To What Do I Owe The Treasure? (Isaiah 33)

In the 1960s, protest songs were plentiful.

🎶  The Plastic Ono Band charted with All We are Saying is Give Peace a Chance.

🎶  Barry McGuire – Eve of Destruction.

🎶  Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Ohio (as in “four [shot] dead in Ohio” at the Kent State protest).

People are always surprised to learn that Last Train to Clarksville is a protest song. Micky Dolenz, the last surviving Monkee, explained, “It’s an anti-war song. It’s about a guy going to Clarksville, Tennessee, which is an army base if I’m not mistaken. He’s obviously been drafted and he says to his girlfriend, ‘I don’t know if I’m ever coming home.’ ”

Then there was 1969s One Tin Soldier. It describes a fictional mountain kingdom who possess a great treasure. The residents of the valley become envious of this treasure, and intend to claim it for themselves, suspecting it may be gold. The kingdom offers to share it. The people of the valley proceed to invade the kingdom and kill everyone in order to seize the treasure.

Now they stood beside the treasure

On the mountain, dark and red

Turned the stone and looked beneath it

“Peace on Earth” was all it said

We see something like this in verse six, where we read, “the Fear of the Lord is His treasure.” 

The Assyrian army besieged God’s people. They hoped to enrich themselves with Temple treasures, slaves, and other spoils.

Surveying these verses we see that the LORD’s concept of treasure is very different from the world’s. He treasures things like “salvation,” “justice,” “righteousness,” “wisdom,” “knowledge,” and forgiveness. In the end, God Himself is the treasure.

The LORD’s treasure isn’t buried, or hidden. It isn’t guarded by booby traps. There are no riddles to solve. Only one thing, one simple thing, one obvious thing, is necessary: The fear of the LORD.

I’ll organize my comments around two points: #1 Fear Of The Lord Is Nothing For You To Be Afraid Of, and #2 Fearfulness Of The Lord Is Something For You To Be Appreciative Of.

#1 – Fear Of The Lord Is Nothing For You To Be Afraid Of (v1-13)

What is the fear of the Lord?

Definitions and descriptions abound. Philosophically, I’ve settled on something A.W. Tozer wrote: “The greatness of God rouses fear within us, but His goodness encourages us not to be afraid of Him. To fear and not be afraid – that is the paradox of faith.”

I’m in good company in saying that the fear of the Lord is nothing to be afraid of.  

Isa 33:1  Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered; And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you! When you cease plundering, You will be plundered; When you make an end of dealing treacherously, They will deal treacherously with you.

The treacherous plunderer was the nation of Assyria. God used them to discipline His people. Internal treachery and the rise of Babylon as the next world power would end their domination.

Isa 33:2  O LORD, be gracious to us; We have waited for You. Be their arm every morning, Our salvation also in the time of trouble.

Each morning brought renewed peril to the besieged Jews. I’m glad that God’s mercies in my life are “new every morning.” Last night the Lord remained awake while I slept. I woke up to the day He has made. I need to depend upon His “arm,” His strength, since I have none of my own.

“O LORD, be gracious to us” is the prayer of the Jews inside the walls of Jerusalem. The rest of the verse is a prayer of Isaiah’s for the people.

The Jews had been brought low and were finally looking up to the LORD for His help.

Isa 33:3  At the noise of the tumult the people shall flee; When You lift Yourself up, the nations shall be scattered;

The LORD is depicted as coming and scattering the nations, plural. We are thus looking to the far future, to the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, commonly called the Great Tribulation.

Isa 33:4  And Your plunder shall be gathered Like the gathering of the caterpillar; As the running to and fro of locusts, He shall run upon them.

One morning, 185,000 Assyrians would not awaken. In the night the Angel of the Lord would kill them. Their defeat and despoiling would be like when locusts or caterpillars destroy entire crops, leaving nothing.

Isa 33:5  The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

He reigns! This is the Millennial Kingdom that follows the Great Tribulation. It lasts millie-annum, one-thousand years. Jesus will rule from Jerusalem.

Isa 33:6  Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation; The fear of the LORD is His treasure.

Isaiah frequently gives us glimpses of the thousand year Kingdom. “Wisdom,” “knowledge,” and “salvation” will be enforced to stabilize the earth.

We need still to convert the philosophical into the practical. How should we then live? in “the fear of the Lord?”

You have new life in Jesus. You are a new creation. If you are in Christ, He is in you. You are indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. He was gifted to the Church Age believers on the Day of Pentecost described in the second chapter of the Book of Acts. The apostle Paul explained it to the church in Colossae, saying, “For ages and ages this message was kept secret from everyone, but now it has been explained to God’s people. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and He is your hope of sharing in God’s glory” (1:26-27 CEV).

Sam Storms wrote, “God doesn’t simply give us His Spirit, He gives the Spirit into us. Not just to us, but by an act of what can only be called intimate impartation His Spirit resides within to encourage, energize, and enable. The Spirit isn’t just here, He’s inside.”

What does this have to do with fear? Plenty!

I’ve heard, and probably said myself, things like, “If Jesus were to come right now, would you want to be caught watching this movie, or going to this party, or doing something that would make you ashamed? But that supposes that Jesus is not always with you. He is, and by apprehending that He is, I will walk with Him obediently, joyfully, fearing to in any way offend Him; desiring rather to please Him.

The fear of the Lord is the apprehension that Jesus is with me at all times.

Isa 33:7  Surely their valiant ones shall cry outside, The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

Isa 33:8  The highways lie waste, The traveling man ceases. He has broken the covenant, He has despised the cities, He regards no man.

Isa 33:9  The earth mourns and languishes, Lebanon is shamed and shriveled; Sharon is like a wilderness, And Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.’

That doesn’t sounds very ‘millennial,’ does it? It is not uncommon for God’s prophets to make abrupt changes of subject. Here Isaiah comes back from the far future to discuss what had led up to the Assyrian’s being camped around Jerusalem.

Elsewhere we learn that the Jews had sent a peace envoy to the Assyrians. The Assyrians had no intention of honoring any such agreements.

Isa 33:10  “Now I will rise,” says the LORD; “Now I will be exalted, Now I will lift Myself up.

“Now,” “now,” “now.” Lots of movies have that tense scene where the hero waits… And waits… And waits until the last second. Then there was Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1. In the prison, Rocket was telling the heroes his plan. One thing he needed was a quarnox battery; but he warned, “You definitely want to get that last.” Groot was in the background of the scene, getting the battery first.

We’re like Groot when it comes to God’s timing. We want to skip ahead to the end. The LORD’s plan & its timing are always perfect.

Assyria had conquered the northern kingdom of Israel. It looked as though they would destroy Judah. But at that moment, the LORD addressed them. He would “rise” against them, be “exalted” in victory. The Assyrians had forgotten the LORD was using them. They went too far. He would eliminate their threat and “lift Himself up” to deal directly with Judah.

Isa 33:11  You shall conceive chaff, You shall bring forth stubble; Your breath, as fire, shall devour you.

Isa 33:12  And the people shall be like the burnings of lime; Like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire.

The Assyrians are compared to extremely flammable “chaff,” “stubble,” and “thorns.” Their malice and arrogance was like fire coming from their mouths. We call people hot heads. They were fire breathers. Sure, it was the Angel of the Lord who killed 185,000 of them in one night. Prior to that, however, their spokesman had mocked God’s people. (If you are a Lord of the Rings Fan, think the Mouthpiece of Sauron). Their arrogance brought defeat upon themselves.

Isa 33:13  Hear, you who are afar off, what I have done; And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”

Whether it’s the past siege of Assyria, or the future Time of Jacob’s Trouble, the LORD will put down Israel’s enemies.

The fear of the Lord isn’t just one thing, with one definition. One thing it is, and that is the constant apprehension that He is dwelling in you and, thereby, Jesus is always with you.

#2 – Fearfulness Of The Lord Is Something For You To Be Appreciative Of (v14-24)

“Fearfulness” is prominent in the remaining verses. The word so translated means to shudder (tremble). It is only used four times in the Bible (including this usage). Another is Daniel 10:11. An angel comes to Daniel and we read, “While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.”

More than a few Bible characters trembled in the presence of the Lord or of one of His messenger angels. The apostle John famously fell down seeking to worship an angel.

Fearfulness is simultaneously seeing God’s holiness and my sinfulness. Not only at the moment of salvation. It ought to continue and deepen over the course of your Christian walk.

The apostle Paul’s soliloquy in Romans 7 is classic: “For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but I cannot carry it out. For I don’t do the good I want to do, but instead do the evil that I don’t want to do” (7:18-19 ISV).

Fearfulness is necessary & good.

It brings you to apprehend, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:24-25).

Sinful as you are, the Lord does not condemn you. He has given you His Spirit so you can conquer sin, conquer your flesh.

Isa 33:14  The sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”

The Jews saw what the Angel of the LORD did to the Assyrian army and, in that moment, understood that they were “hypocrites” who deserved greater judgment seeing as they were the people of God. As A.W. Tozer noted, just as they saw the greatness of God, they saw the goodness of God in verse fifteen:

Isa 33:15  He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, He who despises the gain of oppressions, Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:

There are in verse fifteen at least five results of fearfulness. I suggest you number them, then meditate on each one of them. Ask the Lord, for example, “Have I shut my eyes from seeing evil?” It’s between you and Jesus.

Isa 33:16  He will dwell on high; His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; Bread will be given him, His water will be sure.

Another version of the Bible translates this, “he will dwell on the heights; his refuge will be the rocky fortresses, his food provided, his water assured” (HCSB). Many premillennial commentators think Isaiah was prophesying of the Jews in the Holy Land after the antichrist defiles their Temple. Jesus tells them to get out of Dodge (Matthew 24). Further, it is believed that this godly remnant will find refuge in the ancient rock-hewn cliff city of Petra. The remnant will survive there, protected by God, for three and a half years.

Isa 33:17  Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see the land that is very far off.

“The Jewish people who survive the Tribulation will see their King, and they will see their land as it stretches far into the distance. For the first time, Israel will receive all of the land that was promised to the patriarchs” (Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum).

Isa 33:18  Your heart will meditate on terror: “Where is the scribe? Where is he who weighs? Where is he who counts the [siege] towers?” These are officers in Assyria:

• “Scribe,” i.e., Secretary of State.
• “He who weighs,” i.e., paymaster.
• “He who counts the siege towers,” i.e., those who did recon on the enemy’s defenses.

The “terror” of such enemies will be no more

Isa 33:19  You will not see a fierce people, A people of obscure speech, beyond perception, Of a stammering tongue that you cannot understand.

To be taken captive by those whose language they could not comprehend was an indictment that they had refused to listen to the LORD.

Isa 33:20  Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home, A tabernacle that will not be taken down; Not one of its stakes will ever be removed, Nor will any of its cords be broken.

The nation of Israel, in the future Millennium, will finally takes its rightful place as the chief among the nations. Tenderly, lovingly, joyfully, the Jewish people will be “home.”

Isa 33:21  But there the majestic LORD will be for us A place of broad rivers and streams, In which no galley with oars will sail, Nor majestic ships pass by

Rivers enriched the life of such great cities as Nineveh and Babylon. They also gave access to their enemies. Babylon, you will remember, was conquered when the Medo-Persians stopped the flow of the river, and entered under the wall.

Jerusalem under the LORD’s rule will have all the glory of such cities (and far more!) but none of their vulnerability.

Isa 33:22  (For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us);

The Jews rarely acknowledged God in these roles. The obvious example is in God’s role as King. At one point in their history, they demanded a king over them (First Samuel 8). It grieved the LORD, but He gave them what they wanted. Bad idea from the jump.

Captain Kirk has to be in the top ten, maybe top five, maybe #1, of human heroes. He once said of us, “We prefer to help ourselves. We make mistakes, but we’re human – and maybe that’s the word that best explains us.”

We like to celebrate the indomitable human spirit, that cannot be broken but clings to freedom at great cost. Disembowel me and I will cry out, “Freedom!”

We celebrate it, that is, until we accuse God of inactivity. “Where is the promise of His coming?” Well, we can’t have it both ways. We can’t demand our freedom from God to sin and demand He put an end to sin. God’s plan to redeem us is on track and will succeed. It’s taking longer than we like is our fault. In fact, the apostle Peter says we can “hasten it,” speed it up, by obeying God (Second Peter 3:12).

Isa 33:23  Your tackle is loosed, They could not strengthen their mast, They could not spread the sail. Then the prey of great plunder is divided; The lame take the prey.

Assyria’s defeat will be like a shipwreck, after which the many spoils on the ship will be divided among the Israelites. There will be so much plunder that plenty will be left by the time even “lame” people hobble out there to the field of slaughter. (The Hebrew word is lamo, as in, “You’re a lamo!”). (Not really!).

Isa 33:24  And the inhabitant will not say, “I am sick”; The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity.

One of the commentaries expanded on this:

The ministry of the King as a healer will be seen throughout the age, so that sickness and even death, except as a penal measure in dealing with overt sin, will be removed. Accompanying this ministry will be the healing of all deformity at the inception of the Millennium.

Phillip Yancey wrote, “The proof of spiritual maturity is not how pure you are but awareness of your impurity. That very awareness opens the door to grace.”

The awareness he is talking about is what we saw earlier in the apostle Paul. He was still a “wretched man,” but one upon whom there is no condemnation from the Lord.

A danger of fearfulness is that you remain wretched. Don’t. Instead, learn this from Martin Luther:

When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares we deserve death and Hell, we ought to speak thus: “I admit that I deserve death and Hell.

What of it? Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For I know One who suffered and made a satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where He is, there I shall be also.”

We should never think lightly of sin; or sin so that grace will abound. But we must be certain we leave the door of grace unlocked and wide open.

Isaiah 31-32 – The Real Housewives Of Jerusalem

Who did not say, “Let them eat cake?”

That would be Marie Antoinette. True, the queen of France was given to excess. She, for example, purchased 300 dresses every year. Historians quip, “she dressed for excess.”

As the story goes, when she was told her subjects had no bread to eat, she said, “Let them eat cake.” It exposed how out of touch she was.

It certainly sounds like her, but she never said it.

It is regarded as a cliché whose authentic origin is difficult to trace.

The women of the southern kingdom of Judah may have given her inspiration. In chapter thirty-two, verses 9,10 & 11, the LORD accuses them of having grown “complacent.” It can mean careless or carefree. At least one Bible version translates is as overconfident.

One of the major themes of this entire section of Isaiah is the overconfidence they had in the world and the ‘under’ confidence they had in the LORD. It is summarized in 31:1, where we read, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the LORD!”

Our look at Judah’s history gives the Lord an opportunity to check our confidence – whether it is overconfidence in the world, or ‘under’ confidence in Jesus.

I’ll organize my comments around two questions: #1 Do You Put Any Confidence In The World?, or #2 Do You Put All Of Your Confidence In The Lord?

#1 – Do You Put Any Confidence In The World? (31:1-9 & 32:9-14)

“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time,” said Oswald Chambers.

We therefore will often find ourselves in circumstances that test our confidence in Jesus versus the help of the world.

Pastor Alistair Begg suggests the following illustration: “A preoccupation with psychological theory has in many cases eroded confidence in the Scriptures. When the essence of the human predicament is redefined in terms of lack of self-esteem, it is almost inevitable that people will be directed toward a couch but not a cross, a psychologist but not a Savior.”

Keep that equation in mind – couch or Cross. You can substitute any worldly source for ”couch.”

Isa 31:1  Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the LORD!

The southern kingdom of Judah, like every kingdom in that region, was afraid of the advancing Assyrian army. They were the proverbial juggernaut. They had already destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel. To meet the threat, Judah entered a mutual protection agreement with Egypt. God, Who had parted the Red Sea and drowned Egypt’s army, was ignored in favor of a new Egyptian army.

The underlying problems are spiritual, and you can’t fight the spiritual with carnal strategy and weaponry.

Ask yourself, “What spiritual resource or resources do I require to be an overcomer in my situation?” If you are in Christ, those resources are yours.

Often in an action movie there is a scene in which the hero chooses his or her weapons from a larger arsenal. The choice is based on the operation & the opponents.

Let’s say you are feeling pressed at work. There are lots of carnal things you could try. But it’s probably patience, or forgiveness, or the joy of the Lord, that will effect the situation. It becomes a thing between you and Jesus – not between you and someone else.

Isa 31:2  Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, And will not call back His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers, And against the help of those who work iniquity.

God would dispatch the Assyrian army by sending the Angel of the LORD (Jesus) to kill 185,000 soldiers in one night.

He said He’d fight for them and He kept His word. Is there some ‘word’ you think God has not kept? Start by maintaining the certainty He cannot renege on His Word. Then wait. But remember: According to Hebrews, chapter eleven, you may not receive certain promises until you’re with the Lord.

Isa 31:3  Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; And their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, Both he who helps will fall, And he who is helped will fall down; They all will perish together.

Why look to mere men when you can go to God?!

Chances are, the situation you are in has been orchestrated by God to show you your ‘Egypt’ and get you back to being confident in Him.

John Newton wrote, “The Lord is my strength – yet I am prone to lean on reeds.”

