How bad is too bad? When do you step over the line, so there’s no chance of turning back? When you take the family car and wreck it? When you try that new drug and find you’re hooked? When you flunk out of school? Hey, it’s best not to take any of those steps. But even if you have, it’s never too late. God cried out to a sinful Judah, whose hands were “full of blood” (Isaiah 1:15), and urged them to change. “Though your sins are like scarlet,” God promised, “they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). Don’t give up. It’s not too late to experience God’s forgiveness, and to change.
Your school is rough. Drugs. Fights. Even guns and knives. Your neighborhood is rough too. You may be pressured to join a gang just for safety. It’s not easy to live like a Christian in a hostile world. Isaiah knew what it meant to live in a society where the “words and deeds” of the people are against everything God stands for. But the Lord had a word of encouragement for the Jews of Isaiah’s day and for you: “Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds” (Isaiah 3:10).
Lots of people think being holy means never having any fun. They think God is disgusted whenever they enjoy themselves.
Actually, God enjoys a good time. The Bible says that God “provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17). When Jesus was on earth, he was criticized for going to dinner parties (Matthew 9:9–11). But holiness doesn’t mean being miserable.
To say that God is holy means that he is committed to doing what is right and loving—and that he wants his people to do what is right and loving too. Isaiah describes rich people who care nothing for the poor, then goes on to warn that “the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts” (Isaiah 5:16). Because God is holy, he will punish the wicked and will see justice done.
Jesus was “born of the virgin Mary”
Can you predict what will happen next week? How about predicting something that will happen in 730 years? And just to make it harder, try to predict something impossible.
That’s what the prophet Isaiah did. Of course, he had help. He was saying what God told him to say: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
Actually, there are two “impossible” predictions here. The first is that a virgin will have a child. And the second is that the child will be Immanuel, a Hebrew word that means “God with us.” For hundreds of years those who studied the Old Testament must have puzzled over this prediction. How could a virgin have a child? How could a human child be “God with us?”
And then 730 years after Isaiah’s prophecy it happened! An angel came to a teenage Jewish girl named Mary. The angel told her she would have a child who would be the Son of God. She did, and today we celebrate Christmas to honor Jesus, God’s one and only Son, born of the virgin Mary.
We’re so familiar with Christmas that sometimes we forget the miracle. A virgin bore a child. That child was God, come in the flesh to be with us and to die for us. And it was all foretold 730 years before it happened!
Why is nature so cruel? Predators kill weaker animals. Why did God create animals that hurt and kill other animals? The Bible tells you that the sin of Adam and Eve spoiled nature as well as the human race. The ground itself was cursed, and even vegetation changed (Genesis 3:17). When Adam and Eve sinned, plants and animals felt the effects of the fall too.
Take a look at Isaiah 11:6–9. In the future God will actually change the nature of wild animals. “The wolf will live with the lamb,” and “the cow will feed with the bear.”
This world is beautiful now. Imagine how beautiful it was before Adam and Eve sinned. One day this world will be perfect again. No wonder Romans 8:19–21 says that creation itself can hardly wait.
Today world peace seems closer than it did when the United States and the Soviet Union had missiles aimed at each other. However, every day thousands of people live in terror. You might feel safer, but someone on the other side of the world might not. World peace is peace everywhere, for all people.
When the United Nations tries to stop terrorism or sends help to the victims of war, you can be glad. But however hard they try, they’ll never be able to bring world peace. As long as people are moved by anger and hatred and a lust for power, peace is impossible.
When Jesus returns to rule, he’ll bring world peace by changing the hearts of those who live in this world. “The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever” (Isaiah 32:17).
Q: How many Assyrian soldiers did the angel of the LORD kill?
BONUS: Do any other historical sources report this incident?
The guys in the locker room are all over me about being a virgin. They’re now asking if I’m gay. I also take a lot of heat because I don’t go out and get drunk with them. I’m beginning to feel like I really am a loser. My willpower is getting weak.
Hunter
Dear Hunter,
Lots of kids say they’re Christians, but the way they live doesn’t show it. You have the courage to live your faith. You have a clear conscience because you’re not living in sin.
I’m concerned that you’re feeling worn down saying no. Next time the guys are getting on your case you could say something like, “Hey, I don’t get on you because of the choices you make. How about returning the favor?” People need to feel comfortable with their choices, and you deserve the right to choose. I’m guessing after a while of getting the same answer, they’ll decide to leave you alone.
