Name: Year: Tuesday (Read Isaiah 12) Chapter 12 is very much an ending of the first section of Isaiah. The prophet saw the extent of corruption by the people of Israel and the chastisement through Assyria followed by the return of the captives to Judah then the coming of the Messiah through His love for the people. The prophet could not help but to sing a joyful praise for all the wonderful things God has done. St Apollo comments on this chapter saying “Why would we strife with a gloomy face? Aren’t we the inhabitants of eternal life? Leave the gloom for the pagans and sinners. The righteous and saints should smile and be joyful, as they enjoy the spirituals”. Summary 1.The Holy Chastiser (Chapters 1-35) a. Prophesies around Judah & Jerusalem (1-12) b. Prophesies concerning surrounding nations (13-23) c. Prophesies concerning the world (24-35) Monday (Read Isaiah 11) Verse 2 is a direct prophecy about the king who will arise from David’s family. This king is Jesus, of course – a prophecy made hundreds of years before His birth! Another interesting prophecy is in verse 4: “He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth”. Father Tadros Y Malaty comments saying that the Lord came to strike with His Word ( the two-edged sword), this word detaches us from the worldly love to raise our energies toward the heavenly things. Isaiah ends the chapter talking about the coming of the Messiah and the coming removal of the distinction between Jews and Gentiles (see Galatians 3:28).

Saturday (Read Isaiah 15) “Isaiah tells of the destruction of Moab by the hand of Esarhaddon, for which the heart of the prophet cried out, longing for their return to God and for their salvation rather than that cruel destiny caused by their denial of faith The Moabites were descendants of Lot and were related to Israel. Good relations were sometimes between Moab and Israel. It was there Naomi went with Ruth and whereSaul persecuted David. Isaiah prophesied about the destruction of the city which actually happened 3 years after the prophecy, by the hands of the king of Assyria” Father Tadros Malaty. Thursday & Friday (Read Isaiah 14) The prophet proceeds to talk about the chastisement of Babylon and other kingdoms, opposing the Lord and His people to state that God’s goal was not the fall of Babylon or the other kingdoms, but to grant comfort to His people after having been chastised during captivity. “The Lord give you rest from your sorrow and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve” verse 3. The prophet refers to the king of Babylon as the oppressor who strikes the people in wrath. Thus he ends in verse 11 saying to the king “The maggots are spread under you and worms cover you”. Isaiah goes on further to liken the King to the fall of Lucifer. Just as Lucifer’s fall was due to pride and haughtiness, so was the king of Babylon. This is a good message for us when we assume that we do not need the support of God in our lives and to lean on our own strength we are most likely to fall (just like Lucifer and Babylon). Thus we should humble ourselves before the Lord. The prophet also mentions what happens to Assyria and Philistine. Thus God reveals His plans to chastise the evil doers, showing that sin carries punishment. But it is also through His mercy that He hears our prayers of repentance. Wednesday (Read Isaiah 13) We have now seen Isaiah prophesize about Judah & Jerusalem he moves on to prophecies regarding the surrounding countries starting with Babylon. Babylon at the time was closely allied with Judah and was not yet a great kingdom. However history tell of how Judah falls to Babylon in 586 BC. Isaiah foretells of what will happen to Babylon after the return of Judah from captivity, that is that Babylon will be destroyed on the hands of Persia and Medes “To lay the land desolate, and He will destroy its sinners from it” verse 9. Father Tadros Malaty describes Babylon as a symbol of every proud and rebellious soul, saying that judgment will come to those souls. “The pride of heart was enough in itself to cast from Heaven to earth, such great and capable power. The fall of the great devil, warns us to be cautious, being surrounded by the weakness of flesh on all sides” St John Cassian “The pride of heart was enough in itself to cast from Heaven to earth, such great and capable power. The fall of the great devil, warns us to be cautious, being surrounded by the weakness of flesh on all sides” St John Cassian