Isa 31:4  For thus the LORD has spoken to me: “As a lion roars, And a young lion over his prey (When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him, He will not be afraid of their voice Nor be disturbed by their noise), So the LORD of hosts will come down To fight for Mount Zion and for its hill.

Isa 31:5  Like birds flying about, So will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem. Defending, He will also deliver it; Passing over, He will preserve it.”

Forty-six of Judah’s fortified cities would be destroyed. God would, however, protect Jerusalem.

Isa 31:6  Return to Him against whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.

Isa 31:7  For in that day every man shall throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold – sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves.

They worshipped the gods of their pagan neighbors. It wasn’t only that they had the images they made for themselves. They adopted the practices of their neighbors:

• Their rituals involved perverted sexual behavior. It was deemed OK because it was considered worship.
• Another practice they adopted was killing their babies by sacrificing them to Moloch, burning them to death.

How far gone are you? Or someone you know? Jesus can rescue you. He is a greater Savior than you are a sinner.

Isa 31:8  “Then Assyria shall fall by a sword not of man, And a sword not of mankind shall devour him. But he shall flee from the sword, And his young men shall become forced labor.

Isa 31:9  He shall cross over to his stronghold for fear, And his princes shall be afraid of the banner,” Says the LORD, Whose fire is in Zion And whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

You don’t pull the mask of an old Lone Ranger, and you don’t mess around with the Angel of the LORD.

We’ll come back to the opening verses of chapter thirty-two. For now, to maintain continuity, skip to verse nine.

Isa 32:9  Rise up, you women who are at ease, Hear my voice; You complacent daughters, Give ear to my speech.

I read this synopsis: “Stereotypical Barbie and a wide range of fellow Barbies all reside in Barbieland, a matriarchal society where all women are self-confident, self-sufficient, and successful.”

[SPOILER ALERT] In the new movie, Barbie has an existential crisis and chooses to become human.

Think of the women of Judah as Barbies going around in pink chariots as if they hadn’t a care in the world, telling everyone to eat cake.

Isa 32:10  In a year and some days You will be troubled, you complacent women; For the vintage will fail, The gathering will not come.

Their wealth derived from the harvest. It would fail the next year. Do you realize how quickly you could wake up and have no money, because it has all been seized? Once cash is eliminated, you will be at the mercy of those in charge. A story this week out of Florida claims that “Employees of a Florida-based retail health company said JP Morgan Chase Bank suddenly terminated their personal and company bank accounts without an explanation. One of the employees believes the account shutdowns were politically motivated and due to their employer’s controversial stance on COVID19.”

Isa 32:11  Tremble, you women who are at ease; Be troubled, you complacent ones; Strip yourselves, make yourselves bare, And gird sackcloth on your waists.

Isa 32:12  People shall mourn upon [beat] their breasts For the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

I’m pretty sure there isn’t a Sackcloth Barbie, but there would be sackclothed ladies in Judah’s future.

Isa 32:13  On the land of my people will come up thorns and briers, Yes, on all the happy homes in the joyous city;

Isa 32:14  Because the palaces will be forsaken, The bustling city will be deserted. The forts and towers will become lairs forever, A joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks –

Assyria would not succeed against Judah. The LORD would intervene. His people stubbornly refused to repent. Babylon would come, acting on the LORD’s behalf, and succeed in overrunning them.

Because we remain in these unredeemed bodies, we have the inclination to trust in things that are like our bodies – fleshly, earthly, worldly, material, physical. The answer to our outline question, “Do you put your confidence in the world?, is “Yes.” Start there and ask the Lord to show you where your overconfidence in the world lies.

#2 – Do You Put All Of Your Confidence In The Lord? (32:1-8 & 15-20)

Horatio Spafford’s four-year-old son died. Not long after, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 ruined him financially. His business interests were further hit by the economic downturn of 1873. Spafford planned to travel to England with his family on the SS Ville du Havre, to help with D. L. Moody’s upcoming evangelistic campaigns. In a late change of plan, he sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with another sea ship. All  four of Spafford’s daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone.”

As Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, his ship passed near where his daughters had died. He was inspired to write these words:

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Can you say, “It is well with my soul?”

• You cannot if you remain in unbelief that Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead in order to save you.
• If you are in Christ, you can always say it. More than that – you can live it.

The verses that remain catapult Judah, and us, into the far future.

Isa 32:1  Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, And princes will rule with justice.

Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum explains, “The king will be the Messianic King. The princes are the other members of the Messianic government. They will be characterized by righteousness and justice.”

Isaiah saw past our time, the Church Age, to the seven-year Time of Jacob’s Trouble, and to the Second Coming of Jesus. He will set up a Kingdom on Earth that will last 1000 years before giving way to something much better – Eternity with God.

Isa 32:2  A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, And a cover from the tempest, As rivers of water in a dry place, As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

The “man” is the men in verse one who aid Jesus. Among others, it’s you & me!  We are going to co-rule with Jesus.

Listen again to how we will be empowered: “A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, And a cover from the tempest, As rivers of water in a dry place, As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”

I was thinking how wonderful it would be if we could help one another now in these same ways. Then I realized we can to a certain extent because we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Isa 32:3  The eyes of those who see will not be dim, And the ears of those who hear will listen.

Isa 32:4  Also the heart of the rash will understand knowledge, And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.

Everyone will be able to see, hear, understand, and repeat spiritual truth.

I’m going to read verses 5, 6 & 7 in the CEV:

Isa 32:5  Fools will no longer be highly respected, and crooks won’t be given positions of honor.

Isa 32:6  Fools talk foolishness. They always make plans to do sinful things, to lie about the LORD, to let the hungry starve, and to keep water from those who are thirsty.

Isa 32:7  Cruel people tell lies – they do evil things, and make cruel plans to destroy the poor and needy, even when they beg for justice.

The Bible more than once encourages us to pray for our leaders. It does not preclude our recognizing when they are fools and crooks. All over the world leaders could be described this way. It doesn’t bode well.

Isa 32:8  But a generous man devises generous things, And by generosity he shall stand.

Your Bible may have the word “noble” for generous. According to E.W. Bullinger, “generous”means freehearted, freehanded. What a great description of a person serving the Lord in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Your heart is set free from sin, worry, anxiety, and guilt. Your hand is willing to give all that you have, or to come alongside, and help, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Last Sunday Geno explained how as Christians we can be free spirited. Add that to being free hearted and free handed.

Now to verse fifteen:

Isa 32:15  Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.

The future Kingdom is characterized by the Holy Spirit ministering in overdrive. Look at nature, look at us, in that time and you see incredible restoration.

Isa 32:16  Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, And righteousness remain in the fruitful field.

Isa 32:17  The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.

“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” is a well-known phrase from our Declaration of Independence. In the future Kingdom, the following superlatives will apply: Justice, righteousness, peace, quietness, and assurance.

And they will continue on into eternity, “forever.”

Isa 32:18  My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places,

Peace & Quiet. Security. Rest. If you are in Christ, you ought to be weary in this world. The times of refreshing are coming.

Isa 32:19  Though hail comes down on the forest, And the city is brought low in humiliation.

Isa 32:20  Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, Who send out freely the feet of the ox and the donkey.

The Millennial Kingdom will be a utopia, but it will not not be perfect. There can still be things like freak hail storm accidents. While hail may destroy, it will not do so to believers.

When Jesus returns in His Second Coming, we read that “all Israel will be saved.” Elsewhere we are told that, tragically, ⅔︎ of the nation will die, while ⅓︎ remain to live in the Kingdom on Earth.

Multitudes of Gentiles will believe the Gospel and get saved. These are the subjects of Jesus dividing the sheep & the goats (in Matthew 25).

• The unbelievers are goats, taken away to await their resurrection and the Second Death by being cast into the Lake of Fire
• The sheep – they are believers who survive, and they enter the Kingdom.

Do you put all of your confidence in the Lord? Do I? No; but I want to!

A vote of “No-confidence” shows that a majority does not support the policy of its leader. They seem to occur regularly in the British House of Commons.

It’s one thing to vote “No-confidence” in PM Boris Johnson. (He survived a vote in 2022). It’s something else entirely to vote “No-confidence” in Jesus.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said this: “I sometimes think that the very essence of the whole Christian position and the secret of a successful spiritual life is just to realize two things: I must have complete, absolute confidence in God and no confidence in myself.”

Random Facts On Blindness (Isaiah 29:1-24)

“I am also quite blind.”

If you are a fan, you will recognize that slightly obscure quote. It is from season one, episode twenty-nine, Operation Annihilate. Alien entities attach themselves to humans with cheesy 1960s special effects. In an effort to separate them, without killing the humans, they expose them to the full spectrum of blinding visible light. 

It works, but in the process, Mr. Spock announces, “I am free of it and the pain. And I am also quite blind.”

As if he doesn’t feel bad enough, Dr. McCoy discovers that he didn’t need to expose Spock to the entire visible light spectrum – only ultraviolet. Spock need not have been blinded. Not to worry; he recovers, revealing that Vulcans have a protective inner eyelid. 

The Jews Isaiah was speaking to did not. 

In verse nine we read, “Blind yourselves and be blind!” 

The nation of Israel blinded itself.

A spiritually blind nation. Not to worry. In verse eighteen we read, “In that day… the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.”

I’ll organize my comments around two points: #1 Israel’s Blindness Can Serve As A Warning To You, and #2 Israel’s Blindness Can Serve As A Witness To You.  

#1 – Israel’s Blindness Can Serve As A Warning To You (v1-13)

You can be born blind, and you can go blind on account of various injuries and illnesses. Rarely does a person purposely blind themself. Israel did, without knowing. It prompts us to ask, “How?”

“Therefore the Lord said: ‘Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men’ ” (v13). 

Their blindness stemmed from a disconnect between what their mouths and lips were doing, and what was truly in their hearts. 

OK, so it’s heart trouble. There is an awful lot that can affect your heart. What was it for Israel? 

They had removed their own hearts far from God.

Heart-removal was accomplished by preferring the “commandments of men.” He was referring to the addition of man-made rules, rites, and regulations, and traditions, which were extra-biblical. That in itself isn’t always wrong. But it all goes horribly wrong when you believe that keeping the commandments of men are more authoritative than God’s Word. 

In the NT, Jesus healed a man from a lifetime of blindness. He did it on the Sabbath. It violated the man-made commandments, the added extra-biblical traditions of men, that healing was work that could not be performed on the Sabbath. Instead of rejoicing, the so-called spiritual leaders excommunicated the man, and sought Jesus to do Him harm. 

Elevating the commandments of men over the Word of God began a process, eventuating in Israel’s blindness.

Isa 29:1  “Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! Add year to year; Let feasts come around.

There are only two places where “Ariel” appears in the Old Testament: 

• In Ezra it is a proper man’s name (8:16). 
• In our text, no less than five times, it is a name for Israel. 

I am not exactly sure what Ariel means.The top two suggestions are lion of God, or God’s burning hearth. If it is the latter, it is most likely referring to the brazen altar in the Jewish scheme of worship. 

What we can say is that it is a name of endearment. It heartens back to the glory days of King David. In all their distresses, the nation remained the LORD’s beloved Ariel. 

“Year to year,” and “Feasts,” is a description of what the LORD intended for His nation: To be ruled over by the man after God’s own heart, the worshipping, dancing king, while celebrating Feast after Feast, year after year.

Notwithstanding persecution and trials, and the devil harassing you, and the general difficulties of life in a fallen world, Jesus wants you to enjoy Him. 

Remember – No matter your life’s path, you can always say, “It is well with my soul.”

Isa 29:2  Yet I will distress Ariel; There shall be heaviness and sorrow, And it shall be to Me as Ariel.

With genuine reluctance, the LORD must “distress” the nation. Too much was at stake in Judah’s backsliding. He must bring them back to their love for Him. It was through Israel the whole Earth would be blessed with the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. The LORD stepped in, as He always does, to insure a remnant of godly Jews would remain. 

I love that the LORD says, “it [the nation] shall be to Me as Ariel.” His Ariel, no matter their faithlessness. He loves them with His everlasting love, as God loves you.

Isa 29:3  I will encamp against you all around, I will lay siege against you with a mound, And I will raise siegeworks against you.

The Assyrian invaders would be the LORD’s instrument of “distress.” By siege warfare, and weapons designed for such, they would conquer the northern kingdom of Israel. They would almost conquer the southern kingdom of Judah. Not long after, the Babylonian invaders sieged Jerusalem three times, ruining the city and its Temple in the final siege. 

Isa 29:4  You shall be brought down, You shall speak out of the ground; Your speech shall be low, out of the dust; Your voice shall be like a medium’s, out of the ground; And your speech shall whisper out of the dust.

“Medium” is a broad title that describes anyone who dabbles in the occult: A witch, sorcerer, psychic, etc. My personal favorite is necromancer. An example of their speech coming from “out of the ground” is the time King Saul consulted a medium. A Philistine army was advancing. The LORD did not speak to Saul, so he sought spiritual advice from a witch. The deceased prophet Samuel came up “out of the ground” and rebuked the king, predicting his defeat and death (First Samuel 28).

Isaiah had warned against such practices (8:19). It seems they ignored him, and were involved in occult stuff.

Satan comes to church on a regular basis. At some point, he will introduce the occult, or the esoteric. He gives them Christianized names to fool you. 

Isa 29:5  “Moreover the multitude of your foes Shall be like fine dust, And the multitude of the terrible ones Like chaff that passes away; Yes, it shall be in an instant, suddenly.

If this episode was made in to a movie, we might title it, A New Hope. The LORD will conquer their enemies and restore them. The Assyrian siege of Judah matches this prediction. Overnight, the Angel of the LORD would kill 185,000 soldiers. “Instantly,” “suddenly,” the feared and fierce Assyrians would be reduced to chaff. 

Isa 29:6  You will be punished by the LORD of hosts With thunder and earthquake and great noise, With storm and tempest And the flame of devouring fire.

Isa 29:7  The multitude of all the nations who fight against Ariel, Even all who fight against her and her fortress, And distress her, Shall be as a dream of a night vision.

Isa 29:8  It shall even be as when a hungry man dreams, And look – he eats; But he awakes, and his soul is still empty; Or as when a thirsty man dreams, And look – he drinks; But he awakes, and indeed he is faint, And his soul still craves: So the multitude of all the nations shall be, Who fight against Mount Zion.”

Notice verse seven: “The multitude of all the nations who fight against Arie.” The OT prophets skillfully wove present conditions, the near future, and the far future. Verses six, seven, and eight look forward beyond Assyria’s defeat to the End Times Battle of Armageddon. 

Isa 29:9  Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.

Isa 29:10  For the LORD has poured out on you The spirit of deep sleep, And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers.

Their confusion wasn’t from beer, but from what the LORD “poured out” on them. It was a potent potable that dulled their spiritual senses. 

Did they blind themselves? Or did God blind them? Both are true. Since they were acting in a manner that could only lead to spiritual blindness, and would not repent, God let it happen, then enforced it.

Isa 29:11  The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”

Isa 29:12  Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I am not literate.”

Imagine you go to the doctor, and he orders an MRI of your brain. When he receives the results, he cannot comprehend them. After struggling for a while, he hands them to you and says, “Go figure out what’s wrong with you.” But you are even more illiterate than your doctor. 

Isa 29:13  Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,

Their worship had become about works, and not walking with God. Works always, always, appeal to our pride. Since God hates pride, it erects a wall between us and God. 

Next thing you know, Israel was messing around with the other gods of their pagan neighbors. If you have no heart for God, you will entertain other gods. 

A.W. Tozer wrote, “If we compare what we ought to be and could be with what we are, and we don’t see that we are in a rut and we are not concerned, then one of three things may be wrong:

1. First, we may not be converted at all.
2. Second, people may not be concerned about the rut because of sin they have committed. 
3. Third, some people are so self-righteous that they are impervious to any work of the Holy Spirit. They cannot be cured of their blindness because they think they see.”

Works do not require love for Jesus, or love for others. Anybody can do them. 

You do not need a heart in order to carry out religious acts.

I can almost, in verse thirteen, hear Jesus addressing the church of the Laodiceans in the Book of the Revelation:

Rev 3:17  Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing” – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked –

Rev 3:18  I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

The church ‘of’ the Laodiceans was mostly unsaved individuals. Their repentance would ‘procure the cure’ for spiritual blindness, and these other things. 

The few believers in Laodicea were not blind, but the blindness of those around them could certainly influence them. 

It is a warning to all, and warnings are good.

#2 – Israel’s Blindness Can Serve As A Witness To You (v14-24)  

We like a good mystery.

The apostle Paul was into mysteries. He was tasked by God to reveal seven mysteries:

1. First Timothy 3:16, The Mystery of the Incarnation
2. Ephesians 3:1-10, The Mystery of the Church
3. Colossians 1:25-28, The Mystery of the Indwelling of Believers
4. Ephesians 5:22-32, The Mystery of the Headship of Jesus
5. First Corinthians 15:50-58, The Mystery of the Translation of the Church
6. Second Thessalonians 2:1-9, The Mystery of Lawlessness

These mysteries were things unknown to the human race until revealed by God. 

