Tagged: commentary on Isaiah

November 8, 2009

Prologue

Where we are:

Part 1: Judgment	Part 2: Historical Interlude	Part 3: Salvation
Chapters 1-35	Chapters 36-39	Chapters 40-66

When this takes place:

The events in this chapter occur in 701 B.C., when Sennacherib besieges Jerusalem. It is the 14^th year of King Hezekiah’s reign, which began in 715 B.C.

Key verses:

Isa. 36:18-20 – “[Beware] that Hezekiah does not mislead you by saying, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand? Who of all the gods of these lands [ever] delivered his land from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem?”

Quick summary:

Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, reports in his royal annals that he has captured 46 walled cities and countless villages in his conquest of Judah. Among the more important cities is Lachish, from which he sends his personal representative, the Rabshakeh, and a large army to surround Jerusalem and demand its surrender. The Rabshakeh, a high-ranking Assyrian official and the king’s cupbearer, mocks Judah’s king Hezekiah and the king’s trust in the Holy One of Israel. Hezekiah’s representatives – Eliakim, who is in charge of the palace; Shebna, the scribe; and Joah, the record keeper – receive the Rabshakeh’s call to surrender and deliver it to the king. They have torn their clothes as a sign of mourning and deep distress.

Take note:

Isaiah notes that the Rabshakeh delivers his message “near the conduit of the upper pool, by the road to the Fuller’s Field” (v. 2). This place is significant for geographical and theological reasons. Thirty years earlier, the Lord tells Isaiah to take his son Shear-jashub and meet King Ahaz at this location (Isa. 7:3). The prophet assures Ahaz that the allied forces of Aram and Israel will not defeat Judah. But Ahaz trembles and refuses to trust the Lord, turning instead to an alliance with Assyria (2 Kings 16:5-9). Now King Hezekiah faces a more ominous threat from Judah’s former ally, the Assyrians, whose messenger stands on the same spot, blaspheming the Lord and belittling His people. Will Hezekiah listen to the Rabshekah or remember the message of deliverance from Isaiah? Will the king, unlike his predecessor, stand firm in his faith?

The Men Sent by Kings (Isa. 36:1-3)

Sennacherib, who rules Assyria from 705-681 B.C., has boasted of conquering 46 walled villages in Judah and numerous unprotected communities, as well as taking more than 200,000 people captive. His invasion begins in the north as his army moves along the coast, defeating such towns as Aphek, Timnah, Ekron and Lachish. Lachish, about 30 miles southwest of Jerusalem, then becomes the staging area for his attack on other towns and the place from which he sends his spokesman and a massive army.

According to 2 Kings 18:17, Sennacherib sends three of his most important officers to arrange for Hezekiah’s surrender of the capital city: Tartan (supreme commander), Rabsaris (chief officer) and Rabshakeh (field commander). These are military titles, not personal names. Judah’s representatives are Eliakim, who is in charge of the king’s palace; Shebna, the scribe who has been demoted and replaced by Eliakim as the king’s cupbearer; and Joah, the record keeper.

The Message for Hezekiah (Isa. 36:4-20)

The Rabshakeh directs his message to Hezekiah, speaking loudly in Hebrew so that even the common citizens on Jerusalem’s wall may hear his taunting words. “The field commander’s speech is one of the most insolent and blasphemous found anywhere in Scripture, for he reproached the God of Israel,” according to Warren W. Wiersbe. “His speech is a masterful piece of psychological warfare in which he discredits everything that the Jews held dear” (Be Comforted, S. Is 36:1).

Interestingly, the Rabshakeh begins by echoing one of Isaiah’s messages, reminding the Jews that their trust in Egypt is misplaced. “Now who are you trusting in that you have rebelled against me?” he shouts. “Look, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff” (vv. 5b-6a; compare with Isaiah’s words in 30:1-7; 31:1-3).

Next, he mischaracterizes Hezekiah’s religious reforms in Judah to accuse God’s people of having no help in heaven or on earth (v. 7). “The Assyrian mistakes Hezekiah’s religious reforms whereby he took away the high places (2Ki 18:4) as directed against Jehovah. Some of the high places may have been dedicated to Jehovah, but worshipped under the form of an image in violation of the second commandment…. Hence the Assyrian’s allegation has a specious color: you cannot look for help from Jehovah, for your king has ‘taken away His altars’” (Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, David Brown, A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments, S. Is 36:7).

