CrossTalk Scripture Focus Background

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 45:1-19

We are continuing our journey through Isaiah, the first of the Major Prophets. Our scripture scope this year takes us through Second Isaiah (chapters 40-55), which contains oracles to the Jewish exile community in Babylon. Remember that in 598 BCE, Jerusalem had been conquered by King Nebuccadnezar, who destroyed the Temple and emptied the city of its people. Jerusalem’s residents would be resettled back in Babylon. They and their descendants would remain there for 70 years. The prophet is concerned with comforting the people during their punishment, making sure they remain a community of God followers, and ensuring them that they will soon be returning home. The challenge faced by those in exile was to wait patiently for God’s deliverance while not growing too comfortable in their temporary home land.

This week’s Daily Scripture Focus (found on the next page) covers Isaiah 43-47. The theme of a well watered highway through the desert is continued in this section. The prophet reminds the exiles of how they were once slaves in Egypt, but God delivered them in a miraculous way. If God could make a highway through the sea, He will surly make one through the desert! Attention is then given to the mighty actions of the true living God, contrasting Him with the false idols of Israel’s captors. In chapters 45 through 47, the soon coming destruction of Babylon at the hands of the Persians is foretold. Babylon’s kings thought they were unstoppable, but God would soon show them they had merely been His instruments in disciplining Israel.

Today’s scripture focus is Isaiah 45:1-19. Verses 1-7 are addressed to Cyrus. Cyrus the Great was the king of Persia (modern day Iran). He established a great empire. He conquered Babylon in 540 BCE. Cyrus’s custom was to allow exiled peoples in the territories he conquered to return home. He also allowed them to practice their own religion. Interestingly, the scripture here refers to Cyrus as God’s “anointed” – a term normally associated with the Messiah. God is here reminding Cyrus that his military victories are only due to the favor given to him by God so that God’s people might be freed from exile. Cyrus was known for the flowery titles he gave himself, but in verse four God says “I have given you a title of honor…”

The rest of the chapter reminds Cyrus, the exiled Jews, and everyone that God and God alone is the one in charge of the nations. All the major cultures of the day (Babylon, Persia, and Egypt) thought themselves unstoppable, but in God’s view they were merely “potsherds among potsherds on the ground.” Potsherds were pieces of broken pottery – absolutely useless and worthless. Empires rose, prospered for a season, and then surely fell – but only on God’s timetable and for God’s purposes. As God had done in the past with other great rulers, God would raise up Cyrus and allow him to conquer the known world. This would only be for a season, however, so Cyrus might send God’s people home and aid them in rebuilding Jerusalem.

Today’s sermon will remind us that God is still in control of the world today.

CrossGroup Discussion Guide

• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.

• Let everyone who would like share anything exciting from their week.

• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as would like.

1. Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?

2. What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?

3. What items in the recent news have challenged your belief that God is in control?

CrossTalk Scripture Focus Background

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 40:1-11

We are currently in the second half of the book of Isaiah. Isaiah is the first book in the section of scripture known as Major Prophets. The major and minor prophets were those with a special call to proclaim God’s truth to Israel in the time surrounding the Babylonian Exile. Isaiah 40-55 is known as Second Isaiah, or deutero Isaiah. It was written for the benefit of the Jews in Babylon. Between 598 and 582 BCE, Jerusalem’s most prominent residents were forcibly marched down the highway to the conquering kingdom of Babylon. Isaiah 1-39 had warned Judah of this coming punishment. Isaiah 40-55 will comfort them during it, and the remainder of the book will challenge them in the years after they make their way back home.

The Jews were in Babylon for 70 years. During that time, they were allowed to participate in community life, serve in the royal court, and even own land. Many of them grew comfortable, especially those of the second generation. Still, Babylon wasn’t home. The daily scripture focus readings this week (found in the CrossWords Prayer Guide on the next page) are Isaiah 38-42. During this portion of Isaiah, the prophet transitions to the proclamation of the greatness of God, contrasting God to the Babylonian idols of metal and stone. Each year the god Marduck was honored with great and pompous processionals. The prophet mocks these pointless parades, and puts Marduck through a series of mock trials. Isaiah 42 prophesies God’s Servant will come and lead the people in worship of the true God.