The seventh mystery is pertinent to our text in Isaiah. In Romans 11:25-26 we read, “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved.”

Blinded, the nation of Israel did not see, and does not see, her Messiah, Jesus Christ. They will, when He returns in His Second Coming. Meanwhile God’s program is the Gospel going out to the whole Earth saving mostly Gentiles. It isn’t that individual Jews cannot be saved; they can & they are. But as a nation Israel is blind and living in unbelief of Jesus. 

Isa 29:14  Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”

They substituted the commandments of men, here called “the understanding of their prudent men.” The LORD says He will cause that to perish, and do “a marvelous work and a wonder.” The Jews will look upon the returning Lord, Jesus, and realize He is their God & King. All Israel will be saved.  

Isa 29:15  Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD, And their works are in the dark; They say, “Who sees us?” and, “Who knows us?”

This reminds me of the many warnings of false Christ’s and false teachers in the End Times. Be skeptical and check things out. 

Isa 29:16  Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, “He did not make me”? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

The Potter working with clay is a favorite illustration of God’s to show His relationship to Israel. The Potter makes something that is both beautiful and useful; it has beauty and purpose. Clay is inanimate and ought to yield to the Potter’s touch on the wheel. However, in the case of Israel (and all other nations as well), the clay hardens itself and talks back. 

In the future, the nation of Israel will yield to the Master Potter, rather than resisting Him.

Isa 29:17  Is it not yet a very little while Till Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, And the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest?

Historians say that Lebanon was the encampment of the invading Assyrians. In the future, it would be “a fruitful field,” with such abundance and growth you’d think it was a “forest.”

This is another prophetic jump to the far future, to the Millennial Kingdom on Earth. Many wonderful physical changes will occur upon the Earth. 

Quick pause. If you have never heard some of the terms… The Great Tribulation is a future, seven years during which the Lord will pour out judgments upon the inhabitants of Earth in an effort to save them. The Jews who survive that Time of Jacob’s Trouble will all be saved, as well as multitudes of Gentiles… The Second Coming is the return of Jesus after the Tribulation… The Millennium, or the Millennial Kingdom, is a one-thousand year reign over the Earth by Jesus after His return. 

Isa 29:18  In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

“When the nation moves away from its stranglehold of traditions, rejects the commandments taught by men, and turns fully to God, then her spiritual blindness and spiritual deafness will be removed” (Fruchtenbaum). 

Isa 29:19  The humble also shall increase their joy in the LORD, And the poor among men shall rejoice In the Holy One of Israel.

This is more future kingdom talk. Jesus said those who would “rejoice” in that Kingdom were the poor in spirit, mourners, meek, merciful, and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5).

Isa 29:20  For the terrible one is brought to nothing, The scornful one is consumed, And all who watch for iniquity are cut off –

Isa 29:21  Who make a man an offender by a word, And lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, And turn aside the just by empty words.

The ISV translates these two verses, “For the ruthless will vanish, and mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down – those who make a person appear to be the offender in a lawsuit, who set a trap for someone who is making his defense in court, and push aside the innocent with specious arguments.” 

Isa 29:22  Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall not now be ashamed, Nor shall his face now grow pale;

This takes us back to the beginnings of God’s chosen nation. The Lord chose Abraham, and made a covenant with him that is unconditional. He was promised land, multitudes of descendants, and that all nations would be blessed through him and them. Jacob is singled out because it was through him the twelve tribes would descend. 

Finally, after centuries, Israel will be in a spiritual condition to receive their promises by recognizing her Messiah. 

Isa 29:23  But when he sees his children, The work of My hands, in his midst, They will hallow My name, And hallow the Holy One of Jacob, And fear the God of Israel.

God’s intent for His beloved Ariel has always been that they reveal Him to the Gentile nations. In the Millennium, they will finally, fully hallow God’s Name. 

The A-Team used to say, “I love it when a plan comes together.” This verse speaks of God’s plan of redemption of the human race, and restoration of Creation, ‘coming together’ in the Millennial Kingdom. 

Isa 29:24  These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, And those who complained will learn doctrine.”

Quoting Dr. Fruchtenbaum again, “Verse 24 reveals the end product of Israel’s national regeneration. Israel will understand the Word of God. Now partially blinded in their ability to understand the Scriptures, in the future they will fully understand.”

Israel’s blindness is a witness that we are in “the fullness of the Gentiles.” Jesus mentioned a time in which Jerusalem would be under the dominion of Gentile authority (Luke 21:24). Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Jerusalem in 588BC began that period, and it has continued through the present time. God’s purpose in the fullness of the Gentiles: The spread of the Gospel throughout the whole world. 

Speaking of the Gentiles and blindness, the apostle Paul said, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (Second Corinthians 4:4). 

The Gospel opens blind eyes. Nothing else can. It is the power of God unto salvation. 

What is ‘Job One’? To share the Gospel.

Hasting Away Again In Drunken Leaderville (Isaiah 28:1-29)

“Don’t be hasty” is the motto of what fantasy character? Answer: Treebeard.

In the world of The Lord of the Rings, Ents were a race of beings who are best described as shepherds of the trees, or tree-herds, who manage the forests of Middle Earth.

Ents acted slowly, deliberately. When they met for Entmoot, it took all day for them to greet each other. The Hobbits were anxious to enlist their help in the conflict with Saruman. Treebeard famously said to them, “Don’t be hasty.”

Look at verse sixteen in our text: “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.” Your Bible version may translate it a different way, but the root word is to hurry.

God says to His people, “Don’t be hasty!”

God is the Master Builder. He has laid the “cornerstone,” the “foundation.”

In God’s building projects, our haste, wastes opportunities, responsibilities, and privileges to partner with Him. Worse, in our haste we look to the world for help instead of waiting on the Lord. 

I’ll organize my comments around two points: #1 Don’t Let Haste Interfere With The Lord Building You, and #2 Don’t Let Haste Interfere With You Building With The Lord. 

#1 – Don’t Let Haste Interfere With The Lord Building You (v1-13)

Israel had a history of looking to Egypt for help:

• Abraham was hasty when there was a famine in Bethel. Against the LORD’s leading, he skipped town, going to Egypt. It was a spiritual setback. 
• In the Exodus, at the border of the Promised Land, the people feared going in. “So they said to one another, ‘Let us select a leader and return to Egypt’ ” (Numbers 14:4).

The Jews were in grave danger from the Assyrian Empire. Rather than repent and wait for God’s deliverance, they hastily made a mutual aid pact with Egypt. 

Commentators are nearly unanimous in saying that Egypt represents the world. In the Bible, the term “world” can refer to the Earth and physical universe, but it most often refers to the humanistic, materialistic system put in motion by Satan that is at odds with God. 

Christians should be in the world, but not of the world. When a believer backslides, he or she is described as being worldly. 

Isaiah exposes the worldliness of the Jews. 

Isa 28:1  Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim… 

The nation of Israel was bitterly divided: 

• The northern kingdom was called Israel, or sometimes, Ephraim, the name of one of the tribes.
• The southern kingdom consisted of two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. It was called Judah. 

Isa 28:1  …Whose glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valleys, To those who are overcome with wine!

Ken Burns produced a documentary titled, Prohibition – A Nation of Drunkards. One researcher said, “We have oftentimes been a nation of drunks.”

Ephraim had become a nation of drunkards. Isaiah mentions “wine” (v1), “drunkards” (v3), then “wine” and “intoxicating drink” multiple times in verse seven.

Ephraim didn’t need a temperance movement, they needed a remembrance movement to see how far they had fallen away from the LORD.

Today the apostle Paul says we can either be “drunk with wine,” or we can be “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). “Drunk with wine” is the most obvious contrast with being “filled with the Spirit,” but the idea is that you want to be influenced by the Spirit and not by any of the powerful enticements of the world.  

Ask yourself, “Am I filled with the Spirit?” “Am I yielding to the indwelling Holy Spirit?” 

Isa 28:2  Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, Like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand.

God would utilize “mighty and strong” Assyria as His “hand” to discipline Ephraim. They were likened to a massive hail storm. 

The mention of the “flood” may be prophetic. In the future Time of Jacob’s Trouble that we call the Great Tribulation, we read that Satan will “[spew] water out of his mouth like a flood after” the Jews (Revelation 12:15). One of the many names of the antichrist is “The Assyrian” (Micah 5:5-6).  

Isaiah never missed an opportunity to share future hope with those struggling in the present. 

Isa 28:3  The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, Will be trampled underfoot;

Isa 28:4  And the glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valley, Like the first fruit before the summer, Which an observer sees; He eats it up while it is still in his hand.

The “fig” was “the first fruit before summer.” The Assyrians would be “observers,” i.e., strangers, who would devour Ephraim like a ripe fig.

Isa 28:5  In that day the LORD of hosts will be For a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty To the remnant of His people,

Isa 28:6  For a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, And for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

God always preserves a remnant in Israel. These verses promise her restoration. One day the Jews will sit in “justice” and “judgment,” with strength to “turn back” her enemies. Jesus will wear the crown. 

Isa 28:7  But they also have erred through wine, And through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, They are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

The “priest and the prophet” were the spiritual guides for the nation. They were “out of the way,” meaning that Satan neutralized them. They became blind leaders of the blind. 

Isa 28:8  For all tables are full of vomit and filth; No place is clean.

They were so drunk… That they vomited on themselves. “Filth” means they soiled themselves, losing control of their bowels. 

I said this wasn’t about alcohol, but that doesn’t mean alcohol is not a problem. It can be. Crown Royal put forward the slogan, “Drink responsibly.” The apostle Paul, whom we quoted earlier, might say, “Drink spiritually.” That is, if you drink, do not get drunk, do not stumble others, and be cautious overall. 

Isa 28:9  “Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts?

Ephraim was talking, saying, “Does the LORD think He is dealing with babies and toddlers, teaching them with monosyllables?”

I think Isaiah went to them and did talk in simple monosyllables, as if they were babies or toddlers.

 

Isa 28:10  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”

This is not a compliment. It isn’t a suggestion on how to study God’s Word. It is a meaningless repetition of monosyllabic words. It is as if Isaiah went around babbling, saying “Line, line, line, line… Little, little.”

Isa 28:11  For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people,

What if I came up here and started talking to you in baby talk? “Stammering” (i.e., stuttering like Porky Pig), and occasionally breaking out in a foreign language you don’t know?

This is a prediction of their coming captivity. They would become subjects of Assyria, and be spoken to in a language they did not understand. 

Isa 28:12  To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear.

If they had sought the Lord, they would have had rest and refreshment. But, like Abraham and the Exodus, they preferred Egypt over the LORD. 

Let’s call it Garlic over Grace.

Isa 28:13  But the word of the LORD was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,” That they might go and fall backward, and be broken And snared and caught.

More baby talk. When God is speaking, but in a way that is unintelligible, you’d better repent before you are taken captive by foreigners. 

There is something here we need to pause and discuss. You might recognize that the apostle Paul quoted from this passage when he was correcting the church in Corinth about their misuse & abuse of the Gift of Tongues in their meetings. Apparently they were all speaking in tongues simultaneously.  They thought of it as a sign they were spiritual, and that God was present among them. They assumed that unbelievers would be awed at the moving of the Holy Spirit. 

Paul quoted Isaiah to show them that the opposite was true. When unintelligible words are being spoken to you, it means God is displeased with you, disciplining you. 

Paul wrote, “tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers…” A “sign” of what? That you are nuts. “If the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind?” (First Corinthians 14:22-23). 

Here is a one-minute overview of Speaking in Tongues in public:

On the Day of Pentecost the believers received the Holy Spirit, praising God with unlearned, known foreign languages. That was not the Gift of Tongues. The apostle Paul said “he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.” 

Speaking to God in an unknown, mystery ‘language’ that no one understands is a gift some believers will receive, but not all. If it is exercised publicly, it is useless – unless accompanied by an interpretation, rendering the utterance edifying to the entire church. Interpretation is also a gift. The speaker in tongues may have the interpretation, or someone else may. 

When tongues is exercised with interpretation, it is as edifying as any other speaking gift. 

All the gifts are under your control. The Holy Spirit does not come upon you & take over your movements. Gifts are to be exercised in the order Paul laid down. 

If anyone had a right to be hasty, it was Jesus. Think about it:

• God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit planned from eternity to send Jesus, the Son, as the God-man who would be Savior of the whole world, especially those who believe. 
• God the Son waited 4000 years of human history before being conceived in Mary’s womb. 
• He waited 9 months in her womb. 
• He waited 30+ years in relative obscurity before being baptized to begin His ministry. 
• He would minister for another 3½ years. 
• He would wait a week after He made His entry into Jerusalem hailed as King. 
• Six hours on the Cross, three days in the tomb.
• Another 40 days until His ascension. 
• It’s been over 2,000 years that His return has been imminent. 
• The Lord will resurrect & rapture us, then wait the 7 years of the Great Tribulation before His Second Coming. 
• It is followed by 1000 years ruling a still unruly Earth. 
• Finally, eternity will be ushered in. 

Jesus knows waiting, has out-waited you, and won’t be rushed by you.

What is being built on the foundation of Jesus laid down by the apostles and prophets? You are; we are. Individual believers, and the church corporately, are the Lord’s building project. 

#2 – Don’t Let Haste Interfere With You Building With The Lord (v14-29)

If you didn’t know better, you might think that the apostle Peter was a builder, not a fisherman. 

In his first letter he tells believers, “you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (2:5). Then he quotes from our passage in Isaiah three times. 

Bottom line: We are God’s building project, and are enlisted to help Him build both us and His church. 

Isa 28:14  Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scornful men, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,

Isa 28:15  Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, For we have made lies our refuge, And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.”

Treaties get cool names. Most recently, we have the Abraham Accords in the Middle East.

Ephraim’s treaty with Egypt was not called, The Covenant with Death, or The Sheol Agreement. Not by them, anyway – but by the LORD. 

Isa 28:16  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.

The NT applies these words to Jesus Christ. Suggesting that the church is a household of faith, the apostle Paul says He and other apostles and prophets laid the foundation. We are to build upon it, and upon nothing else. 

(Geno  taught on this two weeks ago, at Midweek. You should listen). 

We can’t spend time talking about every hasty thing. Instead, we need a constant vigilance against methods and practices that resemble those of the world. In terms of the church, the ends don’t justify means 

Isa 28:17  Also I will make justice the measuring line, And righteousness the plummet; The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters will overflow the hiding place.

Isa 28:18  Your covenant with death will be annulled, And your agreement with Sheol will not stand; When the overflowing scourge passes through, Then you will be trampled down by it.

No matter how faithless the rulers of Ephraim, God remained faithful. His plan for redeeming mankind and restoring Creation cannot fail. Upon Him is built the household of God the LORD promised His people. 

Isa 28:19  As often as it goes out it will take you; For morning by morning it will pass over, And by day and by night; It will be a terror just to understand the report.”

Whether Assyria, Babylon, or the future Assyrian, the antichrist, the LORD will deal with His elect nation in discipline, in order that He might bless them. The point of discipline is restoration. 

Isa 28:20  For the bed is too short to stretch out on, And the covering so narrow that one cannot wrap himself in it.

You’re at a luxury hotel. Your blanket is the size of a towel, and the bed is the size of a coffee table. Are you going to be comfortable and able to rest?

Ephraim and Judah would not find rest by aligning themselves with the world. It’s like the old adage, “You made your bed, now lie in it.”

Isa 28:21  For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon – That He may do His work, His awesome work, And bring to pass His act, His unusual act.

These are two places in their history where God had given Moses and Joshua tremendous victories. 

We want so badly to see God “work,” to see God “act,” that we try to manufacture it. 

Church building projects, for example. If you are manipulated, shamed, coerced into giving, or helping with building, then how can you say it was the Lord? 

Jesus doesn’t want credit for what we do in the energy of the flesh. He wants to do something “awesome,” something “unusual.”

Isa 28:22  Now therefore, do not be mockers, Lest your bonds be made strong; For I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts, A destruction determined even upon the whole earth.

Some restraints, if you struggle against them, get tighter. Once the LORD announced His discipline upon the Jews, they ought submit to it. 

Isaiah takes another giant leap forward, to the future Time of Jacob’s Trouble, when he says, “A destruction determined even upon the whole Earth.”

Isa 28:23  Give ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my speech.

Isa 28:24  Does the plowman keep plowing all day to sow? Does he keep turning his soil and breaking the clods?

Isa 28:25  When he has leveled its surface, Does he not sow the black cummin And scatter the cummin, Plant the wheat in rows, The barley in the appointed place, And the spelt in its place?

Isa 28:26  For He instructs him in right judgment, His God teaches him.

Isa 28:27  For the black cummin is not threshed with a threshing sledge, Nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cummin; But the black cummin is beaten out with a stick, And the cummin with a rod.

Isa 28:28  Bread flour must be ground; Therefore he does not thresh it forever, Break it with his cartwheel, Or crush it with his horsemen.

These all picture one thing: God’s discipline upon Ephraim, then Judah, then the nation in the future seven year Tribulation, will be measured and merciful. 

