Isaiah 28-33

Isaiah 28:1-8

The wreath of Ephraim is composed of prideful drunkards and will be trampled. It is a sight of the fading beauty of God’s glory.

Isaiah 28:9-15

Ephraim’s response to God’s words is annoyance, like a child who does not wish to be nagged by his parents. In truth though, God is telling Ephraim, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and “This is the place of repose.” Sadly, all they hear is, “Do this, do that,” because they do not want to hear what God has to say.

Isaiah 28:16-29

1 Peter 24:4-8

- If we place our trust in the Lord, Jesus Christ, we will be saved from eternal death and will never be put to shame. God will guide us, and as long as we choose to follow, we will be protected.

- Messages of hope given in the woe to Ariel include: 1) their enemies will become like fine dust; 2) all nations that fight against Ariel will be gone.

- It is foolish to hide things from the Lord because God made us all and therefore knows everything that is going on, even private thoughts in our heads.

- The Lord says, “Can the pot say of the potter, ‘He knows nothing?’” I think this is telling us that the pot (His children) cannot hide anything from the potter (God), because the potter DID make the pot. It is thus not unthinkable that the potter would know every blemish of the pot.

Isaiah 30

Deuteronomy 7:2–6

2 Corinthians 6:14–18

According to Merriam-Webster, “obstinate” means: perversely adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion. Obstinate people therefore form alliances and carry out plans of their own purposes (as opposed to following the Word of God) without heeding any reasonable or logical thought. They form alliances based on their own wants and needs (self-centered), paying no attention to what is actually good for them.

Isaiah 30:8–17 

- This is a very powerful passage. It explicitly instructs Isaiah to write down the prophesy, for as the event comes true, the event itself would thus be “an everlasting witness.” Next, it predicts how rebellious and deceitful people would refuse to listen to the Lord’s instruction and would listen to only “pleasant things.”This thus is how obstinate people would behave. They listen to only what they want to hear in order to do what they want to do. They have little interest in doing the right thing and would ignore even the most basic common sense just to get what they want.

We should listen to… We should just LISTEN. Period.

We should open our minds and hearts to the Lord’s message and listen. We should refrain from tainting the message with our personal greed, our wants and needs. “In quietness and trust is your strength,” said the Lord. I believe this paints an inner state of mind where we are tranquil and calm because we trust the Lord and are open to His words. And only when we have such tranquility will we avoid being stirred up and overwhelmed by self-centered thoughts.

- God promised Judah that 1) it will weep no more; 2) God will answer to its cries of help; 3) it will be able to see its teachers and no longer be blind to them; 4) it will hear the Lord’s guidance; 5) it will defile its idols and do away with them for good; and 6) God will ensure prosperity of the land.

Isaiah 30:27-33

Assyria is no longer a threat to Judah because the Lord has already shattered it.

Isaiah 31–32

Exodus 12–15
Psalm 20:7

- Isaiah stresses it is futile to rely on “just” Egypt but “do not look to the Holy One of Israel” or to “seek help from God,” because “the Egyptians are men and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit.” That is, when we need help, we need a force that is stronger than man. And the only force that is stronger than man is God. We thus should place our trust in the Lord and not in things of the world.

These reasons are significant in light of Israel’s past history because whenever God’s people chose to trust in human things/power instead of the Lord, they fail.

- Instead of relying on Egypt and risk the danger of relying on man-based things, God promises salvation, justice, and peace to those who trusts Him. God’s people will be sheltered from anything and everything.

- I do not think Isaiah is making any “accusations” about the women of his time. I think Isaiah is talking to everyone through his advice to the women: 1) Harsh times are coming, and we therefore must not be complacent (hence, “Strip off your clothes, put sackcloth around your waists); 2) until “the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,” the harsh times will not end, and so we must remain vigilant in the sense of making sure our hearts follow God (hence, Isaiah saying “My people”). Followers of God will “live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.”

