Isaiah 47: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Isaiah 47 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

Yahweh commands Babylon to come down and sit in the dust, losing its status (vv. 1-2). The daughter of the Chaldeans will no longer be called delicate.

Key verse

“For you have trusted in your wickedness. You have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and your knowledge has perverted you. You have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me.’
Isaiah 47:10 (WEB)

Outline

Isaiah 47:1–3 Babylon's Humiliation Foretold
Isaiah 47:4–5 God's Sovereignty Declared
Isaiah 47:6–8 Babylon's Cruelty Recalled
Isaiah 47:9–11 Imminent Judgment Announced
Isaiah 47:12–15 Futility of Sorcery and Wisdom

Discussion questions

What does the phrase ‘virgin daughter of Babylon’ in v1 suggest about Babylon's status?
In v3, what image is used to describe Babylon's shame?
In v6, why does God say He was angry with His people regarding Babylon?
What does Babylon’s claim ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me’ in v10 indicate about their worldview?
When have you felt secure, like Babylon in v8, only to face an unexpected loss?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Isaiah 47: Revelation 18, Jeremiah 51, Jeremiah 50.

Before next time: read Isaiah 48.