Reading for April 26th

 Read Isaiah 41.11-29. In verses 11-16: The present weakness of Israel (v. 14) is contrasted with the strength that God will confer upon them (vv. 15-16). In verses 17-24: Israel's tradition taught that, at the beginning of the nation's history, God had provided sustenance for the journey through the wilderness (see Deut 8.1-4), and now that same care would be  repeated. Comments or Questions..

Reading for April 25th

 Read Isaiah 41.1-10. In 41.1-29: I am your God. In verses 1-5: The speech of the Assyrian Rabshakeh in 36.20 had asked in complacent irony: "Who among the gods of the countries have saved their countries out of my hand, that the Lord should save Jerusalem out of my hand?" The prophecies of ch 41 provide a magnificent rejoinder to this question, showing how and why the God of Jerusalem is different. The Holy One of Israel is creator and director of human history. Proof of this is first seen in the victories that Cyrus, king of the Medes and Persians has already won (vv. 2-5, 25). This ruler is mentioned by name more fully in 44.28; 45.1-4, 13. The coastland (vv. 1, 5) are the most distant parts of the earth, so that all nations may recognize that a divine plan is at work. In verses 6-10: Again the prophet ridicules the foolish work of the idol maker (see also 23-24, 29). God had already called Israel to be the servant people who would fulfill God's special purpose on earth (compare 49.6). Comments or Questions..

Reading for April 24th

 Read Isaiah 40.12-31. In verses 12-20: Such a message would be unbelievable if God were other than the sovereign creator of the entire universe (vv. 12-14). Even the multitude of the nations of the world are as nothing before such immense power (v. 17). In verses 21-28: The very stars adhere to the divine places set for them at creation (v. 26). Already vv. 19-20 answer the question posed in v. 18: False ideas of God lead to false expectations about the divine purpose. Only by abandoning the absurdities of idolatry can the people grasp the power of God. Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for April 23rd

 Read Isaiah 40.1-11. In 40.1-31: A highway for our God. In verses 1-11: The prophet begins by calling on the reader to bring a message of comfort to Jerusalem. Her period of servitude is now complete and freedom is at hand (v. 2). This message of hope pictures a great highway stretching across the desert and leading to Jerusalem (vv. 3-5), providing a way home for those scattered remnants of the former Israel who have been captive among the nations, particularly in Babylon. God will strengthen the weakened survivors who feel they cannot make the journey (vv. 10-11; 29-31). Comments or Questions..

Reading for April 22nd

 Read Isaiah 39.1-8. In 39.1-8: The visit of the Babylonian emissaries. The book of Isaiah is built around belief in God's concern with the Davidic dynasty of kings and the city of Jerusalem where God's Temple stood. The contrast between the fate of the dynasty and the city in 701 BCE, when Isaiah was active as a prophet, and events as century later when Babylonian forces confronted Jerusalem (in 598 and again in 587 BCE), effectively divides the book between two main periods--The Assyrian and the Babylonian epochs. The visit of Babylonian emissaries to Hezekiah when Sennacherib threatened the king and his city forms a bridge between these two main sections. The events in vv. 6-7 occurred in 598 BCE when Jehoiachin was removed from the throne and taken prisoner to Babylon, with most of his immediate household (2 Kings 24.10-17). God's protection of Jerusalem and its Davidic dynasty was not unconditional, but depended upon the obedience and submission of each ruler. The comment of Hezekiah, There will be peace and security in my days (v. 8), is not selfish complacency but a submissive acceptance of the conditions under which Good's promise was conferred. More than this could not be given. Comments or Questions..

Reading for April 21st

 Read Isaiah 38.1-22. In 38.1-22: Hezekiah's sickness and recovery. The story of Hezekiah's illness (v. 2) is a further illustration of piety (v. 3): His total submissiveness to the will of the Lord God and his subsequent recovery from the sickness are inseparably related to the wonderful deliverance of Jerusalem from the forces of Assyria (v. 6). Signs were evidence of the validity of a prophetic pronouncement (see Isa 7.10-17). The exact nature of the sign is not clear. In verses 10-20: This psalm of thanksgiving is not included in 2 Kings 20.1-11, but is added as further evidence of the king's piety. It is a personal psalm of thanksgiving for recovery from serious illness. It includes a lamentation during the time of distress (vv. 10-15) and thanksgiving for recovery (vv. 16-20). Comments or Questions..

Reading for April 20th

 Read 37.8-37.38. When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah: A repetition of the Assyrian ultimatum. In verses 15-21: The prayer of Hezekiah demonstrates the trust and piety of the king (see especially v. 21). In verses 21-35: Isaiah replies to the Assyrian letter with a series of prophetic declarations. Jerusalem survived intact and the king retained his throne. These facts were more central to Isaiah's message than the punishment eventually inflicted on Sennacherib, who is accused of blasphemy (37.38). In verse 36: The work of the angel of the Lord may have been an outbreak of disease among forces camped in unhygienic conditions (as foretold in 10.16). Verse 37.7 declares: "I myself will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land." Other possibilities cannot be ruled out, and no precise information is available. In verses 37-38: Sennacherib's assassination by members of his own family is not reported in Assyrian royal chronicles. The king's death occurred some time after the events of 701, but his insult to the God of Jerusalem was seen to demand personal punishment. Comments or Questions..