The Lord is like a good farmer. A farmer doesn’t only plow; he knows when to stop plowing and when to level the ground, when to plant, and what to plant where. He uses different tools at different times and works them all together to produce crops. 

You may be in a time of plowing, or of leveling; of planting, or of harvesting. Let Him work. 

Isa 28:29  This also comes from the LORD of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance.

First, a quick disclaimer. We are not telling you all professional help is wrong. Our desire is to see believers unburdened, not further weighed down.

Let’s insert question marks in verse twenty-nine. 

Who is wonderful in counsel? Who is excellent in guidance? Jesus!

Why would we seek counsel & guidance from any other source? Jesus anticipated our need for immediate counsel & guidance. He told us that it was good that He ascend into Heaven so that we each could receive the promise of God the Holy Spirit living in us:

• The Holy Spirit is in our individual human bodies.
• The Holy Spirit is in our corporate church body. 

One commentator said, “Where do you run for help? When you are in trouble, what is your first instinct? Do you run to others or to God? Is it usually the counsel of another rather than the counsel found in waiting upon God in prayer? Why is this the way it is? Why do we run to man before we run to God?”

Treebeard said, “You must understand, young Hobbit, it takes a long time to say anything in Old Entish. And we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say.”

It can seem like it is taking too long for Jesus to say anything. Or that what He has said is taking too long.

That is never true, because He is God, and He loves you.

 

Mean Old Leviathan Caused Me To Weep And Moan (Isaiah 27:1-13)

The animated Sleeping Beauty is rather terrifying.

Maleficent reveals to Phillip her dark plan to lock him away for a century until he is on the verge of death, at which time she will release him to meet Aurora. She will not have aged a single day. The fairies rescue Phillip and arm him with the magical Sword of Truth and Shield of Virtue. 

Maleficent surrounds the castle with a forest of thorns, but Phillip manages to break through. She then teleports in front of him. In her sinister voice she warns him, “Now shall you deal with me, O Prince, and all the powers of Hell!” Simultaneously she transforms into a giant fire-breathing dragon. Phillip throws the sword, blessed by the fairies, directly into Maleficent’s heart, killing her.

Our text in Isaiah opens with a dragon being defeated by a sword-wielding hero.

“In that day the LORD with His severe sword, great and strong, Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea” (v1). 

It’s no fairytale.

Leviathan was an ocean serpent, a sea serpent, a dragon. It was real, but biblically also represents Satan. In the Revelation we’re told, “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the Earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:9). 

He will be “cast out” about mid-way through the seven-year Time of Jacob’s Trouble that Jesus called great tribulation. Enraged and having but a short time, Satan will attempt to kill every Jew. 

He’ll fail. At the Second Coming of Jesus, the apostle John wrote, “Then I saw an angel coming down from Heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him…” (Revelation 20:1-3).

You and I, the Church, aren’t mentioned in this chapter of the dragon tale. No worries; we will find application to our own fight with Satan as the roaring lion who is on the prowl, seeking to devour us. 

I’ll organize my comments around two points: #1 The Dragon Has Been Bested For You, and #2 The Dragon Can Be Bested By You. 

#1 – The Dragon Has Been Bested For You (v1)

We grew up with dragons. 

Smaug (The Hobbit)… Pete’s dragon, Elliot… Puff the Magic Dragon… Cecil the Sea-Sick Serpent… Falcor (The Neverending Story)… and Toothless (How to Train Your Dragon).

Aren’t dragons creatures of mythology? Nope. They existed alongside men. Here are some talking points from the good guys & gals at Answers in Genesis:

1. Dragons were considered real creatures until relatively recently. 
2. There are historical accounts, art, petroglyphs, and literature from cultures around the world describing or depicting dragons. 
3. Ancient historians and writers describe seeing them firsthand – often in the context of other types of animals that still exist today.

The entire 41st chapter of Job is dedicated to this creature. A Leviathan is described as a fierce and untamable beast. It is covered with impenetrable armor and has a mouth full of deadly teeth. It breathes fire and smoke and churns up the sea like an ink pot. Psalm 74:14 refers to the heads of Leviathan, implying a multi-headed beast. 

Christians who are young-earth creationists (that’s us) believe dinosaurs and creatures like Leviathan lived alongside mankind. They went extinct (for the most part) during the Ice Age that was caused by the global flood. (Every now and then a ‘living fossil’ is found). 

Leviathan was an ocean dragon. It was the perfect monster to represent the devil. 

Isa 27:1  In that day the LORD with His severe sword, great and strong, Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.

“In that day” is the future Time of Jacob’s Trouble. The great adversary of God and the people of God, the “serpent of old” who tempted our parents in the Garden of Eden, will finally, fully, be dealt with.

The LORD is depicted having a “sword.” In kill-the-beast stories, there is often a particular weapon, usually a storied sword, that is needed. 

David Guzik writes, “While there is an illustrative element here, Isaiah may be more literal than many would like to admit. If Satan could manifest himself as a serpent to Eve in the Garden of Eden, why not also manifest himself as a dreadful sea-dragon?”

This is a good time to address mythology. It is suggested that the writers of the Bible borrowed from myths in order to show God’s superiority over paganism. I think that pagans borrowed from the LORD. Besides, this is not mythical whatsoever. 

The LORD’s sword will be “severe,” and “great,” and “strong.” In the remaining verses, Isaiah will describe the nation of Israel having no worries about the devil. When Jesus returns in His Second Coming, the devil will be incarcerated in the Abyss for the duration of the earthly kingdom. He won’t be able, by his cunning and skill, to break out. He will be let out, at the end of the thousand years – but not for good behavior. 

Satan will organize one final rebellion against the Lord, at the end of the thousand year Kingdom on Earth. He cannot prevail. “The devil, [will be] cast into the lake of fire and brimstone… And… will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). 

Leviathan has been bested by Jesus. The apostle Paul tells us that by dying on the Cross Jesus “disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15). “Principalities and powers” describe two categories of supernatural beings under Satan’s command. There are more. 

Satan & Company fight-on, right up to the Second Coming. They are no match for King Jesus. 

#2 – The Dragon Can Be Bested By You (v2-13)

Bible prophecy is a constant ground of disagreement among believers. In contemporary Christianity, the major disagreements are with the role of the nation of Israel, and the timing of the resurrection & rapture of the Church Age believers. So you know where we stand:

1. We believe God continues to recognize the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as His chosen nation. Israel is the key to unlocking Bible prophecy.
2. We believe that the Lord has promised to keep His Church entirely out of the Great Tribulation. 

We hold to a pretribulation resurrection & rapture of Church Age believers. If you want to be more descriptive, we are Dispensational PreMillennial PreTribulation Futurists. 

Isa 27:2  In that day sing to her, “A vineyard of red wine!

Isa 27:3  I, the LORD, keep it, I water it every moment; Lest any hurt it, I keep it night and day.”

Once again I would point out that both God and Israel do a lot of singing. It is a wonderful spiritual refresher. 

Israel is God’s vineyard. You might recall that in chapter five God said He would “take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down” (v5). He was describing the discipline coming upon them for disobedience. But in the end, He restores His vineyard, caring for them.

Isa 27:4  Fury is not in Me. Who would set briers and thorns Against Me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.

It’s always a good idea to consult other Bible translations. In the ESV this reads,” I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together.”

Commentators point out that during the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, the Lord is pouring out “wrath” on Earth dwellers. “I have no wrath,” indicates a time beyond the Tribulation, which is the Kingdom on Earth. With universal peace on Earth, the Lord is left to “battle” weeds in His vineyard. This is a poetic take on the Millennium. 

Isa 27:5  Or let him take hold of My strength, That he may make peace with Me; And he shall make peace with Me.”

Believers who survive to the end of the Tribulation are rewarded with entry into the Kingdom on Earth. They will be mortal, and will repopulate the Earth. The children born to them will have a sin nature. It is the Lord’s hope that they be at “peace” with Him, i.e., that they be saved. 

Isa 27:6  Those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob; Israel shall blossom and bud, And fill the face of the world with fruit.

“Take root in Jacob” might be similar to what the apostle Paul said in the ninth chapter of the Book of Romans. He speaks of Gentile believers being “grafted” as branches in to the original vine. 

Israel and believing Gentile nations will share in the life of Jesus. We will be nourished by the same stock. Gentiles nations will nevertheless retain their identity. The Church does not supplant Israel, but shares in blessings. 

I don’t think Jesus was talking about Israel’s agricultural yields. Notwithstanding that, it is sort of a miracle how fruitful modern Israel has become. One at report stated:

Israel is known today for its amazing agricultural produce, its cutting-edge drip irrigation and water conservation, and its expertise in creating new fruits and vegetables. From choice greenhouse cherry tomatoes to flavorful dates to zesty Jaffa oranges, the successes of modern Israeli farmers are legendary. Israel has one of the most nutritious domestic food supplies in the world, even ranking above France and the US. The nation also is exporting high-quality farm produce in all seasons, even while all its Arab neighbors must import food to feed their people. And all this is taking place in a land that is largely desert.

Isa 27:7  Has He struck Israel as He struck those who struck him? Or has He been slain according to the slaughter of those who were slain by Him?

God deals very differently in the Tribulation with those who are not His children. Those who do Israel harm will be dealt with in judgment, not discipline. 

Jews will nevertheless be “struck.” We read in the Revelation that “It was granted to [the antichrist] to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation” (13:7). Terrible, yes, but regulated by God.

Your troubles – they are terrible, but regulated by Jesus. You’re going to suffer, and more so than an unbeliever. All of us, believer & unbeliever, are affected by the evil that spoiled Creation when our original parents sinned. In addition, Christians may be persecuted for doing good. 

Isa 27:8  In measure, by sending it away, You contended with it. He removes it by His rough wind In the day of the east wind.

The NRSV renders this, “By expulsion, by exile you struggled against them; with His fierce blast He removed them in the day of the east wind.” 

This is a prophecy that Israel would be “expelled” and “removed.” And they were, starting with the Babylonian captivity in the sixth century BC, and again in 70AD with the destruction of Jerusalem, until May 14, 1948 when Israel miraculously returned to the land promised to them. 

Isa 27:9  Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be covered; And this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: When he makes all the stones of the altar Like chalkstones that are beaten to dust, Wooden images and incense altars shall not stand.

The MSG version renders verse nine, “But the good news is that through this experience Jacob’s guilt was taken away. The evidence that his sin is removed will be this: He will tear down the alien altars, take them apart stone by stone, And then crush the stones into gravel and clean out all the sex-and-religion shrines.”

Through the “experience” of the Great Tribulation, Israel will be disciplined. They will realize that they are being disciplined as sons & daughters – not judged. There is a huge difference. If you have a loving father, you would rather be disciplined by him than judged by an impartial judge.

 

Isa 27:10  Yet the fortified city will be desolate, The habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness; There the calf will feed, and there it will lie down And consume its branches.

Isa 27:11  When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off; The women come and set them on fire. For it is a people of no understanding; Therefore He who made them will not have mercy on them, And He who formed them will show them no favor.

The “desolate” “city” is future Babylon. The Bible indicates that Babylon will be rebuilt and serve  Antichrist Inc. as the capital of the End Times government and economy. 

Isa 27:12  And it shall come to pass in that day That the LORD will thresh, From the channel of the River to the Brook of Egypt; And you will be gathered one by one, O you children of Israel.

Albert Barnes explained,

The use of [“thresh” and “gathered”] shows that the image is taken from the act of collecting fruit or grain after harvest; and the expression means, that as the farmer gathers in his fruit, so God would gather in His people. In the figure, it is supposed that the garden or vineyard of [the LORD] extends from the Euphrates to the Nile; that His people are scattered in all that country; that there shall be agitation or a shaking in all that region as when a farmer shakes His fruit from the tree, or beats out His grain; and that the result would be that all those scattered people would be gathered into their own land. 

I like that God said they would be gathered “one by one.” Where we see a crowd, God sees individuals.

God sees you, one by one. Whenever you read about something God has done for, or promised,  believers, it is for you individually. 

When God gave “the world” His only begotten Son, He gave Jesus to you. It isn’t an exaggeration to suggest that Jesus would have come and died for you if you were the only one. At least, that is how the Lord intends us to believe Him. 

Isa 27:13  So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, And shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

End Times trumpet blasts have Christians confused. They are confused because of the phrase, “the last trumpet.” Apologist Dr. Reynold Showers explains,

According to First Corinthians 15, “the last trumpet” will be sounded, and then according to Matthew 24 there will be the sound of a trumpet when the Lord Jesus comes out of Heaven in His glorious Second Coming. And so some insist, “Look, you obviously have a trumpet blown at the Rapture. It’s the trumpet of God. It’s the last trumpet. And you obviously have a trumpet being blown at the Second Coming of Christ after the Tribulation Period. Therefore, the Rapture and the Second Coming must take place at the same time. 

Well, guess what? Neither of those trumpets will be the “last” trumpet blown. After the resurrection & rapture of the Church, and after the Second Coming, for one thousand years the inhabitants of Earth will attend the Feasts of God. Lots and lots of trumpets will be blown… Especially during the Feast of Trumpets!

Firefighters have different tones to direct them. So do God’s people:

• The “last trumpet” in First Corinthians will be the last tone the Church hears before the resurrection & rapture takes us to Heaven. 
• The “last trumpet” in Matthew will be the last tone in the Tribulation. 

Isaiah refers to a “great” trumpet. It gathers Jews from where they were scattered to Jerusalem. 

Satan is on the loose. He remains the ruler of this world, and he has a hierarchy of malevolent supernatural creatures as helpers. 

He isn’t described to the Church as Leviathan, but as a lion:

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

If you are a hiker, a camper, you know how to resist certain potentially dangerous beasts:

• If it’s a Grizzly, drop down and cover your neck and head with your arms. Maybe he’ll leave you alone. Or maybe you’re going to be mauled, like Leo DiCaprio in The Revenant. 
• If it’s not a Grizzly, slowly wave your arms above your head and tell the bear to back off.

Do not run – unless you are with someone you are certain you can outrun. 

Peter next said, “Resist him, steadfast in the faith…” (4:9). 

You can best the beast.

Peter learned how to best Satan. When Judas, in league with Satan, came to point out Jesus to the mob that was sent to arrest him, what did Peter do? 

That’s right, he pulled out his sword. To paraphrase Sean Connery, “It’s just like a Christian to bring a sword to a Cross fight.”

Jesus was not in a sword fight.

He wouldn’t slay the dragon with physical weaponry. No, Jesus was Himself pierced by the hammered nails which fastened Him to the Cross. Jesus’ side was pierced with a spear to make sure He was dead.  

He bested Leviathan by submitting to the Cross, humbling Himself, so that God could exalt Him as the Savior of all men, especially those who believe. 

You might say that Jesus and Satan ‘crossed swords.’

Since believers are consistently described as being “in Christ,” Satan is no match for us – so long as we are abiding in the Lord.

If You’re Livin’ In Trouble, You Came To The Right Peace (Isaiah 26)

“Pizza! Pizza!”

The slogan lets you know Little Caesars was offering two pizzas for the price of one. 

“De plane! De plane!”

Each episode of Fantasy Island began with Tattoo spotting the seaplane approaching and excitedly yelling, “De Plane! De Plane!” 

Meep! Meep!

We don’t catch it reading an English translation of the Bible, but there is repetition like this in our text. It is in verse three, in the words “perfect peace.” The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. If you look this up in, say, Strong’s Concordance, you’ll see that it reads, “Shalom! Shalom!”  The word “perfect” is not there.

A grammar scholar wrote, “In Semitic languages when you want to emphasize a word you repeat it two times. Thus, when your mind stays on God you not only have peace, you have really good peace, or perfect peace.”  

As far as I could search it, this is the only occurrence of “Shalom! Shalom!” in the Bible. Finding it here is humbling. Isaiah wrote about the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, the Great Tribulation. It is hands down the worst ever time of tribulation on the Earth and for its inhabitants. Nevertheless, Tribulation believers will experience God’s “peace” in a big way. 

It is humbling in that since believers in the Tribulation can expect & experience “peace,” believers today should expect & experience “peace” in their tribulations.

I’ll organize my comments around two questions: #1 Do You Believe The Lord’s Promise Of Peace?, and #2 Have You received The Lord Who Promises Peace?

#1 – Do You Believe The Lord’s Promise Of Peace? (v1-9)

Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum writes, “While the verse clearly pertains to the faithful Jewish remnant of the Tribulation, the principles of peace through trust in God can be applied to other believers as well.”

Isaiah, inspired, by God the Holy Spirit, taught prophecy. Knowing what the future holds is the Bible way of comforting us. It is the most practical teaching you can receive. The apostle Peter, after discussing the End Times, says to us, “What manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?” (Second Peter 3:11). A good paraphrase would be, “The Lord’s coming to resurrect & rapture the Church is imminent. What should I be pursuing & doing right now?”