For the Jews, the only reasonable response to their hopeless condition is to surrender, according to the Rabshakeh, who mockingly offers to give them 2,000 horses if they can only find a matching number of riders. But even 2,000 Jewish soldiers on horses are no match for the lowest ranking Assyrian officer. Why should God’s people continue to barricade themselves behind Jerusalem’s walls when the Lord Himself has commanded the Assyrians to take the city? “Have I attacked this land to destroy it without the Lord’s approval?” asks the Rabshakeh. “The Lord said to me, ‘Attack this land and destroy it’” (v. 10). These words are meant to terrorize the people by making them think the Lord has abandoned them, when in fact Isaiah has told them to trust God, who will not permit the Assyrians to take the city. While the Lord of Hosts has indeed used the Assyrians as His rod of judgment against both Israel and Judah, He has spoken no word to Assyria’s leaders assuring them of their conquest of Judah’s capital city. The Rabshakeh falsely invokes the name of Israel’s God. As he will soon learn, no nation can use God’s name with impunity.

God calls us to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). The Rabshakeh’s call to surrender may sound reasonable to the unbelieving Jews who saw their city surrounded and their allies crushed by the brutal Assyrian hoards. But God has promised to deliver His people and He remains true to His word.

Judah’s messengers respond to the Rabshakeh’s opening volley by making the reasonable request that matters of state be discussed privately rather than “within earshot of the people who are on the wall” (v. 11). Aramaic is a major diplomatic language in Isaiah’s day, similar to Hebrew but different enough so the common people have difficulty understanding it. The concern of Judah’s representatives is that panic will spread throughout the city. The Assyrian’s response – denigrating the Jews and speaking loudly in Hebrew – reveals his character. “Proud and haughty scorners, the fairer they are spoken to, commonly speak the fouler,” writes Matthew Henry. “Nothing could be said more mildly and respectfully than that which Hezekiah’s agents said to Rabshakeh…. To give rough answers to those who give us soft answers is one way of rendering evil for good; and those are wicked indeed, and it is to be feared incurable, with whom that which usually turns away wrath does but make bad worse” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume, S. Is 36:11).

Calling out to the people in Hebrew, the Rabshakeh urges them not to let Hezekiah deceive them into thinking the Lord will deliver them from the Assyrians (vv. 13-15). Rather, the people are exhorted to lay down their weapons and surrender without a fight. If they do, even though they will be taken captive, Sennacherib will ensure their prosperity in another land. Pressing his persuasion further, the Rabshakeh asks the Jews, “Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?” (vv. 18-19). Hamath and Arpad are cities in Aram. The location of Sepharvaim is unknown but possibly near the other two. People are brought from these cities to repopulate Samaria after its fall (2 Kings 17:24). The commander also boasts that since Samaria’s god failed to rescue the northern kingdom 21 years earlier (722 B.C.), the people of the southern kingdom have no reason to hope in deliverance at the hand of the Lord of Hosts.

The Misery of the Messengers (Isa. 36:21-22)

The Rahshakeh’s words no doubt terrorize Hezekiah’s men who, in obedience to the king, say nothing in reply. In fact God’s Word instructs us about a proper response to arrogant and foolish people like the Assyrian commander: “Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness, or you’ll be like him yourself” (Prov. 26:4). Eliakim, Shebna and Joah return to Hezekiah and, with clothes torn as a sign of distress, mourning or grief over the blasphemy they have just heard, report the Rabshakeh’s words.

It’s possible that Hezekiah has instructed his men to receive the Assyrian commander’s message in silence so they would not be guilty of engaging a blasphemer in a war of words. In Exodus 14, for example, as the Jews are trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, and as they begin to question God and His chosen leader, Moses rebukes them, shouting, “The Lord will fight for you; you must be quiet” (Ex. 14:14). And in Jude 1:9, the writer reminds Christians to trust God to deal with blasphemers and apostates: “Yet Michael the archangel, when he was disputing with the Devil in a debate about Moses’ body, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’”

Closing Thought

Warren W. Wiersbe comments: “Crises often come when circumstances seem to be at their best. Hezekiah had led the nation in a great reformation, and the people were united in the fear of the Lord. They had put away their idols, restored the temple services, and sought the blessing of their God. But instead of receiving blessing, they found themselves facing battles! ‘After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah’ (2 Chron. 32:1, NIV). Had God turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to all that Hezekiah and his people had done? Of course not! The Assyrian invasion was a part of God’s discipline to teach His people to trust Him alone. Even Hezekiah had at first put his trust in treaties and treasures (2 Kings 18:13–16), only to learn that the enemy will keep the wealth but not keep his word. Judah had negotiated to get help from Egypt, an act of unbelief that Isaiah severely rebuked (Isa. 30:1–7; 31:1–3). God’s great purpose in the life of faith is to build godly character. Hezekiah and his people needed to learn that faith is living without scheming” (Be Comforted, S. Is 36:1).

July 19, 2009

Isaiah 33: Judge, Lawgiver and King

Isaiah 33: Download or listen to the audio

Isaiah 33: Download notes and worksheet for further study

Prologue

Where we are:

Part 1: Judgment	Part 2: Historical Interlude	Part 3: Salvation
Chapters 1-35	Chapters 36-39	Chapters 40-66

When this takes place:

Since chapter 33 is among the “woe oracles” extending from Isaiah 28-33, it seems best to place these events around 704-701 B.C., during the time the Assyrians invade Judah and besiege Jerusalem.

