ISAIAH LESSON 56


     We will begin this lesson in Isaiah 48:1 "Hear ye this, O house
of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth
out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and
make mention of the God of Israel, [but] not in truth, nor in
righteousness."

     This is so like the people in our day, who have a form of
godliness and deny the power thereof. Jacob shows the family
relationship to God. Israel is a spiritual name which covers all
believers in Christ the same as the house of Jacob. God is saying,
They pretend to belong to Him, but in sincerity they are not of God.
They do not live for God the righteous life. They use His name to get
all of the assistance from Him, but do not truly love Him.

     Isaiah 48:2 "For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay
themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts [is] his name."

     Many people today claim to be Christians, but have no Christian
attributes in their lives. A Christian is a believer in, and a
follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. God is reprimanding these people
for the very same thing. They claim to be of the holy city, and of
God.  They are the hosts in the statement "LORD of hosts". They have
been separated out by the God of Israel as being His. They belong to
God in name. He has entrusted His law to them.

     Isaiah 48:3 "I have declared the former things from the
beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I
did [them] suddenly, and they came to pass."

     God has spoken openly to them. He has not hidden His wishes from
them. Everything He promised, He has done. They have witnessed miracle
after miracle. They should know, by now, that He is truly God.

     Isaiah 48:4 "Because I knew that thou [art] obstinate, and thy
neck [is] an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;"

     To say "thy neck is an iron sinew" is to say they are
stiffnecked. They think too highly of themselves. They are set in
their ways and are unteachable. The "brow of brass" indicates they
have their thinking covered over so thoroughly, they will not listen,
or learn, anything new. Let us look at a couple of Scriptures about
this very thing. Acts 7:51 "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart
and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers [did],
so [do] ye."  II Chronicles 30:8 "Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your
fathers [were, but] yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his
sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your
God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you."  A
person, or a people who are stiffnecked, and have a brow of brass,
cannot be taught of the Holy Spirit, or anyone else. They are closed
off to learning.

     Isaiah 48:5 "I have even from the beginning declared [it] to
thee; before it came to pass I shewed [it] thee: lest thou shouldest
say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten
image, hath commanded them."

     These people are without excuse, because God told them from the
beginning. He goes so far as to say they did not err because of the
idols, but because of a hardened heart within themselves. The idols
didn't make them do it. Their wickedness made them do it. A certain
comedian in our time has a saying that the devil made him do it. No,
the devil did not. His sinful nature made him do it.

     Isaiah 48:6 "Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye
declare [it]? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even
hidden things, and thou didst not know them."

     God has tried to reveal Himself to them from the beginning. The
secret things of God were not secret to them, but they would not open
their hearts and receive the message He was trying to give them. The
wonderful secrets of God were not important enough to them for them to
receive them.

     Isaiah 48:7 "They are created now, and not from the beginning;
even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest
say, Behold, I knew them."

     This creation is speaking of the secrets of God. They have always
been secret to the world. God has revealed them to His own. The
natural man cannot know and understand the secrets of God. Even if
they were given to him, he would not understand. The secrets of God
must be discerned in the spirit of man. The Holy Spirit of God is our
teacher and our guide. Everything has a time table with God. God
reveals just as much as we can handle and understand at the moment.

     Isaiah 48:8 "Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea,
from that time [that] thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou
wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from
the womb."

     Even though this was all available to them, they did not open
their ears of understanding and know what God was saying to them. They
had ears to hear, but they did not hear. God's foreknowledge allowed
Him to know from the beginning how treacherous and sinful they were.
Sin is a natural trait of the flesh of mankind. The only way to break
the chain of sin in our life, is to receive the Lord as our Saviour.
We must give the control of our will over to our spirit.

     Isaiah 48:9  "For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for
my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off."

     Israel had lived in sin. They had been unfaithful by worshipping
idols. They had ears to hear God, and would not listen. They had eyes
to see, and yet would not come out of the darkness of sin to see the
Light of God. They deserved to die. They were disobedient to God in
every way. They were God's children, however. They were called by His
name. As bad as they were, they were still His. God loved them, and
hated their ways. The only thing left to do was to forgive them and
start again. God forgave them for Himself, as well as for them. For
His name's sake, He forgave them. God is like a loving parent, who
will take their children back and forgive all their sins.

     Isaiah 48:10 "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I
have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction."

     Their captivity and affliction had come to make them seek God.
Silver is symbolic of redemption, so possibly that is why that is
mentioned here. God brings redemption, not man. They had been in the
furnace of affliction to refine them and make them search for God.

     Isaiah 48:11 "For mine own sake, [even] for mine own sake, will I
do [it]: for how should [my name] be polluted? and I will not give my
glory unto another."

     These were God's chosen people. He would not choose another
nation. He would just refine the nation He had chosen. They were known
as God's people. To do away with them and start with a new nation,
would appear that God had made a mistake. God would put the heat on
His nation and make them into what He wants them to be. God will not
make a new thing. He will make the thing He already has new again.

     Isaiah 48:12  "Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I
[am] he; I [am] the first, I also [am] the last."

     Have you ever heard a father saying, sit up and listen to what I
am saying?  That is what God is saying here to Jacob and Israel. Those
who are called of God must first understand who He is. He tells them
here. I am the first and the Last. He is explaining the greatness in
the words, First and Last.

     Isaiah 48:13 "Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the
earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: [when] I call unto
them, they stand up together."