 A basic vocabulary of prophecy is always helpful:

• The Bible predicts a seven year period of intense tribulation upon Earth. It is most commonly called The Great Tribulation, although it has many more names. We call it by the name the prophet Jeremiah gave it, The Time of Jacob’s Trouble. It reminds us that the primary purpose of those seven years is to bring the nation of Israel to salvation.
• The Second Coming of Jesus ends the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. The Lord returns to Earth and establishes the Kingdom promised to the Jews.
• The Kingdom on Earth will last 1000 years. The word millennium is Latin for thousand years, so we call the Kingdom the Millennium, or the Millennial Kingdom.

Isa 26:1  In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks.

“That day” is the Time of Jacob’s Trouble that Jesus said was The Great Tribulation.  Singing a song? You’d think that was the last thing a Jew would do in that time of trouble. This chapter is that song (or songs). It’s like the Who’s in Whoville on Christmas morning after the Grinch stole their presents. 

They’re not singing it like a depressing country western song. It’s a song of joy and victory.

Jewish life revolved around Jerusalem and their Temple. Tribulation Jews won’t “have a strong city” in terms of brick and mortar. The antichrist will control Jerusalem, and defile the Temple. Mid-way through the Tribulation we read that “there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of Heaven” Revelation 11:13). 

They will have the LORD’s “salvation” protecting them like no “walls” or “bulwarks” could.

In the Revelation, when John described conditions in eternity, he said, “But I saw no Temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple” (21:22). 

Isa 26:2  Open the gates, That the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in.

These prophets rapidly shifted gears, one minute in the Tribulation, the next in the Millennium that follows the Tribulation, then in the eternity that follows the Kingdom. 

Some of you are reading, for your devotions, a chronological Bible. Nothing wrong with that!  It illustrates the fact we like things more systematized 

God gave us the Bible the way it is so that we would have to think a little, dig a little, meditate a lot, upon it. Think of your Bible reading as if you are on a quest of Biblical proportions to discover everything that you need for godly living. 

“Open the gates” makes me think of a Grand Opening celebration. Jerusalem will be a ruin when the Lord returns in His Second Coming. Not to worry! Jesus is the king of extreme make-overs. 

The OT prophet Daniel was told that there would be a 75 day period following the Lord’s return. One thing the Lord will probably be doing is restoring Jerusalem. It will have the grandest Grand Opening.   

When those gates swing open wide, we’re gonna be by Jesus’ side.

“The righteous nation that keeps the truth,” that’s the remnant of Jews who survive the horrors of the Tribulation and enter the Kingdom promised them. 

Isa 26:3  You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

This is the money verse, applicable to all, always.

Here is more from the language scholars: “The word “stayed” comes from a Phoenician word used by sailors. They would tie themselves to a sturdy part of the ship, like the mast, so that they would not be swept overboard during a violent storm.”

Immediately we ask, “How?” How do I keep my mind stayed on the Lord? What are the steps, the discipline? 

More-and-more I am adopting Nike’s approach to things like this: Just do it!

Back up in your thinking for a second. What is the answer to the question, “What must I do to be saved?” 

“Believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:30-31)

The Doctrine of Salvation is three-fold in the Bible. One commentator put it this way: “There is only one salvation, which is a gracious gift of God, and is accessed by faith alone. But salvation is like a beautiful flower that buds, blossoms, and then gives fruits. It’s a single concept with differing forms: Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification.”

1. When a person believes, God justifies them, declaring them righteous on the basis of faith in Jesus.
2. From that moment on, Jesus is working to sanctify you. He will present you faultless in Heaven. Having begun this work, He is faithful to complete it. 
3. I will be glorified when resurrected (or raptured).

Speaking to any believer in any century, the Lord promised that after He ascended into Heaven, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).  

Dwight L. Moody wrote, “A great many people are trying to make peace, but that has already been done. God has not left it for us to do; all we have to do is to enter into it.”

The imagery of being tied by a rope lends itself to a devotional application. It would have to be just the right length – not too long, not too short. There is an old expression that we cannot use anymore about giving a person enough rope. 

We have lots of freedom as Christians. Beware too short a rope; it renders you legalistic, joyless, fearful. Too much rope, however, and your liberty will first stumble others, then you. 

• If you tend toward legalism, give yourself some slack. 
• If you tend towards pushing liberty, reduce your slack.  Don’t push the boundaries, but keep a safe distance.  

Isa 26:4  Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.

Albert Barnes wrote, “Let your confidence in God on no occasion fail. Let no calamity, no adversity, no persecution, no poverty, no trial of any kind, prevent your entire confidence in him.”

More language stuff. “LORD” is YHWH. He is YHWH YAH YHWH. We don’t know for certain how it should be pronounced because we cannot be sure of the original vowels that went with the letters YHWH. Because the Jews were afraid of mispronouncing YHWH, the personal name of God, or writing it incorrectly when copying Scripture scrolls, they eventually stopped pronouncing it and substituted the word Adonai (LORD) instead.

That’s the tip of a huge theological iceberg that is the study of God’s Name. 

We sing choruses that feature many names of our God. Each name is a different emphasis upon His nature and character. 

Isa 26:5  For He brings down those who dwell on high, The lofty city; He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He brings it down to the dust.

Isa 26:6  The foot shall tread it down – The feet of the poor And the steps of the needy.”

“The lofty city” in prophecy is future Babylon. One of the things the Lord does just prior to His Second Coming is destroy, utterly, end times Babylon. It is recorded in chapters 17 & 18 of the Revelation. 

Isa 26:7  The way of the just is uprightness; O Most Upright, You weigh the path of the just.

The “just” are believers. The “way” of the “just,” their “path,” will be fraught with peril in the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. Should we blame God? No. Evil is the fault of mankind. God sent Jesus to die, and rise from the dead, to put things right. 

God is always “upright.” He “weighs” our path. Any trouble a believer experiences in any dispensation is like that of Job. It is weighed, perfectly. It is not lighter or heavier than God permits. 

If your path it seems too heavy for you at times, it isn’t. He is hoping to teach you to cast your cares upon Him… That His burden is light… To be anxious for nothing. We are to be like Alfred E. Neuman who famously would say, “What? Me worry?”

Isa 26:8  Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O LORD, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You.

God’s “judgments” is a one-word description of the Great Tribulation. The Jewish remnant “wait” for the Lord to return. In the Revelation we read that at His glorious return, Jesus will have “on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (19:16). Their “remembrance” sounds like Jews looking upon the One they once crucified. 

Isa 26:9  With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

There is no bitterness, no accusing God of being unfair or unloving. On top of that, they understand they are living in a unique dispensation. God’s “judgments” in the Tribulation have a purpose, and it is to reveal to sinners His righteousness. 

Scholars further say this about word repetition:

”Sometimes a word is repeated because there are multiple meanings for the word. For instance, you will have calming peace, or maybe harmonious peace, or compensating peace, or how about prosperous peace, or maybe even healing peace. All these adjectives are definitions of shalom. Of course, translators cannot list all these adjectives in a translation so they sum it up as “perfect peace.” 

What “Peace! Peace!” in your troubles are you hoping for? Believe God. That doesn’t mean He will end the trouble. The Jews, after all, will have to endure great tribulation. You can nonetheless have His peace. It is a gift.  

Matthew Henry commented, “When Jesus died, He left a will in which He gave His soul to His Father, His body to Joseph of Arimathea, His clothes to the soldiers, and His mother to John. But to His disciples, who had left all to follow Him, He left not silver or gold, but something far better – His PEACE!”

#2 – Have You Received The Lord Who Promises Peace? (v10-21)

It is easy to forget that the Time of Jacob’s Trouble is the greatest season of evangelism that the world will know. His judgments attempt to clarify that there is none righteous, not one, but that all have sinned. The Gospel is made plain and men have a choice to reject or receive the gift of salvation. 

Isa 26:10  Let grace be shown to the wicked, Yet he will not learn righteousness; In the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly, And will not behold the majesty of the LORD.

Isa 26:11  LORD, when Your hand is lifted up, they will not see. But they will see and be ashamed For their envy of people; Yes, the fire of Your enemies shall devour them.

In the Millennium following the Tribulation, the world will experience the most perfect environment and conditions since the Garden of Eden. People’s needs will be provided for immediately. There will not be any hard labor. Life will be easy. Many will still not learn righteousness. Even in the best conditions, they refuse to believe Jesus and be saved. 

At the end of the Millennium, there will be a substantial revolution against God’s authority.

Isa 26:12  LORD, You will establish peace for us, For You have also done all our works in us.

This is an OT way of saying, “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purposes” (Roman’s 8:28). The Lord is working out, in history, the plan He formulated in eternity past to save mankind. He graciously includes us in His plan, giving us “works” to discover and do.  

Isa 26:13  O LORD our God, masters besides You Have had dominion over us; But by You only we make mention of Your name.

Isa 26:14  They are dead, they will not live; They are deceased, they will not rise. Therefore You have punished and destroyed them, And made all their memory to perish.

“Masters besides” God refers to Gentile rulers who oppressed the Jews. Nebuchadnezzar; Hitler; guys like that. 

Will they not be resurrected, to suffer eternal conscious torment in the Lake of Fire?  They will. 

William MacDonald explains it this way: “This verse does not deny the bodily resurrection of the wicked; it merely promises that the Gentile powers will never be restored.” 

Isa 26:15  You have increased the nation, O LORD, You have increased the nation; You are glorified; You have expanded all the borders of the land.

Mention of “the land” reminds us that Isaiah was describing physical things, not just spiritual things. 

God unconditionally promised Israel land in the Middle East. They are there now, and will be in the future. It isn’t an allegory for a spirit realm, or spiritual blessings.  

Isa 26:16  LORD, in trouble they have visited You, They poured out a prayer when Your chastening was upon them.

Isa 26:17  As a woman with child Is in pain and cries out in her pangs, When she draws near the time of her delivery, So have we been in Your sight, O LORD.

Jesus described the future Time of Jacob’s Trouble like a woman’s pains in childbirth. The judgments of the Great Tribulation are contractions in that they start slow, but then come faster and faster.

Isa 26:18  We have been with child, we have been in pain; We have, as it were, brought forth wind; We have not accomplished any deliverance in the earth, Nor have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

Tribulation Jews admit that the nation of Israel was an epic failure throughout history. Grumbling during their Exodus from Egypt; worshipping a Golden Calf; refusing to enter the Promised Land; that was only the beginning of their failures. 

Isa 26:19  Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead.

Old Testament saints are resurrected at the Second Coming. 

Isa 26:20  Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past.

The “indignation” is the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. Jews are instructed to “hide” until it ends. Jesus said,

Mat 24:15  “Therefore when you see the ‘ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),

Mat 24:16  “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Mat 24:17  Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.

Mat 24:18  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.

Mat 24:19  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

Mat 24:20  And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.

Mat 24:21  For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

Where will they go? Micah 2:12 reveals that the place of refuge will be ancient Bozrah, modern-day Petra.

Isa 26:21  For behold, the LORD comes out of His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; The earth will also disclose her blood, And will no more cover her slain.

When Jesus returns, it will be at the Battle of Armageddon on Earth. All the nations gathered there turn upon Him. It isn’t a fair fight. Jesus quickly dispatches them. 

There Will be Blood. The Revelation describes the “blood” of that battle. Blood from the human armies Jesus defeats at His Second Coming might be pooled as high as a horses bridle for about 180 miles.

William Temple said, “The only thing of our very own which we contribute to our salvation is the sin which makes it necessary.” 

Have you received the Lord?   

You Take My Death Away (Isaiah 25:1-12)

Fashion giant Lyst has a line of ‘coffin couture’ for burial that they call the Six Feet Under Collection.  

Before you rush to purchase your outfit, consider going green. Irish designer Francesca Rea has created a series of eco-friendly burial garments. 

After speaking with someone who had recently attended a funeral where a wicker basket was used instead of a coffin for environmental reasons, Rea started to consider the ecological impact of funerals. She wanted to create garments which were actively beneficial for the environment. “The natural fibers of the designs will decompose and add to the ground where the deceased is buried,” Rea says, “and plants can grow from this which continues the cycle of life.”

If you are really into the cycle of life, you can have your dead body turned into soil. Also known as ‘natural organic reduction,’ your body decomposes over several weeks after being shut in a container.

If you’ve priced caskets, a wicker basket sounds pretty good. If you want to stick with a traditional casket, two big retailers can help:

1. you can get a casket for under $1200 at WalMart. Shipping is free, but it does not include set-up.
2. Costco sells coffins. Be aware, however, that they will not honor their usual policy of returning any item for any reason. 

In verse seven of Isaiah twenty-five, the prophet said that God “will destroy… the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations.” 

• The “covering” is a burial shroud, sometimes called “graveclothes.”
• The “veil” is the face covering placed on the deceased. 

Isaiah then says something full of wonder: “He will swallow up death forever” (v8). 

We ought to have an amazed reaction to the swallowing up of Death.

The apostle Paul did. He borrowed from Isaiah twenty-five and shouted, “So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY.” “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? O [GRAVE], WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?” (First Corinthians 15:54-55). 

Paul also pointed out that, “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (First Corinthians 15:26). 

Death won’t go down without a fight. 

It will make stands in the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, and in the Millennial Kingdom. 

Death wants to take as many as it can to the Second Death. The Second Death describes the sorry plight of all those who die without trusting Jesus for salvation. They will be resurrected and cast into the Lake of Fire for an eternity of conscious punishment. 

Our mission, should we decide to accept it, is to live in the power of the resurrection and give everyone an answer for the hope we have in Jesus. 

I’ll organize my comments around two points: #1 Death Mounts An Offensive In The Time Of Jacob’s Trouble, and #2 Death Makes A Last Stand In The Time Of David’s Kingdom. 

#1 – Death Mounts An Offensive In The Time Of Jacob’s Trouble (v1-5)

Let’s review the the historic context:

• God’s chosen nation had split apart in a civil war between the ten northern tribes and the two southern tribes. The north was called Israel, the south, Judah. 
• The Assyrian Empire would utterly destroy the northern kingdom of Israel. 
• They were intent upon doing the same to Judah.
• Isaiah saw beyond Assyria to invasion by Babylon.
• The Jews in Judah were idolaters who refused to repent. 

You might say, “It was the worst of times; it was the woresest of times.” 

In the midst of that kind of personal and political turmoil, God’s message to His people was to teach them Bible prophecy. Isn’t it just like our Heavenly Father to know what we need to hear?

Prophecy it can be a good reset button. We tend to get drawn in to the world’s suggested solutions for our personal and political troubles. Without realizing it, we get off mission. Or I should say, off Great Commission, which is to first concentrate on making disciples. 

There are lots of references in God’s Word to the fact that prophecy, the Doctrine of Last Things, provides incredible comfort to us. 

Isa 25:1  O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

• “O LORD, You are my God.” Isaiah knew the LORD. He had a relationship with the living God. Do you? If you do, how’s it going?
• “I exalt You, I will praise Your Name.” In those ‘worsest’ of times, Isaiah could rest in the LORD. 
• It was “wonderful” that the LORD can be counted upon to be faithful and true to His “counsels of old.”

Those “counsels” took place between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit before Creation. A huge component in those counsels was the plan of salvation should mankind fail in the Garden of Eden.  

Isaiah understood God’s plans could not fail. He decided he’d be a worshipper rather than a worrier. 

Isa 25:2  For You have made a city a ruin, A fortified city a ruin, A palace of foreigners to be a city no more; It will never be rebuilt.

You wonder if Isaiah received an advanced copy of chapters seventeen & eighteen of the Revelation. The “city” God will destroy that “will never be rebuilt” is future Babylon. It will be the HQ, ground zero, the home office, the “palace of foreigners,” for the global commerce and government of the antichrist. 

The Tower of Babel marked a significant rebellion of mankind against God. Since then, there has been a struggle between the two most mentioned cities in the Bible – Jerusalem & Babylon. 

At Babel, God confounded human language, creating nations, scattering them all over the globe. Then God birthed a brand new nation through Abraham. The history of the world can only be comprehended if we keep Israel as its focus. It is the most important nation, the apple of God’s eye. It was through Israel that the world would receive its Savior. 

The Revelation predicts, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! Therefore her plagues will come in one day – death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her” (18:2&8). 

Babylon will be destroyed. As Cletus Kasady once said, “There will be carnage.” 

Isa 25:3  Therefore the strong people will glorify You; The city of the terrible nations [Babylon] will fear You.

We immediately read that as, “You gotta be strong!” We put the emphasis on our developing strength so God can use us. In the next verse, we see that our “strength” comes from God. Those who “glorify” Him are the strong. Here is the difference:

• Recently I heard some dialog in which one of the characters said to another, “Go build something great for God.”
• Francis Schaeffer said, “We are not building God’s Kingdom. He is building His Kingdom, and we are praying for the privilege of being involved.” 

Yes, you must cooperate with God the Holy Spirit to grow and mature. It’s called sanctification. But too much emphasis can be put on you, and not enough on the Lord. It is why the apostle Paul exhorted the Galatian believers that having begun in the Spirit, they should not attempt to be made perfect, to be sanctified, by self-effort and self-discipline.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “The Christian life starts with grace, it must continue with grace, it ends with grace. Grace wondrous grace. By the grace of God I am what I am. Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

Isa 25:4  For You have been a strength to the poor, A strength to the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, A shade from the heat; For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

Believers in the Time of Jacob’s Trouble will be “poor,” “needy,” “in distress,” refugees. The “terrible ones” in the last years of tribulation are the Satan-empowered antichrist, his false prophet, his somehow alive Image of the Beast, and all those who receive the Mark of the Beast. Their persecution of believers will be like a category 5 hurricane pounding on the wall. 