Key verse:

Isa. 33:22 – For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our King. He will save us.

Quick summary:

The Assyrian army, the “destroyer never destroyed,” is warned of imminent divine judgment. Even though Assyria is terrifying Judah and surrounding nations, the Lord will soon rise up and show His might. As for the citizens of Judah, only those who pursue righteousness and justice will be spared. Finally, the glories of the Messianic Kingdom are previewed, with the King making Jerusalem secure.

Take note:

Some commentators have pointed to verse 22 as a model for America’s founding fathers in establishing the three branches of government: executive (king), legislative (lawgiver), and judicial (judge). While only the Messiah assumes these three roles with perfection, the “balance of power” suggested by this model serves as an excellent guide to sinful people striving to govern well.

Woe to Assyria and Judah (Isa. 33:1-16)

Isaiah begins by addressing the “destroyer” and the “traitor.” The “destroyer” is Sennacherib who, along with his Assyrian army, is breathing down the necks of God’s people. Powerful, boisterous, swift and cruel, the Assyrians are sweeping across Judah, conquering the fortified cities and closing in on Jerusalem. They are building siege ramps and sealing off the city so that no one may enter or leave. It is becoming increasingly clear that unless God intervenes, all is lost. The “traitor” refers to those within Judah who want to buy off the Assyrians, as King Hezekiah once tried unsuccessfully to do (2 Kings 18:13-15), or form alliances with Egypt or other nations to protect them against the advancing Assyrian hoards. God’s word through Isaiah is clear: The destroyer will be destroyed and the traitor betrayed. Sennacherib has broken his agreement with Judah and invaded the country, and the Egyptians will prove unable to rescue the Jews. Yet in a single night God will strike 185,000 Assyrians dead on the hills surrounding Jerusalem.

While the clamor of Assyrian soldiers rings the city, a righteous remnant in Jerusalem prays for deliverance. Warren Wiersbe describes the scene as it unfolds in verse 2: “Isaiah had promised that God would be gracious to them if they would only trust Him (30:18–19), so a few devout people turned His promise into prayer. God spared Jerusalem for David’s sake (37:35) and because a believing remnant trusted God and prayed. Never underestimate the power of a praying minority” (Be Comforted, S. Is 33:1). Verses 3-6 speak of the righteous remnant’s confidence in God and their praise for His salvation. Although Hezekiah had acted foolishly by using the temple treasury to pay off Sennacherib, the Lord forgave him and now Isaiah reminds him that “[t]he fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure” (v. 6).

Verses 7-9 describe the dire circumstances in Judah during the Assyrian invasion. Judah’s bravest soldiers stand in the streets and weep bitterly as one fortified city after another falls. The nation’s envoys shed tears of helplessness as their diplomatic missions come to naught. The roads are treacherous, the fields and orchards are barren, and there’s no avenue of escape – except with the Lord. “Now I will rise up,” He declares. “Now I will lift Myself up. Now I will be exalted” (v. 10). Although the Assyrians are “pregnant” with plans to conquer Jerusalem, the Lord says they will “conceive chaff” and “give birth to stubble” (v. 11). Chomping at the bit, panting for yet another devastating military victory, the Assyrians will find their hot breaths to be like fire that consumes them in a back draft (vv. 11-12). As a result, people far and near will know that the shocking death of 185,000 Assyrians in a single night is the Lord’s doing and a demonstration of His supernatural strength (v. 13). “God is long-suffering with His enemies, but when He decides to judge, He does a thorough job” (Wiersbe, S. Is 33:1).

The miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem does more than bring glory to God among the Gentiles. It also causes fear and conviction in the hearts of the ungodly in Judah. The Lord does not free us of danger so we may continue in sin. Rather, “with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be revered” (Ps. 130:4). When the Jews awaken one morning to the sight of 185,000 Assyrian corpses on the hills outside Jerusalem, they realized the God of Israel is “a consuming fire” (v. 14; see Isa. 10:17; Heb. 12:29).

Isaiah then describes the kind of person God will bless: the one who “lives righteously and speaks rightly, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots” (v. 15). That person will “dwell on the heights; his refuge will be the rocky fortresses, his food provided, his water assured” (v. 16). This is not a universal promise of prosperity, for surely many godly people suffer extreme hardship and persecution (see Heb. 11:35b-38). It is, however, a reminder of God’s promise to bless Israel, contingent upon the people’s faithfulness to Him.

The Reign of God in Zion (Isa. 33:17-24)

The prophet now describes the prosperous land in which the redeemed one day will live, safely and securely in the majestic presence of the Messiah. They will remember the dark days of oppression at the hands of foreign invaders, including the Assyrians, and rest in the knowledge that their nation and its capital city are free from attacks by land or sea. Assyria’s defeat will be like a shipwreck, leaving abundant spoils for the Jews to plunder. In fact, the booty will be so great after the Lord strikes the Assyrian army (Isa. 37:36) that even the lame will have ample time to take their fill (v. 23). Peace and prosperity will come by the Lord’s doing, not by human strength or political alliances.

