Friday, February 19
Read Ellen G. White, “Behold Your God!” in Prophets and Kings, pp. 311-321.
“In Isaiah's day the spiritual understanding of mankind was dark through misapprehension of God. Long had Satan sought to lead men to look upon their Creator as the author of sin and suffering and death. Those whom he had thus deceived, imagined that God was hard and exacting. They regarded Him as watching to denounce and condemn, unwilling to receive the sinner so long as there was a legal excuse for not helping him. The law of love by which heaven is ruled had been misrepresented by the archdeceiver as a restriction upon men’s happiness, a burdensome yoke from which they should be glad to escape. He declared that its precepts could not be obeyed and that the penalties of transgression were bestowed arbitrarily.” Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 311
Discussion Questions:
1. Summarize in your own words the message of Isaiah 40:12-31. Write it using modern images, such as modern scientific discoveries that show even more graphically the awesome power of our God. Share your summary with the class.
2. How does Isaiah’s description of the permanence of God’s Word versus the fragile transience of human life (Isaiah 40:6-8) speak to your fear of death? How does it relate to your hope of resurrection (Job 19:25-27, Daniel 12:2, 1 Corinthians 15:51-57, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)?
3. By taking Isaiah 40:12-31 to heart, how could one be cured of pride and arrogance?
Summary: Through Isaiah, God brought comfort to those who had been suffering. Their time of trouble had ended, and God was returning to them. Rather than being discouraged and confused, they could trust God to use His creative power on their behalf.
