Exodus 7:1-2), he can see the necessity of man's being guided by the Spirit to be qualified as a prophet.
c.
In Nehemiah's day, the Israelites stood a fourth of a day confessing their sins. Then they were admonished by Levites to recall the bountiful blessings God had showered upon their ancestors. Among these was the Spirit's instruction of them through the prophets (Nehemiah 9:20; Nehemiah 9:30). Sadly, most of the nation would not give heed to the prophetic words spoken.
d.
Zeehariah observes how the people had hardened their hearts against the former prophets, even though the Spirit revealed Jehovah's law and words through them (Zechariah 7:12). Jehovah promised not to listen to them just as they had not listened to Him.
e.
The most effective summary of Old Testament prophecy is found in the New Testament: 2 Peter 1:20-21. There it is declared that no prophecy of Scripture originates from human will. Rather prophets spoke as they were guided by the Spirit of God.
4.
Though there are over 300 references to priests in the Old Testament, there is not one example of the Holy Spirit's presence to guide them. This is probably best explained by the fact that their duties, mode of dress, and style of life were set down by divine revelation. Their obligation was to obey what God had already told them to do.
C.
THE HOLY SPIRIT ASSISTED SECONDARY LEADERS.
1.
The leaders previously mentioned furnish illustrations of the major human leadership God provided and equipped for Israel.
2.
There was also a back-up or assisting leadership which God prepared with Holy Spirit guidance.
3.
During Moses-' career of directing people of Israel over a period of 40 years of wandering, God commanded him to select 70 elders from among the population to act as his religious and civil assistants. This would lighten his burden of trying to deal fairly and adequately with almost three million people. God placed His Spirit upon these men, once they were chosen (Numbers 11:16-17; Numbers 11:25).
4.
Joshua took Moses-' place and led out to conquer Palestine for Israel and to settle the tribes in their new-found home. God had placed His Spirit within Joshua and asked Moses to ordain him to his task by the laying on of hands (Numbers 28:17).
5.
God endued Bezalel and Oholiab with His Spirit so as to make them skilled tradesmen, fitted to prepare all the artistic designs and accompanying furniture of the Tabernacle. They exhibited superior skills which were worthy of God's house of worship (Exodus 31:1-11).
D.
THE HOLY SPIRIT STRESSED THAT DEPENDENCE UPON HIM IS THE ONE WAY TO GOD'S VICTORY.
1.
Through Isaiah Jehovah chastised the nation of Judah for making its own plans, not accepting His; for making alliances with Egypt and not with His Spirit (Isaiah 30:1-2). See also Isaiah 31:1-3. They were adding sin to sin. Their foul attitude is dramatized by the fact that they were refusing to listen to God's instruction. They even bullied God's prophets (seers), telling them not to prophesy what was right. They wanted to hear pleasant words and deceits (Isaiah 30:9-10).
2.
Because Israel rejected God's Spirit in the wildernesss wanderings, He turned against them as His enemies (Isaiah 63:7-14).
3.
Under the figure of a lampstand holding seven lamps and supplied with lighting fuel by two olive trees, Zechariah conveyed a valuable lesson to Zerubbabel from God: accomplishment of God's work is achieved by God's Spirit, not by human might or power (Zechariah 4:1-6).
CONCLUSION:
The presence of God's Spirit has played a fundamental role in His direction of men throughout both the Patriarchal and Mosaic Dispensations. Special men were selected for the Spirit's indwelling so that they might lead God's people correctly. These principles can minister to a better understanding of the Spirit's work in New Testament times.