     It annoys me a little when I hear people say, that Satan controls
the earth and the near heavens. He does not. God controls the earth,
the heavens, and everything beneath the heavens. God allows Satan a
little power, but God is Supreme Ruler. The following is just one
minor example of Jesus being in control of all the elements. Matthew
8:27 "But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that
even the winds and the sea obey him!" The Red Sea standing apart at
the command of God is another very good example. God speaks to His
people in the thunder sometimes. Earthquakes and other bad storms come
to cause God's people to draw near unto Him. God even tells the sun
and the moon when they are to shine. The Right Hand is speaking of the
doer part of the Godhead. The Word of God, Jesus as we know Him, is
Creator God. He is the Right Hand.

     Isaiah 48:14 "All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among
them hath declared these [things]? The LORD hath loved him: he will do
his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm [shall be on] the Chaldeans."

     Again, God is challenging them to inquire of the false deities.
They will find in comparison that those false gods have nothing to
offer. Their help lies in the One True God. It is the Lord God that
will destroy Babylon and save His people. Arm, in the verse above,
speaks of judgement.

     Isaiah 48:15 "I, [even] I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I
have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous."

     Cyrus was called of God for this specific job. God will bless
Cyrus, as long as he stays in the will of God.

     Isaiah 48:16  "Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not
spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there
[am] I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me."

     Isaiah is a prophet of God who is bringing the message God has
given him for these people. God had sent messengers from the very
beginning to warn His people. God has not kept secrets from them. He
has desired to fellowship with His people. The Lord God and His Spirit
has sent Isaiah with this message to these people. He has, also, sent
Cyrus to help them.

     Isaiah 48:17 "Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of
Israel; I [am] the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which
leadeth thee by the way [that] thou shouldest go."

     Only God can redeem these people from the terrible situation they
have gotten themselves in. God is the only help for any of us, when
all around us fails. God made a path for each of us to follow. He
lights that path with the Light of the world {Jesus Christ}. We do not
need to grope around in life. We must just keep our eye on the goal
before us and follow Him. We cannot fail with God as our help. The
Holy Spirit of God is the teacher and our guide. Depend heavily on
those teachings. The answer for the people then, and the answers for
us now, are found in God's Word. II Timothy 3:16 "All scripture [is]
given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"  God left
us a road map to take us safely through life, it is the Bible.

     Isaiah 48:18 "O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments!
then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves
of the sea:"

     God's blessings are for His children who obey. To be in the
perfect will of God brings peace. The peace of God is like a river
that flows from within us and never goes dry. All believers are robed
in the righteousness of Christ. It is His righteousness, not ours. To
be righteous before God brings a peace that no one can explain. You
can only experience this peace. It is a knowing that all is well with
your soul. To be full of the Lord Jesus Christ, is to be full of
peace. He is King of Peace.

     Isaiah 48:19 "Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the
offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not
have been cut off nor destroyed from before me."

     God promised Abraham that his descendents would be as the sand of
the sea is for number. That is what is spoken of here. They were
reduced to a remnant, but God will make them grow into a mighty
nation, if they will follow Him.

     Isaiah 48:20  "Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the
Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it
[even] to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his
servant Jacob."

     Now that they have been redeemed, they must leave Babylon and all
the sin there. To choose to stay in Babylon would be like a Christian
choosing to be worldly. It doesn't work. Choose to go with God into
freedom. If you are saved, say so. Praise God for all He has done in
your behalf.

     Isaiah 48:21 "And they thirsted not [when] he led them through
the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he
clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out."

     God supernaturally furnished them water to drink in the desert.
Just as Jesus told the woman at the well, she would never thirst
again, if she drank of the water He gave her. This is the water of
life.

     Isaiah 48:22 "[There is] no peace, saith the LORD, unto the
wicked."

     Fear, doubt, trouble, and turmoil follow those who are wicked.
Peace, true peace, comes from God.


















                          Isaiah 56 Questions


1.  In verse 1, the house of Jacob were called by what?
2.  These people have a form of ___________, but deny the power
    thereof.
3.  Why are they spoken of as house of Jacob?
4.  What is different about the name Israel?
5.  They stay themselves upon the ______ of _________.
6.  What is His name?
7.  What is a Christian?
8.  What had God entrusted them with?
9.  What should there be no doubt in, because of all the miracles He
    had done?
10. Verse 4 says they are _____________.
11. What is meant by "thy neck is an iron sinew"?
12. What does the "brow of brass" indicate?
13. Quote Acts chapter 7 verse 51.
14. Stiffnecked people closed off to _____________.
15. Why are these people without excuse?
16. Why did they not understand the secret things of God?
17. The creation, in verse 7, is speaking of what?
18. Who is our teacher and our guide?
19. How is the only way to break the chain of sin in our lives?
20. Why will God defer His anger?
21. God had refined them, but not with __________.
22. Why had they been in the furnace of affliction?
23. Quote Isaiah chapter 48 verse 12.
24. What hath laid the foundation of the earth?
25. Based on verse 13, what did the author say annoyed her?
26. Name two specific places where God controlled the elements.
27. How long will God bless Cyrus?
28. What are the names God is called in verse 17?
29. Quote 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16.
30. What is the road map God has left us to direct us through life?
31. Had they hearkened to His commandments, their peace would have
    been like a ________.
32. Who is King of Peace?
33. For them to stay in Babylon after they had been freed, would be
    like what for a Christian?
34. Quote Isaiah chapter 48 verse 22.