Milo

THE ARM OF FLESH
Isaiah 28–32

“Woe to those . . . who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD” (Isa. 31:1).

In condemning Judah’s failure to consult the Lord before rebelling against Assyria, these chapters of Isaiah serve as a warning to us as well. We are to look to God for guidance. And do His will.

Background
The messages in this section of Isaiah date from about 705B.C Sargon, one of Assyria’s most successful rulers, had just died. The leaders of Judah saw this as an opportunity to rebel against Assyrian domination, and made a treaty with Egypt. The decision was foolish because while the Egyptian power once again extended to all its traditional territory, Egypt remained weak. It could offer no significant military help to any ally. The decision was also wrong because the leaders of Judah had failed to consult God. Thus an angry Isaiah interrupted the festival announced by Judah’s leaders to celebrate their declaration of independence from Assyria. In graphic images and plain words Isaiah denounced Judah’s leaders. Now they were tipsy with the drink served at their premature celebration. In acting without consulting God, they showed that even before they had one bowl of wine they had as little judgment as any drunk!
We need to visualize an angry Isaiah and drunken, dulled leaders as we read these chapters.

Overview
Isaiah condemned Judah’s decision to rebel against Assyria and make a treaty with Egypt. That treaty was a covenant with death (28:1–29), and God’s unresponsive people would suffer humiliation (29:1–24). Plans made without consulting God will fail (30:1–31:9), yet God’s plan to establish a righteous kingdom will succeed (32:1–20). In His time God will arise. Jerusalem will again experience peace (33:1–24).

Understanding the Text
“The remnant of His people” Isa. 28:1–6. Isaiah repeated a warning given the Northern Kingdom, Israel, before Samaria’s fall some 20 years before. The earlier warning came true. So would the warnings Isaiah was about to utter concerning Judah.
How much easier to learn the lessons of history, rather than learn by painful personal experiences! God’s Word enables us to avoid disastrous mistakes by showing us what happens when the Lord’s people fail to consider and do God’s will.
Verses 5–6 remind us that human failure to obey God cannot thwart the accomplishment of His purposes. All that our disobedience does is rob us of blessings we would otherwise have experienced.

“Do and do, do and do” Isa. 28:7–22. Isaiah’s words made no sense to the tipsy celebrants in Jerusalem. Unable to grasp Isaiah’s message, the priests mumbled, “Who is he trying to teach?” while the prophets muttered, “To whom is he explaining his message?”
The repeated phrases, “Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule,” have been taken to (1) represent the mutterings of the drunks, who could only catch and repeat phrases Isaiah uttered, or (2) to represent the way young children are taught the basics in school, by rote and repetition. Another possible interpretation is (3) that these phrases represent the legalistic way in which Isaiah’s hearers approached faith. They could not comprehend the invitation to peace through trust in God imbedded in Scripture. All they could see were the ritual rules.
Whichever is intended, the people of Isaiah’s day would not understand God’s message. So God determined “with foreign lips and strange tongues” to speak to this people (v. 11). The Assyrians would speak in a language God’s people could not mistake—the language of sword, fire, devastation, and misery.
If we do not listen to God’s quiet, loving voice, He remains capable of grabbing us by the shoulders, and shaking us until we pay attention!

“It will break in pieces like pottery” Isa. 30–31. Again and again these chapters stress the futility of relying on anything other than God. Perhaps the clearest expression of this is found in 31:3: “The Egyptians are men and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, he who helps will stumble, he who is helped will fall; both will perish together.”
We’re so vulnerable to the attitude seen here in the people of Judah. We keep on putting our trust in things we can touch, see, and feel. The Persian poet Omar Khayyam put it this way:

  Ah, take the cash,
  And let the credit go.
  Nor heed the rumble
  of a distant drum.

You and I, however, are to listen for that distant drum, and ignore the cash! We know that the only things that are real, the only things that offer true security, are spiritual and not material.
If we keep this truth clearly in mind, and act on it, we will be safe from the sin that brought disaster on ancient Judah.

“This is the way; walk in it” Isa. 30:21. Modern airliners have a special guidance system for landings. If the plane strays either right or left of the flight path, a warning is sounded, and the pilot brings it back to the correct bearing.
God had this guidance system long before manned flight was dreamed of! If our relationship with the Lord is characterized by “repentance and rest” and “quietness and trust” (v. 15), then God will speak to our hearts when we stray to the left or right of His path for us. His Spirit will speak to our hearts, and tell us “this is the way; walk in it.”
The Christian life is a supernatural life. We can’t explain how God’s Spirit guides us. But we can and do hear His voice.

