The Promise of Immanuel (4 of 5)
Series: Let There Be Light
Dave Gustavsen
Isaiah 7-8
We're taking this Advent season to walk through the first nine chapters of Isaiah-for two reasons: First, this was written to the nation of Judah during a dark time. The nation had been attacked, and they were feeling very unstable and insecure. And I would say that our country is feeling a level of instability and insecurity that we haven't felt in a while. It seems like the fears that began with 9/11 sort of leveled out for a while, but now they've ramped back up higher than ever. So Isaiah is brutally honest about the darkness, and we can relate to that. But Isaiah also holds out a vision of hope-which the people of Judah desperately needed...and so do we. And the hope that Isaiah talks about has everything to do with Christmas.
So-quick review. In chapter one, Isaiah says, ''You're not going to find the hope you're looking for in religious activity-attending the temple, reciting prayers, etc. That's just outward ritual, and it actually adds to the darkness. In chapter two, he says, ''And you're not going to find the answer by excluding God and depending on human potential.'' Despite what John Lennon said, imagining there's no heaven will not lead to everyone living life in peace. And then chapters 3, 4, and 5 basically repeat and reiterate those two dead-ends mentioned in the first two chapters.
And then everything stops, and chapter 6 is this life-shaking experience that Isaiah had, where he saw a vision of God in all his glory. Because to find light in the darkness, we need to be shaken and moved by the glory of God. He needs to overwhelm and overpower everything else in our life.
And that leads us to chapter 7, where Isaiah focuses in on the concept of fear. So let's read the Scripture: Isaiah 7, verses one through 16...
1 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched ...
Series: Let There Be Light
Dave Gustavsen
Isaiah 7-8
We're taking this Advent season to walk through the first nine chapters of Isaiah-for two reasons: First, this was written to the nation of Judah during a dark time. The nation had been attacked, and they were feeling very unstable and insecure. And I would say that our country is feeling a level of instability and insecurity that we haven't felt in a while. It seems like the fears that began with 9/11 sort of leveled out for a while, but now they've ramped back up higher than ever. So Isaiah is brutally honest about the darkness, and we can relate to that. But Isaiah also holds out a vision of hope-which the people of Judah desperately needed...and so do we. And the hope that Isaiah talks about has everything to do with Christmas.
So-quick review. In chapter one, Isaiah says, ''You're not going to find the hope you're looking for in religious activity-attending the temple, reciting prayers, etc. That's just outward ritual, and it actually adds to the darkness. In chapter two, he says, ''And you're not going to find the answer by excluding God and depending on human potential.'' Despite what John Lennon said, imagining there's no heaven will not lead to everyone living life in peace. And then chapters 3, 4, and 5 basically repeat and reiterate those two dead-ends mentioned in the first two chapters.
And then everything stops, and chapter 6 is this life-shaking experience that Isaiah had, where he saw a vision of God in all his glory. Because to find light in the darkness, we need to be shaken and moved by the glory of God. He needs to overwhelm and overpower everything else in our life.
And that leads us to chapter 7, where Isaiah focuses in on the concept of fear. So let's read the Scripture: Isaiah 7, verses one through 16...
1 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched ...
There are 19280 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
