Strengthening comes before helping, helping turns to upholding. “ I will strengthen, help and uphold you” : The text uses a logical sequence. Even when we’ve strayed like the people of Israel, God is faithful to those who return to Him. Like a faithful and enduring marriage partnership. “ I Am your God” : God will not share us with other gods, we belong to Him, and He belongs to us. God is with His people, always, no matter what appearances may say to the contrary. No amount of turmoil, suffering or upheaval can change this fact. “ I Am with you” : God shows that He is a personal God who cares about His people. The three “I wills” are related to each other and are in sequence. “I AM” is God’s personal Name and a revelation that He is eternal, unchanging, all-powerful and sovereign. There are two “I Am’s” and three “I wills” in the passage that show us so much about the power and character of God. What does the Scripture reveal about God? Keep our interpretations focused on Jesus Christ and His Gospel. Keep our interpretations consistent with the whole revelation of Scripture. Keep our interpretations to the actual text that we’re reading. These three questions help us to maintain a protective boundary around possible interpretations of the Scripture by several safe guards. The Biblical grounds for using these questions is here What does this Scripture reveal about Jesus Christ and what He’s done? What does this Scripture reveal about human beings like you and me? What does this Scripture reveal about God? To understand what it means we ask ask three questions that are formulated from Scripture’s own claims about itself. He promises to help, strengthen and uphold them with His righteous and perfect power. In the verse God tells His people not to be afraid or dismayed, because He is still their God and is still with them regardless of how badly they have forsaken Him and how desperate their situation is as a consequence. To encourage them that God will send His Messiah to suffer and die for sin, and that He will return to rule His people and the nations from Jerusalem. Warning & Encouragement: To warn of Judah and her leaders of God’s judgement for idolatry, to warn Judah’s enemies of God’s love for Israel and His punishment of those who mistreat her. What was the purpose for which it was written? They would lose their land, their Temple and their sovereignty, and would be ruled in some measure by other nations until the Messiah’s return. The world that God’s people knew was about to change drastically. What were the circumstance like when it was written? The first audience was Judah (the Southern kingdom of Israel), it’s leaders and also it’s enemies. Isaiah was written by the prophet Isaiah about 700 years before the birth of Jesus. Before rephrasing the text in our own words though, we need to understand the context, or what the Scripture was communicating to the first audience. One way to do this is to rephrase it in our own words. This does not mean interpret it, we first need to be sure we understand all the words and the context in which the Scripture was written. To study God’s Word we must first understand what we’ve read. Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to live out Scripture’s lessons. Pray for understanding of the Scripture, for healing, correction, and encouragement through it. Pray for difficult situations that you, the Church, individuals in the Church and others are facing. Give thanks for the Holy Spirit, and for the perfect inerrant Scripture, the Word of God.Īsk for forgiveness of our sin, and power to keep us from temptation. Give thanks for whatever the Lord lays on your heart, but especially for The Lord Jesus’ life death and resurrection, and His atonement of our sin. Isaiah 41:10 ESV fear not, for I am with you be not dismayed, for I am your God I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Please read the page “How to read the Bible” by clicking here before following this study, that page explains the process that we follow in this study. By spending time in His Word the way He directs us to do, we can find peace and certainty in troubled times. The Word of God is amazing, it’s a joy and privilege to study His Word and be examined by it at the same time.
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