“Till the spirit is poured upon us from on high” Isa. 32:1–33:24. Isaiah constantly contrasted the dark days of divine judgment with the brightness of the kingdom the Lord will establish afterward. The pattern is clearly seen in these chapters. Isaiah’s fellow countrymen had doomed themselves to anguish and mourning. But God’s plans to bless His people cannot be overturned by the wickedness of any number of generations. In a beautiful passage Isaiah said that the Promised Land will become a waste—but only

  ’till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high
    and the desert becomes a fertile field,
    and the fertile field seems like a forest.
  Justice will dwell in the desert
    and righteousness live in the fertile field.
  The fruit of righteousness will be peace;
    the effect of righteousness will be
  quietness and confidence forever.

Isaiah 32:15–17

DEVOTIONAL
I Don’t Know
(Isa. 29)
It’s frustrating to teach folks who simply won’t learn. My wife once asked one of her 11th-graders a question about a short story they were studying. The story was called, “The Sculptor’s Funeral.” Her question was, “Who died?” The student she asked replied, “I don’t know, I didn’t read the story.”
She asked the question again. “Well, read the title and tell me, who died?” And the irritated student answered, “I told you I didn’t read the story! I don’t know.”
I expect Isaiah felt the same frustration as he tried to communicate God’s message to his unwilling listeners in Judah. They were as dense as drunks. It was like giving a book to a person, only to have them hand it back and say, “I can’t read.” The words of Isaiah simply made no sense to the people of Judah.
Today we wonder, Why? Why didn’t the people of Isaiah’s day grasp his message? Why couldn’t they see what seems so clear to you and me?
But the Lord explained (v. 13). The people of Judah had a superficial faith. In modern terms, verse 13 says: “They go to church. They sing hymns, and mouth the creeds. But while the preacher gives his sermon their thoughts are on other things. Their ’worship’ isn’t of Me. It’s just doing things that others expect—showing up on Sunday, dressing right, supporting what to them is more of a ’club’ than a community of faith.”
When religion fails to focus on God, but deteriorates to a mere social convention, then the hearing of churchgoers is dulled. God speaks. But they can no more hear Him than can a man lying in the gutter in a drunken stupor (vv. 9–10).
How do we protect ourselves from this kind of dullness? Today, as then, it is a matter of the heart. Going to church isn’t something we are to do because it’s expected. We are to go to church to worship God, to learn more about Him, to express our love in worship, praise, and generous giving. When we come near to God with our whole heart, then you and I will hear God speak to us. And we will understand what He says.

Personal Application
Get your heart and not just your family ready for church next Sunday.

Quotable
“How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak.”—Francois Fenelon

GOD’S SILVER LINING
Isaiah 7–12

“For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders” (Isa. 9:6).

Dark clouds hung on the international horizon when Isaiah spoke the words recorded in these chapters. But three times the sun broke through, as Isaiah spoke of the coming Messiah who would set all things right.

Background
The international scene. The states of Syria-Palestine, led by Pekah of Israel (Samaria) and Rezin of Syria (Damascus) forged a coalition of kings to resist Assyria. Ahaz of Judah refused to join, and the two kings threatened to invade Judah. In desperation Ahaz sent envoys to offer the Assyrians a large bribe to attack Syria and Israel before the two local powers could attack him!
This strategy backfired. Assyria accepted the bribe, and overwhelmed Judah’s enemies, but then invaded Judah as well!
Today’s text describes a confrontation between Isaiah and Ahaz, as the prophet announced that God would protect Judah from Pekah and Rezin. Told to ask God for a sign, Ahaz refused. He would not trust God, but insisted on turning to Assyria, thus sealing the devastation of his homeland as well as the destruction of his enemies!
Isaiah’s words in this situation are a healthy reminder for you and me when we find ourselves in difficult situations, and look about desperately for a way out. “Do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the One you are to regard as holy, He is the One you are to fear, He is the One you are to dread, and He will be a sanctuary” (Isa. 8:12–14).

Overview
A reluctant Ahaz was given the sign of Immanuel (7:1–16), and told that Assyria, on whom he relied, would bring devastation to Judah (v. 17–8:22). Yet a Child identified as “Mighty God” would be born and reign on David’s throne (9:1–7), but not before the wickedness of Israel, Judah, and Assyria have been punished (v. 8–10:19). The survivors of Judah would rely on the Lord (10:20–34), and Messiah will establish God’s righteous kingdom worldwide (11:1–12:6).

