This is our second study in our new series, the Gospel according to Isaiah. Last week, we learnt about the context of Isaiah and also had an overview of the themes in this book. Today, we’ll delve a bit deeper into the first chapter. As we study it, it will do us well to remember that this is God’s Word. It is addressed to Judah at a specific time, but we share many of the struggles they experienced. In this passage, we will see how God detests false worship. He desires his people to cease evil and do good.
Many of us know Isaiah from famous passages such as Isaiah 9 and 53, but are not familiar with what comes before, between, and after. In this first study of our series The Gospel According to Isaiah, we see a bird’s eye view of the 66 chapters of the Book of Isaiah.
We have been working through selected portions of the book of Deuteronomy. The people of Israel have been told not to turn from God’s word and to also remember where they came from. God had delivered them from Egypt in the Exodus, and is bringing them to the Promised Land. This land is a good land, but for them to live well in this land, they need to remember what God has done and what God has said in His Law. His law will permeate their private life and also their community life.
But, how does what we’ve studied so far tie into tonight’s study? In Gen 17:8, God promised land to Abraham. This promise was made way, way, way before Deuteronomy. The promise of a land was accompanied by the promise of a king that would come from Abraham’s line (Gen 17:3-6). Israel’s expectation of a king to come is warranted. Israel is right (and so are we, as Bible readers), to be looking out for signs that the king promised to Abraham will appear.
When this study was done, the nation was in the midst of a period of heightened restrictions due to an increase in the number of COVID cases. During this pandemic, our lives have been disrupted and affected and as we have tried to adjust to these changes, most of us may have found that our spiritual walk has also been affected. COVID has made us more forgetful and also prone to forget God. This passage could be helpful for us, as we read of how God instructed His people to remember Him.
As young people, many of us often suffer from a sense of feeling utterly overwhelmed. Do you feel like this today, unable to cope with adult life? What do you do when you feel like you don’t have enough strength? What are your habits?
This passage speaks right to our struggles. In Deut 7, God lays out the task for his people and also how they are to achieve it.
In order to understand today’s passage, we’ll need to take a step back to consider where we are in Israel’s journey to the Promised Land and also the importance of the Law. Moses is speaking to Israel just as they are about to enter the Promised Land. Moses will not go into the land with the people. Therefore, he is giving them the instructions and the law again for them to obey when they enter the land.
Deuteronomy means the second giving of the law, which implies that the law was first given to one generation. The first generation has died because of their disobedience, and now this new generation is preparing to enter the Promised Land.
God had spoken at Horeb to the previous generation and had given them the 10 Commandments, but they heard and did not obey. Thus, these words in Deut 5 were given to a new generation on the brink of entering the Promised Land. Moses gives them these words to fortify their faith and to encourage them to obedience.
But these are not just for an ancient people. As we read this passage, let us see how these are also words for us as people journeying home and looking forward to our Home and Rest.
As we begin this series, we need to read it while being grounded in a very clear understanding of what this means for us practically. What are we supposed to do with this? How should we respond to it? We should not come to it and feel like it’s distant and abstract or be cold to it.
We wrap up our study in the book of 2 Corinthians with this 29th study. How does Paul end this letter, and what does it reveal about his heart for them?
Having spent the past few chapters responding to some in the church questioning his authority, Paul now turns the tables on them and urges them to examine their own lives. The imperatives,“examine yourselves” and “test yourselves” (2 Cor 13:5) to the Christians in the Corinthian church apply to us today as well.
Jeremiah was a prophet who received and spoke God’s word to Judah. In Jeremiah 17, he spoke on self-examination from the perspective of a whole nation. Looking closely at this chapter in the Old Testament will give us insight into the self-examination that Paul is urging in 2 Corinthians.
Today, we see that there exists a real dissonance between the Jesus we worship and the church we experience. It is also important then, to ask and answer the question of what the church should actually be. How do we get to the point where we look at the church and can actually see Jesus?
