HILLDALE BAPTIST CHURCH Virtual Study Notes FOR THE LESSON ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2020 (Phone Call Class 10/30/20)

ISAIAH 46 NOTES* (based on NASB) “God Acts” 46:3-13 (BACKGROUND TEXT: :1—48:22)

INTRODUCTION: • The o When a man is called by God to be a prophet, he often lives a strange life! Sometimes they lived out in the rural areas like a hermit, only going around people when proclaiming God’s Word. Sometimes they wore strange clothing and grew long hair. Sometimes God called them to perform strange acts that would attract the attention of people. Jeremiah wore a oxen yoke around his neck. Ezekiel laid on the ground in one position for over a year and ate from a jar of beans. John the Baptist wore rough camel hide clothing and ate locusts for his food. God would sometimes use his prophets to get people’s attention. The two prophets during time of the Babylonian exile were no exception. o We have studied the pre-exilic prophets to and and the prophets who preached to foreign nations. This week we will talk about the two prophets who lived during the time of the exile. They actually lived in , among all the captives of God’s people. These prophets are Ezekiel and Daniel. o Ezekiel and Daniel were both taken captive in Babylon’s earlier raids on Judah. Ezekiel spent time along the river Chebar in Babylon and God gave him several graphic visions. God revealed to him much of the secret sin and idolatry of Israel. But he also gave him tremendous prophecies of future wars. Daniel was brought into Nebuchadnezzar’s court along with his three friends to become counselors for the king. Daniel lived his whole life in Babylon and he served kings of both Babylon and Persia. God used him with dream interpretations and gave him accurate prophecies of the historical events of future kingdoms. In our next lesson, we will talk about the post-exilic prophets. • General Outline of Isaiah: o Rebuke of Judah and Promise of (1–12) o Judgment on the Nations (13–39) o God’s Greatness (40–48) o God’s Gift of Peace (49-66) • Lesson Background: o In previous lessons we studied the first major part of Isaiah, chapters 1 through 39, about how God would bring judgment on foreign nations, Israel, and Judah. Last week we looked at how God will bring comfort to those who trust in Him. o In today’s lesson Isaiah proclaims that God will always faithfully love His people, work out His great purpose, and bring His people salvation.

Preceding verses in the background text:

Isaiah 42 – God will send His servant (the Messiah) to gently encourage His people. – God is the only Savior who has always been faithful among His people. – God has chosen to bless His people; foolish idols will never again be an influence. – God will use Cyrus to bring His people back to their land. :1-2 – The stupid idols of Babylon will bring nothing but heaviness to its people.

THE TRUE GOD: (Isaiah 46:3-7)

Verse 3: • Listen to Me, O house of , And all the remnant of the house of Israel – God is speaking to the “remnant” of the people of Israel. The remnant is understood as the small group of Jews who survived the demolition of and Judah and the annihilation of its people when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city. The people were saved by having been taken captive and carried to Babylon and forced to live there as exiles. God is reaching out to the people to tell them He has not abandoned them. • You who have been borne by Me from birth, And have been carried from the womb – God was saying to the people that from the time they were born as a nation, from the time of , He had always carried them as a parent carries a child. Verse 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 – God is saying, “Just as I carried you when you were a very young nation, I will carry you through the generations even to a distant time in the future. Just as I have always carried you, I will continue to carry you.” Verse 5: • To whom would you liken Me, And make Me equal and compare Me, That we would be alike? – The Jews had seen and heard of many false gods, but there was no one that could claim to be even similar to the Lord God, with His infinite majesty and power. Verse 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 – Isaiah makes a mockery of this sad scene. Someone pulls a large amount of gold coins from their purse, or a stash of silver nuggets, weighed on a scale. These are taken to a goldsmith or silversmith, and it is molded into a god, and they kneel to worship it. This useless object becomes to primary competition for God Almighty! Verse 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 – The lifeless idol must be picked up and carried on the shoulder. It cannot move itself. It cannot answer for itself. It must be placed in its position. It is but a worthless object that can do nothing for itself, yet it is expected to deliver its worshiper from distress!

THE TRUSTWORTHY ONE: (Isaiah 46:8-11)

Verse 8: • Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors – In this context, God is not condemning the exiles by calling them transgressors, but He is reminding them that their sins have dulled their spirits and their faith. He is using language that will arouse their attention and cause them to remember something they have long forgotten. Verse 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 – God is demanding that they think and remember the great miraculous works that demonstrate that He alone is God, for no one else could do what He did for them. Verse 10: • Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done – “Declaring the end from the beginning” refers to prophecy in the very earliest of times telling what will happen in the future and final state of God’s people. The meaning is repeated in the second line in declaring things not yet done from ancient times. • Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure' – God has power and control over history and fate. He will accomplish exactly what he intends as He so pleases. Verse 11: • Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country – “A bird of prey from the east” is symbolism of , king of Persia, who conquered Babylon in 539 BC. Cyrus is mentioned in Isaiah 45:1. God would accomplish His purpose through Cyrus by (1) bringing judgment against Babylon and (2) issuing an edict to allow the exiles to return to the land of Judah. “Bird of prey” refers to swiftness and power. • Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it. – God emphasizes that this is a firm decree. He has settled the fact that this will be done.

THE JUST ONE: (Isaiah 46:12-13)

Verse 12: • Listen to Me, you stubborn-minded, Who are far from righteousness – The reprimand is not for their unrighteousness, but for their stubbornness. They are aware of their unrighteousness and saddened by it. But God is saying, “Don’t be so stubborn to believe that I am about to make you righteous!” Verse 13: • I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off; And My salvation will not delay – God is saying, “My righteousness will be granted to you, and my salvation will not linger, but will come soon!” • And I will grant salvation in , And My glory for Israel – God is saying that his salvation would be seen at Zion, which means that they would again be located at the mountain where the Temple was built. When he said, “My glory for Israel,” He was saying that Israel would once again be a nation founded in its homeland.

Following chapter in the background text:

Isaiah 47 – A graphic depiction of the fall of Babylon as God brings judgment against her. – Israel was punished for her stubbornness, but God will set her free from Babylon.

OUR LESSON NEXT WEEK:

God Comforts :1-13

* The following study are sometimes used to obtain information for these notes:

The NIV Study Bible, Revised. Kenneth L. Barker, editor. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985. ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version. Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2008. HCSB Study Bible, Holman Christian Standard Bible. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2010. NIV Zondervan Study Bible, D. A. Carson, editor. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.