Week 3: Isaiah and the Exile - Part 2

36 +37 + 38 + 39 + 40 + 2Kings 24& 25

Week 3: Isaiah and the Exile- Part 2

The History of Humanity from Adam to the End of the World

Introduction:

• Isaiah:
  • Isaiah was of royal lineage, the nephew of King Amaziah. He had two sons,  Shear-Jashub and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, whose names symbolized exile and return from captivity. Coming from a wealthy and educated family, Isaiah prophesied for sixty years, beginning at the age of twenty and continuing through the reigns of four kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. He was martyred at eighty years old during the reign of King Manasseh

Author: Isaiah: A Hebrew word meaning "The salvation of God."

Date:

• Isaiah began his prophetic ministry in the year 740 B.C. and continued until the year 680 B.C., meaning he wrote for about sixty years during his prophecy. In the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
• His ministry commences around the time the Northern kingdom is carried into captivity (722 BC ). About 140 years before the Southern kingdom went into captivity ( 586BC ).

Major Theme:

• Repent and turn back to God
• Rely on God rather than earthly powers and possessions
• Warning against outward religious appearances, as it is considered hypocrisy.
  
• Hope in the awaited Messiah, the Savior, and the new life in Him.

Outline:

Isaiah

• God the disciplinarian: (Chapters 1-35)
  • A call to repentance for the kingdom of Judah, Israel, and the surrounding nations.
    • King Uzziah (Chapters 1-5)
    • King Jotham (Chapter 6)
    • King Ahaz (Chapters 7-14)
    • King Hezekiah (Chapters 15- 66)
• God the victorious (Chapters 36-39)
  • Judah's victory over Assyria by God's power and the healing of king Hezekiah
• The Messiah the savior and God's promises (Chapters 40-66)
  • Prophecies about the incarnation of Christ, His crucifixion, and resurrection.

2 Kings

Author: The prophet Jeremiah

Date: Around 560 B.C, during the time of Merodach, the king of Babylon.

Outline: 

• The Life of Elisha (Chapters 1-8).
• The Kings until the Fall of Samaria (Chapters 9-17).
• The Kings until the Fall of Jerusalem (Chapters 18-25)

Objective: Week 3, Isaiah chapter 40 and 2 Kings chapters 24&25

• Isaiah and the Exile - Part 2

Resources:

• Catena Bible Commentary
• Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty (Book of Isaiah)
• Fr Dawoud Lamie Bible study (Arabic)
• Fr Luka Maher Bible study (Arabic)

Reading:

• Isaiah
  • Chapter 40 (Verses 1-5, 25-31)
• 2 Kings
  • Chapter 24 (Verses1-20)
  • Chapter 25 (Verses 1-17)

Key verse(s):

• "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Comments:

Isaiah chapter 40: 

• God's people are comforted (Verses 1-5, 25-31)
  • The first part of the book of Isiah from chapter 1-39 seems as a warning to the people, God revealed it to show them their condition and their need for a Savior. God indicates that He will strike them because of their corruptions and sins.
  • In the second part of he book of Isiah from chapter 40, we see that He strikes and wounds to heal. The promise of comfort through The Messiah the savior is clearly revealed.
  • Promises of comfort and salvation for the believers (from Babylonian captivity and sin in general)

2 Kings Chapter 24

• Judah’s Submission to Babylon (Verses 1-7).
  • God allowed His people in the Kingdom of Judah to be defeated and scattered for two reasons:
    • The wickedness of King Manasseh, which was evident in his worship of foreign gods.
    • The people's injustice towards one another and the shedding of innocent blood.
  • God is just, so do not persist in your wickedness like Manasseh and ignore God's words. He is patient, but He must punish if there is no repentance. Submit to Him and return to Him to enjoy His mercy. 
• The captivity of Jehoiachin (Verses 8-16)
  • Jehoiachin followed in wickedness, from the beginning of his reign, idol worship and various lusts and injustices.
  • Thus, the king of Babylon captured Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, along with his mother and his wives.
• The Reign of Zedekiah and His Rebellion Against Babylon (Verses 17-20).
  • Zedekiah followed the footsteps of Jehoiakim, the previous king of Judah, in his wicked ways.
  • The king of Babylon captured Zedekiah and destroyed Jerusalem and burned it, fulfilling the prophets' predictions. This was the manifestation of God's anger and punishment upon His people for their wickedness.

2 Kings Chapter 25

• The Burning of the Temple and Jerusalem and the Exile of the People (Verses 1-17).
  • The Babylonian siege of Jerusalem lasted for a year and a half.
  • When Jerusalem fell into the hands of Nebuzaradan and he entered the city, he burned the house of the Lord, which Solomon had built three hundred years earlier. 
• Gedaliah, the Governor of Judah (Verses 22-26).

• 

Review/recap questions:

**Servant may add more questions

• What does God promise the youth? And on what condition?
• Who did Nebuchadnezzar exile?
• What did the Babylonians do to the House of the Lord?
• Why did God allow the destruction of Judah?

Homework:

**Servant may add more questions

• Name the King of Babylon who came against Judah:
  a) Nebuchadnezzar b) Jehoiakim c) Judah d) Manasseh
• Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the Lord. True or false?
• Gedaliah was the __________ of Judah.
  a) King b) commander of army c) governor d) captain