BY THE END OF THE LESSON, WE WILL:
KNOW that God expects worship from the heart; UNDERSTAND that God is worthy to be praised; and PRAISE God from the heart.
FOCAL VERSES Isaiah 29:9-16
KEEP IN MIND
"Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men" (Isaiah 29:13).
AT-A-GLANCE
1. Warning to the Rebellious (Isaiah 29:9-12)
2. Warning to the Religious (vv.13-14)
3. Warning to Rulers (vv.15-16a)
IN FOCUS
Have you ever heard the old English idiom about the person who can't see the forest for the trees? This proverb generally describes a person who gets so caught up in the details of a situation of life itself that he or she fails to see the complete picture. Details serve as distractions that cause us to focus our attention on the smaller, less important things in life rather than living life to its fullest.
This idiom can also apply to our relationship with God. It is easy to get caught up in the daily burdens and blessings of life that we forget about the Life Giver. We fail to consult the Lord about our daily decisions or even spend time with Him on a daily basis. Then, even though we faithfully attend church, our worship can become hollow. We lift our voices and sing songs without meaning, we say "Amen" to teachings we have no intention of honoring, and we fulfill our religious regulations without any thought to our righteous relationships.
Today's lesson focuses on the nation of Judah during a time when the nation's prosperity and the people's pleasures caused them to forget about God and serves as a reminder that God is always to be worshiped in spirit and in truth.
BACKGROUND
Only God would dare to recruit a person for ministry by telling him he would be ineffective, but that's exactly what happened to Isaiah. When God called Isaiah into the prophetic ministry, He told him that as a result of his message, the people would harden their hearts, plug their ears, shut their eyes and not understand with their hearts (Isaiah 6:10). Given the hopelessness of the situation, the perplexed prophet asked God, "'Lord, how long will this go on?' And [God] replied, 'Until their towns are empty, their houses are deserted, and the whole country is a wasteland; until the Lord has sent everyone away, and the entire land of Israel lies deserted'"(vv. 11-123, NLT).
Years later, Isaiah told the northern kingdom of Israel-whose capital was Samaria-that its fate was set. "For the Lord will send a mighty army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they will burst upon it like a surging flood and smash it to the ground" (28:2, NLT). The Assyrians would utterly destroy Israel and take her inhabitants into captivity.
The destruction of Israel should have encouraged Judah to repent. After all, they had reason to be afraid of the Assyrians. However, instead of trusting the Lord to protect them, they entered into an alliance with Egypt. God told them, "I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death and overturn your deal to dodge the grave" (v. 18, NLT). He refers to Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, as Ariel (29:1). This was a symbolic name that meant, "altar of burnt offering," referring to the altar located at the entrance of the temple. The name implied the fate of the city: "Jerusalem will become what Ariel means - an altar covered with blood" (v. 2, NLT).
The prophet foretold that the Assyrian army would surround the city and besiege it. The situation would appear to be hopeless; then suddenly, their ruthless enemies would be driven away. God Himself, not the Egyptians, would strike the Assyrians and deliver the wayward people from complete destruction. In spite of this miraculous intervention, the Judeans would still not turn their hearts to God. The people would remain rebellious, their worship would remain superficial, and their leaders would continue to place their trust in things other than God.
SEARCH THER SCRIPTURES
1. What was God's reaction to the people who resisted His prophets and rejected him (Isaiah 29:10)?
2. How did Isaiah describe the empty worship the people offered up to God (v. 13)?
DISCUSS THE MEANING
1. What are some "holy habits" we can build into our lives to ensure that we don't lose sight of God in our daily lives? Think of your own relationship with a holy God.
2. What gets in the way of our really seeing God (In Focus) and praising Him in word and deed?
LESSON IN OUR SOCIETY
Unbroken fellowship with God is vital to our existence and peace of mind. Our praise and worship brings us into God's presence and protection. However, continual disobedience stirs God's wrath. How can we teach the next generation to sincerely worship the Lord?
(Except for The Apostolic Way)
This is a great lesson about true worship which is not meaningless.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great lesson about true worship which is not meaningless.
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