“God’s path always delivers what He promises.”
Billy Graham
Passage
8“Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9“Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,
10And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday.
11“And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
Isaiah 58:8–11 (NASB95)
Background
Quote-William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christian figure, and according to a biographer, was "among the most influential Christian leaders" of the 20th century.
Graham held large indoor and outdoor rallies with sermons that were broadcast on radio and television. In his six decades on television, Graham hosted annual crusades, evangelistic campaigns that ran from 1947 until his retirement in 2005. He repudiated racial segregation and insisted on racial integration for his revivals and crusades, starting in 1953. According to his website, Graham preached to live audiences of 210 million people in more than 185 countries and territories through various meetings.
Passage-The book of Isaiah is Narrative History, Prophetic Oracle, and even a Parable (chapter 5). The prophet Isaiah wrote it at approximately 700 B.C. (Chapters 40-66, written later in his life approx. 681 B.C.). Isaiah is the first book in the section called Major Prophets. They are called Major Prophets because of the large amount of material they wrote not because their message was more important than any other prophet’s was. Key personalities are Isaiah, his two sons, Shearjashub and Maher-shalal-jash-baz.
Isaiah contains some of the most incredible prophecies of any book. It contains foreknowledge, in incredible details about the Messiah, and the future reign of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the book of Isaiah was to call God’s nation, the nation of Judah, back to faithfulness and to declare the coming Messiah “Immanuel”. God calls and commissions His prophet to declare to Judah and Israel condemnation, conviction, and ultimately great hope.
Lesson Notes
Joys and Concerns
Pray
Opening Statement
We want what is best for ourselves but only after we’ve secured those good things for ourselves do we begin to look at other people and their needs. What would happen if instead we trusted God’s promises first and meet other’s needs before our own?
Ask: What promises do you see in today’s scripture?
Point: “…your recovery,” “…your righteousness,” “…the Lord will answer,” “…He will say, ‘Here I am,” “…your light will rise in darkness,” “…the Lord will continually guide you,” “…satisfy your desire,” and “…give strength to your bones.”
Ask: Are there things we are supposeed to do to receive all these promises?
Point: Yes. Please read the following:
9“Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,
Isaiah 58:9 (NASB95)
Ask: What three things do you see the Prophet Isaiah relaying God asking His people to do in that verse?
Point: “…remove the yoke from your midts,” “…the pointing of the finger,” and “…speaking wickedness.”
Ask: What does that first one mean, “…remove the yoke from your midst?”
Point: See Definitions, especially numbre five.
Ask: How do we individually and as a community have a “yoke in our midst?”
Point: When we put requirements on others for participation, joining, and acceptance we are “yoking” them with the burden of meeting our expectations. Please read the following:
28“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28–30 (NASB95)
Ask: What is Jesus’ “burden” that is “light?”
Point: another man’s servant. Please read the following:
29Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord;
30and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
31“The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:29–31 (NASB95)
Ask: But what if my neighbor doesn’t believe what I believe or agree with me?
Point: Does your neighbor love God and profess Jesus Christ as his or her Saviour? Then we are not to point our finger. Please read the following:
2One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.
3The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.
4Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Romans 14:2–4 (NASB95)
Ask: Is the last thing to do to not “…speak wickedness” as easy as it sounds?
Point: It is until we see that the King James Version uses a different word that creates confusion. Please read the following:
9Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; Thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, The putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
Isaiah 58:9 (KJV 1900)
Ask: How do “vanity” and “wickedness” come together? What is God asking of us here?
Point: Please see the definitions for vanity, wickedness, and the Hebrew word behind them.
Ask: What from the Hebrew word definintion can we take away as God telling us these are things we should stop speaking?
Point: Things that cause trouble, are vain or prideful, that prop up idols for ourselves or others, are false meaning lies, create mischief, cause others to mourn or create sorrow, and are not just or fair as God outlines justice and fairness.
Closing Statement
Why clean up these three things; removing the burdens to acceptance, the judgmental statements, and the voicing of prideful lies that cause problems and create inbalances in groups? Because then we shine the light of Christ to the world around us. We no longer look for or find evil in our neighbors, and we focus on better serving the people who desperately need Jesus in their lives. In short, if we can accomplish these three things our lives get better, and we in turn are better at helping others.
Questions for the Week
Question 1 Read the entire context for the passage from today’s lesson about judging another man’s servant, provided at the end of the lesson (Romans 14:1–13 (NASB95).
Question 2 Review the Hebrew word for Wickedness/Vanity from the Definitions section.
Question 3 Spend some time in personal contemplation about where in your life you might put the yoke carrying the burden of acceptance on other people?
Question 4 Spend some time in personal contemplation about where in your life you might point the finger of accusation and judgment on other people?
Question 5 Spend some time in personal contemplation about where in your life you might be speaking “wickedness/vanity”?
Question 6 Pray asking the Holy Spirit to guide your actions to address any and all items that come to mind regarding this week’s questions.