Today’s scripture focus is Isaiah 40:1-11. This is the prologue to Second Isaiah, and contains the themes found throughout the rest of the book. The action begins in the heavenly court, where God speaks to His ministers, commissioning them with bringing comforting news to His people. Until this point, most of the message of Isaiah was one of woe, with few comforting words mixed in. Now the message of comfort will dominate. Note the word “comfort” is used twice. Israel had paid double for all of her sins. This could be because her sins were two fold (idol worship and oppression of the poor), or perhaps to ensure they were not only punished but purified. In any case, God gave a double measure of comfort after a double portion of punishment.

A heavenly voice then proclaims that a highway must be prepared. In ancient culture, when a king was coming, a road had to first be built. God is getting ready to come to His people, and all obstacles must be removed. We don’t think of highways much today, but much of the action in the Bible takes place on roads. It was a superior road – the King’s Highway – that put Israel on the map, allowed her enemies access, took her citizens to Babylon, and would eventually lead them back home. That great road eventually grew into disrepair, overgrown with flowers and grass. The prophet reminds us that though all human glory is temporary, God’s majesty and splendor will last forever.

Today’s sermon will proclaim the good news of the God who brings comfort.

CrossGroup Discussion Guide

• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.

• Let everyone who would like share anything exciting from their week.

• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as would like.

1. Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?

2. What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?

3. In what ways can God’s people bring comfort to those around us during the holidays?

CrossTalk Scripture Focus Background

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 35:1-10

Every year during the six weeks leading up to Christmas, we focus on the genre of scripture known as Major Prophets (Isaiah-Ezekiel.) The term “major” is to distinguish them from the minor prophets (Hosea-Malachi). The major prophets weren’t considered more important than the minor ones during their time; however, either more of their prophesies were written down, or more of their writing survived. What is a prophet? In Israel, a prophet is someone who, during periods of national crisis, was chosen by God to be God’s spokesperson. Prophets foretell and “forth tell”. They called the nation to remember God’s great deliverance in the past and His covenant with them. They foretold judgment for national sin and corruption. They comforted God’s people with visions of God’s vindication of the redeemed.

This year we will journey through Isaiah 33-66. Isaiah is considered the most significant of prophetic books, and is quoted in the New Testament more than any other book. Isaiah ministered in and around Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah, or the Southern Kingdom. It was a time of great national unrest. Israel, The Northern Kingdom, had formed an alliance with Syria. This alliance was a constant threat to Judah. Isaiah was the voice of God to King Ahaz and King Hezekiah. Judah’s kings continually formed alliances with other nations, demonstrating their failure to trust God. This eventually led to Judah’s destruction and exile at the hands of Babylon. Most of the second half of Isaiah focuses on words of encouragement to God’s people during and after this coming exile.

Isaiah 34-39 serves as somewhat of a bridge between the first and second sections of Isaiah. Isaiah has just concluded pronouncing woes on Judah and all its neighbors, and will soon move on to console those who have suffered God’s wrath. In this pause, Isaiah somewhat summarizes and balances between these two themes – wrath and comfort, sorrow and joy, judgment and redemption. In chapter 34, Isaiah predicts the destruction of Edom. The Edomites were Judah’s mortal enemies, yet some of their closest kin. They were descended from Esau, the twin brother of Jacob (grandson of Abraham and ancestor of all Jews.) The judgment of the Edomites would be seen as God’s final act of wrath before restoring His people to their homeland. Chapter 34 symbolizes the completion of God’s judgment on all sin and wrong.

Chapter 35 is a wonderful contrast and one of the most beautiful word pictures in the book. In order to fully appreciate it, it is helpful to know a little about rain in the desert. The area between Jerusalem and Babylon comprises terrific stretches of arid desert, with little or no water, making travel at the time of these writings incredibly dangerous. However, desert thunderstorms would occasionally arise, dropping tremendous amounts of water at once. Suddenly, the desert would spring to life with vegetation and colors seen nowhere else, creating unimaginable sites that lasted very briefly. Isaiah prophesies that when God brings Judah home, he will make the desert bloom like this all the way, and make a safe highway all the way through it. It will be impossible to suffer on this highway.

Today’s sermon reminds us that we are on a journey home, and it is meant to be enjoyed!

CrossGroup Discussion Guide

• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.

• Let everyone who would like share anything exciting from their week.

• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as would like.

1. Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?

2. What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?

3. Complete the following sentence: “The most enjoyable part of following Christ is ________________________”