Insights from Pinnochio?

I had this inspiration in the shower last night.


There are a lot of parallels between Pinnochio and Christian concepts. Whether these parallels were meant to be there, we can only ask Walt Disney (or Carlo Collodi, who wrote "The Real Thing, The Original," the story that Disney reinterpreted to become our beloved Pinnochio).


- Pinnochio represents the human soul.
- Pinnochio's Father is God, the Father, the Maker of Pinnochio. (Of course, the fairy tale has an angel coming in to "breathe life into Pinnochio" but the general concept is there.)
- Father does everything he can to love Pinnochio, to teach him the Way. But of course, the Wolf (i.e., Satan) lures Pinnochio away, and encourages him to become, well, a donkey... to build his workforce. This concept is very similar to Satan (the Wolf) only wanting the human soul (Pinnochio) for his own power. Satan does not care about the human soul. To Satan, the human soul is just a tool to build his kingdom.
- Pinnochio gets eaten by the Whale (wow, the Bibilical story of Jonah, anyone?). (Yes, Pinnochio's Father was also eaten by the Whale, but these parallels aren't exact in the first place... so... slack, please... BUT!! God was with Jonah in the Whale. God is ALWAYS with us... so another way to look at this particular event could be that Father's physical presence in the Whale with Pinnochio symbolizes a personified God who was also in the Whale with Jonah.) And it was in the Whale that Pinnochio finally returns to Father (very similar to how Jonah also returned to God when he was swallowed up by the Whale).
- Despite all the wrongdoings and the betrayal of Pinnochio, Father still held his arms wide open to receive the coming home of his child, one who is already forgiven, even before Pinnochio asks for forgiveness (in parallel with the concept of Salvation).
- The physical transformations of Pinnochio vividly illustrates the changing of the goodness of the soul. When Pinnochio chose to side with the Wolf, he became a donkey. When Pinnochio chose love and to side with Father, Pinnochio transformed from a wooden boy to a real boy. These are parallels to the concept of the human soul going from a mortal state to an immortal state. 


The central idea of the story resonates, for me, with the central concept of becoming a Christian. We don't do it because we want/greed eternal life. Pinnochio didn't become a real boy just because he wanted to. From the inside out, he had to be cleansed by love (or the Holy Spirit). He learned it wasn't about wanting to be a real boy but about the simple and pure will to love Father and to remain by his side. (This was a very tough lesson to learn, as Pinnochio had to literally go through Hell to fully embrace the concept of love.) And because of this transformation of the mind/soul, his body was also transformed. That is, eternal life is a mere consequence of loving God. (I'm downplaying the concept of eternal life a bit here just to illustrate the relative importance of loving God versus eternal life, not to say eternal life is not important.)


We choose to be Christians because we are God's children, and we choose to go Home to God. God has sacrificed Jesus to ensure that all His children can return to Him. (Our imperfection prevents us from setting foot in the presence of His perfection, and Jesus' blood washes away such imperfection.) Eternal life, etc. are important, as we are Heirs to God's Kingdom, and we are thus blessed with such glory. However, such heirloom ought not be the driving force to return to God. Otherwise, would we not just be a bunch of materialistic, thankless, self-centered children who bicker and fight over our parents' inheritance? Where is the love in that? Where is the beauty in such a  relationship? Were we not taught by God to not get caught up with things of the world? We go back to God because we love Him, our Father. And in turn, we learn to love each other as brothers/sisters.


Christianity thus boils down to this simple concept: Love God, our Father.


And so, I think the Beatles really got it right when they sang, "Love, Love, Love is all you need."


** The ideas shared above are mine, not plagiarized nor researched, and so, if there are any similarities to other written works out there, then perhaps we were all inspired to share these thoughts. And of course, the above is not an attempt to decipher the message within Pinnochio, if there is one. It really all is just a brainstorm of ideas that came into my head last night as I was taking a shower.