Verse 17 offers a marvelous contrast. While the residents of Judah now see King Hezekiah in sackcloth, harassed and humbled by the Assyrians, one day they will see Messiah in His beauty – a righteous King to whom the world is drawn, preventing the unrighteous from entering His city. Three times in verse 22 He is called “the Lord,” and three titles are given to Him: Judge, Lawgiver and King. This is the “perfect ideal of the theocracy, to be realized under Messiah alone; the judicial, legislative, and administrative functions as king to be exercised by Him in person (Is 11:4; 32:1; Jam 4:12)” (Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, David Brown, A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments, S. Is 33:22).

Jerusalem during the messianic kingdom is described as “a peaceful pasture.” How different from Isaiah’s day in which Sennacherib surrounds the city with barbarous troops, seals it off and builds siege ramps against it. The day is coming, the prophet assures God’s people, when Jerusalem will be like a tent pitched by a broad river inaccessible to warships. “Jerusalem is one of the few great cities of antiquity that was not built near a river, but that will change during the millennial kingdom (Ezek. 47). Of course, the river symbolizes the peace that the Lord gives to His people (Isa. 48:18; 66:12; Ps. 46:4)” (Be Comforted, S. Is 33:1).

Closing Thought

Matthew Henry comments: “When things are brought thus to the last extremity, God will magnify himself. He had seemed to sit by as an unconcerned spectator: ‘But now will I arise, saith the Lord; now will I appear and act, and therein I will be not only evidenced, but exalted.’ He will not only demonstrate that there is a God that judges in the earth, but that he is God over all, and higher than the highest. ‘Now will I lift up myself, will prepare for action, will act vigorously, and will be glorified in it.’ God’s time to appear for his people is when their affairs are reduced to the lowest ebb, when their strength is gone and there is none shut up nor left, Deu. 32:36. When all other helpers fail, then is God’s time to help” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume, S. Is 33:1).

July 12, 2009

Isaiah 32: A King will Reign Righteously

Isaiah 32: A King will Reign Righteously / Listen to the audio

Download a worksheet on Isaiah 32 for further study

Prologue

Where we are:

Part 1: Judgment	Part 2: Historical Interlude	Part 3: Salvation
Chapters 1-35	Chapters 36-39	Chapters 40-66

When this takes place:

Since the surrounding chapters address the Assyrian attack on Jerusalem in 701 B.C., a date approximately one year prior to that event fits the broad setting of Isaiah 30-32. Isa. 32:10 indicates that Jerusalem will be assaulted in “a little more than a year.”

Key verses:

Isa. 31:14-15 – For the palace will be forsaken, the busy city abandoned … until the Spirit from heaven is poured out on us. Then the desert will become an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest.

Quick summary:

In verses 1-8 Isaiah describes the righteous rule of the Messianic king, and in verses 15-20 he provides some detail about the work of the Spirit in that day. Between these comforting promises the prophet warns the “complacent women” of Jerusalem that they will soon experience Assyria’s wrath (vv. 9-14).

Take note:

Isaiah places his comments about the woes in Judah between two prophetic views of the future, one involving the reign of the Messiah and the other concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit. In verses 1-8 we see a glorious foreshadowing of the righteous king, and in verses 15-20 we catch a glimpse of the Spirit sent from heaven. Verses 9-14, however, bring us back to Isaiah’s day and record the prophet’s warning to Judah’s complacent women. This chapter is similar to others in the book of Isaiah in which God’s message of pending judgment is tempered by His wonderful promises of future blessing. Through it all we are reminded that the Holy One of Israel is a covenant-keeping God.

The Righteous King (Isa. 32:1-8)

Isaiah calls the citizens of Judah to look beyond their current plight to the triumphant Messiah, who will reign in righteousness. Even the rulers under Him will project Messianic qualities. Their just leadership will be like “a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the rain … streams of water in a dry land, and the shade of a massive rock in an arid land” (v. 2). John the apostle also sees this marvelous day in his vision on the island of Patmos. Resurrected and glorified believers “will be priests of God and the Messiah, and they will reign with Him” – first for 1,000 years, and then “forever and ever” (see Rev. 5:10, 20:6, 22:5).

Warren Wiersbe writes: “In Isaiah 32:1, Isaiah writes about ‘a king’; but in 33:17, he calls him ‘the king.’ By the time you get to verse 22, He is ‘our king.’ It is not enough to say that Jesus Christ is ‘a King’ or even ‘the King.’ We must confess our faith in Him and say with assurance that He is ‘our King.’ Like Nathanael, we must say, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ (John 1:49, NKJV)” (Be Comforted, S. Is 32:1).

