(58) Why was God not pleased with Israel’s fasting (v1-5)?

What did God expect the people to do along with their fasting (v6-7, see also the “If” statements in v9-10, 13)?

What would be the results (Then… in v8-12, 14)?

What application do you find in this chapter for us today?

(59) How does God describe their sin (v1-8, compare with Romans 3:10-18)?

How would you summarize the results (v2, 9-15a)?

How does God respond (v15b-19)?  How else does God respond (v20)?

(61) What will Messiah come to do (v1-3, see also Luke 4:16-21)?

What would be the results (v4-11, see also 62:1-5)?

(60) What words and ideas are frequently repeated in this chapter?

What phrases and ideas are also found in Revelation 21:1-22:5?

What do you learn about God’s promise for the future?

(65) What words and ideas are repeated in v17-25?

What more do we learn about the future?

(66) What words and ideas are repeated in v18-23?

What more do we learn about the future?

From these chapters, how would you summarize God’s future plans for his people?

What kind of people is God looking for (v2b)?  Why do you think this is?  How well does this describe you?

(49) How is the servant described in v1-5?

What will the servant do in v5-12 (compare with 42:6-7)?  How do we see Jesus doing these very things in the New Testament?

How are we to respond to the servant in v13?

What does the coming of the servant mean for Israel and for us (v13-16)?

(50) In what ways do you see Jesus the servant fulfilling v4-9?

How are we to respond to the servant in v10-11?  How are we not to respond?  What does this mean in practical terms?

(51) How should we respond in v1, 4, & 7?  In v11?  In v12-16?

(52) How should we respond in v7-10?

How is the servant described in v13-15?

(53) Describe his life in v1-4.  What does this description mean for us?

Describe his death in v7-9.

What did his death accomplish for us (v5-6, 10-11)?

Who is responsible for his death (v5-10)?

What evidence do you see of his resurrection in v10-12?

What especially stands out to you in this description of the suffering servant?

(55) How should we respond in v1-3?  In v6-9?

(57) What promise are we given in v15?  How does this challenge you?  Encourage you?

(28) Where did Ephraim look for a crown of glory and beauty (v1)?  Where should they have looked (v5)?  Where do we tend to look?

God offered rest to Judah, but they refused (v12). They looked elsewhere for refuge (v14-15).  Where else do people look for rest and refuge today?

God lays the foundation of true rest and refuge (v16).  How does Peter apply this point for us today (I Peter 2:4-6)?

(29) God is gathering an enemy to surround Jerusalem, but then he will scatter their enemy.  To whom should they look for help?

What was wrong with the way the people looked to God (v13)?  How might we do this today (see also Mark 7:1-7)?

Instead of looking to God, Judah tried to hide so God wouldn’t see them (v15-16).  When do we try to hide from God?

(30-31) Judah looks to Egypt to save them, but Egypt can’t help them.  Where should they have looked, and what does he offer to them (30:15)?

Why weren’t they willing (30:16-17)?  Why might we be unwilling?

(32) We get a picture of an ideal king in v1-2.  How is he described?  Explore each word picture.

Who is the ultimate fulfillment of this ideal king?  How do you need him to be things for you today?

What will the Spirit bring (v15-17)?

(33) Isaiah looks to Lord for help (v2).  How is the Lord described in v5-6?  Give an example of when he has been these things for you.

(34-35) God will judge the nations (34), but redeem his people (35).  What is the mood of chapter 35?  How can this be your mood?

(21-25) Repeatedly in these chapters, God is referred to as the Lord of Hosts.  He has all of the hosts of heaven at his command.  The imagery speaks of his power and rule.  How do we see his strength and sovereignty play out in these chapters?

(21-25) Four times we read that certain things will happen – for the Lord has spoken (21:17, 22:25, 24:3, 25:8).  When God speaks things happen.  Where else in the Bible do we see this?

God’s words define reality.  What significance does this have for our identity?  How we define right and wrong?  Salvation?  The future?  The relevance of the Bible today?

(23-27) Our Lord humbles the proud in 23:9, 25:11.  Why do you think God keeps repeating this theme?

Our Lord helps the poor in 25:4.  How does each picture word: stronghold, shelter, shade – illustrate this truth?  How has he been these things for you?

Our Lord will host people for a great feast (25:6).  What does this tell you about God?

