Title: God's Saving Power
Description 2007-9-16 God's saving power Topic: This is a prophecy that Almighty God will summon the nations to notarize the restoration of Israel and destroy the great powers that tormented them, thereby securing Israel and giving them victory.
Word: Isaiah 41:1-16
Key words: Islands, peoples, let's argue, the one who will be last in the beginning, Jacob my chosen one, do not be afraid, the Redeemer
Listing by topic: God's work for Jacob
Verse 9: Upholding from the ends of the earth/ Called to be my servant/ Not forsaken, but chosen
Verse 10: He is with us and is God/ Helps us and upholds us with our righteous right hand.
Verse 11: Enemies will be put to shame and reproach, and will be destroyed.
Meditation on the Word: The text that reveals the pity of God who comes out to argue well expresses God's unfathomable love that Almighty God becomes the Redeemer of Israel and does not forsake them until the end.
God Helps His Chosen Servant
The original text means ‘Let’s meet together at the judgment seat’, and Isaiah often uses court terms such as pleading and judgment. This is because God, who is the judge of all good and evil, becomes the perfect judge, and the truth of God is clearly revealed in the process of that judgment. “Though your sins be as scarlet… ’ suggests that the sins of the people of Israel are exposed in the process of pleading, and it is impossible to deny them. This fact is made even more clear in the text. In other words, the sins of the people who forsook God despite God being the ruler of history are exposed. Therefore, the ‘judgment’ must be guilty, but God declares that he will forgive them (vv. 8-20). This reminds us of Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
You worm Jacob!
The text reminds us of the state of Israel, who was captive to Babylon and lived a life of helpless and miserable life in agony, and it tells us that the source of power to save Israel from the weakest and lowest state like an earthworm is God alone. The God of Immanuel is with the people even in a desperate situation where all hope is lost. I gain strength when I think of the God who comforted the people of Israel, comforting us not to be afraid even when we are faced with difficult situations in the same way today. God who is with me, what problems do I need to overcome by relying on the right hand of God who sustains me?
Help: 1. Draw near (v. 1): We are admonished to come close to the presence of the Lord in quiet and reverence, and listen to his counsel as to the course that history is taking. You are invited to speak if you have anything to say at the trial that is about to begin.
2. You worm Jacob (verse 14): It refers to the helplessness of Israel when it stands alone, indicating that it is too small to be considered merely a ‘worm’.
Help Question: Observation
1. Record the title by which God calls his people (verses 8, 14).
2. What was the fate of Babylon, who had oppressed Israel? (Verses 11-18)
contemplation/feeling
3. In verse 14, God called the Israelites “Jacob, you worm”. Why?
4. How did the Holy One of Israel record the transformation of the people? (Verses 15-16)
apply
5. Memorize verse 10 and meditate on it deeply.
By Precept