Chapters 29-31
by Samuel E. Ward
Review of the Historical Background of Isaiah
Isaiah rose as a prophet during a time when Judah was content with the rituals of their religious practice but their heart had long since departed from sincerely following the God of their fathers (Isa 1:12-15).
Isaiah 1:12-15 ( NIV ) 12When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? 13Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—I cannot bear your evil assemblies. 14Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood.
The rulers of Judah had also abandoned their role as administrators of justice to become unjust oppressors of the very ones they had been charged to protect, Isa 1:23.
Isaiah 1:23 ( NIV ) 23Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them.
It appears that Judah had forgotten the Lord's warning nearly 700 years earlier in Deu 8:11-14.
Deuteronomy 8:11-14 ( NIV ) 11Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Isaiah's message was concerned with two outcomes as a result of God's intervention into these areas of hypocrisy in worship and oppression of the weak. First, God would bring judgment upon the people and its leaders for their lack of regard for the Covenant. Second, after the purge justice would be restored and His people and their leaders would once again become a faithful testimony to the world of His righteousness, Isa 1:25-26.
Another major issue that caused God's displeasure with His people was their lack of trust in Him when they were in danger from their enemies. Initially, Judah did the correct thing when King Ahaz refused to join Israel's King Pekah and King Rezin of Damascus as allies against the mighty empire of Assyria. The price they paid for refusal, however, was an invasion from the north by Pekah and Rezin.
Even though the refusal to join Israel and Damascus against Assyria may have been a correct choice, the decision by Ahaz to turn to Assyria for protection against Israel and Damascus was not. Isaiah met with Ahaz with a promise from God (Isa 7:4-7) that Israel and Damascus would not be successful against them if they would only trust in Him.
Although Assyria did prevent the further invasion of Judah by Israel and Damascus, the advance of Assyria's armies all the way to the "River of Egypt" resulted in subjugating the cities along the coast in their advance. This presence of Assyria so close to Judah would prove to be a source of terror for Judah when Assyria decided it desired to possess them, as well.
This is the historical backdrop of Isaiah chapters 1-39. This study has to this point surveyed the messages of God in Isaiah according to this outline:
I. God's Message to Judah and Jerusalem, Isa 1-12
II. God's Messages to the Foreign Nations, Isa 13-23
III. God's Message to the World, Isa 24-27.
IV. God's Messages to Those Feeling the Threat of Assyria, Isa 28-39
A. Messages of Warning and Promise, Isa 28-35
1. Woe to Ephraim (Samaria), Isa 28:1-13.
2. Woe to Judah, Isa 28:14-29
The study continues by observing the third through sixth woes in this section.
3. Words of Woe to "Clueless" Jerusalem, Isa 29:1-24
a. Their trust in ritual is misplaced, Isa 29:1.
Isaiah 29:1 (NIV) 1Woe to you, Ariel [altar hearth], Ariel, the city where David settled! Add year to year and let your cycle of festivals go on.
b. Their day of judgment is inescapable, Isa 29:2-4.
Isaiah 29:2-3 (NIV) 2Yet I will besiege Ariel; she will mourn and lament, she will be to me like an altar hearth. 3I will encamp against you all around; I will encircle you with towers and set up my siege works against you.
c. Their chastisement has a limit, Isa 29:5-8.
Isaiah 29:5-6 (NIV) 5But your many enemies will become like fine dust, the ruthless hordes like blown chaff. Suddenly, in an instant, 6the LORD Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.
d. Their ability to comprehend has been affected, Isa 29:9-12.
Isaiah 29:11-12 (NIV) 11For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say to him, "Read this, please," he will answer, "I can't; it is sealed." 12Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, "Read this, please," he will answer, "I don't know how to read."
e. Their sin is exposed, Isa 29:13-16.
1) The sin of insincere worship, Isa 29:13-14
Isaiah 29:13 (NIV) 13The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.
2) The sin of irreverent arrogance, Isa 2915-16
Isaiah 29:15-16 (NIV) 15Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, "Who sees us? Who will know?" 16You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing"?
f. Their region is destined for desolation, Isa 29:17.
Isaiah 29:17 (NIV) 17In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field and the fertile field seem like a forest?
4. Words of Hope for Contrite Israel, Isa 29:18-24
a. Their hearts will turn back to the Lord, Isa 29:18-19.
Isaiah 29:18-19 (NIV) 18In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. 19Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
b. Their evil oppressors will disappear, Isa 29:20-21.
Isaiah 29:20 (NIV) 20The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down—
c. Their reverence for God will be earnest, Isa 29:22-24.
Isaiah 29:23-24 (NIV) 23When they see among them their children, the work of my hands, they will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. 24Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding; those who complain will accept instruction."
5. Words of Woe to God's Contrary Children (Judah), Isa 30
a. They have foolishly sought Egypt's useless help instead of God's deliverance, Isa 30:1-7.