Our Lord will swallow up death forever (25:7-8, 26:19).  How should this truth change our lives?  How was it accomplished?

Our Lord will slay the serpent dragon (27:1, see also Revelation 12:9).  How does this give you hope?

(25-26) How should we respond to our Lord’s actions according to the following verses?  Based on what we have learned about God, why is each response a good response?

25:9a –                                 Why do we struggle to do this?

26:3-4 –                               What will be the result?

26:8b-9a –                           What might this look like?

25:1 –                                   How might you grow in this response?

(14) What general truth do you learn about God’s purpose in v26-27?  How would that encourage Judah as they are surrounded by hostile nations?  How might that encourage us when we are surrounded by hostile trials of various sorts?

(13-14) What does God purpose for Babylon (13:1-8)?  For the world (13:9-11)?

What three reasons are given (13:11a, 11b; 14:1-2)?  How do all these reasons relate to each other?

(14) Who do you think Isaiah is talking about in v12-15?  Why? What does God purpose for this individual?

How do people in our culture act like this individual?  Give examples.

How should we act differently as Christians, and why (see Philippians 2:1-11)?

(15-16) What does God purpose for Moab?  Why (16:6)?

Why do you think God hates pride so much?

In 16:5, we see a throne.  Whose throne is it?  How is the throne, and the one who sits on it, described?  Why is each description important and how do they all relate together?

(17) What does God purpose for Damascus (v1-2)?  Who gets lumped in with their judgment (v3)?  What lesson can we learn about making alliances?  In what contexts might we apply that lesson today?

(18-20) What does God purpose for Cush and Egypt?

Where had Judah and their neighbors placed their hope of deliverance from Assyria (20:1-6)?  What warning do you see?

What remarkable promise do we find in 19:18-25?  How do we see this fulfilled throughout church history?  In the future?

(7-8) Syria and Ephraim come against Judah.  How does Ahaz respond, and how should he respond (7:1-8)?  How do you tend to respond when trials come upon you?  Why?

Isaiah predicts the birth of a child.  What will happen before the child can talk (8:3-4)?  What will happen before the child becomes a man (7:14-16)?

Instead of trusting God, Ahaz looks to Assyria for help (see I Kings 16).  How does that work out for him (7:17, 8:5-8)?

When do you find it hard to trust God?  To who or what might you look instead?  How has that worked out for you?

(8-10) God instructs Isaiah not to walk like the people, but to follow the Lord (8:11-22).  What should this look like?  How well does this describe your life?  How do you need to heed these instructions?

How does God respond to Judah’s continuous unrepentant sin (9:8-10:4)?  Notice the repetition in 9:12b, 9:17b, 9:21b, 10:4b.  What warning is there for us?

Assyria is coming against Judah (10:5-19).  What does God intend?  What does Assyria intend?  How does this text help us see the interplay between God’s sovereignty and man’s choices?  Why are both of these truths important?

(7, 9, 11) How does the promised child and shoot point forward to Jesus (7:14, 9:1-7, 11:1-10; see also Matthew 1:18-23, 3:16-17, 4:12-16)?

What glorious promises do we find in these passages?

How should we live in response to these promises?

(12) What responses does God call us to make (v1-6)?

Why should we respond in these ways (v1-6)?

How do these reasons spur you on to respond in these ways?

(1, 3, 5) What is God’s diagnosis of Israel in 1:2-15?

What further sins does God point out?
1:21-23 –
3: 9, 11, 13-17 –
5:8-12, 18-23 –

What does God call Israel to do, and what would be the results (1:16-18)?

What would happen if they refused?
1:20 –
3:1-8, 5:5-6 –
3:18-26, 5:13-14, 5:24-30 –

(1-5) What names and attributes are given to God in 1:4, 1:24, 2:10, 5:16?  What overall picture of God are we given?

(2) What will God do with human pride in v9-22?

When are we tempted toward pride?

When are we tempted to regard men instead of God (v22)?

From the text, what do you think is the antidote?

(6) In chapters 1-5 we see God’s greatness, man’s sin, man humbled, man called to repent, and the results if they will repent.  How do you see these same themes in 6:1-7?

How does v6-7 point forward to Jesus?

What task is Isaiah given, and what success will he have in v8-13?  What might we learn from these verses?

(2, 4) What pictures of our future hope are given in 2:1-5, and 4:2-6?

How might we respond today to this future hope?