Isaiah 54:1-8
Key Verse 54:2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.”
1. What were the people of Israel who were under the Babylonian exile like? (1a) Why did God’s chosen people become so miserable like a barren woman? (cf. 1 Samuel 1:10-11)
2. What did God say to the barren woman, his distressed people? (1b) How could they burst into song and
shout for joy?
3. What is the meaning of “Enlarge the place of your tent” and how does it give hope to his people? (2)
What does it mean to dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities? (3; Compare Genesis 22:17-18)
4. How had Israel experienced fear, shame and disgrace? (4,6,7) Why should they not be afraid or feel shame anymore?
5. What does it mean that our Maker is our husband? Our Redeemer? (5,8) How did God show his great mercy to his abandoned people? (7,8) How does this promise give us hope as we go forward into the new year?