Isaiah 30:1-2a (NIV) 1 "Woe to the obstinate children," declares the LORD, "to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; 2who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh's protection, to Egypt's shade for refuge.
b. They have foolishly ignored God's prophets, Isa 30:8-11.
Isaiah 30:10-11 (NIV) 10They say to the seers, "See no more visions!" and to the prophets, "Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. 11Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!"
c. They must fully bear the consequences of their decision to ignore God,
Isa 30:12-14.
Isaiah 30:13 (NIV) 13this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant.
d. They have foolishly rejected God's plan for deliverance, Isa 30:15.
Isaiah 30:15 (NIV) 15This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
e. They have foolishly planned their sprint to Egypt for help, Isa 30:16:a,b.
Isaiah 30:16a,b (NIV) 16a,bYou said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee! You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.'
f. They, however, will be even more fleetingly pursued by their enemy,
Isa 30:16c-17.
Isaiah 30:16c-17 (NIV) 16cTherefore your pursuers will be swift! 17A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill."
6. Words of Grace from a Compassionate God, Isa 30:18-26.
a. God longs to give grace in the form of compassion, Isa 30:18.
Isaiah 30:18 (NIV) 18Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
b. God longs to give grace in the form of answering the prayer of the righteous, Isa 30:19.
Isaiah 30:19 (NIV) 19O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.
c. God longs to give grace in the form of guidance, Isa 30:20-21.
Isaiah 30:21 (NIV) 21Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
d. God longs to see His people respond to His grace with spiritual cleansing, Isa 30:22.
Isaiah 30:22 (NIV) 22Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, "Away with you!"
e. God longs to give grace in the form of abundant provision, 30:23-26.
Isaiah 30:23, 26b (NIV) 23He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. . . 26bThe moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.
7. Words of Judgment for the Cruel Tormenters, Isa 30:27-33.
a. God's voice and scepter will shatter them, (30:31).
Isaiah 30:31 (NIV) 31The voice of the LORD will shatter Assyria; with his scepter he will strike them down.
b. God's victory will send the King of Assyria to Topheth (Gehenna), (30:33)
Isaiah 30:33 (NIV) 33Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.
Topheth is the place where apostate Jews had offered their children to the pagan god, Moloch, on sacrificial fires, having been influenced by pagan religions which included those of Assyria. Gehenna (the New Testament name for this place) symbolizes a literal place of eternal torment for those who reject God. See Mat 10:28.
Matthew 10:28 (NIV) 28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell [gehenna].
8. Words of Woe to Those Who Collaborate with Egypt, Isa 31:1-3
Isaiah 31:1 (NIV) 1Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD.
9. Words of Promise from Their Committed Protector, Isa 31:4-8
Isaiah 31:5 (NIV) 5Like birds hovering overhead, the LORD Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will 'pass over' it and will rescue it."
10. Words of Beckoning from Their Conquering God, Isa 31:6- 9.
a. They were gracious words of invitation, (31:6).
Isaiah 31:6 (NIV) 6Return to him you have so greatly revolted against, O Israelites.
b. They were prophetic words for a better day, (31:7).
Isaiah 31:7 (NIV) 7For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made.
c. They were condemning words for Israel's oppressor, Assyria, (31:8-9).
Isaiah 31:8-9 (NIV) 8 "Assyria will fall by a sword that is not of man; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. They will flee before the sword and their young men will be put to forced labor. 9Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic," declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
Relevance
1. Ritualism can become a mask for hypocrisy. In ritual there is the appearance of devotion to God that does not necessarily correspond to true spiritual commitment and practice. This was a sin of Judah that God could no longer abide, 1 Sam 15:22.
1 Samuel 15:22 (NIV) 22 "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
2. Taking advantage of the weak and disadvantaged is especially abhorrent to the Lord and those who do so are under the promise of severe judgment in this world or the next, Psa 68:5-6; Isa 10:1-2.
Psalms 68:5-6 (NIV) 5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. 6God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
Isaiah 10:1-2 (NIV) 1Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, 2to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.
3. God is particularly offended when we trust others for that which He has said He will do for us. Judah committed such a sin when they sought the help of pagans to protect them against other pagans without any consultation with Him, Psa 56:3-4; Psa 40:1-3.
Psalms 56:3-4 (NIV) 3When I am afraid, I will trust in you. 4In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
Psalms 40:1-3 (NIV) 1I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
4. We only fool ourselves when we think that God is not watching us and taking account of our lives. Because His mercy and grace is so patient and His chastisement is not always immediate, we erroneously think that God takes our sin as lightly as we do, Psa 94:7; Ezek 9:9-10; Gal 6:7-8.
Psalms 94:7 (NIV) 7They say, "The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed."
Ezekiel 9:9-10 (NIV) 9He answered me, "The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, 'The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.' 10So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done."
Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV) 7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
5. God is ready to accept the confession and repentance of those who seek Him and to forgive and cleanse them from all their unrighteousness, 1 John 1:9.
1 John 1:9 (NIV) 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.