In the age to come, people will see and hear the Lord clearly – a stark contrast to their present spiritual stupor. They will understand God’s Word and speak its truths profoundly (compare vv. 3-4 with Isa. 29:10-12). Fools and scoundrels will be exposed as the evil-doers they are. Their nobility and respect will be taken away. The people will see that the fool (Heb. nabal, “senseless” one) “plots iniquity … lives in a godless way … speaks falsely about the Lord … leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink” (v. 6). In addition, the people will stand nobly for what is right, no longer falling victim to the scoundrel who “hatches plots to destroy the needy with lies” and takes advantage of the poor (v. 7). As D.A. Carson notes, “Above all, truth has ousted the fictions under which vice takes shelter” (New Bible Commentary: 21^st Century Edition, S. Is 32:1).

Complacent Women (Isa. 32:9-14)

In the shadow of Jerusalem’s wicked rulers are their aristocratic wives, whose complacency and self-interest make matters worse in Judah. They trouble themselves little about urgent political matters, preferring to indulge in their lavish lifestyles (see Isa. 3:16-23). Isaiah warns them that in “a little more than a year” the land and the cities will be desolate. This comes to pass in 701 B.C. when Sennacherib’s Assyrian army overruns the land and devastates it. The Jews surrounded in Jerusalem naturally are worried about future harvests, and Isaiah has a word for them (Isa. 37:30-31). But before the siege ends and God miraculously delivers Jerusalem, the city’s leading ladies will suffer a great deal.

John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck comment: “The first evidence of the judgment would be the failing of the harvest of grapes and other fruit, perhaps because the Assyrians would overrun the fields. Therefore because of the ravaging of the land the women would mourn. If the noisy city to be deserted (32:14) refers to Jerusalem then Isaiah meant that the Assyrian attack was the beginning of the end for Jerusalem, which fell to the Babylonians 115 years later (in 586 b.c.). In that case Isaiah was not saying (v. 10) that the judgment would be completed in about a year but that it would begin in about a year. However, perhaps ‘the noisy city’ refers to any one of the 46 Judean cities Sennacherib king of Assyria claimed to have defeated” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, S. 1:1082).

The Spirit from Heaven (Isa. 32:15-20)

In the closing verses of this chapter, Isaiah turns his attention to the future ministry of the Holy Spirit, who will be “poured out” on the people, usher in an era of peace resulting from righteousness, and guarantee abundant crops. What a contrast between verses 14 and 15. From a forsaken palace and abandoned city to a thriving land of peace and prosperity, Jerusalem is revived by the divine presence of the Holy Spirit. It’s the same in the human heart. The unbeliever is spiritually dead, desolate and depraved until the Spirit makes him or her alive through regeneration (see Eph. 2:1-10; Titus 3:5-7).

The result of Spirit-produced righteousness is peace (v. 17). Lawrence O. Richards elaborates: “The Heb. word for peace, shalom, expresses a basic and vital biblical concept. The word suggests wholeness and harmony, that which is complete and sound, prosperous, healthy, and fulfilled. The word occurs over 200 times in the O.T. In narrative books it typically is used to describe an absence of hostility or strife. In the psalms and the prophets it goes beyond this, so that in at least 2/3 of the biblical references the word indicates a total fulfillment that comes when persons experience God’s presence. Isa. 32:15–16 portrays both the inner peace and material prosperity that will mark the joyful fulfillment of man’s hopes under the rule of the Messiah, God’s Prince of Peace” (The Bible Readers Companion, electronic ed. S. 427).

The prophet Joel also foresees the future ministry of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-32), and on the day of Pentecost Peter declares that his fellow Jews are witnessing the beginning of that prophecy’s fulfillment as the Spirit falls on followers of Christ and they proclaim the mighty works of God in the languages of the world (Acts 2:16-21).

A foreboding message is inserted in verse 19: “But hail will level the forest, and the city will sink into the depths.” Some commentators say this is a word of warning to the Assyrians and the city of Ninevah. The “hail” is the Lord’s wrathful visitation (Isa. 30:30). The “forest” is the Assyrian army that surrounds Jerusalem and will be destroyed (Isa. 10:18-19, 33-34). Other commentators indicate that the destruction in this passage belongs to Judah, either in the days of Sennacherib’s invasion (701 B.C.) or 115 years later when the Babylonians utterly destroy the capital city of Jerusalem. In any case, “the basic principle expounded in this poem is that peace is not a thing God superimposes on a corrupt society: the ground must be cleared and re-sown with righteousness, of which peace is the fruit” (D.A. Carson, New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, S. Is 32:9).

Closing Thought

Gary V. Smith comments: “The theological principle that Isaiah teaches is that true security and peace are by-products of righteous living, and righteous living is made possible through the gift of God’s Spirit and the rule of his just king. Security cannot be gained through human effort or the manipulation of a person’s circumstances, but it can be received as a gift because of the Spirit’s work in one’s life” (The New American Commentary: Isaiah 1-39, p. 548).