Isa 25:5  You will reduce the noise of aliens, As heat in a dry place; As heat in the shadow of a cloud, The song of the terrible ones will be diminished.

This is a promise of limited divine protection during the Tribulation:

• The efforts of “aliens,” meaning foreigners, to persecute the Jews will be “reduced,” but not totally eliminated. We know that, in the future Time of Jacob’s Trouble, ⅔ of the Jews will be killed. 

• “Heat in the shadow of a cloud” is still heat, albeit diminished by shade. Many, many Gentile saints will die, too. We see “the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held” (Revelation 6:9).

• The victory “song of the terrible ones,” their persecutors, will not be as boisterous as it could be, but they will sing, at least for a time before their own destruction. God’s two Tribulation witnesses will experience death. It will result in the whole world rejoicing, celebrating. Their mirth will be cut short when the two witnesses rise from the dead and ascend into Heaven with the world watching.  

Today, prior to the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, you will have tribulation, but it’s with a little ‘t.’ 

You will suffer within the limitations and restrictions God places upon you… Like He did with His servant, Job. 

In 40 years, I’ve officiated several hundred memorial services and graveside services:

• Too many are confirmed unbelievers.
• Too many are those you weren’t really certain of their salvation. 
• Many are believers. 

I say they “are,” not they “were,” because they are alive.  In Acts 24:15, we learn there will be resurrections of both believers and unbelievers. 

• Believers are raised to eternal life. 
• Unbelievers are raised to experience what is called the Second Death for eternity. 

If Death (personified) can get unbelievers into the Great Tribulation, they will be in serious peril:

• For one thing, that period of time is characterized by a strong delusion. 
• If a person receives the Lord, they’ll be persecuted and martyred. 
• Not to forget the cosmic and geographical disasters that will kill millions upon millions. 

Now is the time to come to Jesus, not later. 

#2 – Death Makes A Last Stand In The Time Of David’s Kingdom (v6-12)

“The clouds of the Great Tribulation have rolled away and the sun of righteousness is shining.”

The Millennial Kingdom is as close to utopia as any time in history since the Garden of Eden. 

What is “the Millennium,” you ask? Jesus will return at the end of the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. It is called the Second Coming. He will establish the kingdom promised to David and Israel. We are told it lasts one-thousand years. “Millennium” is one-thousand years in Latin, hence the Millennial Kingdom. 

Death is alive in the Millennium.

For example: Satan is incarcerated for the thousand years in a place called the Abyss. He is released from his incarceration at the end of the thousand years to lead a final rebellion against Jesus. 

We read that “he will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth… to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.” Jesus puts down the rebellion: “fire came down from God out of Heaven and devour[s] them” (Revelation 20:9). 

There will be mega-death at the end of the Millennium.

Isa 25:6  And in this mountain The LORD of hosts will make for all people A feast of choice pieces, A feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow, Of well-refined wines on the lees.

The “mountain” is the city of Jerusalem, situated 2500 feet in elevation on Mount Zion. This is not a specific banquet, but an illustration to say that the Lord invites all the citizens of Earth to His table, to be saved. It is a thousand-year spiritual repast. 

“Of fat things, full of marrow.” In Psalm 36:8, certain versions read, “They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house.” Seems under the latest guidelines, almost everyone is obese. Or, as we once said, fat. Spiritually, fatness is good! 

Maybe we should incorporate “fatness” in our encouragement to one another. Next time your wife asks you, “How do I look,?” tell her, “Honey, I’ve never seen you so fatness.”

Isa 25:7  And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations.

The shroud and the veil symbolize death. They are “cast” over all people, and “spread” over all nations.

Where did Death come from? Who brought it to life, as it were? God created our original parents with free will, and gave them one simple command: “Of every tree of the Garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).

They ate; they died in three ways:

1. They immediately died spiritually in the sense that their fellowship with God was lost.
2. They began dying physically as Creation came under a curse. 
3. They would die eternally, separated from God in their sin, unless He intervened. 

God did intervene in a big way. Immediately after their sin, He provided a way for them to approach Him, to know Him. It involved the sacrificial death of an innocent substitute, an animal. That system would continue until God the Son would come as a man to be the once-for-all, innocent, substitute. 

In His incarnation, Jesus would die to take away the sins of the world.

Isa 25:8  He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.

“The rebuke of His people” certainly describes Jews. Hated, harassed, hassled, harangued, hunted, harmed, like no other people in history. The Millennial Kingdom will end that. Israel will take her rightful place. 

Isa 25:9  And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

Israel “waited” for their LORD through the centuries. At His Second Coming, they will look upon Jesus and realize He is their Savior & Lord. 

Much of their waiting was on account of their own rebellion. Stephen, first martyr of the Church Age, recalled their history as God’s chosen nation. Then he said to Israel’s officials, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it” (Acts 7:51-53). 

Isa 25:10  For on this mountain the hand of the LORD will rest, And Moab shall be trampled down under Him, As straw is trampled down for the refuse heap.

Why single out Moab? Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum writes, 

Isaiah centered his attention on Moab because with her perpetual animosity toward Israel, Moab could be used as a representative of all of Israel’s enemies. So, while YHWH’s hand will be upon Mount Zion for protection, it will be on Moab and Israel’s other enemies for destruction. As a result, Moab will be trampled and will become like a watery cesspool.

Isa 25:11  And He will spread out His hands in their midst As a swimmer reaches out to swim, And He will bring down their pride Together with the trickery of their hands.

Moab is depicted as a man trying to swim through a cesspool. One of the Bible paraphrases puts it, “Thrash away as they will, like swimmers trying to stay afloat, They’ll sink in the sewage. Their pride will pull them under.”

(This is starting to effect my lunch plans.) 

Isa 25:12  The fortress of the high fort of your walls He will bring down, lay low, And bring to the ground, down to the dust.

Another prophet, Zephaniah, wrote, “Surely Moab shall be like Sodom, And the people of Ammon like Gomorrah – Overrun with weeds and saltpits, And a perpetual desolation. The residue of My people shall plunder them, And the remnant of My people shall possess them” (2:9).  

I don’t want to take anything away from the joy of the Millennial Kingdom. But a lot of things will be going on besides kids safely playing with ferocious animals. 

The first inhabitants of the Millennium will be mortal believers who survive the Tribulation. Their offspring will be born with a sin nature. They will need to be saved. 

Death will, in the end, be cast into the Lake of Fire.  Its last stand will fail. 

I expect us to be raptured. As I patiently wait, I will be officiating more memorials and graveside services. Or you will be attending mine. 

We die even though Death is defeated.

The apostle Paul alluded to Isaiah when he said,“The bodies we now have are weak and can die. But they will be changed into bodies that are eternal. Then the Scriptures will come true, “Death has lost the battle!” (First Corinthians 15:54 CEV). 

Charles Spurgeon said, “Never fear dying, beloved. Dying is the last, but the least matter that a Christian has to be anxious about. Fear living – that is a hard battle to fight, a stern discipline to endure, a rough voyage to undergo.”

We would qualify what Spurgeon said by pointing out that those particular words apply to believers.

Unbeliever – You ought to be gripped with the fear of God who can send your soul to Hell. 

What must you do to be saved? Believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ. 

But Why Is The Mirth Gone? (Isaiah 24)

Normally I do not get involved in politics, but this time our state legislators have gone too far: California is going to ban Skittles candy.

Legislation that passed the assembly and is likely to pass the senate will prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of products containing red dye #3, titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, or propyl paraben in the Golden State.

That will include Skittles. Stock up before you will no longer be able to “Taste the Rainbow.”

I found myself thinking of ‘rainbows and unicorns’ in verse eighteen of chapter twenty-four in Isaiah. We read, “…For the windows from on high are open, And the foundations of the earth are shaken.” 

Does that remind you of anything? In Genesis we read, “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened” (7:11). 

Similar language is used to describe the two global judgements:

• In Genesis, the flood. 
• In Isaiah, the future Great Tribulation. 

I went back through chapter twenty-four and noticed a few more subtle references to Noah:

• Isaiah speaks of global destruction by “fire.” The LORD promised Noah and his descendants He would never again destroy the Earth by water. The apostle Peter, himself drawing from the account of the global flood, said, “But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (Second Peter 3:7).

• Isaiah 24:21 reads, in part, “the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones.” These are supernatural beings who deserve special punishment. The days of Noah were marked by supernatural beings, fallen angels, sinning by impregnating human women. They were incarcerated in a special prison (Jude 6&7).

Then there is this: In Isaiah 24:5 we read that the human race has, “Broken the everlasting covenant.” 

Four-thousand years ago, Noah & his passengers survived the global flood and exited the Ark. 

God made a covenant with the human race called, appropriately, the Noahic Covenant: 

Gen 9:14  “It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the Earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;

Gen 9:15  and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

Gen 9:16  The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”  

Isaiah describes the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, but with emphasis on Gentiles. Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum writes, “[Isaiah] will show the reason that the Great Tribulation will come upon the Gentile world and describes the consequences upon the Gentiles.”

The Noahic Covenant will be, in part, the righteous basis for God holding Gentiles accountable for sin. 

I’ll organize my comments around two points: #1 You Haven’t A Song Without Jesus, and #2 You Have Reason To Sing If You Are In Jesus. 

#1 – You Haven’t A Song Without Jesus (v1-13, 16-23)

Isaiah was definitely prophesying about the future Great Tribulation. The language he chooses is extreme and global in scope. 

Ordinarily we like to us the name Jeremiah gave those seven-years. He called them the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble.” It captures the primary purpose of those years, which is to bring all surviving Israel to salvation in Jesus Christ. 

Having said that, I will today mostly call it the Great Tribulation because the emphasis throughout this chapter is on Gentiles. 

Gentiles who suffer during that awful future time are not collateral damage. They will have violated the Noahic Covenant.

  

Isa 24:1  Behold, the LORD makes the Earth empty and makes it waste, Distorts its surface And scatters abroad its inhabitants.

Isaiah wasted no time setting the tone for his remarks. He is telling us about the terrible time that was coming upon the whole Earth. Jesus said, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21). Those incredible years are described in detail in chapters six through eighteen in the last book of the Bible. 

Isa 24:2  And it shall be: As with the people, so with the priest; As with the servant, so with his master; As with the maid, so with her mistress; As with the buyer, so with the seller; As with the lender, so with the borrower; As with the creditor, so with the debtor.

God’s judgement will be universal, having zero respect for socioeconomic status. 

Isa 24:3  The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered, For the LORD has spoken this word.

“Depopulated” is what is meant by “entirely emptied and utterly plundered.” The places where depopulation numbers are given are in Revelation 6:7&8, and 9:15&18. 

• The first reference indicates that 25% of the world’s population will die. 
• The second mentions that 33% of the remaining population will die. 

Over 50% of the world’s population will die before Jesus returns.

Isa 24:4  The Earth mourns and fades away, The world languishes and fades away; The haughty people of the earth languish.

Everywhere you look on GOOGLE Maps the inhabited Earth will be “languishing.” It means wilting, weak, feeble. 

Isa 24:5  The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant.

“The covenant” that all the “inhabitants” of Earth are subject to is the Noahic Covenant. The Jews derive seven universal laws for Gentiles from the Noahic Covenant:

1. Not to worship idols.
2. Not to curse God.
3. Not to commit murder.
4. Not to commit adultery or sexual immorality.
5. Not to steal.
6. Not to eat flesh torn from a living animal.
7. To establish courts of justice.

According to modern Jewish interpreting, non-Jews are not obligated to convert to Judaism. They are required to observe these Seven Laws of Noah.

Is the Noahic Covenant in effect? Well, I guess “Yes,” since it is, after all, “everlasting.”

There was no nation of Israel when Noah exited the Ark. God would choose Abraham to father them. They received four covenants of their own: The Abrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant. All the elements of the Noahic Covenant are included in those.

Unsaved Gentiles are subject to the Noahic Covenant as a measure of righteousness.  

Most of the world is guilty of breaking or changing all seven laws.

Hence the pronouncement in verse five that they have “defiled” Earth, “changed the ordinance, [and] broken the everlasting covenant.”

The Church was born on the Day of Pentecost following Jesus’ resurrection from the grave and the ascension into Heaven. We are a unique group of people in the Lord’s plan for redeeming and restoring all things:

• The Church has not ‘replaced’ Israel. The covenants God made with Abraham’s physical descendants are still in effect toward them.
• The Church is obviously not unsaved Gentiles. 

Summing this up over-simply, David Larsen writes, “The great promises of Messiah were given to Israel, and Jesus came through Israel; but Gentile believers have become the joyful beneficiaries of these promises without any loss whatever of the ultimate and final fulfillment of the Kingdom promises to Israel during a literal, thousand-year reign of Christ on Earth.”

Isa 24:6  Therefore the curse has devoured the Earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are left.

“Fire” is frequent in the last seven years (e.g., Revelation 8:5; 14:10). “Few men are left” matches nicely with Jesus’ description of the Great Tribulation, “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive”(Matthew 24:22). 

We are not “those who dwell on the Earth.” 

We are the Church – the bride of Christ.

Jesus promised the church in Philadelphia (the one in Turkey, not Pennsylvania), “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from [meaning out of, not safe through] the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth (Revelation 3:10).

This cannot be a promise unique to one first century church. Otherwise, the Philadelphians would be in Heaven, while the rest of the Church was on Earth.

People like to say that the church needs to be purified, made ready. Please listen carefully to these words of Jesus, talking about His bride. “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27). 

We are purified by Jesus through the Word of God, not the Great Tribulation.

For sure, every generation of Christians, from the Day of Pentecost forward, has faced persecution. Jesus said we would have “tribulation” in the world, but that is tribulation with a little ‘t’, not the Great Tribulation.

Isa 24:7  The new wine fails, the vine languishes, All the merry-hearted sigh.

Isa 24:8  The mirth of the tambourine ceases, The noise of the jubilant ends, The joy of the harp ceases.

Isa 24:9  They shall not drink wine with a song; Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.

This is what I mean when I say, “They haven’t a song.” No date nights; no clubbing; no save the date; no parting like it’s the end of the world. No karaoke. The unsaved will have an impending sense of doom. 

You find out your source of joy pretty quickly when some great trouble comes upon you. Death, disease, disaster, and the like – they reveal what is in the heart. You prepare by cultivating your relationship with Jesus so that, when “IT” happens, the joy of the Lord is like a spiritual adrenaline as you rush to Jesus first and foremost. 

Isa 24:10  The city of confusion [the desolate city] is broken down; Every house is shut up, so that none may go in.

Isa 24:11  There is a cry for wine in the streets, All joy is darkened, The mirth of the land is gone.

Isa 24:12  In the city desolation is left, And the gate is stricken with destruction.

Babylon makes the most sense in the context. We know future Babylon will be utterly destroyed and inhabited only by demons. 

Isa 24:13  When it shall be thus in the midst of the land among the people, It shall be like the shaking of an olive tree, Like the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done.

“The people,” meaning the surviving Gentiles, the Gentile nations. Gentiles will be held accountable under the everlasting Noahic Covenant. 

We often mention that God has a testimony of Himself to everyone on Earth, both in creation, and in our conscience. We need to add to that list the Noahic Covenant. Creation scientists tell us that every culture has a flood story. Thus they would have known what God told Noah about righteousness. 

Skip to the end of verse sixteen:

Isa 24:16  … But I said, “I am ruined, ruined! Woe to me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, Indeed, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.”

The inhabitants of Tribulation Earth worship the antichrist – which is essentially worshipping Satan. They took on his characteristics, like “treachery.” You tend to become like whatever it is you idolize. 

Isa 24:17  Fear and the pit and the snare Are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.

“Inhabitant of the Earth.” The Revelation in several places calls these “those who dwell on the Earth.” It is not something you would say to describe Jews or the Church.  

Isa 24:18  And it shall be That he who flees from the noise of the fear Shall fall into the pit, And he who comes up from the midst of the pit Shall be caught in the snare; For the windows from on high are open, And the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Isa 24:19  The earth is violently broken, The earth is split open, The earth is shaken exceedingly.

Isa 24:20  The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, And shall totter like a hut; Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, And it will fall, and not rise again.

A disaster film about the Tsunami from a few years ago showed one family just standing there, waiting for it. Survivalists are making plans to endure whatever might come. You hear about the wealthy elite having an escape plan, with long-term shelters. That might work for localized disasters. But in the Great Tribulation, you may as well stay put. You won’t be better off anywhere. 

There will be one exception: The Jews fleeing from the wrath of the antichrist will be safe, supernaturally protected. We think they will go to the rock fortress city of Petra. 

Isa 24:21  It shall come to pass in that day That the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, And on the earth the kings of the earth.

