DBG - August 5 - Isaiah 29-32

In this chapter we see a siege of Jerusalem in the End Times described.

vs. 1-5 – The second woe is a vision of a siege of Jerusalem.  Ariel means “Lion of God” and is used here as a poetic name for Jerusalem.  The lion is a symbol for the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:9).  The great city will be humiliated by God’s judgment through a siege.  Jerusalem has been besieged many times, but this particular siege is the one in these verses appears to be the one by the Assyrians in II Kings 18-19, II Chronicles 32, and Isaiah 36-37.  However, as we continue the prophecy will not match this siege and we jump into looking at events in the End Times.

vs. 6-8 – Now we see a siege of Jerusalem by a coalition of nations.  This is not a historical siege such as the Assyrians in 702-701 B.C., the Babylonians in 588-586 B.C., or the Romans in 70 A.D.  This foresees a final siege at the close of the Tribulation.  Compare to Zechariah 14.

vs. 9-16 – The spiritual blindness of the Jews is described.  Their human wisdom would fail.  God would work through this for His glory.  In part this a reason the Gospel is proclaimed to the Gentiles.  Here it is to setup a final showdown, as the Jews turn to Christ in their most desperate hour and He destroys the armies of the Antichrist to save them. The third woe is against human machinations against God and the Jews.

vs. 17-24 – The great upheaval affected by Christ’s return.  Israel will go from being despised to being honored.

In this chapter we see judgment and deliverance for Jerusalem.

vs. 1-7 – The fourth woe is to the kingdom of Judah as they seek an alliance with Egypt for safety against Assyria.  Instead, they should have sought the Lord, but they tried to solve their problems with their own strength.  The proposed alliance will not aid Judah.

vs. 8-17 – Judah had not only not listened to God, but they were also in rebellion against Him.  They did not just ignore the prophetic warnings but worked to silence them.  This increased their iniquity before the Lord and heightened the judgment against them.  This section closes with a description of the deliverance they could have had if they had trusted in the Lord.

vs. 18-26 – Though God would judge His people, He also gives them a promise of future restoration.  This was in part the return from the Babylonian Captivity, but it the actual fulfillment is in the Millennial Kingdom.

vs. 27-33 – The future destruction of the enemies of the Jews is seen.  Again, this is in part historical as it does mention Assyria.  However, the fullness of this is the campaign of Armageddon.  Tophet in vs. 33 refers to part of the valley of Hinnom, which is sometimes called Gehenna, south of Jerusalem.  The site was a place of idolatry according to Jeremiah 7:31 and became associated with Divine judgment.  It is practically synonymous with Hell in Biblical typology.  Historically, it would be site of the supernatural defeat of the Assyrians in.  In the End Times, it is the site of two major defeats of armies.  The first is believed to be in the middle of the Tribulation as the King of the North invades Israel (Ezekiel 38:11, Joel 2:1-21).  The second is part of the Armageddon campaign at the close of the Tribulation (Zechariah 12:2-11, 14:2).

In this chapter God declares of His great care for Jerusalem and the Jews.

vs. 1-3 – The fifth woe is against those that ally themselves with Egypt against Assyria, much as we saw in the previous chapter.  They were trusting in the strength of men and not of the Lord.  God would deliver them in spite of this.

vs. 4-9 – God compares His care for Jerusalem as a lion and a bird that protect their young.  Anyone that has spent any time around animals knows how vicious their parental instincts can be.  I see yet another double fulfillment at the end of the chapter as it refers to both their deliverance from the coming Assyrian siege and the future troubles of the Tribulation.

In this chapter the hope of the Messiah’s Kingdom is seen past the coming judgment.

vs. 1-8 – The future reign of Christ the Messiah is seen.  His righteous rule upends the power that they wicked had possessed.  His rule is marked by His righteousness.

vs. 9-12 – We return to the crisis at hand as the prophet tries to stir the women of Judah from their apathy.  I believe that women are naturally gifted with better discernment of danger than men are. It is part of their motherly instincts.  If the men refused to see the coming danger, let the women turn their hearts and goad them into action!

vs. 13-20 – The destruction of Jerusalem is seen and then followed with a picture of the blessings of the Millennial Kingdom.  The pattern of judgment followed by blessing is seen in vs. 19-20.

I am afraid that many believers live more like atheists than they do people of faith.  The reason I say this is that they, like ancient Israel in our reading today, try to solve their problems in their own power and only turn to God as a last resort.  How much better would our lives be if we turned to Him first and waited patiently for Him to move!

Our hymn today is “Not So in Haste, My Heart”.  There is debate on who the author is, as it first appeared in the 1870’s with only the initials “B.T.”  The song reflects the type of trust we should have in our Lord, which is also the type of faith Isaiah exhorted the Jews to have.

Not so in haste my heart!
Have faith in God, and wait;
Although He linger long,
He never comes too late.

He never cometh late;
He knoweth what is best;
Vex not thyself in vain;
Until He cometh, rest.

Until He cometh, rest,
Nor grudge the hours that roll;
The feet that wait for God
Are soonest at the goal.

Are soonest at the goal
That is not gained with speed;
Then hold thee still, my heart,
For I shall wait His lead.