1.Share insights on table from Psalm 1 ‘homework’ 2.Cut up text of Isaiah 53 as indicated

CICC Cafe: Biblefresh Insights The Aims 1.To discover the way God writes – the biblical (Hebrew) worldview, culture, literature 2.To develop skills in enjoying and meditating on the inspired text of scripture 3.To appreciate the benefits that come from studying Torah in fellowship with others

CICC Cafe: Biblefresh Insights The Sessions 1.Glory to God – Speaking with tongues of angels! (Luke 2.14) 2.The Lord is my Shepherd – Poetic analysis of Psalm 23 3.Behold my Servant – Poetic analysis of Isaiah 53 4.How does God write? – The Concept of Woven Text 5.In the Beginning – An example of woven text 6.Our Father in heaven – Woven text in the New Testament

Glory in the highest to God, & Peaceon earth among people of favour

Homework Psalm 1

CICC Cafe: Biblefresh Insights Focusing The Lord is my Shepherd 1.Lots of ways to study the Bible 2.This series is about Biblefresh Insights 3.The usual way we see the text – as prose (Item 3) 4.Need to study the text as given (see Item 4 – Is 53) 5.Translations versus the literal translation (Read) 6.Item 2 – meditate on/ arrange the blocks of text

The Enigma Exaltation & Humiliation?! Isaiah See, my servant will act wisely/will prosper; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness– 15 so will he startle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.

The Solution Exaltation through sin-bearing suffering!

The Revelation The Early Story: Shoot & Root The Suffering observed & misunderstood Isaiah 53 1 Who would have believed what we (just) heard? and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

The Revelation The Later Story: Lamb & Sheep The Suffering, voluntary & undeserved 7 He was oppressed, though he humbled himself and was not opening his mouth; like the lamb to the slaughtering was led, & like a ewe before the ones shearing her is silent, so he was not opening his mouth. 8 From restraint and from judgment he was taken away, & of his contemporaries, who complained/spoke out that he was cut off from the land of the living, on account of the transgression of my people, a stroke for them 9 And he was assigned with wicked ones (pl) his grave and with a rich one (sing.) in his deaths (pl), though no violence he did, or no deceit in his mouth.

The Revelation The Suffering Explained 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and shouldered our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of all of us.

Suffering and Glory? AThe Enigma ( ) BThe Revelation (53.1-9) AThe Solution ( )

Suffering and Glory? AThe Enigma ( ) BThe Revelation (about the Suffering) BThe Story – Birth & Life (1-3) CThe Substitution (4-6) B’The Story – Trial, Execution, Burial (7-9) A’The Solution ( )

Parallelism – Key insight in Hebrew-Biblical literature – Usually in pairs, sometimes 3s or 4s (two pairs) – In sentences, in paragraphs, in units, in books! Inverted Parallelism – Also called Chiasma(ta) CICC Cafe: Biblefresh Insights Meaning-making Behold my Servant!

Truth at two dimensions – Linear or 2D – the linear reading of the text – Parallel or 3D – the parallel reading of the text Notice the learning that comes from the As, Bs and C – Like the difference between 2D vision & 3D vision! – 2D is seeing on one plane, 3D is seeing in depth

CICC Coming Up Homework! – Meditate some more on Isaiah 53! Resources – New Testament – Old Testament – NET Bible – Bibleworks – Jewish Study Bible

CICC Coming Up Events such as this, around Wales – Story Wars with Gerard Kelly, 24 March, Glenwood; 25 th Breakfast – Can I believe the Bible? Tyndale House, 6/7 May, Highfields CICC Cafes – Biblefresh Insights – Relating Faith – Culture – do your own! Website Courses – Leadership Academy