Posts
by Samuel E. Ward
Isaiah 24-27
Introduction
Our study in Isaiah concerns the third major section of the book. We have noted so far:
I. God's Message to Judah and Jerusalem, Isa 1-12
II. God's Messages to the Foreign Nations, Isa 13-23
Our attention now turns to . . .
III. God's Message to the World, Isa 24-27
This section is known as "Isaiah's apocalypse" because so much of what God reveals to the prophet Isaiah concerns the last days before the judgment of the earth and the establishment of the Kingdom of God. It will be a time of great devastation and intense suffering for the people who are caught in its midst. This period of judgment is commonly referred to as the Tribulation. There is hope for the surviving saints when God rebuilds Mount Zion in Jerusalem, making it the capital of His new kingdom on earth; a kingdom of righteousness and joy for Jew and Gentile alike.
Let us look at some of the particulars of . . .
III. God's Message to the World, Isa 24:1-27:13
A. The Wasting of the World, Isa 24:1-20
1. It will be devastating, Isa 24:1.
Isaiah 24:1 (NIV) 1See, the LORD is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants—
2. It will be without distinction, Isa 24:2.
Isaiah 24:2 (NIV) 2it will be the same for priest as for people, for master as for servant, for mistress as for maid, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor.
3. It will be demolished, Isa 24:3.
Isaiah 24:3 (NIV) 3The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The LORD has spoken this word.
4. It will be debasing, Isa 24:4.
Isaiah 24:4 (NIV) 4The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the exalted of the earth languish.
5. It will be deserving, Isa 24:5-6.
Isaiah 24:5-6 (NIV) 5The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. 6Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.
6. It will be demoralizing, Isa 24:7-13. (Isa 24:11-12)
Isaiah 24:11-12 (NIV) 11In the streets they cry out for wine; all joy turns to gloom, all gaiety is banished from the earth. 12The city is left in ruins, its gate is battered to pieces.
7. God will be declared righteous in His judgment, Isa 24:14-16a. (24:16a)
Isaiah 24:16a (NIV) 16aFrom the ends of the earth we hear singing:
"Glory to the Righteous One."
8. It is distressing for the prophet, Isa 16b-20. (24:16b)
Isaiah 24:16 (NIV) 16b But I said, "I waste away, I waste away! Woe to me! The treacherous betray! With treachery the treacherous betray!"
B. The Punishment of the Powers of the World, Isa 24:21-23
1. The powers of the earth will be gathered then judged, Isa 24:21-22.
Isaiah 24:21-22 (NIV) 21In that day the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below. 22They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days.
2. The Power of Heaven will shine and reign, Isa 24:23.
Isaiah 24:23 (NIV) 23The moon will be abashed, the sun ashamed; for the LORD Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders, gloriously.
C. The Praise of God's Glorious Acts, Isa 25:1-5
1. Testifying to His faithfulness to His plan, Isa 25:1.
Isaiah 25:1 (NIV) 1O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.
2. Testifying to His power over the strong, Isa 25:2-3
Isaiah 25:2-3 (NIV) 2You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners' stronghold a city no more; it will never be rebuilt. 3Therefore strong peoples will honor you; cities of ruthless nations will revere you.
3. Testifying to His protection of the weak, Isa 24:4-5a
Isaiah 25:4-5a (NIV) 4You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall 5aand like the heat of the desert. You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled.
4. Testifying to His command over ruthless nations, Isa 24:5b.
Isaiah 25:5b (NIV) 5bYou silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled.
D. The Mountain of Blessing, (Mount Zion) Isa 25:6-12
1. A banquet for all peoples, Isa 25:6
Isaiah 25:6 (NIV) 6On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines.
2. A banishment of all grief, Isa 25:7-8
Isaiah 25:7-8 (NIV) 7On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.
3. A boasting in the Lord, Isa 25:9
Isaiah 25:9 (NIV) 9In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; 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."
4. A blessing for Mount Zion, but a curse for Moab, Isa 25:10-12
(Isa 25:10)
Isaiah 25:10 (NIV) 10The hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain; but Moab will be trampled under him as straw is trampled down in the manure.
E. The Song of the Redeemed Nation, Isa 26:1-21, (26:1-2)
1. First stanza: God, the Faithful Protector, Isa 26:1-6 (26:3-4)
Isaiah 26:3-4 (NIV) 3You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. 4Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.
2. Second stanza: God, the Faithful Guide, Isa 26:7-11 (26:7-8)
Isaiah 26:7-8 (NIV) 7The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth. 8Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.
3. Third stanza: God, the Faithful Ruler, Isa 26:12-15 (26:12-13)
Isaiah 26:12-13 (NIV) 12 LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. 13O LORD, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor.
4. Fourth stanza: The confession of God's repentant people, Isa 26:16-18 (26:18)
Isaiah 26:18 (NIV) 18We were with child, we writhed in pain, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth; we have not given birth to people of the world.
5. Fifth stanza: The hope of God's redeemed people, Isa 26:19-21
a. The hope of resurrection, Isa 26:19
Isaiah 26:19 (NIV) 19But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.
b. The necessity of judgment upon the earth, first, Isa 26:20-21.
Isaiah 26:20-21 (NIV) 20Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. 21See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer.
F. The Promise of Israel's Final Restoration, Isa 27:1-13
1. Israel's enemies will be destroyed, Isa 27:1
Isaiah 27:1 (NIV) 1In that day, the LORD will punish with his sword, his fierce, great and powerful sword, Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea.
2. Israel's well-being will be guarded, Isa 27:2-5 (Isa 27:3)
Isaiah 27:3 (NIV) 3I, the LORD, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it.
3. Israel's presence will be a blessing to the earth, Isa 27:6
Isaiah 27:6 (NIV) 6In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit.
4. Israel's sin must first be addressed, Isa 27:7-11 (Isa 27:8-9)
Isaiah 27:8-9 (NIV) 8By warfare and exile you contend with her—with his fierce blast he drives her out, as on a day the east wind blows. 9By this, then, will Jacob's guilt be atoned for, and this will be the full fruitage of the removal of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones to be like chalk stones crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles or incense altars will be left standing.
5. Israel's scattered will be re-gathered, Isa 27:12-13
Isaiah 27:12-13 (NIV) 12In that day the LORD will thresh from the flowing Euphrates£ to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, O Israelites, will be gathered up one by one. 13And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
Relevance
1. Though the Christian message is full of hope for the future, it does not come without severe testing and judgment. The main message of the Christian gospel is love, but we should include, as well, the fact that there is a day of reckoning for the world which has not only rejected God, but has scoffed at and resisted His will in every conceivable way.
2 Peter 3:3-7 (NIV) 3First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
2. Hope is an important component to any message of doom and gloom, provided there is any to offer. Thankfully, this section of Isaiah reminds us that even if we die, if we have committed ourselves to the Lord, there is a resurrection to new life. Another aspect of hope that can be shared relative to the coming judgment of the earth is that it will result in a new Kingdom ruled by Christ where sorrow will be banished and eternal joy will remain.
Revelation 7:13-17 (NIV) 13Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?" 14I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