Isaiah 25-27

Isaiah 25

- Isaiah is praising God for the things that God has made happen: for keeping His promises, for God’s faithfulness on delivering the things God has promised. God weakens the proud and strengthens the humble who steadfastly follow God. God protects His people and shelters them from harm. God is the ultimate refuge, and in God, we can truly trust.

- Isaiah 25:6, on this mountain, the Lord will prepare a great feast, the Lord will eradicate death all together, removing al tears and disgrace from His people. The people will thus praise God for this peace and joy, saying “We trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

For me, this is a very inspiring quote. It reminds us that faith is not just blind belief. Faith is trusting that God will deliver. These Biblical events are evidence of how God delivers on His promises. God has never broken His promises, and He never will. This is why despite all hardship, our best place of comfort is in the Lord. He is the ONLY being in the world who has not once disappointed His children. Even when we, His children, boldly defy Him, He continues to hold out His arms and urge us to come Home to Him (i.e., God’s salvation for human kind). To be offered a safe place to call Home despite all our imperfections, yes, let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation!

- God will bring down the pride of cleverness in the Moab.

Isaiah 26:1–6

- The city is a strong city, a city of the righteous and a nation that remains faithful. The people are peaceful, their minds steadfast and their hearts loyal to the Lord. The people place their trust steadily in the Lord, for they know the Lord is their Rock.

- According to Merriam and Webster, steadfast is defined as “immovable; not subject to change; firm in belief, determination, or adherence.” And so, a steadfast mind would be a mental state that will not alter easily due to outside influences or, shall we say, satanic/demonic temptations. The benefits of having a steadfast mind allow us to focus on our trust, our faith in God to resist evil forces that are trying to lure our souls.

There is a fierce war for our souls on Earth. Satan wants our souls for power, and God is offering us protection. All we have to do is choose to go Home and place our trust in Him.  And thus, our absolute faith in God is our only infallible weapon and armor against Satan. (See Ephesians 6:10-18 for a detailed description of the Armor of God.)

- Philippians 4:6-8, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

This passage encourages us to not be anxious about anything because of our steadfast trust in the Lord, that if we ever worry about anything, we communicate with God through thankful prayers. Despite human advances in technology, we are NOT omniscient, and we will NEVER be. We thus cannot always understand why things happen or why they don’t. And so, especially during such uncertain times, we should always remember back to God, our Rock, who has never once broken His promises, and rest assured knowing that He will continue to keep His promises with us. Prayer is the best communication. It is the most direct line of communication with God. Pray and He will answer. He always does.

- God will judge the lofty city by humbling them, by leveling it to the ground and casting it down to the dust.

Isaiah 26:7–21 and Psalm 1

- The righteous walks a path that is level and smooth, because the righteous follows the way of God’s laws. The righteous recognizes that everything they have accomplished, it is due to the Lord’s blessing. The righteous will be forever prosperous and will never wither. The righteous will be the ones who receive God’s salvation. These people will be sheltered when God punishes the people for their sins.

The wicked, on the other hand, ignores the path of the righteous even when shown grace. They continue to do evil things, disregarding God’s warnings. They are proud and believe they can outsmart God or that they do not need God to succeed or that every success that they have built was built purely by their own hands and without the blessing of the Lord. The wicked thus are weak and can be easily blown away. They will not stand judgment and will perish. The wicked will thus be punished for their sins and feel the whole of God’s wrath.

- Isaiah 26:12–18, it is wise to trust the Lord above all others (including ourselves), because the world that we live in is ESTABLISHED by God. The only reason we have any kind of peace and joy in this world today is because of God’s protection. Any other ruler, they come and go. They make mistakes. They become proud and arrogant as they gain more power, more wealth, more success. And so, they perish, and they die. Worse, they break promises when their lives/status are on the line.

God has the ultimate power, and no living thing can contest against it. But, God has no reason to be proud, because He is the maker of us all. He can eradicate us as easy as us snapping our fingers. However, He is loving, and His love is eternal. Trusting the Lord above all others is the only logical choice, really.

