February 29 - March 1, 2020

Isaiah | Part 3From Gloom to Glory

Some housekeeping for you:

• LOTS OF SCRIPTURE: This week you will be reading most of Isaiah 7, 8 and 9. So plan on reading the Word of God out loud. You might even want to use a Bible app and let the Word of God be read that way.

• Don’t answer all the questions: Pick and choose what questions will land in your group. In fact, the best thing you can do is use these questions as jumping off points and write your own. You might even add other passages that compliment what is written below.

• Attendance: Thanks so much for keeping your group roster updated and taking attendance. It really partners with us to know who is active at HDC.

Any Questions: Please email smallgroups@highdesertchurch.com or talk to your campus point person.

In light of God’s supremacy, seeking counsel, comfort, or protection from anyone but God is shortsighted and simply a bad strategy.

MAIN POINT

Leader Notes

WEEKEND REVIEW

Pull learnings and insight from the weekend message.

1. What part of this weekend’s message challenged you the most?

Unpack the biblical text to discover what the Scripture says or means about a particular topic.

Read Isaiah 7:1-9.

3. Why do you think the Lord let these two kings threaten Jerusalem? Why didn’t God just strike down any armies that came against His people? What was Ahaz’s response? What was God’s response to Ahaz?

Extra Question: What does it reveal about King Ahaz that his heart “trembled like trees of a forest shaking in the wind”?

God allowed troubles and threats to come against His people in the days of King Ahaz for the same reason He allows them to come against us today. When trouble presents itself, it tests our faith and gives us the opportunity to exercise our faith in the Lord. We may not face a threatening army at our gates, but we will face trials that will force us to choose. We can either lean on the Lord or live in constant anxiety.

King Ahaz and his people demonstrated a lack of faith in the Lord by being afraid of the attack. Certainly, it would be completely normal to be afraid in such a situation, but we do not see the king sending for the prophet or going to the Lord Himself. Ahaz should have known to seek the Lord during such a national crisis, but he didn’t.

4. What do you think of the Lord telling Ahaz to “calm down and be quiet”? What is comforting to you about the Lord’s message to Ahaz?

SCRIPTURE DISCUSSION

As your group time begins, use this section to introduce the topic of discussion.

2. How do you react to bad news? Ask your friend or spouse how you respond when bad news comes your way.

Throw out some options to your group. Get them to share their real answer, not their “church” bible answer. Maybe you withdraw, you try to solve it, you process it out loud with others, you become angry, you “consider it all joy,” you wonder if God is punishing you, you blame others.

Extra Question: Describe a time when you clung to one of God’s promises in the midst of a dark season. How difficult was it for you to believe that the dark season would pass?

CONNECTION

Ahaz is not a great example of faith, but he is not the only character who needs encouragement. The Lord told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance. Above all, be strong and very courageous” (Joshua 1:6-7). Paul also reminded Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. So, don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me His prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:6-8).

Even the Godliest among us need encouragement not to give into fear and despair from time to time. Paul himself requested that the church “pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should” (Ephesians 6:20). Even Paul was worried that his courage might fail him. In times of distress, we ought to remember that the Lord will take care of us, just as He watched over Israel. Our problems that seem overwhelming now will seem insignificant compared to the fellowship we will enjoy with Christ in eternity.

Read Isaiah 7:10-17

5. What sign was given to Ahaz? Why do you think Ahaz refused to ask for a sign? What does naming the child “Immanuel” communicate about God’s promise to Ahaz and now to us?

Immanuel may be Isaiah’s son, but we’re not told. But his name, which means “God with us,” is designed to give encouragement to Ahaz to trust in God during this crisis rather than in Assyria. The name has a second and ultimate fulfillment in Jesus the Messiah, who is God in human flesh. In Jesus, the name describes the incarnation – “God with us!” Immanuel is mentioned in 7:14, in 8:8, and in 8:10

The ultimate hope for Ahaz, Israel, and the world comes through the birth of Jesus Christ. Ahaz may have asked for a sign out of false piety, but God chose to give him a sign anyway. A virgin will be pregnant! Some say that this should be translated as “young woman,” but what sort of sign, or miracle, is it that a young woman gets pregnant? Certainly, conception and birth is a gift from God, but it happens every day. It is a true miracle for a virgin to be pregnant!

When Adam and Eve sinned, God promised a child that would crush the head of Satan (Gen. 3:15). God promised Abraham that he would have a child through whom all nations would be blessed (Gen. 22:18). God promised that this child would come through the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10). God promised David, of the tribe of Judah, that this Savior would come from his own house (2 Sam. 7:12-13). Ahaz was from the house of David, so the Lord’s promise should have come as welcome news indeed!