Isa 24:22  They will be gathered together, As prisoners are gathered in the pit, And will be shut up in the prison; After many days they will be punished.

The “host of exalted ones” are supernatural. They are involved with “the kings of the Earth.” 

The Bible describes evil, malevolent, fallen, satanic supernatural angels that seek to influence the Gentile nations of Earth. We must keep that in mind as we survey the chaos in the world that he is ruling over. 

Isaiah says they will be punished by being incarcerated. Jude wrote, “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (v6). 

The rise of Adolf Hitler, the Third Reich, all of that Nazi stuff, only makes some kind of spiritual sense when we factor for satanic influence behind the nations. Any murderous dictator, or genocidal maniac. It isn’t to say, “Satan made me do it.” But His influence cannot be overlooked or underestimated. 

Let’s pause to remember that the Time of Jacob’s Trouble will feature the greatest global evangelistic movement ever: 

• God will provide and protect 144,000 Jewish evangelists to preach the Gospel to the whole Earth.
• God will provide and protect, for a time, two special witnesses to preach the Gospel to the whole Earth.
• A mighty angel will fly through the Heavens preaching the Gospel to the whole Earth. 

You know who isn’t named preaching the Gospel to the whole Earth? The Church. Odd, isn’t it, since we were given the Great Commission? We won’t be on Earth. 

The evangelism will produce multitudes of genuine conversions to Jesus. Believers will, for the most part, be martyred. 

#2 – You Have Reason To Sing If You Are In Jesus (v14-16 & 23)

No joy… No wine… No mirth… But wait; Do you hear something???

Isa 24:14  They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing; For the majesty of the LORD They shall cry aloud from the sea.

We know this is not in eternity, because the Revelation tells us that, then, “there will be no more sea” (21:1). This isn’t praise in Heaven, but on Earth. This is praise during that dark, deadly hour.

Isa 24:15  Therefore glorify the LORD in the dawning light, The name of the LORD God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea.

Charles Spurgeon wrote, 

Doth not all nature around me praise God? If I were silent, I should be an exception to the universe. Doth not the thunder praise Him as it rolls like drums in the march of the God of armies? Do not the mountains praise Him when the woods upon their summits wave in adoration? Doth not the lightning write His name in letters of fire? Hath not the whole earth a voice? And shall I, can I, silent be?

Isa 24:16  From the ends of the Earth we have heard songs: “Glory to the righteous!” 

I have a piece of advice for you, whenever you find yourself in trouble, in the midst of a trial, with everything closing in upon you, where there is no way out and you feel paralyzed. 

Sing; sing praise songs.

We tell believers to read the Word, and to pray. You need to sing, too. The apostle Paul commanded, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). 

Paul ‘walked the walk.’ In Philippi, falsely imprisoned deep in the dank, dreary, dark, disagreeable, daunting, depressing, disheartening, disgusting dungeon, we read of Paul and Silas that “at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25).  

Isa 24:23  Then the moon will be disgraced And the sun ashamed; For the LORD of hosts will reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem And before His elders, gloriously.

“Elders” are in Heaven, mentioned no less than twelve times. There are twenty-four of them. Pre-Trib commentators go to great lengths to ‘prove’ they are the resurrected and raptured Church in Heaven. I can’t think of anyplace where the Church is synonymous with Elders. Churches on Earth have Pastors, Elders, and Deacons. Israel, too, had Elders. But there is nothing to help us id these guys as the Church. The Revelation often tells us what is meant by certain signs or names, but not here. 

The Church most assuredly is resurrected and raptured before God’s wrath falls upon Earth. The twenty-four Elders, however, are most likely supernaturals who have their own ministry to God and to His throne. 

Have you ever been chastised by a pastor or worship leader about not ‘worshipping’ with enough exuberance? It’s ugly. I don’t know what is in a person’s heart. We want to reveal to believers what the Bible teaches, then give opportunity to participate in it. 

Having said that… We read that the glory of Jesus will outshine the moon and the sun. 

I’ve got a home in gloryland that outshines the sun,

I’ve got a home in gloryland that outshines the sun,

I’ve got a home in gloryland that outshines the sun,

way beyond the blue.

Do Lord, oh do Lord, oh do remember me,

Do Lord, oh do Lord, oh do remember me,

Do Lord, oh do Lord, oh do remember me,

way beyond the blue.

Goodness, Gracious, Great Falls Of Tyre (Isaiah 23:1-18)

Emperor Palpatine is the embodiment of the “man behind the man.”  

His influence extended far beyond what the public and even the Jedi initially perceived. Through careful planning, manipulation, and a deep understanding of the Force, he orchestrated his rise to power, ultimately becoming the tyrannical ruler of the galaxy.

Another example of the “man behind the man,” a comedic one, would be the Wizard of Oz. “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” 

We can’t fully appreciate what Isaiah has to say about the city of Tyre unless we acknowledge the “man behind the man.” 

Except, in this case, the “man” wasn’t a man; It was Satan.

• The prophet Ezekiel describes “the prince of Tyre,” saying things like, “you say, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, In the midst of the seas,’ Yet you are a man, and not a god, Though you set your heart as the heart of a god,” and “But you shall be a man, and not a god, In the hand of him who slays you” (28:2&9). Historians tell us this was Ithobaal III of Tyre. 

• Then Ezekiel describes “the king of Tyre,” saying things like, “Thus says the Lord GOD: “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God… You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you” (28:12-15). 

It seems Satan lived in Tyre for a while. He apparently moved after the fall of Tyre because we are told in the Revelation he had his throne in the city of Pergamos.

Commentator Andrew Davis writes, “Isaiah speaks an oracle against the wealthy, powerful trading city of Tyre, a symbol for the worldly lust for material things that still dominates our world.”

Our own “worldly lust for material things” will be under the proverbial microscope.

I will organize my comments around two points: #1 The Wealth Satan Offers You A Harlot, and #2 The Wealth Jesus Gives You Is Holiness. 

#1 – The Wealth Satan Offers You Is A Harlot (v1-17)

Satan is the devil behind the man in the city of Tyre. Though he is not named, he was the King of Tyre.

In verse one and in verse fourteen Isaiah repeats the phrase, “Wail, you ships of Tarshish.” That bracketing alerts us the first fourteen verses are about a single event, a particular fall of Tyre. 

The city was conquered by Assyria, Babylon, and Greece under Alexander the Great. Others, too. Which fall are we looking at? 

Tyre will recover “after seventy years” and then fall again. When Babylon conquered Jerusalem, the prophet Jeremiah indicated the captivity would last “seventy years.” They conquered Tyre at approximately the same time they conquered Jerusalem. Seventy years later, Babylon would fall to the Medo-Persian Empire. 

King Cyrus would issue a decree that the Jews were free to return to Jerusalem. It makes sense that other conquered peoples would also be released. Thus we are to understand that in these fourteen verses, we see Tyre’s fall to Babylon.  

Isa 23:1  The burden against Tyre. Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For it is laid waste, So that there is no house, no harbor; From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them.

Not sure how “the ships of Tarshish” received news of world events. Could be they encountered ships from Tyre as they were on their way there. 

News now is instantaneous. We can watch, on our phones, live events anywhere on Earth. It is a fulfillment of prophecy. In the Revelation, we read about the two witnesses of God, who travel the globe during the first 3½ years of the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. They are eventually killed by the antichrist, but as their dead bodies lay in the city of Jerusalem, life returns to them, they ascend to Heaven, while the entire Earth watches.

We’ve seen the potential to spread disinformation and misinformation. With the ability to produce deep fakes that are impossible to debunk, soon we won’t be able to trust any news. 

Satan is a liar. What stronger lies than to create your own truth? Mass amounts of people can be mobilized by the technologies of today. It’s a liars paradise.  

Isa 23:2  Be still, you inhabitants of the coastland, You merchants of Sidon, Whom those who cross the sea have filled.

Commerce came to a sudden “be still-ness.” COVID19 gave us a taste of that, as cargo ships backed-up in harbors waiting to be ‘approved’ for entry. It spread fear as shelves were laid bare, stocking up on goods. It was a dramatic example of worrying about tomorrow, which is a lack of trust in the Lord. 

Isa 23:3  And on great waters the grain of Shihor, The harvest of the River [the Nile], is her revenue; And she is a marketplace for the nations.

Egypt depended upon Tyre to carry her harvests. In general, it’s not a good idea to have a dependence on only one source. Too volatile. Satan loves it because it leads to compromise of values. You end up doing business with shady characters. 

Isa 23:4  Be ashamed, O Sidon; For the sea has spoken, The strength of the sea, saying, “I do not labor, nor bring forth children; Neither do I rear young men, Nor bring up virgins.” 

Albert Barnes wrote, 

The sense is, “My wealth and resources are gone. My commerce is annihilated. I cease to plant cities and colonies, and to nourish and foster them, as I once did, by my trade.” The idea of the whole verse is, that the city which had been the mistress of the commercial world, and distinguished for founding other cities and colonies, was about to lose her importance, and to cease to extend her colonies and her influence over other countries. Over this fact, Sidon, the mother and founder of Tyre herself, would be humbled and grieved that her daughter, so proud, so rich, and so magnificent, was brought so low. 

Tyre was called, “the strength of the sea,” on account of its situation. Tyre was on the coast, but farther out, they also occupied an island fortress. Think Alcatraz & San Francisco. Her situation made it seemingly impossible to conquer them. Assyria, then Babylon would conquer the coastal city, but the island was untouched. 

Isa 23:5  When the report reaches Egypt, They also will be in agony at the report of Tyre.

Isa 23:6  Cross over to Tarshish; Wail, you inhabitants of the coastland!

Isa 23:7  Is this your joyous city, Whose antiquity is from ancient days, Whose feet carried her far off to dwell?

They had a proud heritage, and a long history. Then, suddenly, it was too late to repent.

No Gentile nation can look back at its heritage, no matter how godly, and think God will overlook their ongoing, unrepentant sin. 

It was the custom of those days to chain together captives and lead them naked on foot to the land of their captors. 

Isa 23:8  Who has taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, Whose merchants are princes, Whose traders are the honorable of the earth?

Tyre was admired by the nations of Earth. They were treated like royalty, wined & dined. Who counseled Babylon to destroy the coastal city?

Isa 23:9  The LORD of hosts has purposed it, To bring to dishonor the pride of all glory, To bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.

The destruction of Tyre traceable to the LORD. It was His doing. He ‘owns’ it, as we say. 

God chooses Gentile nations to carry out His will on Earth. Instead of remaining humble, pointing to God and away from themselves, they say, “Look what we have built.”

Success, being blessed, prosperity is a much greater threat to you than buffeting and bankruptcy. 

The merchant activity swelled them with “the pride of all glory.” 

Ezekiel tells us this about Satan: “Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor” (28:17). Satan wanted to be like God. We would say that pride seeks glory; they go hand-in-hand 

We want credit; we want recognition. Decreasing so that Jesus can increase goes against our pride. Satan exploits that. He may not offer us all the kingdoms of the world as he did Jesus. But he has a way of appealing to us right where it’s sin. 

Isa 23:10  Overflow through your land like the River, O daughter of Tarshish; There is no more strength.

I’m sure you’ve been following the rising of Tulare Lake. Keep that situation in prayer. If levees and barriers prove insufficient, water is going to flow. 

Once the last defenses were breached, the inhabitants of coastal Tyre would pour forth from their city like an overflowing lake.

Those who survived would take refuge in Tarshish. The city would have “no strength,” meaning it was conquered. 

Isa 23:11  He stretched out His hand over the sea, He shook the kingdoms; The LORD has given a commandment against Canaan To destroy its strongholds.

This mention of God’s hand reminded me of a Star Trek original series episode. A huge energy field in the shape of a glowing green hand appears and grabs the Enterprise. The “hand of God” is a metaphor that suggests omnipotence controlled by compassion as God sovereignly provides for His plans to move forward. 

Isaiah’s mention of “Canaan” refers to Judah, Jerusalem in particular. 

Isa 23:12  And He said, “You will rejoice no more, O you oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, cross over to Cyprus; There also you will have no rest.”

This is a bitter analogy. The citizens of Tyre would be like a young virgin who had been assaulted. Many would seek safety in Cyprus, but they would “have no rest.”

There are, at minimum, over one hundred million refugees in the world today. Another thirty million abductees are being trafficked. It is just the kind of suffering Satan loves to inflict on God’s creation. 

Isa 23:13  Behold, the land of the Chaldeans, This people which was not; Assyria founded it for wild beasts of the desert. They set up its towers, They raised up its palaces, And brought it to ruin.

The names “Babylon” and “Chaldea” are often interchanged. The Chaldeans were the populace of the kingdom of Babylon. 

Didn’t Assyria come before Babylon as a world power, and get conquered by Babylon? Yes, but not before Assyria had ruled over the Chaldeans for a time.

We need to be reminded that Isaiah was writing 150 years before Babylon was the world power. At the time, Assyria was dominant over Babylon. The fact that Babylon was not powerful at the time Isaiah spoke made the prophecy all the more remarkable. 

God is not arbitrary. He doesn’t ‘use’ nations only to discard them once they are no longer needed. He, in fact, wants them to walk in His righteousness. “The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it” (Jeremiah 18:7-10). 

Isa 23:14  Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For your strength is laid waste.

Some of their merchant ships must have been in the harbor of Tyre. They were destroyed alongside those of Tyre. Collateral damage. 

You might be familiar with the line, “You ride with outlaws, you die with outlaws.” Think about your ‘posse’ so you don’t get caught in some crossfire or stand-off.

Isa 23:15  At the end of seventy years it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the harlot:

Isa 23:16  “Take a harp, go about the city, You forgotten harlot; Make sweet melody, sing many songs, That you may be remembered.”

Isa 23:17  And it shall be, at the end of seventy years, that the LORD will deal with Tyre. She will return to her hire, and commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.

Tyre would have seventy years to contemplate the pride that had caused her downfall, and to repent. She would, however, immediately return to all the trappings of her former life, prostituting herself for possessions and power. She would fall harder. 

We mentioned Alexander the Great. He figured it out. High on speed, he would raze the coastal city, then use its debris to build a causeway to the island. Tyre’s 30,000 inhabitants were either massacred or sold into slavery. 

Tyre would remove their treasures and valuables to the island during a siege of the coastal town. Their wealth was secure… Until it wasn’t.

Financial security is an illusion. I’m not saying it happens to everyone, but Satan loves to get you engrossed in your earthly future, then rob your money. If things go, the way, they currently are, one morning we are going to wake up to find that the government has seized all of our assets. It’s all part of what the Bible says will happen in the future.

Warning signage is important. I’ve discovered an Instagram account named OSHA Is it safe? It shows folks doing all manner of unsafe things. The signs may say Flammable, or High Voltage, but workers ignore them, cutting corners, at their own peril.

Everything about our world should bear the warning,Touched by a Fallen Angel. 

Since the devil is described as a murderer, a liar, and a thief, it should occur to you that he is constantly attempting to rob you, to lie to you, and to kill you. Or, like we sometimes say, to do something worse that kill you. 

We are commanded and encouraged and empowered to, “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). We resist him by holding our ground wearing the armor of God. If he seems to be gaining ground on you, check your armor. Maybe you forgot to use the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and preferred some carnal method… Or you left your breastplate of righteousness at home so you could dabble with sin.  

#2 – The Wealth Jesus Gives You Is Holiness (v18)

Are you thinking what I’m thinking? That we need to read Psalm 45:12. “And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; The rich among the people will seek your favor.” 

Tyre is invited to a king’s royal wedding and brings a gift. The way Psalm 45 is quoted in the New Testament reveals it as a type. 

The King is a type of Jesus, the bride is His Church.

I should pause to give a quick overview of the future as presented in the Bible:

• Jesus is coming to resurrect the dead believers of this Church Age. Those of us who are alive when he comes will be raptured, immediately transformed into our eternal bodies. We accompany Jesus, to Heaven, to the place He has prepared for us.

• At some point after the resurrection, the world leader we call the antichrist will sign a peace pact with Israel. It marks the official start of the Great Tribulation. We prefer to call those seven years, the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. That is the name Jeremiah gave it to emphasize its purpose, to bring all Israel to salvation.

• At the end of the seven years, the Lord Jesus returns to defeat the armies of Earth gathered in Megiddo for the Battle of Armageddon. We come with Him. 

• The Lord establishes the Kingdom of God on Earth promised to Israel. A one-thousand year kingdom of peace and prosperity ensues. 

• Today, we are betrothed to Jesus; it is our engagement. After the rapture, we will be wed to Him. At His Seconds Coming, we will feast on Earth with Him. 

Psalm 45 is a Jesus-is-coming psalm. It describes the majestic beauty and righteousness of the King and His eternal kingdom. The psalm celebrates the King’s marriage to a beautiful bride, representing the union between Christ and His Church. It also foretells the King’s victorious rule over His enemies, bringing judgment and establishing His kingdom on Earth, the future Millennium. The psalm exudes hope, praise, and anticipation for the triumphant reign of Jesus in the age to come. 

Tyre is mentioned, “And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; The rich among the people will seek your favor.” (v12)

Tyre will be a Millennial nation. 

