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Chapters 32-35
by Samuel E. Ward
Introduction
Isaiah chapters 28-35 compose a section that delivers messages of warnings and promise to Judah, the contemporary enemies of Judah, Jerusalem, and the nations as a whole. In the study thus far we have encountered ten of these messages from chapters 28-31. There are eleven more in chapters 32-35.
A. The 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
3. Woe to "Clueless" Jerusalem, Isa 29:1-24
4. Hope for Contrite Israel, Isa 29:18-24
5. Woe to God's Contrary Children (Judah), Isa 30
6. Grace from a Compassionate God, Isa 30:18-26.
7. Judgment for the Cruel Tormenters, Isa 30:27-33.
8. Woe to Those Who Collaborate with Egypt, Isa 31:1-3
9. Promises from Their Committed Protector, Isa 31:4-8
10. Beckoning from Their Conquering God, Isa 31:6- 9
We continue our study by taking note of some . . .
11. Promises for a Righteous Kingdom, Isa 32:1-2
a) The rulers will be righteous, Isa 32:1-2. (21:1)
Isaiah 32:1 (NIV) 1See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice.
b) The people will be enlightened, Isa 32:3-8.
Isaiah 32:3-4 (NIV) 3Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. 4The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
12. Words of Warning to Complacent Women, Isa 32:9-20
a) The day of reckoning is near, Isa 32:9-10.
Isaiah 32:9-10 (NIV) 9You women who are so complacent, rise up and listen to me; you daughters who feel secure, hear what I have to say! 10In little more than a year you who feel secure will tremble; the grape harvest will fail, and the harvest of fruit will not come.
b) The feeling of security is baseless, Isa 32:11-14. (35:14)
Isaiah 32:14 (NIV) 14The fortress will be abandoned, the noisy city deserted; citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever, the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks.
c) The return to peace is yet to come, Isa 32:15-20.
Isaiah 32:16-17 (NIV) 16Justice will dwell in the desert and righteousness live in the fertile field. 17The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.
13. Words of Woe to Jerusalem's Oppressor (Assyria), Isa 33:1
Isaiah 33:1 (NIV) 1Woe to you, O destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, O traitor, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed.
14. Words of Petition to God, Isa 33:2-4.
a) The call for God's grace, strength, and salvation, Isa 33:2.
Isaiah 33:2 (NIV) 2O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.
b) The expectation of God's deliverance, Isa 33:3-4.
Isaiah 33:3-4 (NIV) 3At the thunder of your voice, the peoples flee; when you rise up, the nations scatter. 4Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts; like a swarm of locusts men pounce on it.
15. Words of Praise to God, Isa 33:5-6.
He is the exalted LORD
a) Who dwells on high, Isa 33:5a
Isaiah 33:5a (NIV) 5aThe LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high.
b) Who will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, Isa 33:5b
Isaiah 33:5b (NIV) 5bHe will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.
c) Who will be Zion's foundation, Isa 33:6a.
Isaiah 33:6a (NIV) 6aHe will be the sure foundation for your times.
d) Who will be a rich source of salvation, wisdom and knowledge and the fear of God, which is the key to this treasure, Isa 33:6b.
Isaiah 33:6b (NIV) 6b [He will be] a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.
16. Words of distress for Judah, Isa 33:7-9 (33:7-8)
Isaiah 33:7-8 (NIV) 7Look, their brave men cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly. 8The highways are deserted, no travelers are on the roads. The treaty is broken, its witnesses£ are despised, no one is respected.
17. Words of doom for the enemies of God's people, Isa 33:10-12. (33:10,12)
Isaiah 33:10-12 (NIV) 10 "Now will I arise," says the LORD. "Now will I be exalted; now will I be lifted up. . . 12The peoples will be burned as if to lime; like cut thornbushes they will be set ablaze."
18. Words of qualification for a relationship with God, Isa 33:13-16
a) The qualifications stem from the question, "Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?" Isa 33:13-14.
Isaiah 33:13-14 (NIV) 13You who are far away, hear what I have done; you who are near, acknowledge my power! 14The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: "Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?"
b) The qualifications express God expectations from those who would dwell within His favor, Isa 33:15-16.
Isaiah 33:15-16 (NIV) 15He who walks righteously and speaks what is right, who rejects gain from extortion and keeps his hand from accepting bribes, who stops his ears against plots of murder and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil—16this is the man who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. His bread will be supplied, and water will not fail him.
19. Words of hope for the New Kingdom of God, Isa 33:17
a) In the New Kingdom, evildoers will be conspicuous by their absence, Isa 33:17-19. (33:17-18)
Isaiah 33:17-18 (NIV) 17Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar. 18In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror: "Where is that chief officer? Where is the one who took the revenue? Where is the officer in charge of the towers?"
b) In the New Kingdom, the city of God will be a place of peace and Divine Rule,
Isa 33:20-22. (33:21-22)
Isaiah 33:21-22 (NIV) 21There the LORD will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them. 22For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us.
c) In the current time, their enemy will be helpless to advance and their resources will become plunder, Isa 33:23.
Isaiah 33:23 (NIV) 23Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread. Then an abundance of spoils will be divided and even the lame will carry off plunder.
d) In the New Kingdom, God's people will be spiritually healed and forgiven, Isa 33:24.
Isaiah 33:24 (NIV) 24No one living in Zion will say, "I am ill"; and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.
20. Words of anger toward the nations, Isa 34
a) The future judgment of the nations is described as total, Isa 34:1-4. (34:2)
Isaiah 34:2 (NIV) 2 The LORD is angry with all nations; his wrath is upon all their armies. He will totally destroy£ them, he will give them over to slaughter.
b) The future judgment of the nations is typified as a sacrifice, Isa 34:5-7.
Isaiah 34:6 (NIV) 6The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood, it is covered with fat—the blood of lambs and goats, fat from the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in Edom.
c) The future judgment of the nations (typified by Edom) is retribution upon the enemies of God's people, Isa 34:8-10 (34:8, 12)
Isaiah 34:8, 12 (NIV) 8For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion's cause . . . 12Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom, all her princes will vanish away.
21. Words of Promise Concerning the Future Kingdom of God, Isa 35
a) The barren lands will burst into bloom, displaying God's glory, Isa 35:1-2.
Isaiah 35:1-2 (NIV) 1The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, 2it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.
b) The fearful hearts will be saved by God's intervention, Isa 35:4.
Isaiah 35:4 (NIV) 4 Say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you."
c) The blind, deaf, lame, mute, and land will be healed, Isa 35:5-7. (35:5-6)
Isaiah 35:5-6 (NIV) 5Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
d) The redeemed will walk in peaceful procession on the Way of Holiness to Zion (Jerusalem), Isa 35:8-10.
Isaiah 35:8-10 (NIV) 8And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, 10and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Relevance
Warren Wiersbe summarizes these four chapters in a way that helps us understand that the future is in God's hands and the redeemed can be secure in His care though the unrighteous will find their lack of faith in Him will have tragic consequences.
Wiersbe says, "In the four chapters that conclude the first section of his prophecy, Isaiah invites us to look at four future events to see what God has planned for His people and His world. These chapters are not human speculation; they are divinely inspired revelation, and they can be trusted."
1. A King will reign, Isa 32.
2. Jerusalem will be delivered, Isa 33.
3. The sinful world will be judged, Isa 34.
4. The glorious kingdom will be established, Isa 35.
