Session Nine of the Old Testament Survey class covered the book of Isaiah and was taught by Jeff Lammers. I felt Jeff did a terrific job of presenting us with the book of Isaiah. I felt God definitely used Jeff to speak to us and teach us more about his character! The first half of the class was spent introducing what biblical prophecy really means, explaining that a prophecy would tell forth or announce beforehand. Prophecies came through dreams or visions and could mean warning or encouragement. They could also call for devotion and sacrifice. It was helpful to learn a couple things about prophecy before jumping into Isaiah to give us a better picture of how God was using different people and ways to accomplish His will. Jeff also taught on the fact that God sometimes uses secondary means to accomplish His will; such as prophets. In the Old Testament, God relied on his people, expecting a heart change and a response. Sometimes, depending on the response, God chooses to relent, as we see Him do in the book of Jonah. “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God relented of the disaster that He said He would do to them, and He did not do it.” - Jonah 3:10. What a great God! God choosing to relent makes me stand in awe and give Him praise because no matter what situation you may be in God is always in control. He is always listening, always seeing, and always hearing the cries for help and the praises of glory! You never know when He might just chose to relent in a situation of your own. The second part of class today was a discussion of Isaiah as a whole. We learned that disaster and destruction was coming upon the land and people, but in the end, God would restore hope!! The diagram of disaster to hope through the book of Isaiah, and through the entire book of the Bible, is something that will always stand. How amazing it is that God has held true to his covenant with Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and finally brought his son Jesus. Because of our sin and wickedness, we suffer disaster. But because of God’s love, He restores us to freedom and hope. “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” Isaiah 55:12-13 How thankful I am that I have an everlasting hope and one day we shall all be restored!! - Abbi Mattox |