July 5, 2009

Isaiah 31: The Fire in Zion

Isaiah 31: Listen to an audio file

Isaiah 31: Download a worksheet for further study

Prologue

Where we are:

Part 1: Judgment	Part 2: Historical Interlude	Part 3: Salvation
Chapters 1-35	Chapters 36-39	Chapters 40-66

When this takes place:

Isaiah 31 likely takes place shortly before 701 B.C., when the Assyrian army sweeps through Judah and surrounds Jerusalem. Hezekiah and his people are exhorted to trust God, not the Egyptians, for deliverance.

Key verse:

Isa. 31:3 – Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the Lord raises His hand [to strike], the helper will stumble and the helped will fall; both will perish together.

Quick summary:

Isaiah contrasts the futility of human resources with the strength and security of divine protection. King Hezekiah’s advisors are pressing for an alliance with Egypt to defend Jerusalem against the Assyrians, but Isaiah implores them to trust the Lord. “Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit,” the prophet reminds them (v. 3). “Assyria will fall, but not by human sword” (v. 8). The Holy One of Israel, who keeps His covenant, will rescue the capital city in stunning fashion, and His people will marvel at His glorious deeds (see. Isa. 37:36).

Take note:

Isaiah uses the imagery of animals in his efforts to convince Hezekiah and his advisors to trust the Lord. First, he rebukes the people of Judah for thinking that Egypt’s impressive stable of battle-ready horses will deliver them from the marauding Assyrians. The Egyptians’ horses “are flesh, not spirit,” the prophet says (v.3), and the people would be wise to “look to the Holy One of Israel” and “seek the Lord’s help” (v. 1). Then, in verse 4, Isaiah likens the Lord to a lion growling over its prey, undeterred by a band of shepherds who can only make threatening shouts. Finally, in verse 5, the Lord is compared to “hovering birds” who keep a watchful eye on Jerusalem. He will protect, rescue, spare and deliver the city.

A Woe Pronounced (Isa. 31:1-3)

This is the last of four consecutive chapters that begin with woes against sinners among the professing people of God: Ephraim’s drunkards (28:1); Ariel’s unwitting leaders (29:1); Judah’s rebellious children (30:1); and now the southern kingdom’s covenant breakers. Isaiah reminds Judah of her Deuteronomic covenant with God, which specifically prohibits returning to Egypt or acquiring horses there (Deut. 17:16). Returning to Egypt has always been a temptation to the Jews (see Ex. 13:17; 14:11-12; Num. 11:5, 18) and King Solomon ignored God’s warnings against it (1 Kings 10:28-29).

Because God keeps His covenants, He will judge Judah for violating the agreement into which the people willingly entered after the Lord delivered them from bondage. Besides, the Egyptians would prove to be no help against the Assyrians. “They go down to Egypt for help in every exigence, as if the worshippers of false gods had a better interest in heaven and were more likely to have success of earth than the servants of the living and true God” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume, S. Is 31:1). Isaiah reminds them that “Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit” (v. 3). King David had it right when he declared, “Some take pride in a chariot, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God” (Ps. 20:7).

The Lord’s Protection (Isa. 31:4-9)

The Lord assures His people that He is sovereign over the nations and will protect them from the Assyrian threat. Just as a lion growls over a herd of sheep and is undeterred by shepherds who make noises to frighten him away, so the Lord of Hosts will fearlessly devour the Assyrian army that encircles Jerusalem. Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord will shield Mount Zion from the advancing army of Judah’s enemy. Warren Wiersbe puts it this way: “Why should the Lord fear the Assyrians? Does a lion fear a flock of sheep and their shepherds? Do the eagles fear as they hover over their young in the nest? God will pounce on Assyria like a lion and swoop down like an eagle, and that will be the end! In one night, the Assyrian army was wiped out” (Be Comforted, S. Is 31:1).

Since God will deliver Judah, Isaiah implores the people to turn from their idols and return to the One against whom they have rebelled. The prophet looks to the day when the citizens of Judah will reject the gold and silver idols they have sinfully made and worshiped (compare Isa. 30:22). “Their future hope in the kingdom should change their present behavior. The future reality should have an ethical impact on their lives” (John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, S. 1:1081).

Isaiah reminds the people once again that the Assyrians will fall at the hands of God, “not by human sword” (v. 8). Seeing Judah’s battle standard and watching as the Angel of the Lord smites their once-invincible army, the Assyrian commanders will be terrified and flee (see Isa. 37:36-37). The Lord will make sure that the “fire … in Zion” – likely a reference to the altar fires at the temple – will continue to burn (v. 9).