Understanding the Text
“The virgin will be with Child and will give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel” Isa. 7:1–16. “Immanuel” is a Hebrew construction that means “God with us.” Actually, it is an unusual construction that makes the point: “WITH US is God!”
Isaiah would not have understood the full significance of the name. Yet it, as well as other names given the Messiah in this section of Isaiah, made it clear that the promised Child was to be both human and divine. Thus Matthew referred to this prophecy when he described Jesus’ conception not by any human father but by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:23).
The promise was a sign to Ahaz, in that it identified a period of time within which his enemies would no longer threaten him. From conception to birth is nine months; from birth to weaning to solid food was typically two to three years. So Ahaz was told that within three years the kings he feared would no longer be a threat. And the “whole house of Israel” was invited to watch David’s line for a Virgin Birth, and told that the Child would be the promised Deliverer.
Each of the three great messianic visions in these chapters dates some 700 years before the birth of Christ! Cast against the background of Israel’s and Judah’s troubled times, they remind us that the Lord is in complete control of history. Whatever happens to us today, our future is secure, for tomorrow is in God’s hand.

“The LORD will bring on you” Isa. 7:17–8:22. The Assyrian invasion of Israel and Judah reminds us that God can use even wicked people to accomplish His purposes. Yet the passage reminds us of something else. What makes us vulnerable to the wicked is our own sin. Isaiah portrayed his fellow countrymen consulting mediums and spiritualists rather than God, as abandoning the Law, and as people who when distressed curse God rather than seek forgiveness. Holding tight to the Lord is our only protection against “distress and darkness and fearful gloom” (8:19–22).

“To us a Child is born” Isa. 9:1–8. The Child to be born was a Son, given us as a gift by His Father. He is called “Mighty God” as well as Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace. The name “Everlasting Father” is more likely “Father of Eternity.” Each of these names makes it clear that the promised Messiah is no ordinary human being.
What no natural descendant of David could do—uphold the kingdom “with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever”—this miraculous Descendant who is God as well as man, will accomplish.
Names like these help us appreciate just who Jesus is. We sense the warmth of His love as we walk with Him through the Gospels. But Isaiah reminds us that our gentle Jesus is Father of Eternity, One whose elemental power has shaped and still upholds our universe.

“His anger is not turned away” Isa. 9:8–10:4. What makes a person angry, as well as what he loves, is a key to understanding his character. What makes God angry? Isaiah tells us, as he pronounced, “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and rob My oppressed people of justice, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless” (10:1–2).
If these same things in our society make us angry, then our hearts are in tune with God.

“I will punish the king of Assyria” Isa. 10:5–19. Is it fair for God to punish Assyria, which He Himself chose to discipline His people? The answer again reveals the delicate balance that Scripture maintains between divine Sovereignty and human free will. God permitted the rise of Assyria so that nation might discipline His people. But Assyria chose to use the power given to it “to destroy” (v. 7). Assyria became proud, as though God were not the source of its might. Assyria is not being punished for having the power God gave it, but for its pride and misuse of God-given power.
God isn’t to blame for the way any person or nation uses the wealth or power He grants. God gives us the freedom to choose how to use His gifts—but holds us responsible for our choices.

DEVOTIONAL
We Live in Hope
(Isa. 11–12)
One of the best movies I’ve seen in several years is Dead Poets’ Society. It tells the story of a teacher who challenges students at an exclusive private school to think for themselves—with tragic results. One young man finds the courage for the first time to do what he wants rather than what his father demands. He acts in a play. His angry father takes him out of the school, tells him he has to spend the next 10 years studying for a medical career, and forbids him to ever act again. That night, unable to face such a future, the young man takes his father’s gun and commits suicide.
That’s a strange thing about suicide. Most people who kill themselves do so because they feel hopeless. Most who kill themselves don’t do so because of some terrible present lack. They have money, food, clothing, shelter, and friends now. It’s just that looking ahead, they can’t see any meaningful future.
Isaiah 11 and 12 remind us that it’s just the opposite for true believers. The believer of Isaiah’s day faced imminent danger from powerful foreign enemies. His society was marked by injustice; many may well have been homeless and hungry. Yet what Isaiah offered God’s people was a vision of the future. A descendant of David (11:1) will appear, to establish righteousness on earth (vv. 2–5). In His day nature itself will be at peace (vv. 6–9). All the hostile world powers that have threatened Judah will rally to Israel’s Messiah, and the Lord will “reach out His hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of His people” (vv. 10–16). Then God’s people will know the full meaning of salvation, and will together sing praises and give thanks (12:1–6).
Inspired by this vision of the future, the believer was filled with hope.
How strange it is. The suicide, who has everything needed for life on earth, kills himself because he can’t face the future. Yet many a believer who has suffered persecution or lacked life’s necessities has lived victoriously because his hope is fixed in God.
In Christ, the future is never truly bleak. Beyond whatever darkness we face, we know there lies a glorious tomorrow.

