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Loving God and Loving People

Lesson 33: God’s Surprising Strategies (Isaiah 44:24-45:25)

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God is sovereign over creation and history, therefore, He has every right to do as He pleases for His purposes. In this week’s reading, God tells Israel that He is going to send Cyrus to deliver them from Babylonian captivity. God also plans on saving the nations and not just Israel, as they assumed. The following are some study suggestions to help you get started.

LIMITED TIME:

  1. Read through Isaiah 44:24-45:25.
  2. Meditate on and/or journal the answers to the following questions.
    1. What does this passage teach me about God and His character?
    2. How does this aspect of God’s character change my view of myself?
    3. What should I do in response?

MORE TIME:

  1. As you read Isaiah 44:24-45:25, jot down all that you learn about God. Note what He repeats over and over about Himself.
  2. God foretells the coming of Cyrus, His anointed, over 150years before Cyrus was born.
    1. What do you learn about Cyrus and God’s purpose for Him? (See also Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:2-4)
    2. How does Israel react to God’s plans, and how does God respond (Is. 45:8-11)? How do you react to God’s plans for you and His world? Why?
  3. God reminds Israel that He alone will save them, and the nations as well (Galatians 3:7-8,29).
    1.  What does God call the people to do (Is. 45:22)?
    2. There are only 2 responses to God’s call noted in Is. 45:24-25. What are they? What are the consequences to each?
  4. Paul quotes Is. 45:23b within Philippians 2:5-11.
    1. What do you learn from these verses?
    2. What is your response to Jesus? Why?

GOING DEEPER (optional): For further teaching and application, do one or more of the following:

  • Read chapter 33, “God’s Surprising Strategies (Isaiah 44:24-45:25)” in Isaiah: God Saves Sinners or listen to Ray Ortlund’s sermon series on line. (Most of the sermons correspond to the chapters in his book.)
  • Listen to the sermon(s) from Pastor Liam Goligher’s sermon series on Isaiah that go along with this week’s reading.

“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.”

~ Psalms 22:27-28~

GraceWay Church - Loving God and Loving People