Wiersbe writes that there is a contemporary lesson in this passage: “As God’s church today faces enemies and challenges, it is always a temptation to turn to the world or the flesh for help. But our first response must be to examine our hearts to see if there is something we need to confess and make right. Then we must turn to the Lord in faith and obedience and surrender to His will alone. We must trust Him to protect us and fight for us. A friend of mine kept a card on his office desk that read: Faith Is Living Without Scheming. In one statement, that is what Isaiah was saying to Judah and Jerusalem; and that is what he is saying to us today” (Be Comforted, S. Is 31:1).

Closing Thought

Gary V. Smith comments: “This message confirms the central theological principle that it is foolish and sinful to depend on human power to bring deliverance from troubles. Human plans to manipulate a nation’s circumstances will inevitably fail, just as an individual’s attempt to determine his future without consulting God will end in frustration…. Grace is not earned or deserved; yet God richly provides hope for some through acts of divine intervention. Even the Assyrian soldiers who survived God’s destruction of their army had the opportunity to respond positively to the experience of seeing the powerful hand of God at work. By grace they had survived to tell the story about God’s defeat of the most powerful army in the world. Everyone who knows about the work of God has the opportunity of glorifying his name by telling others about his great deeds” (The New American Commentary: Isaiah 1-39, p. 536).

June 28, 2009

Isaiah 30: Lips Full of Fury

Isaiah 30: Listen to the audio

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Prologue

Where we are:

Part 1: Judgment	Part 2: Historical Interlude	Part 3: Salvation
Chapters 1-35	Chapters 36-39	Chapters 40-66

When this takes place:

Isaiah 30 likely takes place early in King Hezekiah’s reign and is part of a series of woes in chapters 28-33 against those who oppose God’s word.

Key verses:

Isa. 30:27-28 – Look, Yahweh comes from far away, His anger burning and heavy with smoke. His lips are full of fury, and His tongue is like a consuming fire. His breath is like an overflowing torrent that rises to the neck. [He comes] to sift the nations in a sieve of destruction and to put a bridle on the jaws of the peoples to lead [them] astray.

Quick summary:

Isaiah summarizes what Israel has done to God and what God will do to Israel. The people make their plans without consulting God; they demand that the prophets stop preaching against sin; and they ask for more comforting messages. As a result, the Lord’s judgment will fall on them like a bulging wall and they will be smashed like pieces of pottery. Even so, God calls His people to repent and return to the Lord, and He promises a day in which He will bring salvation to Israel. In that day He will comfort His people and hear their prayers; teach and guide them; give them abundant crops; defeat their enemies; and fill their hearts with joy.

Take note:

Isaiah’s words in verse 10 have echoed through the ages. They are as much an indictment of the church today as a harsh rebuke of the Israelites in Isaiah’s time: “Do not prophesy the truth to us. Tell us flattering things.” The apostle Paul warns the Romans against divisive people in their congregation: “Now I implore you, brothers, watch out for those who cause dissensions and pitfalls contrary to the doctrine you have learned. Avoid them; for such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting” (Rom. 16:18). He goes on to warn the young pastor Timothy of those who neglect the truth in favor of having their ears tickled: “For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

The Egyptian Alliance (Isa. 30:1-17)

The chapter begins bleakly, with Isaiah comparing the citizens of Judah to obstinate children. The Lord already has made it clear that He will use Assyria to destroy Israel and to punish Judah, yet the leaders of the southern kingdom travel to Egypt, seeking an alliance against the Assyrian invaders. This is an act of rebellion against God and it will lead to Judah’s shame since Egypt does not have the ability to protect Judah from the Assyrian invaders (vv. 3, 5).

In verses 6-7, Isaiah describes the envoys from Judah who load their donkeys and camels with great treasures for the Egyptians and brave the dangerous Negev, where wild animals like lions and poisonous snakes lie in wait. But Isaiah calls feckless Egypt “Rahab Who Just Sits” (v. 7). “In Ugaritic literature Rahab was the name of a female sea monster associated with Leviathan (cf. Job 9:13; 26:12). Perhaps the hippopotamus, an animal that often sits in the water of the Nile doing nothing, represents that mythical water beast. Understandably Rahab came to be a poetic synonym for Egypt (and also for a demon behind Egypt) when God overpowered the Egyptian soldiers in the sea at the Exodus (cf. Isa. 51:9; Pss. 87:4; 89:10). So Egypt, Isaiah wrote, was good for nothing; she could not assist Judah in any way” (John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, S. 1:1080).

The Lord then tells Isaiah to write this message on a scroll, which will serve as testimony against the “deceptive children” who may later claim they never heard God’s warning. They are “rebellious people … children who do not obey the Lord’s instruction” (v. 9). They are unwilling to listen to the Lord and do not want the prophets to tell them the truth. In fact, they go so far as to shout, “Rid us of the Holy One of Israel” (v. 11).