Personal Application
Rather than hope for some thing, hope in God.

Quotable
“No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourself so. If you find yourself so loaded, at least remember this: it is your own doing, not God’s. He begs you to leave the future to Him, and mind the present.”—George MacDonald

DESTINY’S CHILDREN
Isaiah 2–6

“The Law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isa. 2:3).

All too often we sense a great gap between what is and what should be. In these opening chapters, Isaiah reminded his hearers and us that what God intends ultimately will be.

Overview
Isaiah stated God’s intention for Jerusalem (2:1–5), then pronounced judgment on its inhabitants for failing to walk in His light (v. 6–4:1). Despite the failure of God’s people, the Lord will make Jerusalem holy (vv. 2–6). Isaiah defined Judah’s sin in his “song of the vineyard” (5:1–7) and announced judgment as a series of woes (vv. 8–30). The section ends with a Isaiah’s call to serve as a prophet (6:1–13).

Understanding the Text
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD” Isa. 2:1–5. Isaiah shared a vision of the ideal. God intended Jerusalem to be glorious: a beacon, calling all nations to Him and His Law. If only the nations would turn to the Lord and His Law, God would bring peace to the world. This thought is expressed in one of the most famous of Old Testament images: “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”
In Isaiah’s day the ideal had not been realized. International conditions were grim, and Judah was threatened by powerful enemies. Yet Isaiah cried, “Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.” That is, let us live as though the ideal were present now!
God calls you and me to live in exactly this same way. The kingdom of God hasn’t yet been established on earth. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is often perverted by the world to, “Do unto others before they can do unto you!” Yet we who know Jesus as Saviour are to live now as if God’s kingdom were firmly in place. We are to ignore the “realities” that drive others to compromise with God’s will, and to “walk in the light of the LORD.”

“Their land is full of idols” Isa. 2:6–4:1. Having described God’s ideal for the Holy City and its people, Isaiah went on to describe the reality. Rather than walking in the light of the Lord, the people of Judah had embraced the ways of the pagans they were called to influence! They had arrogantly adopted pagan superstitions (2:6), materialism (v. 7a), confidence in military might (v. 7b), even idolatry (v. 8).
Isaiah now warned his fellow countrymen. God would act to judge this arrogant people: they will be “brought low” (vv. 10–22). (See DEVOTIONAL.) In that day everything would fall apart: there would be anarchy within a nation desperate for leadership and stability (3:1–12).
Two groups were singled out: the elders and leaders of Judah, and the “women of Zion.” The thought seems to be that the women’s passion for wealth and luxury was a driving force in the corruption of the society. When judgment came these women would lose everything, including any hope of marriage, due to the death of so many of Judah’s men.
The passage reminds us that no people who refuse to walk in the light of the Lord can prosper. But there is a special word to individuals, in verse 10. God told Isaiah, “Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.” Whatever happens to our society, you and I need not despair. Our calling is to live righteous lives, and expect God to care for us whatever may come.

“Those who are left” Isa. 4:2–6. God’s ideal surely will be achieved. This is the thought with which Isaiah closed his lengthy sermon. After judgment has removed sinners and purified survivors, a cleansed and holy Jerusalem will serve as a shelter and shade for humanity.
But this will only be accomplished by the appearance of a person called “the Branch of the Lord.” This term, “branch,” is a frequent title of the Messiah, who is to come from David’s family line and to accomplish the ultimate deliverance of the Jews and all humankind.
Again Isaiah’s words serve as a reminder to us. God’s ideal is more than we can accomplish in our own strength. But God Himself has acted in Christ to make it possible for you and me to walk in the light of the Lord. We are His new creation. All we can do is to honor the Lord by living righteous lives, however dark the ways of this present world.

The low vines of Palestine’s grapes produced a crop associated in the Old Testament with joy and fulfillment. In one of Scripture’s most powerful images Judah is likened to a vineyard, planned and planted by God, intended to bear fruit that would gladden the Lord’s heart (5:1–7). But instead of the justice and righteousness God sought, His vineyard, Judah, produced injustice and bloodshed.

