Why do you complain, Jacob[1]?
Isaiah 40:27-31; 41:8-10
After Solomon’s death his kingdom was split in two: Israel in the north with its capital in Samaria, and Judah in the south with its capital in Jerusalem. Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom in 722BC and later looked south to threaten Judah. Although some outlying areas fell, the Lord miraculously spared Jerusalem in the time of King Hezekiah (Isaiah 36-37).
Sometime after that deliverance, Hezekiah welcomed envoys from the kingdom of Babylon. The prophet Isaiah warned that Babylon would someday invade and conquer Judah (Isaiah 39). This happened in 586BC after a long series of Babylonian sieges against Jerusalem. The city wall was broken down, the temple was destroyed, the temple furnishings were looted, and thousands of Jews were deported to Babylon with only the poorest left behind (2 Kings 25:11-12). The book of Lamentations expresses the desolate state of Jerusalem. Scripture is clear that the Babylonian conquest happened because the Jews had consistently rebelled against the Lord (2 Chronicles 36:5-21).
Beginning in Isaiah 40, the prophet looks ahead to the time when the Babylonian exile will end and the Jews will return to their homeland. Scan Isaiah 40, paying attention to the contrast between the Lord’s strength and the weakness of other powers. Many passages in Isaiah 40:1-11 are quoted in Handel’s Messiah and are taken as prophecies of Christ’s coming. They also point to an intermediate fulfillment in the Jews’ return from exile, which began with the decree of Cyrus of Persia in 538BC. Read Isaiah 40:27-31.
- In this passage the Lord himself speaks through Isaiah. In your own words, what did the Lord ask Jacob and Israel – that is, the Jewish people (v. 27)?
- Why would living in exile lead the Jews to think this way?
- Recall that the exile happened because Judah disregarded the Lord (2 Chronicles 36:15-19). How does that fact affect how you see their complaints?
- Think of a time when you complained that the Lord did not seem to be paying attention to your troubles. To what extent had you gotten yourself into your difficulties?
- The Lord did not say, O Jacob, O Israel, you shouldn’t complain this way. Instead he asked them why they complained in such a way. How does the question strengthen what the Lord wanted to communicate to them?
- Verse 28 begins with two more brief questions, or one question asked in two different ways. What difference would it make for the exiled Jews to be reassured that God is the everlasting Creator?
- Identify all the references to strength or power in verses 29-31. What is the relationship between the Lord’s strength and the “hope” of verse 31?
- Read Isaiah 41:8-10. The Lord again addressed Israel and Jacob – the Jewish people. What words and phrases did he use to remind the Jewish people of their history with him?
- What parts of this passage would be most likely to turn the exiles’ despair into faith?
- What parts of this passage most inspire your faith right now?
- What is one thing you will do this week to doubt less and trust more in the Lord?
[1] Based on Life Guide Bible Study material. “Questions God Asks” by Dale and Sandy Larsen
Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?