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40 Application Questions From Isaiah 40

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Angell Williams (2008), Creative Commons License

Angell Williams (2008), Creative Commons License

Isaiah 40 is rich with imagery, promises, and soaring truths about God. If you’ve spent time worshiping with Christians, you’ve probably sung a hymn or song which draws on this chapter.

And though we’ve sung from Isaiah 40, I suspect far fewer of us have studied it or dug deeply into the application of this passage. After all, application is hard—we’re usually satisfied if we can find one token application before we move on to the nachos.

Not today, my friends. We’re going deep with application today.

The Main Point

The main point1 of Isaiah 40 can be stated succinctly.

Take comfort: the incomparable God will come and care for his people.

Preparing for Application

When beginning to apply a passage, remember that there are two directions of application (inward and outward). We are confronted with these questions: How do I need to change? How can I influence others to change?

There are also three spheres of application: the head, the heart, and the hands. The author’s main point in a Bible passage should affect what I think/believe, what I desire, and what I do (respectively).

Finally, the best applications are specific and keep Jesus and his saving work in mind.

Application Questions for Isaiah 40

Instead of providing my own application of Isaiah 40, I’ve written questions to guide your application of the passage. I worked hard to get forty questions, just to show that the Bible reaches far deeper into our lives than we usually allow.

Head Application, Inward

  1. Do you believe that God is the creator of everything (Is 40:12, 22)? Do you believe that God is the ruler over the nations (Is 40:15–17)? Do you believe that God directs and names the stars in the sky (Is 40:26)?
  2. When are you likely to forget that God is the creator and ruler?
  3. How can you remind yourself that God is the creator and ruler?
  4. Do you believe that God is wise (Is 40:14)? Do you believe that God is unique, unlike any idol (Is 40:18–20)? Do you believe that God is able to strengthen the weak (Is 40:29–31) and protect the vulnerable (Is 40:11)?
  5. When are you likely to forget that God is wise and unique, the source of protection and strength?
  6. How can you remind yourself that God is wise and unique, the source of protection and strength?
  7. Do you believe that God wants comfort for (and not vengeance upon) his people?
  8. Do you believe that God is devoted to his people? When are you likely to forget this? Why?

Heart Application, Inward

  1. In times of distress or uncertainty, what brings you comfort? Do you find comfort in hearing truth about God?
  2. What do you rely on for strength or energy? Do you depend on caffeine, sleep, “comfort food,” or something else?
  3. Do you know the burden of exhaustion and discouragement shouldered by God’s people? Do you want God to comfort his people?
  4. Do you want to be comforted by God, or would you prefer to find comfort in something (or someone) else?
  5. Do you rejoice that God has come to be near/with you in the person of Jesus? What specifically about Jesus’s presence brings you joy?
  6. Do you rejoice that God is eager to give you His strength? What difference does God’s provision of his strength make in your life?
  7. Do you fear the nations? How can you pray so that you will not fear them?
  8. Do you fear the government? How can you pray so that you will not fear it?

Hands Application, Inward

  1. With what actions do you seek comfort? When do you desire comfort? How can you train yourself to seek Biblical comfort?
  2. How can you turn God’s creation into reminders about God’s character for yourself? (Witness the way Isaiah uses these images to teach about God: a shepherd with lambs (Is 40:11), stars (Is 40:26), nations (Is 40:15–17), grass and flowers (Is 40:6–8), scales and measurements (Is 40:12), grasshoppers (Is 40:22), craftsmen (Is 40:19–20), eagles (Is 40:31), youth (Is 40:30).)
  3. When do you find yourself needing strength? How can you seek/receive the strength that God promises?
  4. How can you seek God’s strength through his word?
  5. How can you seek God’s strength through worshiping him?
  6. How can you seek God’s strength through fellowship with his people?
  7. How can you seek strength from God through the means he provides (sleep, recreation, etc.) and still acknowledge God as the source?
  8. What does it look like for you to “wait for the Lord” (Is 40:31)? In what circumstances is it difficult for you to wait for the Lord? Why?
  9. How will the truths from this passage affect the way you celebrate Advent/Christmas this year?

Head Application, Outward

  1. What are some false/inadequate comforts you have given to other people? How can you replace these imitations with Biblical comfort?
  2. When do you have opportunities to remind other Christians what God is like? How can you plan to be ready in these situations?
  3. What questions can you ask your neighbors or friends to lead to a discussion about God?
  4. What questions can you ask your children to lead to a discussion about God?

Heart Application, Outward

  1. Do you desire that all of God’s children know his comfort? Are there some you would rather not be comforted?
  2. How can we help each other discover what brings us comfort?
  3. How can we help each other discover where we turn for strength?
  4. How will you build friendships so that these are natural/welcome topics of conversation?
  5. Are you hesitant to reveal your own misdirected comfort-seeking to others? If Jesus has died for you and welcomed you into God’s family, why are you hesitant?