- Isaiah 26:19–21, This passage speaks of the hope that the wicked will be punished and the righteous will be saved. Those who died in Christ will also rise and witness the glory of God.

- Job 19:25–27

The great promise of God is that God lives and in the end will stand above all. Despite death of the flesh, we will see God with our own eyes.

- John 5:24–29

The great promise of God is that those who hear God’s Word and choose to follow God will not be condemned. These people will be saved and be granted eternal life. Those who hear God’s voice will rise, even those who have physically died in Christ. A time is coming in which all followers of Christ will rise and be granted eternal life.

- John 11:25–26

The great promise of God is that those who believe in Jesus will be granted eternal life. Those who believe in Jesus will never die.

- John 17:3

The great promise of God is that those who believe in God will be granted eternal life.

As important as the above message is, I’m always queasy when I hear people saying we should all be Christians because we get eternal life, as if believing in Christ is a form of insurance or something.

To me, choosing to follow Christ ought not to be an act of such cowardice thinking! We ought to choose to follow Christ, because we want to fight Satan. We need to realize that at the end of times, we will all be fighting a God vs. Satan war. It’s not about the want/greed to live forever or the fear of death. It’s about choosing which side we want to fight for. So what are we going to fight for? Eternal life with God or eternal death with Satan?

Isaiah 27

Revelation 12:3; 20:2–3, 10

- At the end of times, God will punish with His sword, slaying Satan.

Isaiah 5:1–6 and 27:2–6

- Israel will ultimately become a fruitful vineyard. It used to be fruitless and a worthless wilderness, because the people chose to betray God and needed to be humbled. However, God continuously watches over it, constantly watering it and guarding it. He will weed out the wicked, but at the end of the day, He is always waiting for His people to make peace with Him.

- As a people without understanding, God will show no compassion and no favor. God will strike them down.

I think “without understanding” means those who CHOOSE not to hear the Word of God. Matthew 11:15, Mark 4:9, Revelation 3:22, these scriptures all speak of “He who has ears, let him hear.” This is an extremely powerful message (One that gives me goosebumps!). It means, if we are stubborn and choose to close off our hearts and our ears to Christ, then we will never “hear” His Word, i.e., we will never be able to understand God’s message. That is, the choice of hearing God is in our own hands. If we want to hear, then we will hear.

- The purpose behind God’s judgment is to be rid of the people who have chosen to stand against Him.

- Exodus 19:10–13

The trumpets are used to let people know when they may go up to the mountain (because when God is still up that mountain, the people cannot go up because they will die).

- Leviticus 25:8–10

The trumpets are used to notify the Year of Jubilee.

- Matthew 24:30–31

The trumpets are used by Jesus to call for His angels.

- 1 Corinthians 15:52

The trumpets are used to signal the quick change from limited mortality to immortality. Those who died in Christ will be raised. Those who are alive and live in Christ will go immediately from a mortal state to an eternal state.

- 1 Thessalonians 4:16

Similar to the previous passage, the trumpets are used to signal the second coming of Jesus, and upon the sound of this trumpet, the dead will rise and the living will ascend to Heaven with Christ.

- As Christians, the trumpet sounds mentioned in 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians are exciting times to come. The moment we hear it, we will be transformed instantaneously to Heaven and into immortal beings. This is an event known as the Rapture. We will be “caught away” by Christ to avoid God’s “cleansing” of the Earth of Satan and his followers, which is defined as the time of the Tribulation. And again, those with ears, let them hear… it suggests only Christian will be able to hear the sound of these trumpets, and thus, only Christians will be able to be protected from God’s wrath during this period of time.

Isaiah 24

Isaiah 24:1–6

- The Lord will be completely destroyed the earth (laid to waste, dried up, withered, languished, consumed by curse) and scatter all people all over the earth. Many of these people will be burned up, leaving very few behind.