“Woe to you” Isa. 5:8–30. A “woe” is an exclamation, a cry of grief or anguish, that is typically associated with divine judgment. This series of woes is announced for specific sins that are particularly grievous. These are: (1) creating large personal estates at the expense of poorer landholders (vv. 8–10); (2) hedonistic living that shows “no regard for the deeds of the LORD” (vv. 11–17); (3) making evil a life’s work and scoffing at divine judgment (vv. 18–19); (4) calling evil good and good evil (v. 20); (5) relying on one’s own counsel rather than revelation (v. 21); (6) failing to take governmental responsibilities soberly (vv. 22–23).
God’s judgment will surely fall on such a people, for each action described shows that “they have rejected the Law of the LORD Almighty, and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.”
These woes can be summed up by noting that the sins condemned involve a reconstitution of society. A desire for wealth and personal pleasure is expressed in societal values that replace the values revealed by God. The good traditional values are replaced by evil new values, and scoffed at by those who are wise in their own eyes. Even those who administer the nation’s laws accept the new values, and so “acquit the guilty for a bribe.”
It may be hard to live by God’s values in our own society. But it was hard in Bible times too! Only a firm commitment to God and His ways can guard us against evil influences that press in on every side.

“I saw the Lord” Isa. 6:1–8. Scholars debate whether this chapter belongs with 2–5 or with 7–12. It seems best to place it here. Isaiah had bluntly warned Judah of impending judgment. The story of his call by God is included to prove his words are authoritative.
Isaiah’s account emphasized the holiness of God (vv. 1–4), the prophet’s awareness of his own sinfulness (v. 5), his cleansing (vv. 6–8), and his subsequent willingness to serve as God’s messenger (v. 8).
In a sense Isaiah’s call reflects our own experience. When you and I are forgiven, we too become responsible to serve as God’s messengers to others in our society.

“How long?” Isa. 6:9–13 Isaiah’s task was to communicate his message of judgment until it was fulfilled, and the doom he pronounced came. You and I are also to communicate our message until God’s words are fulfilled. But the message we carry is the good news of salvation! Let’s not become discouraged if others do not respond immediately. Let’s keep on sharing, until the Gospel bears its fruit.

DEVOTIONAL
Arrogance Brought Low
(Isa. 2)
It’s surprising how extensive the Old Testament’s vocabulary of “arrogance” is. One Hebrew root, zid, pictures a self-important pride that leads to acts of rebellion. Another root, ga˒ah, implies overwhelming self-confidence linked with insensitivity to others. A third, gabah, suggests a sense of self-importance.
What’s wrong with being proud? Well, nothing. As long as our pride is simple satisfaction in our accomplishments, or honesty about our strengths and abilities.
But pride becomes arrogance when it grows beyond simple satisfaction to become a self-important disdain for others, or a bloated self-confidence that makes us feel we can step outside the moral rules that govern others and get away with it.
In fact, the feeling that we can “get away with” something that “other people” can’t, lies at the heart of arrogance. The stockbroker who makes money with insider information, the adult who takes one more drink before driving, the teen who thinks that just trying crack or sex can’t hurt, all fall into the category of the arrogant. And, in Isaiah’s words, “The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low” by God (vv. 11, 17).
What’s the antidote to arrogance? The same verses have the answer: “The LORD alone will be exalted in that day.” We exalt the Lord when we accept our place as creatures who are totally dependent on His goodness and His grace. We exalt the Lord when we keep His commands, not just out of love but out of a conviction that God is wiser than we are. We exalt the Lord when we honor others as persons of worth and value because they too are His creatures and objects of His love. We exalt the Lord when we find joy in our accomplishments, and thank Him for the gifts that made them possible.
When you and I live humbly, exalting God rather than ourselves, we avoid the judgment earned by the arrogant.

Personal Application
With God in first place, we will never be in last!

Quotable

You know, Lord, how I serve You,
  with great emotional fervor,
  in the limelight.
You know how eagerly I speak for You,
  at a women’s club.
You know how I effervesce when I
  promote a fellowship group.
You know my genuine enthusiasm
  at a Bible study.
But how would I react, I wonder
  if You pointed to a basin of water,
  and asked me to wash the calloused
  feet of a bent and wrinkled old woman,
  day after day,
  month after month,
  in a room where nobody saw,
  and nobody knew!

-Ruth Harms Calkin