Isaiah - Week 1

So we had our first week and our first lecture on the book of Isaiah. I was expecting it to be great and was NOT disappointed. (Amanda - if you have a chance to look up Kay Arthur's testimony somewhere online you will have your socks blessed off, she is SO real!)
I was really interested in seeing how they were going to sum up and organize Isaiah. I read this book over the summer to get prepared and it was certainly slow going. I felt like it was really bogged down with the destruction and woe passages. I definitely liked the last 10-15 chapters better and did have fun finding the scriptural basis for several songs that I love.

Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders, and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 6:2-3 "Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two wings they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is filled with His glory.'"
Isaiah 53:5 "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed."

It sure was great to get in and hear the wisdom of others who have really spent time studying to see the flow of the book. These were some highlights for me:

• a prophet is one who is to speak in place of another
• there were 300+ prophesies that pointed to Jesus
• prophets foretell (future) and forthtell (call to repentance today)
• sin is rebelling against God (duh) and also results in settling for less than God's best (do we really want to do that!!)
• God never judges without a warning
• disobedience is essentially DESPISING God (harsh!)
• Isaiah was well educated, married to a prophetess, had two sons, and was a cousin of King Uzziah
• he was not the first prophet
• the books of Isaiah is like a mini Bible: it has 66 chapters (like 66 books in Bible), the first 39 chapters have to do with the past and judgment (like 39 books of Old Testament), the last 27 chapters point to the Savior to come (like 27 books of New Testament being about Jesus and new covenant)
• prophets of God are right 100% of the time and have an immediate fulfillment and a long-term fulfillment (like the temple would be rebuilt both after the exile and before the second coming)

I hope you all enjoyed it, and seeing what kind of man Isaiah was. The last part I really liked was in chapter 6 about Isaiah's calling, I hope and pray that I will become more willing to say HERE I AM Lord!

I pray a blessed week to each of you! Love, Jenny