DBG - August 4 - Isaiah 24-28

In this chapter we see the judgment poured out before the Millennial Kingdom.

vs. 1 – We jump ahead to the End Times as the judgment of God is worldwide.

vs. 2 – The effects of the God’s judgment are felt by all.  Rank and wealth do not exempt anyone.

vs. 3-12 – The desolation of the Promised Land and Jerusalem.  The reason for this judgment is in vs. 5: they had sinned against God.  This is the state of the nation of Israel at the close of the Tribulation.

vs. 13-20 – The song of the surviving remnant of Jews at the close of the Tribulation.  These will embrace Christ as Messiah and see salvation from their enemies.

vs. 21-22 – The downfall of the ruling powers of this world, both spiritual and physical.  The “high ones” are who Paul writes about in Ephesians 6:12.  The kings are those of Psalm 2.

vs. 23 – The result of this great outpouring of judgment is the establishment of Christ the Messiah as ruler of the world in the Millennial Kingdom.

In this chapter is a song of praise for Christ and His Millennial Kingdom.

vs. 1-5 – An outpouring of praise to the victorious Christ.

vs. 6-8 – Here are described the blessings on the Jews during the Millennial Kingdom.  We note that this is after the spiritual blindness of the Jews has been removed.  Paul writes about this blindness in Romans 11:7-8, quoting from Isaiah 29:10.

vs. 9 – The faith of the Jews in embracing Christ as their Messiah and His deliverance of them at the close of the Tribulation.

vs. 10-12 – The downfall of Moab is described.  Moab likely is a poetic stand-in for all the enemies of Israel that the Messiah defeats.

In this chapter is a song of praise from Judah in the Millennial Kingdom.

vs. 1-6 – Praise to God for blessing the Hebrew nation, delivering them through the Tribulation and exalting them in the Millennial Kingdom.  These will enjoy peace as their hearts dwell on the Lord and their faith is in him.  What we see in vs. 2 is the opposite of Psalm 2:1. 

vs. 7-11 – The prayer of the Jews as they endure judgment waiting for their deliverance.  We note in vs. 9-11 that the wicked will only respond to judgment.

vs. 12-15 – Only God could deliver Israel.  All those that opposed them had perished.  Some misinterpret vs. 14 to teach annihilation of the wicked, but this is not talking about the resurrection.  It merely states that the enemies of Israel fall and rise no more.

vs. 16-19 – Only God could deliver Israel when they trusted on Him.  Any attempts to free themselves with their power were fruitless.  God would deliver them, even from death.

vs. 20-21 – The Jews are told to hide themselves from the fury of God’s judgment at the close of the Tribulation.

In this chapter we see judgment against Israel’s enemies and the blessing of Israel.

vs. 1 – God punishes “leviathan”.  This is Satan, who is pictured as a dragon in Revelation 12-13.

vs. 2-11 – God blesses Israel in the great day of judgment that is coming.  They are not defeated or destroyed but rather prosper as never before.  The horrors of the Tribulation are not judgment against Israel, per se, but are God’s chastisement to purge them of their sins and bring them to the Messiah.

vs. 12-13 – The regathering of Israel is pictured.  In vs. 12 they are described as being spread from the Euphrates to Egypt.  A trumpet sounds the call to assemble and they gather in Jerusalem.  This is referenced in Matthew 24:31 as a result of Christ’s return in glory.

In this chapter we begin a series of six “woes”.  The first is against the Divided Kingdoms of Israel.

vs. 1-6 – Ephraim is the ruling tribe of the Northern Kingdom.  They are a stand-in for those ten tribes that make up the kingdom.  Reese’s Chronological Bible puts this prophecy around 725 B.C., shortly before the fall of Samaria in 721 B.C.  The glory of the kingdom would be destroyed.  Only a remnant would remain, which would turn to Judah for aid.  In doing so they turn back to the Lord they had forsaken.

vs. 7-8 – The pervasive gluttony and drunkenness of the nation had caused them to be blind to the coming judgment.

vs. 9-10 – These verses are the Northern Kingdom mocking Isaiah’s reproof of their sins. 

vs. 11-13 – A people of a strange tongue (Assyria) would conquer the Northern Kingdom and cause them to realize Isaiah was right.

vs. 14-15 – Now the focus turns to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  They vainly hope that their political alliances will save them from the Assyrian onslaught that is coming and will destroy the Northern Kingdom.  Some also see a connection here to the future treaty with the Antichrist in Daniel 9:27.

vs. 16-22 – Romans 9:33 and  I Peter 2:6-8 establish the fact that the cornerstone is Christ the Messiah. He is the hope of the Jews.  Judgment would chasten the Jews to turn to the Messiah.  For the immediate application, the Jews were to trust in God for salvation from the rising threat of Assyria and not their political alliances.  The greater application is that the Tribulation would chastise the Jews until they turned to Christ.  There would be no comfort or peace until they finally learned their lesson, that is the message of vs. 19-20.

vs. 23-29 – God’s use of judgment is compared to the varied means of farming.  Fitch (Nigella sativa), cumin, wheat, barley, and rye all have different means of sowing, harvesting, and processing.  Just as each type of grain is handled differently, so does God deal differently with different peoples and nations.  It is not only His prerogative to do so, it is an expression of His wisdom.

God is not careless in His judgment.  What may appear as an out of control wildfire is actually a scalpel being expertly wielded by God.  He is able to judge His enemies and chastise His children in the same blow.  His purposes are infinitely beyond our understanding.  He knows what He is doing.  The Tribulation and Armageddon are judgment against the nations of this world but also a means of bringing Israel to repent and accept Christ.  That is the greatness of or God.  Even in the fiercest judgment He is still working for good. 

Our hymn today is a personal favorite, “How Firm A Foundation”.  This classic hymn first appeared in 1787 as part of John Rippon’s A Selection of Hymns” and was attributed simply to “K”.  There is debate whether this was Robert Keen, George Keith, or some other writer.  It builds on the idea of the cornerstone of Isaiah 28:16.

How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent Word?
What more can he say than to you he has said?
You, who unto JESUS for refuge have fled.

In ev'ry condition, in sickness, in health
In poverty's vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea.
"As your days may demand, shall your strength ever be.

"Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismay'd,
I, am your God, and will still give you aid;
I'll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

“When thru’ the deep waters I call you to go,
The rivers of woe shall not then overflow,
For I will be with you, your troubles to bless,
And sanctify to you your deepest distress.”

“When thru’ fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
My grace all-sufficient shall be your supply.
The flame shall not hurt you, I only design
Your dross to consume and your gold to refine.”

“Even down to old age, all my people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love,
And when greying hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in my bosom by borne.”

“The souls who on Jesus have leaned for repose
I will not, I will not desert to their foes;
That soul, tho’ all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never—no never—no never forsake.”