- The people who have defiled the earth, those who have disobeyed the laws of the Lord and broken the everlasting covenant established with the Lord.

- This certain because it is said, “The Lord has spoken this Word.”

- The earth would be consumed by the curse because the people have sinned; sinned in the sense that they have turned away from God, their Father who has given them everything.

Isaiah 24:7–13

- The condition of the people that remain will be extreme sadness (no more wine, no joyful music, no singing), as it has been said, “All joy turns to gloom, all gaiety is banished from the earth.”

- There will be a people who will be spared the desolation in the last days. As it has been said, “… very few are left,” or “… as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.”

Isaiah 24:14–16

- The people mentioned are those who have been saved from God’s destruction of the earth. They are God’s people, who joyfully express the glory of the Lord’s majesty.

- These people praise God like how children who are loved by their parents would praise their parents. I am very lucky to have a set of very loving parents who have given me everything I could ever dream of and more. They aren’t just there to give me shelter and food, but they encouraged me when I fail, and they help me stand up after I have fallen. And they are always there to help me dress my wound, to make sure I get well and that I learn my mistakes. Hence, it is very easy for me to understand why “they” would praise God. Because as God’s people, we are all His children. He is our Father, who provides us with not only food and shelter but also everlasting love and support. He teaches us the Way and disciplines us like any good Father would. But always, always, always, at the end of the day, all He wants us to do is come Home to Him safely.

See also Isaiah 2:1–5 and 11:1–11

- These verses describe peace amongst the people and all those who are able to live in joy and harmony under the glory of God.

Isaiah 24:16–23; Revelation 20:1–15

- Those who sin and turn away from God will be met with “terror and pit and snare.” These people will be punished by the Lord and will be “herded together… shut up in prison and be punished for many days.”

- It has been said, “… the Lord will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below,” showing God is the Ruler of them all. God is the ultimate authority.

Isaiah 24:21–22; Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 12:7–9; 20:1–3

- The powers in the heavens above are not those of “flesh and blood” but those of “this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12). That is, these are the powers of Satan (the dragon, the ancient serpent, the devil) and his league of angles who side with Satan to betray God (Revelation 12:7-9; 20:1-3). God will banish Satan and his betraying angels down to earth, causing them to lose their place in Heaven. God will then bound Satan (and those angels) for a thousand years, locked up in the Abyss to prevent him from preying on the nations during this period of time.

Isaiah 24:22; Revelation 20:1–15

- The “many days” (Isaiah 24:22) refer to the “thousand years” (Revelation 20:1). The immediate punishment is the banishment of Satan and his followers to the Abyss for a thousand years (Revelation 20:3). After that, Satan will be “thrown into the lake of burning sulfer” and be “tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). Each person will be “judged according to what he had done” (Revelation 20:13), and those whose names are not in the Book of Life will also be thrown in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).

See also Revelation 20:4–10

- The Lord reigns in Heaven, and his power extends to the earth.

- Read Revelation 20:4-6 for a vivid example of how God defeats death, as quoted here: 

“I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.”

Christians never fear death, because what is death when we have God on our side? Physical Death is merely the end of the use of our bodies as the vessels of our souls. We were born once of flesh and blood, but our bodies are mere vessels to help us get through this phase of time. Flesh and blood deteriorates over time, and so, the organs within our bodies will wear out with use. Our bodies will die.

But when we CHOOSE to live as Christians, we are born a second time (i.e., the phrase “born again”), and our souls live FOREVER.

We must thus REFUSE and NEVER RECEIVE the mark of the beast. (This occurs during Tribulation. Let us hope we aren’t here for that. We should all be Raptured away by Jesus and reside in great joy and peace in Heaven and not have to face this.) If we were to ever side with Satan or the beast, we will die an eternal death, the death of our SOUL. And it is this Spiritual Death that we all should fear, because it is the eternal torment that lasts “day and night for ever and ever (Revelation 20:10). Some people view it as punishment. I view it as a matter of the consequence of a person's freedom of choice. Whether we end up in Heaven or Hell, we have all been given the free will to choose. Those who choose to turn away from God choose Hell (because Hell = a place without God) and, in turn, to side with Satan. And the lake of burning sulfer and fire is where Satan will go, and that is where his followers will go as well.