Nevertheless, Isaiah confronts them with a stark message from the Lord. By rejecting God’s call to repent of their sin and trust Him, by relying on their own plans and by engaging the deceitful Egyptians, they would bring down judgment upon their heads. Isaiah likens this judgment to a cracked wall that suddenly collapses, and to shattered pottery whose pieces are so small they are no longer of value. They would be alarmed by the approaching enemy, and though they would flee on horses, the Assyrian horses would be faster and overtake them. In their crushing defeat, the survivors would stand like a banner on a hill – a warning to others not to trust in military might or political alliances.

The Lord’s Mercy (Isa. 30:18-26)

These verses anticipate the coming of the Messiah and the spiritual and material blessings that will result from His reign. Although the inhabitants of Judah have turned away from the Lord, they are still His covenant people whom He desires to grant mercy, compassion and justice. Isaiah implores them to wait patiently on Yahweh. During times of calamity they will suffer hardship and survive on bread and water, but the day is coming when they will dwell securely on Mt. Zion and “never cry again” (v. 19). The Israelites will eagerly learn from their Teacher – the Messiah – and embrace the instruction of the prophets and priests. They will be sensitive to God’s Word, as if He were speaking softly to them, “This is the way. Walk in it” (v. 21). The people they will see their idolatry as God sees it and be repulsed. They will throw away their silver-plated idols and gold-plated images “like menstrual cloths, and call them filth” (v. 22).

Isaiah then describes what life will be like when the Messiah comes and their hearts are in tune with Him. The Lord will send rain and the earth will produce rich and bountiful crops. “Physical prosperity accompanies national piety; especially under the Old Testament. The early rain fell soon after the seed was sown in October or November; the latter rain in the spring, before the ripening of the corn. Both were needed for a good harvest” (Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, David Brown, A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments, S. Is 30:23). In addition, the cattle will graze in open pastures and the beasts of burden will have plenty to eat. There will be ample fresh water flowing from the streams and fountains on every hill and mountain. Even the natural light will be increased. The moon will shine as brightly as the sun, which will glow seven times more brightly. Perhaps this is figurative language to illustrate God’s presence among and provision for His people (see Isa. 60:19-20; Rev. 21:23-24; 22:5). In any case, the same Lord who chastens His people with a rod of iron will bless them with His very presence as He “bandages His people’s injuries and heals the wounds He inflicted” (v. 26).

Yahweh’s Burning Anger (Isa. 30:27-33)

Isaiah now returns to the present situation, prophesying that the Assyrian army, which surrounds Jerusalem, would be defeated. This is fulfilled in 701 B.C. as the Lord strikes dead 185,000 soldiers in a single night (Isa. 37:36). Notice how Isaiah contrasts the Lord’s mercy toward Israel in the previous section with his fiery anger toward Assyria: His anger is burning and heavy with smoke; His lips are full of fury; His tongue is like a consuming fire; and His breath is like an overflowing torrent that rises to the neck; He sifts the nations like a farmer shaking his grain to clear it of the smallest pebbles; and He puts a bridle in the jaws of the people to lead them astray (vv. 27-28).

This graphic imagery, depicting God’s defeat of Assyria, is continued elsewhere in Scripture to describe the Lord’s wrath on the day of judgment. For example, the apostle Paul says that when Christ returns He will take “vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God” (2 Thess. 1:8). And the apostle John describes the returning Christ as having eyes like “a fiery flame,” a “robe stained with blood,” striking the nations with a sharp sword coming from His mouth, and “trampling the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty” (Rev. 19:12-15).

God’s miraculous work on behalf of His people will cause them to break out in celebration, rejoicing as in the days of the three annual festivals in which they made their way to the temple on Mt. Zion. Meanwhile, the sulfurous breath of God will ignite a fire that consumes Judah’s enemies. The Assyrian army will be destroyed like a pile of wood or a sacrifice in Topheth (v. 33), an area in the Valley of Hinnom south of Jerusalem where children are sometimes sacrificed to the Ammonite god Molech (2 Kings 23:10; Jer. 7:31). In Jesus’ day the valley was a burning trash dump, which He used to illustrate the never-ending fires of gehenna – a transliteration from the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ge-hinnom, “Valley of Hinnom.” The apostle John continues this imagery of hell in Rev. 19:20; 20:10; 21:8.

Closing Thought

Gary V. Smith comments: “Trust in God in such dire circumstances is a risk that is not easy to accept. It puts everything on the line for what often appears to be a nebulous hope that God will act. What does one have to do to truly trust God? Isaiah indicates the people need to (a) repent of their present rebellious acts; (b) rest securely in God’s salvation; (c) be calm rather than fearful; (d) rely on God’s heroic strength; and (e) stop trusting in human power (30:15-16)…. Faith is not blind acceptance of something totally unknown; it is a confident relational walk based on spiritual knowledge that directs the will to act in reliance on the character and promises of someone who sovereignly controls this world” (The New American Commentary: Isaiah 1-39, pp. 528-29).