Isaiah verse

Well...

Our "Teacher" is supposed to be the Holy Ghost

"Ye need not that any MAN teach you"

"albeit when He - the Paraclete - shall come - He will call to mind all that I have said to you"

We do have human Teachers -- but above and beyond that --

"we've got the Ghost"

We don't rely on human teachers; they can help - but they aint the be-all and end-all.

I don't hold to the theory of one-to-one correspondence for identifying the fulfillment of prophecies. Rather, I try to take a step back to understand the larger message if possible.

The context is the siege of Jerusalem, a time of great fear for the people within the city. Isaiah speaks to them both chastising that a part of their problem is that they had sought security in something other than God, and holding out hope that the threat will be resolved in a way that leaves them experiencing God's blessing. All of the particulars represent one of these two themes. The verse you ask about is the second, about hope.

One does not go to school when one's world is about to fall apart around them. So, that one would be with one's teacher speaks of hope for a new and better day. A day when teachers will be wise than those who guided the king to turn the wrong way and not walk in the confidence of God who provides. So, things will improve not just in terms of the political conditions and national security, but also in terms of the quality of the counsel and spiritual guidance being shared.

Some versions you will capitalize "Teacher" in English; I suspect in an effort to imply a unique teacher such as Anto9us envisions above. But, there is no such capitalization possible in Hebrew. Even more so, the noun is actually plural, not singular. So, to me that speaks against the idea of a singular unique teacher. I think it is just about providing hope for the people of Isaiah's day. We can learn to share that same up ourselves, but personally I don't equate the passage with either Jesus or the Holy Spirit or the Church or anything else outside of Isaiah's own experience in his day. For me, this is one time that The Message does a good job of interpreting what is being said:

19-22 Oh yes, people of Zion, citizens of Jerusalem, your time of tears is over. Cry for help and you’ll find it’s grace and more grace. The moment he hears, he’ll answer. Just as the Master kept you alive during the hard times, he’ll keep your teacher alive and present among you. Your teacher will be right there, local and on the job, urging you on whenever you wander left or right: “This is the right road. Walk down this road.” You’ll scrap your expensive and fashionable god-images. You’ll throw them in the trash as so much garbage, saying, “Good riddance!”

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Just to touch on the "attitude of learning" part by itself; setting aside the broader theology here.

YES, I think our attitude TREMENDOUSLY affects how we learn. When we are genuinely receptive (which is hard to do), I think we come to greater truths. But many folks are looking for something specific, and they'll eventually find it. Proof texting, for example. Which is starting with a concept, belief, or idealism; and searching the Bible until you find proof of it. A VERY dangerous way to interpret the Bible; and it's not so much learning so much as twisting. Because it's not an open receptiveness to the Holy Spirit.

MystyRock said:

What about our ability to learn? Is it completely dependent on our attitude and desire to learn?

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Not completely, but largely.

When I read this verse in Isaiah, it reminded me of something in the New Testament - Philip and the Ethiopian. The Ethiopian was having difficulty understanding the scriptures; Philip was sent to help him.

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I think you're realizing the importance of being part of a Christian community. On one's own it is possible to come up with no understanding, limited understanding or, most dangerous of all, misunderstanding. But, if one is in community, then there are others to bounce ideas off of and find wisdom in the totality of not a single teacher, but that the many teacherS that are present.

And even though I don't think that Isaiah is speaking to our present situation, even in it I notice that it mentions teacherS. In the corporate community which is the body of Christ are all people who are gift to bless us so that we who are the individual members of the body can be successful in what Christ calls us to do and be in our personal lives. And, the corollary is that God will also bless us with the gifts that others need in theirs. Together we become more and stronger than any one of us would ever be on our own.

I agree that the teacher is the spirit and it guides us in the true way that we should go. I love the voice in my ear that tells me if something is right or wrong. It's a miracle of God.

BipolarBear46 said:

I agree that the teacher is the spirit and it guides us in the true way that we should go. I love the voice in my ear that tells me if something is right or wrong. It's a miracle of God.

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BipolarBear, how do explain that the Hebrew noun you have rendered as "teacher" is plural, not singular?

GraceSeeker said:

BipolarBear, how do explain that the Hebrew noun you have rendered as "teacher" is plural, not singular?

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Good question... on the surface I didn't see that it was plural. But on a second look it must mean something else as the Holy Spirit is a single person.

GraceSeeker said:

BipolarBear, how do explain that the Hebrew noun you have rendered as "teacher" is plural, not singular?

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מֹורֶיךָ It is not (necessarily) plural in the Hebrew.

The root word יָרָה is "teacher" and the prefix means not yet. The suffix -cha just means "your" (either plural or singular).

But here is another scripture to consider along side of it:

Jer 31.33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

For that matter consider these verses:
"But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26)

"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you." (John 16:12-14)


I don't deny that the Spirit is our teacher. But we have many teachers, and I question whether the Spirit is being referenced in Isaiah 30. One can certainly read the Holy Spirit back into the text, but I think that as far as the writer thought in his own mind that it was the teachers of Isaiah's day who were most likely the ones being discussed.