Isaiah 15-23

Isaiah 15–16

- Moab was too proud and was thus doomed to be destroyed, and Isaiah was crying out in pain because of this.

- Moab will be destroyed because of their pride.

- I think one of the major barriers that prevents a person from receiving God’s help is pride. This is really hard to overcome because that person will never think he/she needs anyone’s help. This person would never think he/she makes any mistakes and believe he/she can succeed without anyone’s support. And when things don’t work, this person will never think he/she need to reflect because he/she may be the root of the problem. Instead, this person will lay blame on others.

If you know pride is your own barrier, then that is a step-up already. Knowing, in this case, truly wins half the battle. Because by admitting that pride is getting in your way, you are now open to taking suggestions and taking the steps needed to move away from that. The scariest thing is actually to not be aware that pride is your own barrier. At times like this, friends and family are critical.

How do you help a blind see? I think this is the toughest quest of all. But I believe we all must try. For me, it’s all about patience and understanding. A person who has been blinded by pride will never be able to see no matter how hard he/she tries. Friends and family should step in to help because they known this person best. From my personal experience, all we can do is to communicate endlessly. It is not an easy feat, and it will not be accomplished in one sitting. It may take months. It may take years. But we cannot give up. This is also why fellowship is so important. We can rely on each other to point out our blind spots, so that we may move forward to amend them.

Isaiah 17–18

17:1–3

Both Israel and Damascus will fall as the result of their alliance.

17:4–6

The glory of Jacob—the glory of Israel—will fade, yet some will remain.

17:7–11

Israel had forgotten God as its savior, choosing instead to seek other gods. On the day of its fall however, Israel will then remember its Maker, turning its eyes back to the Holy One of Israel.

17:12–14

The people and the nations that rage and roar against God’s people will flee away when God rebukes them. God will drive them out.

18:1–6

God has often remained in the backdrop, just observing. However, when the time is ripe, He will give a warning (such as sounds of a trumpet). And then, He will cut off all those who are not His people and leave these people to their demise.

18:7

“At that time,” and this is my guess, means the period encompassing the Tribulation.

- God was symbolized as Savior, Rock, and Fortress. Compared to man-made idols, such as Asherah poles and incense altars, God is a solid support. Placing trust in man-made idols is pointless because such idols have no power in making anything happen. It’s man-made! But God, He is the Creator of all. He exists before and after us. He exceeds our abilities, and where we fail, He will not. And so, by placing our trust in Him, we will be safe. And this is why He is our Savior, Rock, and Fortress.

Isaiah 19–20

- The idols of the Egyptians trembled before God. And this will cause the Egyptians to finally realize who the true God is.

19:2–15

- Egyptians, because they chose to place their trust in their man-made idols, will be led to fight against one and another. Nothing will grow, rivers will dry up, and life will be desperate.

- I think it is dangerous to think how God may be using natural conditions to reveal Himself to us today, because the truth is, we just don’t know. Many people like to say that Katrina or 911, or other natural catastrophes happened because God wanted to punish us for our wrongdoings, but we have no proof of this! I thus disagree very much with the notion to even hypothesize how God may be revealing Himself to us through natural conditions.

However, we should still bear in mind what has been taught to us in the Bible. The Bible teaches us that we may not know the specific day and time of Jesus’ second coming. But there are tell-tale signs of His coming. Events that need to occur to set His coming in place. And if we look at the times that we are in and compare to the trends of what has been happening (the formation of the EU, the beginning of the Fall of the US, massive spread of Christianity across the globe, etc.), we should all realize that we are close to the end of times.

