July 24, 2008
Isaiah 29
Jerusalem will be besieged and brought low (29:1-4), although God will at last fight against Israel’s enemies (vv. 5-9). Until then God’s people will be blind to the vision, for their hearts are far from God (vv. 10-16). One day the mockers will be destroyed. Then a shamed Israel will at last stand in awe of God and gain the understanding she now so tragically lacks (vv. 17-24).
Woe to David’s city (Isa. 29). God’s people were blinded because they had devoted themselves to a life of ritual observance (v. 1). God complained:
These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men.Isaiah 29:13
How often the revealed faith gets slowly buried as we interpret and repeat our interpretations. Soon we lose the reality of God in the confusing structures of our traditions. Then, beneath all the outward piety, our hearts turn from God. We devise plans in the darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” (v. 15)
How strange that religion itself can so easily rob us of our sense of God’s presence.
Ariel (29:1). The name, applied to Jerusalem, means “altar hearth.” It views Jerusalem as the place of sacrifice, an activity in which Judah, oriented to ritual but not heart religion (see Isa. 1), was all too deeply involved in. As verse 29:13 complains, “These people come near to Me with their mouth . . . but their hearts are far from Me.”
The vision is sealed (29:11-12). Here “vision” refers to the revelation given through Isaiah. Most of those to whom it was delivered could not grasp the words (“read”), and those who knew the words missed the meaning.
“Rules taught by men” (29:13). Jesus quotes this verse and applies it to the externalism that characterized many Pharisees in His day (Matt. 15:9).
Isaiah 30
God’s obstinate people persist in seeking foreign alliances rather than relying on the Lord (30:1-7). They even pressure God’s prophets to say only what they want to hear rather than deliver the Lord’s messages (vv. 8-11). This refusal to listen means destruction (vv. 12-13). Yet God longs to be gracious to them. And one day, when at last they cry out to Him for help, God will be gracious to Israel (vv. 14-26) and shatter His peoples’ enemies (vv. 27-33).
Bread. In normal times, the bread of the wealthy was prepared from wheat flour and that of the poor from barley. “Bread of adversity” (Isa. 30:20) was prepared when food stores were exhausted and the people were near starvation. It contained a few kernels of grain, pods from trees, and any other seeds that could be gathered and used to make flour. God would soon feed Isaiah’s contemporaries on “bread of adversity” because they relied on Egypt’s armies rather than on Him for protection. There is no real security in this world apart from the Lord.
“Egypt’s shade” (30:2). The image is more properly Egypt’s shadow. It suggests being close to one’s protector, in his shadow.
Tell pleasant things? (30:10). It’s dangerous for a patient to ask her doctor only for good news. Once a serious illness is diagnosed it can be treated. If that same illness is simply denied, it is likely to kill. It’s the same with God’s words through the prophets. Their warnings may not be pleasant. But only if we listen and take them to heart is there hope.
“Salvation” (30:15). The Heb. concept of “save” and “salvation” are expressed primarily in the term, yasa‘. It is typically used of concrete situations in which persons are physically threatened. The N.T. emphasis of salvation from sin and from evil spiritual powers is not common in the O.T. (but see Pss. 45:14; 79:9; Ezek. 37:23). Yet the core concept is applicable in the spiritual as well as material realm. Salvation presupposes (1) a person or nation in danger, suffering some harm, and in need of outside help; (2) a deliverer, or savior, who acts to relieve the distress; and (3) a change in the situation of the sufferer that brings relief.
In this passage “salvation” is relief from national enemies. The only one truly able to deliver is God, and the enemy is Assyria. Only by turning to God and appealing to Him for help will Judah have hope. To rely on Egypt, that is, on any other savior, is to reject God, and all hope.
Images of judgment (30:27-28). Four images suggest the seriousness of the coming judgment. These are fire, flood, “the sieve of destruction,” and an animal’s jaws.
“Topheth” (30:33). This was the district in the Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem where apostate Jews burned their young children alive as votive offerings to pagan gods. It would no longer claim the weak and helpless, but the mighty of Israel and Assyria alike.
Isaiah 31
Isaiah leaves his bright vision of Israel’s distant future and return to the situation of his contemporaries. He predicts woe to those who rely on Egypt (31:1-3), and as a token of His ultimate grace God will shield Jerusalem even now (vv. 4-9). This last promise was kept. In the days of Hezekiah Assyria devastated Israel and invaded Judah, but Jerusalem was rescued by an act of divine intervention (see Isa. 36-39). As God acted then, He will act in the future to keep His other promises. The present may be dark, but the future is bright for the Jews.
Men and not God (31:3). Today too the choice exists between relying on the flesh or on the Spirit. Let’s choose wisely.
Reflection
Do you see any similarities between Israel and America? What are some ways we can help America avoid the snare that caught Israel? (Hint: The answer is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14!)
In chapters 28 to 31 Isaiah identified hindrances to trust in God. These range from a legalistic approach to Scripture (chap. 28) to ritualism (chap. 29) to stubborn rejection of God’s Word (chap. 30) to reliance on material rather than spiritual resources (chap. 31). Do any of these hinder you? If so pray that God helps you to rely on Him and Him alone.
add comment