Hands Application, Outward

  1. How can you extend God’s shepherdly comfort to his flock?
  2. Identify at least two people within your sphere of concern who are especially vulnerable. How can you care for them?
  3. How can you encourage others to seek God for strength?
  4. How could you involve others in a Christmas celebration that focuses on God’s comfort and care for his people in Jesus?
  5. How can you use creation to discuss God with your children?
  6. How can you use creation to discuss God with your neighbors?

Back to Jesus

How do these application questions specifically remember Jesus? I haven’t made that explicit, but consider this. In the beginning of the chapter (Is 40:2), when God calls for comfort for his people, the basis of the message is this: “her warfare has ended, her iniquity has been removed, she has received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” The foundation of the message is reconciliation with God, initiated by God. Jesus has come near and provided comfort and care for us; therefore, we can exhort ourselves and others to seek out our merciful God.

  1. Here’s a brief outline of the passage to support this claim. (But you should study the passage yourself to check my work!) The theme of comfort is introduced in Is 40:1, and the three “voices” that respond to this command introduce their own sections in Is 40:3, Is 40:6, and Is 40:9. Isaiah discusses God’s unmatched actions and abilities in Is 40:12-14 (his creation and wisdom), Is 40:15-17 (the nations are insignificant before God), Is 40:18-20 (God is unlike any human idol), Is 40:21-24 (God dwells in the heavens and brings earth’s rulers to nothing), and Is 40:25-26 (the Holy One directs the stars by his power). We also read of God’s coming to his people in both Is 40:3-5 and Is 40:9-11, and his concern for his people is evident in Is 40:9-11 (his ruling arm provides tender care, especially for the most vulnerable) and Is 40:27-31 (God gives his own strength to his people).
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Too Busy to Blog: Little League is On

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I’m not able to write this week because I’ve taken my family to see some early games of the Little League World series tournament in Williamsport, PA. If you’d like to see one reason why we love attending, check out “What the Little League World Series Taught Me About Bible Study.”

We’re so excited to see another Pennsylvania team back in the tournament this year. Go Red Land! And we couldn’t be more thrilled to see another team from Uganda back in the series (my sons were born in Uganda).

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Infographic: Kings of Israel and Judah

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If you’re studying Kings, Chronicles, or one of the Prophets, the Good Book Company has an infographic you might want to check out. They list all the kings of Israel and Judah, color-coded to represent the text’s evaluation of their obedience to God. The infographic also shows the Hebrew prophets and where their prophecies fit into the timeline. It’s clean, attractive, and very helpful.

Check it out!

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Even the Bible Needed Upgrading

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Though God’s Holy Spirit breathed out the very words of Scripture (2 Tim 3:16-17), he did so through the skills and creativity of human authors (2 Pet 1:21). And as the generations passed, and the original readers of a Bible book had come and gone, scribes would update the text to make sense for a new era.

This fact is not something Bible-believing Christians should fear or cover up. It does not threaten the doctrines of inspiration or inerrancy. If God can speak through human authors, he can also speak through human editors. Some alleged errors or inconsistencies in the Bible can be reasonably explained through this editorial process.

We understand the practice today. It often takes as few as 10 years for a publisher to release a “revised and updated” second edition of a successful book. This doesn’t necessarily mean the first edition was in error, but that when times change, some things need updating. Important ancient literature worked the same way.

Writing for Bible Study Magazine, Michael Heiser speaks of such evidence of “upgrading” in Genesis 14 and Psalm 51. We could find many further examples where terminology, people or place names, or turns of phrase must have been updated for later generations. God wants people to know him through his word. His word will last forever, and his main points don’t change, but the text must always be translated and explained for each new generation and culture.

Heiser gives two reasons why details may have been updated over time:

  1. To make the stories more familiar to new readers (by avoiding archaic names and terminology they wouldn’t understand).
  2. To re-purpose something already written to “make it preach” to a new community.

Heiser’s brief article gives a few examples and much worth considering. Check it out!

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Ten Characteristics of a Great Small Group Member

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Both inside and outside of the church, we talk a lot about the characteristics of leaders. And rightly so. For any organization, leaders cast the vision, set the goals, and model the actions.

We hear far less about followers. This, despite the fact followers far outnumber leaders!

What Makes a Good Follower?

cassandra (2012), Creative Commons License

cassandra (2012), Creative Commons License

We have lots of resources devoted to leading small group Bible studies. But what if you’re not the leader? What if you’re eager to glorify God by attending a Bible study?

