Taught For Your Own Good

Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Isaiah 48:12-19 NIV

12 "Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last. 13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together. 14 "Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The LORD's chosen ally will carry out his purpose against Babylon; his arm will be against the Babylonians. 15 I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I will bring him, and he will succeed in his mission. 16 "Come near me and listen to this: "From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret; at the time it happens, I am there." And now the Sovereign LORD has sent me, endowed with his Spirit. 17 This is what the LORD says-- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. 18 If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea. 19 Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be blotted out nor destroyed from before me."

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What does the Lord tell the people He called to do and what does He tell them about Himself? (v.12-13)
2) What does the Lord reveal about His purpose for those who have taken them captive? (v.14-15)
3) What else does the Lord reveal about Himself to His people, through the prophet? (v.16-17)
4) What would have happened to His people if they had heeded His words prior to their captivity? (v.18-19) 

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
5) Have you ever ignored a warning from the Lord? If so, what happened as a result?
6) Do you believe that the Lord has been warning this nation of impending judgment? If not, why not?

LIFE LESSONS
7) The Lord never chastens His people without many prior warnings.