Definitions
yoke
yohk
noun,plural yokes for 1, 3-20, yoke for 2.
a device for joining together a pair of draft animals, especially oxen, usually consisting of a crosspiece with two bow-shaped pieces, each enclosing the head of an animal.: Compare harness (def. 1).
a pair of draft animals fastened together by a yoke:five yoke of oxen.
something resembling a yoke or a bow of a yoke in form or use.
a frame fitting the neck and shoulders of a person, for carrying a pair of buckets or the like, one at each end.
an agency of oppression, subjection, servitude, etc.
an emblem or symbol of subjection, servitude, slavery, etc., as an archway under which prisoners of war were compelled to pass by the ancient Romans and others.
something that couples or binds together; a bond or tie.
Machinery. a viselike piece gripping two parts firmly together.
Also called fork . a forklike termination for a rod or shaft, inside which another part is secured.
a fitting for the neck of a draft animal for suspending the tongue of a cart, carriage, etc., from a harness.
a crosshead attached to the upper piston of an opposed-piston engine with rods to transmit power to the crankshaft.
(in an airplane) a double handle, somewhat like a steering wheel in form, by which the elevators are controlled.
Nautical. a crossbar on the head of the rudder of a small boat, having lines or chains attached to the ends so as to permit the steering of the boat from forward.
spreader beam.
a shaped piece in a garment, fitted about or below the neck and shoulders or about the hips, from which the rest of the garment hangs.
a horizontal piece forming the top of a window frame.
a Y-shaped piece connecting branch pipes with a main soil pipe.
Television. an electromagnetic assembly placed around the neck of a cathode-ray tube to produce and control the scanning motion of electron beams inside the tube.
British Dialect. (especially in Kent)
the time during which a plowman and team work without stopping; a period of plowing.
a measure or area of land equal to over 50 but less than 60 acres.
a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter Y.
23. verb (used with object),yoked, yok·ing.
to put a yoke on; join or couple by means of a yoke.
to attach (a draft animal) to a plow or vehicle:to yoke oxen.
to harness a draft animal to (a plow or vehicle):to yoke a wagon.
to join, couple, link, or unite.
Obsolete. to bring into subjection or servitude.
26. verb (used without object),yoked, yok·ing.
to be or become joined, linked, or united.
vanity
van-i-tee
noun,plural van·i·ties.
excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc.; character or quality of being vain; conceit:Failure to be elected was a great blow to his vanity.
an instance or display of this quality or feeling.
something about which one is vain or excessively proud:His good looks are his greatest vanity.
lack of real value; hollowness; worthlessness:the vanity of a selfish life.
something worthless, trivial, or pointless.
vanity case.
dressing table.
a wide, counterlike shelf containing a wash basin, as in the bathroom of a hotel or residence, often equipped with shelves, drawers, etc., underneath.
a cabinet built below or around a bathroom sink, primarily to hide exposed pipes.
compact1 (def. 13).
11. adjective
produced as a showcase for one's own talents, especially as a writer, actor, singer, or composer:surprisingly entertaining for a vanity production.
of, relating to, or issued by a vanity press:a spate of vanity books.
wicked
wik-id
adjective,wick·ed·er, wick·ed·est.
evil or morally bad in principle or practice; sinful; iniquitous:wicked people;wicked habits.
mischievous or playfully malicious:These wicked kittens upset everything.
distressingly severe, as a storm, wound, or cold:a wicked winter.
passing reasonable bounds; intolerably bad:wicked prices;a wicked exam.
having a bad disposition; ill-natured; mean:a wicked horse.
spiteful; malevolent; vicious:a wicked tongue.
extremely troublesome or dangerous:wicked roads.
unpleasant; foul:a wicked odor.
Slang. wonderful; great; masterful; deeply satisfying:He blows a wicked trumpet.
adverb
Slang. very; really; totally:That shirt is wicked cool.
Hebrew Strong’s Number: 205
Hebrew Word: אָוֶן
Transliteration: ʾāwen
Phonetic Pronunciation: aw’-ven
Root: from an unused root perhaps meaning properly, to pant (hence, to exert oneself, usually in vain
Cross Reference: TWOT - 48a
Part of Speech: n m
Vine’s Words: Iniquity, Sin
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
iniquity 47
wicked(ness) 8
vanity 6
affliction 3
mischief 3
unrighteous 2
evil 1
false 1
idol 1
mourners 1
mourning 1
nought 1
sorrow 1
unjust 1
vain 1
[Total Count: 78]
from an unused root perhaps meaning properly to pant (hence to exert oneself, usually in vain; to come to naught); strictly nothingness; also trouble, vanity, wickedness; specifically an idol:- affliction, evil, false, idol, iniquity, mischief, mourners (-ing), naught, sorrow, unjust, unrighteous, vain, vanity, wicked (-ness). Compare <H369> (‘ayin).
James Strong, “אָוֶן (1),” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
No Stumbling Blocks before Antoher Man’s (Jesus’) Servant
1Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.
2One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.
3The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.
4Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.
6He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.
7For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;
8for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
9For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
11For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.”
12So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
13Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.
Romans 14:1–13 (NASB95)