Here are ten traits found in a great small group member. If you are attending a small group, make these qualities your target and the subject of your prayers.

What is a great small group member like?

  • He is a servant. The ideal small group member knows that he has an important role within his group. While he expects to be blessed by attending his small group, he sees the opportunity to bless others through his actions, words, and prayers. He relishes his opportunity to bear the burdens of his brothers and sisters in the Lord.
  • He is committed to the Bible. He values his friends and their contributions, but his highest authority is the Bible. He knows that cursory and thoughtless readings don’t honor God, so he pushes himself and his friends to dig again and again into the Scriptures. He works hard to keep his Bible study skills sharp.
  • He is open-minded. He is willing to change his mind when presented with compelling Biblical evidence. His convictions are shaped by God’s unchangeable word.
  • He listens. He values what others say. He knows that the Holy Spirit gives wisdom about the Bible through the insights of fellow believers. Because he cares for his friends, he is eager to hear how God is at work in their lives.
  • He is compassionate. He prays for his friends and follows up on those requests. He sends notes of encouragement to those who are fighting for joy in God.
  • He engages. He answers questions from the leader, and he poses questions himself. When the discussion drifts, he points the group back to the text. He gently draws out those who are shy, and he asks the bold to justify their claims from the Bible.
  • He is prepared. He labors before his group gathers so the meeting will have maximum impact.
  • He is vulnerable. He bares his heart to his friends, knowing that honesty is a crucial weapon in the battle against sin.
  • He perseveres. He is committed to his group despite the imperfections of both the leader and the other group members. He knows that all sinners (including himself) can be difficult to love, and he extends to others the forgiveness and grace he wants for himself.
  • He is growing. While spiritual growth may be difficult to spot from one day to the next, when he looks back over the course of a year, he can see more of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. (See Gal 5:22–23.) This growth is no cause for pride, but he rejoices in God’s faithful love for him. This growth is inspirational and infectious within his small group.

If you measure yourself against this list and come up short, don’t lose heart. Jesus is the only one who followed any list of good behavior perfectly. If you are God’s child, you don’t earn his smile; rather, his smile never departs from you! This provides both the motivation and the power to work toward blessing your small group.

I’m sure this list is not complete. What characteristics would you add?

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Best Advice: Never Read a Bible Verse

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Writing at the Stand to Reason blog, Greg Koukl explains what he believes to be the most important skill for Bible-believing Christians:

If there was one bit of wisdom, one rule of thumb, one single skill I could impart, one useful tip I could leave that would serve you well the rest of your life, what would it be? What is the single most important practical skill I’ve ever learned as a Christian?

Here it is: Never read a Bible verse. That’s right, never read a Bible verse. Instead, always read a paragraph at least.

Koukl goes on to explain a simple method for clarifying the meaning of any verse: paraphrase it in your own words, then read the surrounding paragraph with the inserted paraphrase. Demonstrating this method, Koukl debunks popular but false readings of quotable verses:

  • John 1:3 – “Apart from him” cannot mean “With the exception of Jesus.”
  • Colossians 3:15 – “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” cannot mean “Let feelings of peacefulness in your heart be the judge about God’s individual will for your life.”
  • John 12:32 – “If I be lifted up from the earth” cannot mean “If I be exalted before the people.”
  • John 10:27 – “My sheep hear my voice” cannot mean “Mature Christians have the ability to sense My personal direction for their lives and obey it.”

Koukl’s great article will challenge you never to read a Bible verse apart from the paragraph surrounding it. And I highly recommend this practice.

Check it out!

HT: Justin Taylor

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What Aerial Dogfights Have in Common With Bible Study

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Observe, Interpret, Apply (OIA). That’s the heart of this blog’s message. We follow these steps when we read the Bible because God has communicated, and OIA is communication. This is one reason OIA is the best Bible study method.

However, what matters is not the terminology but the substance. The substance is both simple and profound, but people might use different terms to describe the same thing.

Case in point: John Boyd’s OODA loop. According to the Art of Manliness, “John Boyd is described by some as the greatest military strategist in history that no one knows.” He developed a strategic tool to help fighter pilots, but this tool has also proved helpful for governments, businesses, and other competitive entities.

Christopher Ebdon (2006), Creative Commons

Christopher Ebdon (2006), Creative Commons

The OODA loop describes a process of thinking and decision-making that deals with uncertainty and gives a competitive edge.

  • O: Observe
  • O: Orient
  • D: Decide
  • A: Act

Can you see any similarities to OIA?

If not, let me remind you that the Interpretation (I) phase of Bible study can be divided into two sub-phases: Q&A and determining the author’s main point. Boyd’s “Orient” step involves breaking down your presumptions and reconstructing ideas from the data you’ve observed (very much like Q&A). His “Decide” step involves making an educated guess about which mental model best fits the situation (sounds like taking a stab at the author’s main point).