Ahaz thought that his main problem was an approaching army, but his real enemy was his lack of faith. Ahaz, like us, needed to trust in the Lord and His promised Messiah. Our problems will come and go, but our faith in Christ enables us to survive in the midst of every trial.

Read Isaiah 8:11-15

6. In verses 14-15, God described Himself as both a “sanctuary” (v. 14) and something to

“stumble over” (vv. 14, 15) or ensnare others (vv. 14, 15). How can God be both of these? Why would He be both?

Isaiah and his followers were not to be like the culture around them. In contrast to Ahaz and the majority of those in Judah, only God was to be feared and held in awe. Ahaz had led his people to fear Syria and Israel and to be in awe of Assyria’s military prowess. By turning their backs on God, they would not find Him to be a source of comfort or rescue—a sanctuary. For them, He would be “a rock to trip over” rather than the Rock to lean on. But for those who “regard only the LORD of Armies as holy,” He will be that Rock, the sanctuary to which they can flee.

Read Isaiah 8:16-22

7. From whom were people seeking advice and what was the result of not going to God alone?

8. What would you identify as being the dominant motto of our culture: Fill in the blank: “In ________ We Trust”? How can God’s people make sure they do not adopt that motto, but continue to trust in God alone?

Read Isaiah 9:1-5

9. Even when Israel’s rebellion invited His judgment, God promised a coming light. What does that tell you about God? Does that reshape how you view the current circumstances of your life?

Chapter 9 opened with a strong declaration (“Nevertheless...”) signaling a dramatic change of fortune. No longer would Israel grope in darkness; they would squint in the presence of the blinding and glorious light of God’s presence. It is clear, even in this setting, that what Isaiah was prophesying was the future coming of the Messiah. It is important to recognize that only the Lord will bring about rejoicing and freedom.

The specifics of what the coming hope would entail were revealed as Isaiah continued. Plainly put, the people would be freed. The yoke was a tool of oppression for which the Assyrians were widely known. Their cruelty toward their prisoners of war was legendary at this point in history. What God promised through Isaiah was not that this particular oppression would be removed, but that all oppression would be. Again, the emphasis for Isaiah was on the power of God as the sole hope for His people. God would bring the victory.

Read Isaiah 9:6-7

A child would be born to fulfill the promises of which Isaiah had spoken. The coming of the child is ripe with importance. The birth is, in a sense, an entry of invasion. God invaded the history He Himself

Help your group identify how the truths from this week’s passage directly apply to their lives.

11. If your oikos were to look at your social media, calendar or bank account, who would they say you trust in (God, a political candidate, money, kids, a spouse, pleasure, fun)?

12. Pastor Tom said that stubbornness prevents salvation. Has God been asking you to do something specific, yet you still stubbornly refuse? How does this relate to someone on your oikos card? (Or are you being stubborn about filling one out?)

OIKOCENTRIC LIVING

created in order to, in keeping with the prophecy of Immanuel, be truly with His people in every conceivable way. All of this prophesied by Isaiah refers not only to the initial coming of the Messiah, as recorded in the Gospels, but also to Christ’s final return after which, as we read in Revelation 21–22.

10. The names for Christ in this prophecy are frequently referenced (Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace). Preceding that, though, Isaiah prophesied that the government would be on Christ’s shoulders. What do you think it means for the government to be on Christ’s shoulders? How would you anticipate that being different from our current reality?

Twice earlier in this section of Isaiah, the birth of children has been described as having prophetic significance (7:14; 8:1-4). For a third time, the reader learns of a future birth. Some commentators believe the text means that this future royal child will be a purely human descendant of David who will be the proclaimed king and lead God’s people to a new level of freedom and prosperity. Both Hezekiah and Josiah have been identified as this child. However, the titles given to this child and the description of His kingdom far surpass anything that was applicable to Hezekiah or Josiah. The only feasible interpretation of this passage is messianic. This child will be given names that signify His character. He will be a sage characterized by extraordinary wisdom (Wonderful Counselor). He will have life that is never ending (Eternal Father). He will bring peace (Prince of Peace). But the most extraordinary thing of all that confirms He is simply not to be identified with a Hezekiah or a Josiah is His title. He is called Mighty God (8:21), which would not have been used of an earthly king. In the NT, Jesus is identified as the Davidic descendant who fulfilled this great promise (Mt 1:1,22-23).