This is what Paul is trying to achieve here, as he introduces and tackles this not popular topic of church discipline. In doing so, Paul is confronting the church and telling them that they don’t look like Jesus, and this is what they are to do to be like Him.
Paul has been defending his ministry from accusations thus far, and has been listing out the things that he can rightfully be boasting in. In 2 Cor 10, he speaks of a boasting “only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you” (2 Cor 10:14) and he ultimately boasts in the Lord (2 Cor 10:17-18). He also lists his nationality, heritage and labours as characteristics that are worth boasting in (also c.f. Phil 3:1-6).
Apart from these, in 2 Cor 11:23b-33, Paul also describes the sufferings that he has gone through and also highlights his willingness to endure it all. And in the immediate context, Paul speaks of the visions that he saw, but also the thorn given to him because of these visions (2 Cor 12:1-10). Notice how he spoke in the third person, intentionally not speaking to draw attention to himself. Even his weaknesses were not something to be ashamed of, but in these weaknesses, Paul boasted.
In this study, we go one to read about how Paul writes and thinks about his ministry.
What is your proudest moment in life? If you had to “flex” about just one thing, what would it be? In this section in 2 Corinthians, in Paul’s effort to defend his gospel ministry against the false apostles, he starts boasting. Ironically, instead of boasting in his own strengths and achievements, Paul boasts in his weakness because in doing so, God’s power and gospel is clearly displayed.
How would you describe the culture in your church? Some of our churches would call themselves a family church, intergenerational in nature. Others could describe their church as warm, missions-minded or also intentional especially when it comes to membership.
But, would anyone describe their church as worldly?
As we continue our study in 2 Corinthians, we continue to see how Paul defends his ministry against false accusations. In this section, Paul takes us through his argument and more importantly, helps us to see what it looks like to be one that is commended by the Lord.
This next part in 2 Cor 10-12 marks a new section in his letter. Previously, Paul writes as an apostle to call the church to repent in order to nourish them back to health. He also wrote to encourage them to be generous as they have returned to health (2 Cor 8-9).
In 2 Cor 10-12 there is a new tone and change of voice. Here, we see a Paul under fire and telling a church to be ready for war. Most of us don’t think of the Christian life as a war. But these verses tell us that we are meant to think of our Christian life in terms of war.
In this section of 2 Corinthians, we have been reading about what Christian giving should look like. In today’s passage, we see that it is a cheerful kind of giving. But how is it possible?
We are in a section where he is urging them to follow through the plan to give generously to the church in Jerusalem, which requires them to cross an ethnic divide. In today’s text, we will read of 3 men that will collect the gift and bring it to Jerusalem.
But it’s not just about collecting money and bringing it from point A to B. Paul emphasises here the importance of character and stresses credibility. What is God saying to me tonight about character in the church? What is God saying about my relationship to the church?
At the start of our series in 2 Corinthians, we likened the book of 2 Corinthians to a rich broth. This letter was given to a feeble, weak and struggling church that was on their way to growing in holiness. Paul therefore gave them this rich, gospel “broth” of care and truth to nurse them back to health.
But what are they to do with this health? Paul nursed them back to health so that their lives would produce mature Christian giving. It’s not just about giving but that we would enjoy participation in God’s supernatural plan for His church.
Why do we find it so difficult to give our money? We may struggle with trusting God for providing for us or fearing our own scarcity. There could be a degree of self-entilement and even self-centredness. We possess some form of self-righteousness, to think about whether the other person really deserves it. Perhaps we also want to maximise our return on giving and need the giving to do good and we think that there needs to be a sustainable and helpful way of helping others.
On the contrary, why do people give? Some are compelled by the story and cause. Others want to be good stewards of what God has given us and give out of compassion too. There are also those that give because they understand and have been there before . The more practical ones among us will say that we give also for tax deduction.
In today’s Paul is showing us what Christian giving looks like, and it looks different from what giving in society looks like. Giving for the Christian is intrinsic to who we are, and not who we want to become.