If you’re interested in the philosophical underpinnings of how to think and make decisions, you’ll find Brett McKay’s article fascinating. Don’t get distracted by his use of unfamiliar terminology (including “The Tao of Boyd”). McKay describes something that explains human communication and decision-making, which is why we can see Jesus using the same process with the Scripture (reason #3 for why OIA is the best Bible study method).

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the OODA Loop – it has the power and potential to change your life.

Absolutely right.

HT: Andy Cimbala

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Let Down Your Guard to Keep Up the Fight

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In the classic image of a gray, moat-encircled castle, the drawbridge is a crucial defense tool. When the bridge is up, enemies are exposed and archers have the advantage.

In this position the castle is isolated and cannot receive any food, supplies, or correspondence. Though dropping the bridge makes the castle vulnerable, a fearful king who won’t let others inside is in trouble of a different kind. The king falls if the bridge doesn’t.

Your Heart is a Castle

Georges Jansoone (2006), Creative Commons License

Georges Jansoone (2006), Creative Commons License

We shield our hearts from others without thinking. On one level, this is natural—we don’t need to reveal deep secrets in every conversation.

But some people don’t let anyone across the drawbridge. We need community to apply the Bible, and at its core a community is a network of close, honest friendships. Letting down our guard is difficult, but it isn’t just a nice idea to consider—it’s essential to growing as a Christian. Without friendships, our hearts starve like the paranoid king.

Small Group Prayer

A small group is an important place to build Biblical community. Your fellow group members may not start out as your dearest friends. But as you meet regularly and discuss the most important topics in the world, you create an environment where transformational vulnerability is possible.

Even a brief period of prayer can promote honest sharing in your group. These opportunities can embolden people to disclose themselves in ways that mark true friendship.

The group leader should encourage prayer requests that cannot be delivered in another setting. You can learn about Bob’s aunt’s cat’s bunion surgery by email without missing an opportunity to care for Bob. But when Bob confesses his anger or loneliness or gluttony, you are better equipped to bear his burden and love him if you can look him in the eyes and draw him into a conversation.

Assignment #1: Find one personal item to share during your next small group prayer time. What are the areas of your life in which you see great need for repentance and growth? How can you strengthen your group with stories of God’s provision or his deliverance from an entangling sin (Heb 12:1, NASB)?

Applying the Bible

Effective Bible study involves careful observation, intense interpretation, and penetrating application. Though it is the most uncomfortable part of the process, if we skip application we’ve missed the point.

Applying the Bible is more than just saying “pray more,” “read my Bible regularly,” “trust in Jesus,” or “focus on the Lord in everything.” Amen to these exhortations, but when application is not concrete it’s like trying to visit Greenland by “going north.”

Friends within your small group can help you get specific, but you need to open the door before they can walk through. Here are two keys: practicing application on your own, and being willing to discuss application (past and future) in detail.

The vocabulary isn’t all that important, but the more familiar you are with the categories of application, the more broadly and thoroughly others will be able to address your concerns during your small group meeting. As part of this process you must anticipate the particular resistance your flesh offers to change. If you can pinpoint your tendencies, you can enlist help to combat them.

You also need to be able to talk about application with your friends. When the Holy Spirit helps us connect the main point of a passage to an area of disobedience in our lives, we need to push through the fear and feelings of exposure that often ride shotgun. If you are willing to be specific about your sin and answer questions from your group members, you will be that much closer to the obedience you seek.

Assignment #2: For your next small group meeting, read the relevant Bible passage ahead of time and prepare some personal applications to discuss with your group. Remember that vulnerability inspires vulnerability, and if one person in a group is willing to talk honestly, others will as well.

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Panel Discussion: Bible Study for Ordinary People

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Last week I had the privilege to join a live panel discussion about Bible study for ordinary people on Innovate 4 Jesus live. Joining me was Rebecca Van Noord, editor-in-chief of Bible Study Magazine, and Nate Smoyer, Team Lead of Partnerships and Advertising of Faithlife, makers of Logos Bible Software.

Over the course of the hour, we hit many topics, such as:

  • why we should study the Bible
  • what inductive Bible study is all about
  • how to teach children to study the Bible
  • how to use commentaries well
  • what we’ve seen work well in our churches
  • how pastors and church leaders can encourage good Bible study

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=3007&v=ahZxZJRubLM

This discussion was surreal for me, as Bible Study Magazine is my favorite magazine. It was so much fun to have this discussion with Rebecca Van Noord, BSM’s editor-in-chief. I see her photo inside the cover of every issue, and there she was for me to interact with!

Check it out!

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