With that fuller understanding, we read Isaiah 23:18, “Her gain and her pay will be set apart for the LORD; it will not be treasured nor laid up, for her gain will be for those who dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for fine clothing.”

I think this is about the human subjects of Tyre in the Millennium.

They will serve as caterers and tailors for the human subjects of the future Kingdom on Earth. 

Let’s key in on, “Her gain and her pay will be set apart for the LORD; it will not be treasured nor laid up…” No one will need a savings account, or investments, or pensions. Their labor will be its own reward. They will bask in the joy of serving others. 

That can’t happen in our current dispensation. It can’t happen until Jesus is ruling, and Satan is confined. Today he is the ruler of this world. In the future Millennium, the devil will be bound and incarcerated.

There are things we can do now that embrace the spirit of future Tyre:

We can seek first the Kingdom of God… Not worry about tomorrow… Store up treasures in Heaven… Live to earn eternal rewards at the Judgment Seat of Jesus… Always build for God using the very best spiritual materials… See ourselves as stewards in God’s household on Earth… Give to God’s work regularly, sacrificially, and cheerfully… Etc., etc. 

The NKJV says “set apart,” but most versions say, “will be holy.” Set apart is the definition of “holy.” True wealth is to belong to the Lord, set apart for Him and therefore holy, enjoying all spiritual blessings.

The final phrase is, “… for her gain will be for those who dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for fine clothing.” The word “gain,” according to Strong’s Concordance, means “profit from merchandise.” Tyre, once rich from trade and commerce, will find true profit & wealth in giving everything to others. The “gain of giving” I guess we could call it.  

I’ll close with quotes about this kind of giving from five saints:

• Cory Ten Boom said, “The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.” 

• Henry Drummond said, “The most obvious lesson in Christ’s teaching is that there is no happiness in having or getting anything, but only in giving.”
• Adrian Rogers: “It’s what you sow that multiplies, not what you keep in the barn.”

• Randy Alcorn: “God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving.”

• George Muellar: “God judges what we give by what we keep.”

Here is a bonus quote from Tim Keller, who went home to be with the Lord this past week:

“The human heart is an idol factory that takes good things like a successful career, love, material possessions, even family, and turns them into ultimate things. Our hearts deify them as the center of our lives, because, we think, they can give us significance and security, safety and fulfillment, if we attain them.”

Eat, Drink, And Be Wary (Isaiah 21-22)

Pop culture pop-quiz: Which of these is NOT the title of a James Bond film.

No Time to Die… Die Another Day… For Tomorrow We Die… Live & Let Die… Tomorrow Never Dies…

“For tomorrow we die” is not a Bond movie. It is a partial phrase found in Isaiah 22:13. “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” 

We expect unbelievers to mouth these words. Ricky Gervais said, “It’s a strange myth that atheists have nothing to live for. It’s the opposite. We have nothing to die for. We have everything to live for.”

The truth is that believers have everything to live for, and everything to die for. The apostle Paul put it this way: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). 

It is troubling, therefore, that it was God’s people in Jerusalem who were saying, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”  

I’ll organize my comments around two points: #1 You Expect Unbelievers To Live As If There Is No Heaven Tomorrow, and #2 You Expect Believers To Live As If They Will Be In Heaven Tomorrow.

#1 – You Expect Unbelievers To Live As If There Is No Heaven Tomorrow (21:1-17)

Many ancient cities believed their wall to be impregnable to assault. Clever conquerors always found a way. Can you say, “Trojan horse?”

Babylon found out just how pregnable their mighty wall was one prophesied night. 

We pick-up Isaiah in the middle of a long stretch of chapters in which God reveals some of His dealings with nations. Chapter twenty-one highlights Babylon, Edom, and Arabia. 

Bear in mind that Isaiah wrote 150 years before Babylon was a world power.

Isa 21:1  The burden against the Wilderness of the Sea. As whirlwinds in the South pass through, So it comes from the desert, from a terrible land.

Babylon is identified in verse nine. “Wilderness of the Sea” is a descriptive nickname. There are differences of opinion as to what it refers.

Babylon’s conqueror is compared to a “whirlwind,” “terrible” in power and destruction. 

Isa 21:2  A distressing vision is declared to me; The treacherous dealer deals treacherously, And the plunderer plunders. Go up, O Elam! Besiege, O Media! All its sighing I have made to cease.

Treachery and plundering were the political atmosphere of those centuries. It’s like in Pirates of the Caribbean, when someone betrays someone else, and simply explains it by saying, “Pirate!” In this case, maybe they said, “Pagan!”

“Elam” is an ancient name for Persia (modern Iran). The Medes (Media) and Persians (the Medo-Persians), would conquer Babylon.

Isa 21:3  Therefore my loins are filled with pain; Pangs have taken hold of me, like the pangs of a woman in labor. I was distressed when I heard it; I was dismayed when I saw it.

Isa 21:4  My heart wavered, fearfulness frightened me; The night for which I longed He turned into fear for me.

Future Babylon would deserve conquering, but Isaiah was nonetheless overcome with emotion by it. He would not live to see Babylon rise and fall, but prophecy was so true to him that he reacted as if he was there. 

I had a weird thought. What if the visions the prophets had were like virtual reality? 

Being heavenly minded helps you to see everyone, your enemies, even the wicked, in need of God’s gracious salvation. It becomes much harder to be offended by someone when I realize that they have no power from God the Holy Spirit to do otherwise.

Isa 21:5  Prepare the table, Set a watchman in the tower, Eat and drink. Arise, you princes, Anoint the shield!

Isa 21:6  For thus has the Lord said to me: “Go, set a watchman, Let him declare what he sees.”

Over a century before it happened, Isaiah saw what is recorded in the fifth chapter of the OT Book of Daniel. The Medes and Persians were encamped outside. Trusting in their wall, the Babylonians were hosting a drunken feast during which they mocked the God of Israel. The Medes and Persians changed the course of the River Euphrates that ran under the massive, now pregnable, wall. It was too late to “anoint [their] shields” for a battle. 

The sober Medo-Persian army rushed in and overcame what little resistance there was.  Ta, ta for now, Babylon.

We were introduced to a “watchman” in verse six. He was appointed by the Lord. In Isaiah’s vision he was an observer who reported to the Lord. 

We are watchmen in the sense that we ‘see’ future history as it will unfold in the unfulfilled prophecies of the Bible.  

Isa 21:7  And he [the watchman] saw a chariot with a pair of horsemen, A chariot of donkeys, and a chariot of camels, And he listened earnestly with great care.

Isa 21:8  Then he cried, “A lion, my Lord! I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime; I have sat at my post every night.

Isa 21:9  And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!” Then he answered and said, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground.”

His shout was like a lion’s roar. A good watchman needed a strong voice that could be heard and understood. We should always speak clearly and plainly when we talk about Jesus to others. I don’t think I’ve ever used this, but Chuck Smith would often say, “Simply teach the Word simply.” We can trust that God the Holy Spirit will empower our sharing of God’s Word.

A watchman is faithful, always alert at his post. You can be faithful. There are many encouragements to be awake and alert, to stay sober and serve the Lord.     

The watchman saw soldiers, and they had horses, donkeys, and camels to pull their war machines. 

Archaeologists have discovered the animals were  were led by Francis, the talking mule. Didn’t Festus ride a mule? Ruth, I think, was her name. 

A future Babylon occupies two entire chapters in the Revelation (17&18). She will be rebuilt on the ancient site and serve as the religious and commercial capital of the world ruled by Satan through his antichrist during The Time of Jacob’s Trouble. As a watchman, you see, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!” (18:2). 

Isa 21:10  Oh, my threshing and the grain of my floor! That which I have heard from the LORD of hosts, The God of Israel, I have declared to you.

In Jeremiah 51:33, in describing the destruction of Babylon, we read, “The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor; it is time to thresh her.”

“I have declared to you.” God trusted them to know His future plans. 

We know a great deal more about God’s future plans than any previous generation.

You know a great deal about your future, too. Maybe not the minutiae (as Rocket Raccoon would say), but the broad strokes are enough to reduce you to tears of joy.

The last few verses of chapter twenty-one describe two other nations, Dumah and Arabia. They were geographically between Judah and Babylon. 

Isa 21:11  The burden against Dumah. He calls to me out of Seir, “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?”

Harold Bultema wrote, “This brief burden has always been a great burden to expositors!” These nations are somewhat obscure and their history not well known. They were well known to God. So are you.

“Seir” is an alternate name for Edom because the mountains of Seir were given as a possession to Esau and his descendants. 

 

Isa 21:12  The watchman said, “The morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire; Return! Come back!”

An enemy has caused Edomites to flee. They are encouraged to “inquire,” of God. His answer will be to “return” and “come back.”

Isa 21:13  The burden against Arabia. In the forest in Arabia you will lodge, O you traveling companies of Dedanites.

Isa 21:14  O inhabitants of the land of Tema, Bring water to him who is thirsty; With their bread they met him who fled.

Isa 21:15  For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, From the bent bow, and from the distress of war.

Isa 21:16  For thus the LORD has said to me: “Within a year, according to the year of a hired man, all the glory of Kedar will fail;

Isa 21:17  and the remainder of the number of archers, the mighty men of the people of Kedar, will be diminished; for the LORD God of Israel has spoken it.”

In one year Arabia would be attacked. Refugees would flee seeking provisions and protection. I wonder if they prepared?

The Babylonians felt secure behind the walls they had built. So secure that they could revel while a determined enemy pressed upon them. 

Determined enemies press upon us. The world… The flesh… The devil. Feeling secure in Jesus, do I party like there’s no tomorrow? Am I succumbing to the devil using the world to incite me to indulge my flesh? 

#2 – You Expect Believers To Live As If They Will Be In Heaven Tomorrow (22:1-25)

It should not surprise you when unbelievers act like unbelievers. It should surprise you when believers act like unbelievers.

Jerusalem acted like Babylon by trusting in their own preparations, including fortifying the wall. 

Isa 22:1  The burden against the Valley of Vision. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops,

“Valley of Vision” is a reference to Jerusalem, though I do not know why. 

I remember one time in the Philippines when we had lunch on a flat rooftop patio. The Jews weren’t having a picnic. They were watching for danger. 

Isa 22:2  You who are full of noise, A tumultuous city, a joyous city? Your slain men are not slain with the sword, Nor dead in battle.

God had many times supernaturally protected His chosen, and against impossible odds.

Isa 22:3  All your rulers have fled together; They are captured by the archers. All who are found in you are bound together; They have fled from afar.

This jumps to a different occasion, one in which the “rulers fled together,” but would be found and bound. 

Isa 22:4  Therefore I said, “Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; Do not labor to comfort me Because of the plundering of the daughter of my people.”

Jeremiah is called The Weeping Prophet, but Isaiah is a strong runner-up. I can’t tell you to weep more, and bitterly at that. All of us should be challenged to measure our compassion for the lost. It may be undeserved, but evangelical Christians have a reputation of lacking true compassion.

Isa 22:5  For it is a day of trouble and treading down and perplexity By the Lord GOD of hosts In the Valley of Vision – Breaking down the walls And of crying to the mountain.

Isa 22:6  Elam bore the quiver With chariots of men and horsemen, And Kir uncovered the shield.

Isa 22:7  It shall come to pass that your choicest valleys Shall be full of chariots, And the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.

Little is written about Elam and Kir. It seems an attack comes out of nowhere. 

Have you ever been ambushed by the devil? He employs people, both unbelievers and (sadly) believers, to tackle you on the narrow road and push you into the ditch. He’s playing a long-game. 

Isa 22:8  He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in that day to the armor of the House of the Forest [an armory];

Isa 22:9  You also saw the damage to the city of David, That it was great; And you gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

Isa 22:10  You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, And the houses you broke down To fortify the wall.

Isa 22:11  You also made a reservoir between the two walls For the water of the old pool…

There must have been a meeting to adopt strategies to combat the siege that was occurring outside the wall. These were the things that the Jews would do in order to be protected. The sad truth is that they were already fully protected by the LORD. They did not turn to Him, indicating they did not trust in Him. 

I have mentioned several times in our studies in Isaiah that when the Assyrian army besieged Jerusalem, the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 soldiers in one night. It was a lot more effective than digging a mote, don’t you think?  

“The houses you broke down To fortify the wall.” They tore-up their homes to pile debris against the wall. 

If we look at this devotionally, we might say that Christians sometimes break down their homes, their families, their lives, in pursuit of worldly things that they believe will fortify them. I can’t tell you all the ways you can do that. Some of you immediately recognize what I’m saying because you’ve experienced the destruction of your family because of spiritual neglect while in the selfish pursuit of material things. Christians regularly blow-up their lives. 

 

Isa 22:11  … But you did not look to its Maker, Nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago.

Let’s stay in devotional mode. Looking back on my life, I can see times I looked to the Lord, respecting Him. It can also see times I thought I was looking to Him, but was pressing upon Him my own agenda. 

In a more general sense that touches all of us, we like to remind ourselves of the warning in the NT Book of Galatians, to the effect that having begun in the spirit, we will try to continue the Christian life in our own flesh, applying our own wisdom.

Isa 22:12  And in that day the Lord GOD of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning, For baldness and for girding with sackcloth.

Isa 22:13  But instead, joy and gladness, Slaying oxen and killing sheep, Eating meat and drinking wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

I don’t think Isaiah was saying that the Jews partied like there was no tomorrow at the time they were besieged. When God called upon them to repent, to weep and mourn, shaving their heads and wearing rough clothing, they blew it off. They ate and drank like there was no tomorrow. So God disciplined them, allowing other nations to conquer them. 

Isa 22:14  Then it was revealed in my hearing by the LORD of hosts, “Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, Even to your death,” says the Lord GOD of hosts.

This isn’t a forfeiting of salvation, an unforgivable sin. It is a strong reminder that sin, even when forgives, carries this-life consequences. As our good friend Dennis Agajanian says, “You can’t unscramble eggs.”

Isa 22:15  Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: “Go, proceed to this steward, To Shebna, who is over the house, and say:

Isa 22:16  ‘What have you here, and whom have you here, That you have hewn a sepulcher here, As he who hews himself a sepulcher on high, Who carves a tomb for himself in a rock?

Isa 22:17  Indeed, the LORD will throw you away violently, O mighty man, And will surely seize you.

Isa 22:18  He will surely turn violently and toss you like a ball Into a large country; There you shall die, and there your glorious chariots Shall be the shame of your master’s house.

Isa 22:19  So I will drive you out of your office, And from your position he will pull you down.

Shebna was a servant of King Hezekiah, both a steward… over the house and a scribe.  

Shebna had built for himself a fancy and prestigious tomb. It was a display of significant power and wealth. There are believers who desire monuments, their name on things, so people can see that they built something great. Others are more subtle about wanting power and influence and position. 

Isa 22:20  ‘Then it shall be in that day, That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah;

Isa 22:21  I will clothe him with your robe And strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem And to the house of Judah.

Remember, this was a prophecy. Made known to Hezekiah, it may have been the impetus to deal with Shebna. 

God will get His work done. If a Shebna is unfaithful, the LORD will remove him from his office, strip him of his authority, and give it to another. 

Isa 22:22  The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open.

The chief steward would have the large master key of the palace fastened to the shoulder of his tunic. The key was a picture and demonstration of the authority of the chief steward. Here, the LORD gives Eliakim the authority to open and shut as the LORD’s representative, which no man can oppose.

Jesus applied this to Himself in the Revelation (3:7). 

Isa 22:23  I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, And he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house.

Isa 22:24  ‘They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the posterity, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the pitchers.

Isa 22:25  ‘In that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘the peg that is fastened in the secure place will be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was on it will be cut off; for the LORD has spoken.’ ”

We sometimes use inanimate objects to describe people. “He’s a rock” describes someone solid and dependable. Eliakim would be like a “peg,” and a “throne,” able to bear the burdens of his office as he represented his master. Shebna is the previous “peg” of verse twenty-five. 

Next time I’m asked to fill-out a letter of recommendation, and they ask if there’s anything I’d like to add, I’m going to say that he or she is “a peg.”

“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” The apostle Paul quotes it in the great chapter of the NT where he explains that believers will be resurrected from the dead or raptured. He uses it to argue that, if there is no resurrection or rapture, no eternal life in Heaven, you may as well abandon yourself to seeking physical pleasure in this life. There would certainly be no reason to sacrifice and suffer as a believer for a future that will not exist. 

“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”  The last half is great – “For tomorrow we die.” We are not afraid to die; it is “gain.” Quote: “Death only frightens those who have their mind exclusively in this world.”

We need to erase “Let us eat and drink,” and replace it with things of the Lord:

• “Let me be transformed by the renewing of my mind, not conformed to the world – for tomorrow I die.”
• “Let me serve the Lord as a steward in His household – for tomorrow I die.”
• “Let me suffer with patient endurance – for tomorrow I die.”

George Whitefield said, “Take care of your life and the Lord will take care of your death.” 

We know a glorious future does await the believer. Tomorrow we may die, but death is not the end. As Chicago sang, “It’s only the beginning of what I want to feel forever.”