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Isaiah 4 Readings Leviticus 19, Romans 15 Memory Verses: Romans 14:7-8 Good Afternoon Brothers and Sisters, Whew, I have to cover a whole chapter this morning, I am very glad that it is only six verses long. In this little book, a lot of ground is covered, I will probably just skim the surface, so feel free to write in with your take on it. I have been camping and working for the past week or so, so I have gotten a little behind on checking all of your posts on the bulletin board. I will catch up on that in the next few days. Also, James wrote in and ask to post a note on the study, it can be found on the bulletin board, www.emailbiblestudy.com/bbs/ look under "questions and topics for discussion". Several of us have been praying for him, the prayers are working. On to the study! Isaiah 4:1 In this verse the continual lament regarding the women continues. In this we are reminded of the Matthew 24, where Jesus tells of the great tribulation, where trouble will be incredible. There won't be a quirk in the gene-pool, the men will be slaughtered, dragged off or destroyed, leaving only the women, Isaiah 3:25-26. Although this could be speaking of the Babylonian captivity, it could also be prophecy regarding the great tribulation. 4:2 "Branch of the Lord"...I believer is speaking of the coming Messiah, Jesus. Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15; Zechariah 3:8. Another thought regarding this is that Jesus in John 15:1 developed the analogy of the vine and the vine dresser. Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, John 15:5. Then refer to the discussions of Paul regarding the church being the body of Christ, or literally translated, the body of "the Messiah". Our New Testament word "Christ" means "Messiah". "The fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel." In this simple statement, it seems reasonable to assume that Jesus was the fruit of the earth, by being a son of Mary. And the survivors of Israel who have come to believe in Him, and have come to abide in the vine, have become a source of pride for God, where he has adorned them with jewels and precious stones, as in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. This is a topic of discussion all by itself, but we must move on. 4:3 There will be a remnant left after all the tribulation
and trouble that they experience. If you look further into this verse, you
will see that the qualification for the survivors is that they have their
names recorded for life. In reference to this concept, another rabbit could
be chased at this time regarding the names of believers being written in the
book of life. Which is a very important concept in the Bible, just for
kicks, I got these references from the NASB: 4:4 The concept of the Lord washing away the blood and filth of the daughters of Zion is not a new concept. Just as in the New Testament, there is a reference to the marriage of the church and Christ, in the Old Testament, Ezekiel 16:6-9, there is a very graphic reference to God healing Israel and entering a marriage covenant type of relationship with her. Jesus paid the price to cleanse the blood from His people. In effect, when Jesus died on the cross, all the sins and blood that was on the hands of the people were forgiven, the situation set up in the first few chapters of this book requiring judgment, were satisfied with the death of one man Jesus. He died in order to pay the penalty for the sin of the nation, and for the sin of the people. The requirement, we as well as the Jews, must accept that sacrifice as our own. The concept of baptism, comes to mind as I think of this verse, that symbolically, we are baptized into the death of Christ, and raised into new life. Colossians 2:12-15. Jesus came into the world, according to John 3:16 so that everyone could have eternal life, the purpose was not of judgment, John 3:17. But everyone that rejects the Messiah, by default enters into judgment. John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the one who baptizes with fire, Matthew 3:11. As I said in the introduction, there is a tremendous amount of information referred to in these verses, topics which we all enjoy studying in depth. 4:5-6 Wrapping up quickly now, it seems that I have been chasing rabbits all day. In the end, in the new Jerusalem, God will cover Israel with the glory that was originally intended in Exodus. Once again, the glory of the Lord will return to Jerusalem, and all the world will witness the Glory of God, they will be without excuse. But unfortunately, this is only after tremendous hardship, after the great tribulation. Revelation 7:14-17 In the end, when the New Jerusalem is established, God's glory will physically return to the earth, Revelation 21:10-27 I realize that I went in a lot of different directions with the verses today, and hope that in all the diversity, you will be able to find something that you can hang your hat on. I am going to trust Reggie to place everything in the proper historical perspective, for further discussion of this chapter, don't hesitate to go to the bulletin board, listed above, and check out all of the comments, be sure to submit your own. I am excited about the Old Testament study that we have started, and hope that all of you feel the same. Lord, as we study Your word today, and look forward to Your coming Kingdom, the restoration of Israel, and even the salvation of mankind, Lord, we want to Praise You. Thank You Lord for the words of encouragement today. In Him, Joe Turner. |
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