Maybe you could also find some other guys and girls who honor God in their lives. Does your church have a youth group? Does your school have a Fellowship of Christian Athletes group? If so, you might find some others whose choices are more like yours.
One great thing to remember is that God will give you strength to help you continue to honor him. Take a look at Isaiah 40:28–31: “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary . . .” (verses 30–31). Stay strong. You not only honor God with your life, but you may also be helping someone else who needs someone to look up to.
Jordan
When you go to school tomorrow or the next day, take a look around you. What about that girl with the bad complexion? Or the guy with the bad reputation? Or the group that dresses in black and walks around looking angry? They’re outsiders who make you feel uncomfortable. Do you just write them off? This passage in Isaiah describes the outsider as a “bruised reed” and as a “smoldering wick.” Neither is of much use. Isaiah says that people whom society sees as worthless are important to the Lord. Try to look at the “outsiders” at school with Christ’s eyes, and reach out to them.
In chapter 44:6–20, Isaiah pokes fun at people who cut down a tree, use part of it for firewood and carve an idol from the rest. Then they bow down and pray to that hunk of wood!
People today are often just as foolish, counting on the wrong things to help them. Some count on wealth, others on popularity. Some count on stylish clothes, others on athletic talent. But in the end, you can’t count on any of these things.
What you can count on is God. Don’t misunderstand. It’s not wrong to have money or nice clothes. What’s wrong is to count on these things as if they are what life is all about. That’s idolatry. And that’s foolish. Living God’s way and making what’s important to him important to you will lead you to a happy tomorrow and a happy forever.
Do you wish you had more independence? That’s good. You’re not a child anymore. You make many decisions on your own. But probably not all of them. So it’s easy to see why some kids resent authority. It’s your life, and you want to make your own decisions. But remember one thing: even adults need guidance. Not someone to say, “You have to do this!” But someone to suggest, “This way is best.” Don’t resent God’s authority. He isn’t standing over you with a whip. He’s standing beside you saying, “Let me help you. I just want what’s best for you.”
“Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified”
Historical records tell us that Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea for ten years. There’s no doubt he was there; no doubt that he reluctantly ordered the death of Jesus of Nazareth. No doubt that Pilate lost his position when his patron, a man named Sejanus who was captain of the Emperor’s personal guard, was executed. The historical fact is that Jesus did “suffer under Pontius Pilate” (see John 18:28–19:19).
Yet 700 years before Pilate became governor, the prophet Isaiah described Jesus’ suffering:
• Jesus’ hands and feet were pierced (Isaiah 53:5).
• Jesus was hung on a cross between two criminals (Isaiah 53:9).
• Jesus was buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9).
Isaiah also tells us why Jesus died. He took the punishment that you deserve so you could have peace with God (Isaiah 53:4–6). And Isaiah saw beyond the cross. After Jesus’ pain he rose from the grave, knew that your salvation had been won, and he said, “It was worth it!” (Isaiah 53:11).
Zack writes, “My biggest temptation is living the way others want me to instead of how God wants me to live.” Everybody—adults and teens—has that temptation. It may help to remember Isaiah’s warning to the people of Israel, who were tempted to live the way the pagan people around them lived. God said through the prophet, do it and you’ll be all churned up inside. For “there is no peace for the wicked.” Living the way that non-Christians do just isn’t worth it.
Q: Where will some Jewish people be living at history’s end?
BONUS: Between 1840 and 1980 the world’s population doubled. During this time how much did the Jewish population of Israel grow?
Have you heard the latest on the “end of the world”? Global warming? A new ice age? Giant asteroids that knock the earth out of its orbit? All these theories make the future sound pretty grim. And then you turn to the Bible and get a different view. Yes, this earth will be destroyed (Isaiah 51:6; 2 Peter 3:10–13). But God will then create a new heaven and earth to be the home of a purified humanity. What will life on earth be like after God acts? Check it out in Isaiah 65:17–25. Sure, scientists predict scary pictures of the end of the world. But what God has in store for you is nothing but good!
Isaiah
Bullies.
In Isaiah’s time Assyria was a bully, a powerful nation determined to invade Israel. Isaiah promised that God would send a Savior to deliver his people from sin.