This is a tough but very important topic and should really be discussed with fellowship and in further detail.

- “In that day,” Egyptians will show fear for God and come under His kindom.

- The stripping of Isaiah symbolizes shame. It is a warning to Cush and Egypt that if these two nations were to remain prideful, they, too, will be stripped of their powers and be completely exposed of their sin and be put to shame.

Isaiah 21–23

21:1–10

God’s judgment for Babylon: Babylon will fall.

21:11–12

God’s judgment for Edom: Edom will be no more.

21:13–17

God’s judgment for Arabia: Arabia will run from battle (but will not succeed).

23:1–18

God’s judgment for Tyre: Tyre, once the center of commerce, will be destroyed by many nations. It will be no more and have no chance to be rebuilt.  (See also Ezekiel 26:1-28:19)

Excerpt taken from

http://seminary.lds.org/manuals/old-testament-seminary-student-study-guide/ot-ssg-7-isa-15.asp:

Isaiah 23 contains a prophecy about Tyre, a city of Phoenicia, is the last of the chapters prophesying the overthrow of nations surrounding Israel and Judah. Tyre was a city focused on the buying and selling of the treasures of the world. The things of the world were always more important to the inhabitants of Tyre than anything else, including God. Isaiah referred to Tyre as a harlot. This is because, in a sense, the people sold themselves and their sacred relationship with God for money—much in the same way a harlot sells her sacred virtue for money.

- Isaiah prophesies that Jerusalem will fall because its people are proud. The people thought they could solve problems on their own and did not realize the blessing given to them by their Maker, the Lord (Isaiah 22:11). Instead of repenting and be humbled, the people of Jerusalem celebrated the downfall of the nations around it (Isaiah 22:12-14). Isaiah thus used the story of Shebna as a warning to Jerusalem: That if they continue to be prideful, they will be brought down like how Shebna was brought down. However, the sin of Jerusalem will not be atoned for until its dying days (Isaiah 22:14). It will thus be atoned by Jesus Christ. And once Jerusalem returns to God’s side, it will then once again arise.

Blessed and Welcomed :)

Dear all who have responded to my recent posts,

First, I am very honored and humbled by your attention. I thank you all very much for the encouraging words and also for your words of caution.

I started this blog because I want to have a place to share my discussions within my Bible Study group. It started out very small, and for a long time (in fact, up until last month), I believe I was the only reader.

I have been a Christian for almost two years now, so I am a baby, and I am still learning. I hope to get the Word out in the most positive way, and I am a firm believer that there is absolutely logic and Truth in Christianity, and that true faith is not the same as mere religion.

I started doing BSF studies with my mom a few months ago. She is still trying to learn the way, and many of the questions developed by BSF are often daunting for "neonates." Since we live thousands of miles apart, we cannot attend the same Bible Study group, and I cannot be there to study with her. And many times, she has expressed her wanting to quit, and so I thought I would share my answers with her. Hence, I started posting my answers on my blog.

I had no idea it would garner this much attention, and I am glad that all of you have been tremendously encouraging. I will be careful about impinging upon copyrights in my future posts, as I hold high respect for intellectual property. If my previous posts are problematic, I will discard them--so please let me know.

I am encouraged by your comments to continue to share my thoughts. It is very important to note that I do not have the "answers." My responses reflect my current understanding of the Bible, and I am certainly far from being a Biblical scholar. My understanding can definitely be wrong, and I would certainly appreciate it if anyone would jump in to offer his/her own perspective.

At the end of the day, I hope this blog will be a place where we encourage discussion. I agree with thekennedy4 in that we should still gather with fellow Christians and study the Bible. And so, this blog is by no means a replacement for that. Rather, I hope this to be a tool to those discussions. And ultimately, I hope that we all can grow together as Christians and help get the Word out to those around us.

Thank you again for your attention, and I look forward to our future discussions!!

PS--Isaiah is very hard to read, and I cannot say I understand all of it :)